Via the Post’s Get There blog, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has put in place a number of new regulations starting today. The fees to renew a D.C. driver’s license or identification card has gone up from $39 to $44. That’s not too big of a hike, and the good news is that those licenses will now be valid for eight years, instead of only five. That works out to $5.50 per year versus $7.80 per year before, so in a real way, it actually costs less now.

Other DMV changes put in place: the vehicle inspection fee will rise from $25 to $35, but if you’re registering a brand new car, your first inspection sticker will now be valid for four years, rather than only two (older vehicles will still have to get inspected every two years). Also, vehicles that get better than 40 miles per gallon (so basically, hybrid vehicles) will only have to pay a reduced registration fee of $36.

Photo by sally henny penny