AN ACT enacting the Vehicle registration CONVENIENCE act authorizing vehicle owners to elect the month of registration renewal.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

part i. Authorize vehicle owners to elect month of registration renewal

SECTION 1.(a)  This act shall be known as The Vehicle Registration Convenience Act.

SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 20‑66 reads as rewritten:

§ 20‑66.  Renewal of vehicle registration.

(a)        Annual Renewal. – When a vehicle registration is initially issued with a plate that is not a calendar‑year plate, the owner shall elect a month within 12 months of issuance upon which the vehicle's registration expires. The initial period of registration expires at midnight on the last day of the month elected by the owner. The registration of a vehicle must otherwise be renewed annually.

(a1)      Initial Registration Fee. – The fee for an initial period of registration elected by the owner pursuant to subsection (a) of this section that is less than a year in duration is one‑twelfth of the annual fee provided in Part 7 of this Article multiplied by the number of full months in the period beginning with the first full month following the month of issuance until the date the registration expires, rounded to the nearest dollar.

(a2)      Notice. – In accordance with G.S. 105‑330.5(b), upon receiving written consent from the owner of the vehicle, the Division may send to an email address provided by the owner of the vehicle any required notice of renewal electronically to an e‑mail address provided by the owner of the vehicle.renewal.

(a3)      Renewal Application. – To renew the registration of a vehicle, the owner of the vehicle must file an application with the Division and pay the required registration fee. The owner of a vehicle registered in North Carolina may renew that vehicle registration by mail. The Division may receive and grant an application for renewal of registration at any time before the registration expires.

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SECTION 1.(c)  G.S. 20‑52 reads as rewritten:

§ 20‑52.  Application for registration and certificate of title.

(a)        An owner of a vehicle subject to registration must apply to the Division for a certificate of title, a registration plate, and a registration card for the vehicle. To apply, an owner must complete an application provided by the Division. The application shall contain a preprinted option that co‑owners may use to title the vehicle as a joint tenancy with right of survivorship. The co‑owners' designation of a joint tenancy with right of survivorship on the application shall be valid notwithstanding whether this designation appears on the assignment of title. The application must request all of the following information and may request other information the Division considers necessary:

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(8)        A statement indicating the month of registration renewal the owner elects under G.S. 20‑66(a).

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SECTION 1.(d)  G.S. 105‑330.5(a1) reads as rewritten:

(a1)    Proration. – When a new registration is obtained for a registered classified motor vehicle that is registered under the annual system, the taxes are prorated for the remainder of the calendar year. The amount of prorated taxes due is the product of the proration fraction and the taxes computed according to subsection (a) of this section. The numerator of the proration fraction is the number of full months remaining in the calendar year following the registration application date and the denominator of the fraction is 12. When a new registration is obtained for a registered classified motor vehicle, and the owner elects an initial period of registration that is less than a year in duration under G.S. 20‑66(a), the taxes are prorated for the initial period of registration. The amount of prorated taxes due is the product of the proration fraction and the taxes computed according to subsection (a) of this section. The numerator of the proration fraction is the number of full months in the initial period of registration and the denominator of the fraction is 12.

part iI. effective date

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective January 1, 2026, and applies to applications for vehicle registrations on or after that date.