PART III. REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES

 

§286-41  Application for registration; fullfaith and credit to current certificates; this part not applicable to certainequipment.  (a)  Every owner of a motor vehicle which is to be operatedupon the public highways shall, for each vehicle owned, except as hereinotherwise provided, apply to the director of finance of the county where thevehicle is to be operated, for the registration thereof.  If a vehicle is movedto another county and is to be operated upon the public highways of thatcounty, the existing certificate of registration shall be valid until itsexpiration date, at which time the owner shall apply to the director of financeof the county in which the vehicle is then located for the registration of the vehicle,whether or not the owner is domiciled in the county or the owner's principalplace of business is in that county, except that this provision shall not applyto vehicles which are temporarily transferred to another county for a period ofnot more than three months.

(b)  Application for the registration of avehicle shall be made upon the appropriate form furnished by the director offinance and shall contain the name, occupation, and address of the owner andlegal owner; and, if the applicant is a member of the United States naval ormilitary forces, the applicant shall give the organization and station.  Allapplications shall also contain a description of the vehicle, including thename of the maker, the type of fuel for the use of which it is adapted (e.g.,gasoline, diesel oil, liquefied petroleum gas), the serial or motor number, andthe date first sold by the manufacturer or dealer, and such further descriptionof the vehicle as is called for in the form, and such other information as maybe required by the director of finance, to establish legal ownership.  A personapplying for initial registration of a neighborhood electric vehicle shallcertify in writing that a notice of the operational restrictions applying tothe vehicle as provided in section 291C-134 are contained on a permanent noticeattached to or painted on the vehicle in a location that is in clear view ofthe driver.

(c)  If the vehicle to be registered isspecially constructed, reconstructed, or rebuilt; is a special interest vehicle;or is an imported vehicle, this fact shall be stated in the application andupon the registration of the special interest motor vehicle and imported motorvehicle, which has been registered until that time in any other state orcounty, and the owner shall surrender to the director of finance thecertificates of registration or other evidence of such form of registration asmay be in the applicant's possession or control.  The director of finance shallgrant full faith and credit to the currently valid certificates of title andregistration describing the vehicle, the ownership thereof, and any liens notedthereon, issued by any title state or county in which the vehicle was lastregistered.  The acceptance by the director of finance of a certificate oftitle or of registration issued by another state or county, as provided in thissubsection, in the absence of knowledge that the certificate is forged,fraudulent, or void, shall be a sufficient determination of the genuineness andregularity of the certificate and of the truth of the recitals therein, and noliability shall be incurred by any officer or employee of the director offinance by reason of so accepting the certificate.

(d)  The owner of every motor vehicle of thecurrent, previous, and subsequent year model bought out-of-state, subsequentlybrought into the State, and subject to the use tax under chapter 238 shallprovide with the application for registration proof of payment of the use taxpursuant to requirements established by the department of taxation.  Noregistration certificate shall be issued without proof of payment of the usetax.

(e)  Notwithstanding any other law to thecontrary, the director of finance of the county in which the application forregistration is sought shall not require proof of insurance as a condition tosatisfy the requirements of this part.  This subsection shall apply only to theinitial registration of any motor vehicle.

(f)  The provisions of this part requiring theregistration of motor vehicles shall not apply to:

(1)  Special mobile equipment;

(2)  Implements of husbandry temporarily drawn, moved,or otherwise propelled upon the public highways; and

(3)  Aircraft servicing vehicles which are being usedexclusively on lands set aside to the department of transportation for airportpurposes. [L 1929, c 197, §1; RL 1935, §2665; RL 1945, §7336; am L 1951, c 168,§1(b), (c); am L 1953, c 69, §1; am L 1955, c 165, §1; RL 1955, §160-2; HRS§286-41; am L 1984, c 276, §5; gen ch 1985; am L 1986, c 33, §2 and c 50, §2;am L 1987, c 171, §1; am L 1997, c 246, §5; am L 1999, c 262, §2(2); am L 2002,c 225, §2; am L 2003, c 3, §9]

 

Cross References

 

  Interisland shipping of vehicles, see §286-271.

 

Case Notes

 

  Use of automobile subject to extensive police regulations. 31 H. 726, aff'd 54 F.2d 313.