Registering Vehicles In Indiana Might Get Easier

INDIANAPOLIS -- Legislation that drastically simplifies the Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ complex registration and fee system will likely advance with strong bipartisan support through the General Assembly. It received positive feedback in Wednesday’s initial House committee hearing.

Under current law, there are 191 ways to register a vehicle in Indiana.  The proposed BMV overhaul bill would reduce that to 23.  About 2.1 million Hoosiers would see their fees decrease.  One hundred sixty-three registration fees would be reduced or eliminated; the BMV’s fee chart would go from about five pages to one simple page.  And only eight fees would increase – seven affecting for-hire buses, the other for large semis. 

BMV General Counsel Adam Krupp says the simplification will help ensure the agency doesn’t undergo another series of under and overcharges.

“So it’ll eliminate the confusing nature of what a fee might for a particular transaction," Krupp said. "It’ll say right there in front of you, ‘You’re eligible for this, here’s the application requirements, here’s the fee that gets charged.’”

To help offset the fee decreases, the BMV bill would increase late fees.  For example, for registrations, the late fee would go from $5 to $15.  For licenses, the late fee would go up $1 -- from $5 to $6.