(a) Any person, firm or corporation before engaging in the business of leasing or renting motor vehicles without drivers in this state and any person, firm or corporation which is the lessor of or rents any vehicle required to be registered under the provisions of section 14-15a shall make a sworn application to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles for a license to engage in such leasing or renting. Each such application and each application for renewal shall be accompanied by a fee of three hundred dollars. Each such license shall be renewed biennially according to renewal schedules established by the commissioner so as to effect staggered renewal of all such licenses. If the adoption of a staggered system results in the expiration of any license more or less than one year from its issuance, the commissioner may charge a prorated amount for such license fee. Not less than forty-five days prior to the date of expiration of each such license, the commissioner shall send or transmit to each licensee, in such manner as the commissioner determines, an application for renewal. An application for renewal filed with the commissioner after the date of expiration shall be accompanied by a late fee of one hundred dollars provided the commissioner shall not renew any license under this subsection that has expired for more than forty-five days. No such license shall be transferred. Such licensee shall furnish proof of financial responsibility satisfactory to the commissioner specifying that coverage is for all owned vehicles, as provided by section 14-112 or 14-129, regardless of the duration of the lease or rental period. Each application for such license shall contain the name and address of the owner and shall be accompanied by a surety bond as required pursuant to section 14-52. Each application for registration of a motor vehicle to be leased for a period of more than thirty days shall contain the name and address of the owner and the lessee of such vehicle. The owner of such vehicle shall disclose the name and address of any subsequent lessee of such vehicle to the commissioner in such manner as the commissioner may require. The commissioner shall ensure that such information relative to the lessee is available to the Connecticut on-line law enforcement communications teleprocessing system. Each person, firm or corporation licensed under the provisions of this subsection shall keep such books, records and accounts as the commissioner may require provided each licensee shall retain a copy of each rental or lease contract for a period of three years, which shall be subject to inspection by the commissioner or the commissioner's designee at all reasonable times. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any person, firm or corporation which, incidental to the conduct of its principal business, leases or rents any motor vehicle without a driver to other persons, firms or corporations whose principal business is the same as that of the lessor. Violation of any provision of this subsection shall be an infraction.

(b) Each person, firm or corporation licensed under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section or by another state, who in the opinion of the commissioner is qualified, may electronically register or transfer the registration of a motor vehicle used in connection with its business. The licensee, within ten days from the electronic issuance of such registration or transfer, shall submit to the commissioner an application together with all necessary documents to register or transfer the registration of the vehicle with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Any such licensee that registers or transfers registration shall be required to register or transfer registrations electronically if the commissioner determines that such licensee files with such department, on average, seven or more such registrations or transfers each month. The commissioner shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to implement the provisions of this subsection.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 14-22, the commissioner may require any person, firm or corporation licensed under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section or by another state, who in the opinion of the commissioner is qualified and who holds a current registration certificate for a motor vehicle used in connection with its business, to renew such registration electronically if the commissioner determines that the licensee renews with the Department of Motor Vehicles, on average, seven or more such registrations each month. The commissioner shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to implement the provisions of this subsection.

(1955, S. 1286d; 1957, P.A. 413; 1967, P.A. 822; 1969, P.A. 747, S. 1; P.A. 75-577, S. 13, 126; P.A. 84-254, S. 23, 62; P.A. 87-329, S. 1; P.A. 88-340, S. 1; P.A. 90-285, S. 1, 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-13, S. 5, 21; P.A. 93-164, S. 1; P.A. 95-260, S. 4, 24; P.A. 96-167, S. 3; P.A. 00-169, S. 3; P.A. 02-70, S. 18, 56; P.A. 11-213, S. 7; P.A. 13-271, S. 8; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 197; P.A. 16-55, S. 11; P.A. 18-164, S. 1.)

History: 1967 act clarified applicability of provisions and required that books, records and accounts be kept as required by commissioner and that they be open to inspection by commissioner or designee; 1969 act restated applicability provision to specify persons, firms and corporations leasing or renting cars without drivers and lessors of vehicles required to be registered under Sec. 14-15a and increased application fee from $25 to $50; P.A. 75-577 excluded leasing of cars by one corporation to another having the same principal business and added provision re violation of provisions; P.A. 84-254 periodically increased the existing $50 fee to $100 as of July 1, 1992; P.A. 87-329 maintained the fee at the level existing on and after July 1, 1986, and decreased the fee effective July 1, 1992, to the level formerly existing on and after July 1, 1988; P.A. 88-340 required licensee to retain copy of rental or lease contract for three years; P.A. 90-285 added Subsec. (b), authorizing licensees to issue 20-day temporary transfers of registration; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-13 increased fee from $78 to $150 and removed increase scheduled for July 1, 1992; P.A. 93-164 added a requirement in Subsec. (a) that applications be accompanied by a surety bond; P.A. 95-260 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes and to require that each application for registration of a motor vehicle to be leased for a period of more than 30 days contain the name and address of the owner and lessee of the vehicle, that the owner of such vehicle disclose name and address of any subsequent lessee of such vehicle to commissioner in such manner as he may require and that commissioner ensure that information re lessee is available to COLLECT system; P.A. 96-167 amended Subsec. (b) to make a technical change, to authorize issuance of 45-day temporary transfers in lieu of 20-day transfers and to require submission of application for permanent registration within 7 days from issuance of temporary registration instead of 5 days and added Subsec. (c), allowing commissioner to authorize licensees to renew registration by means of an electronic data processing system; P.A. 00-169 amended Subsec. (b) to replace a 45-day with a 60-day temporary transfer of a registration, and changed the period of time within which a licensee shall submit an application to the commissioner for a permanent registration from 7 to 5 days; P.A. 02-70 amended Subsec. (a) to require biennial in lieu of annual license renewal, to provide for a license fee of $300 in lieu of $150, to require renewal according to schedules established by the commissioner to effect staggered renewal of licenses, to impose a late fee of $100 for an application for renewal filed after the date of expiration, to provide that no license that has expired for more than 45 days shall be renewed, and to make technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality, and, effective July 1, 2002, amended Subsec. (b) to make technical changes; P.A. 11-213 amended Subsec. (a) to replace requirement re mailing of renewal application with requirement re sending or transmitting renewal application in such manner as commissioner determines, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-271 amended Subsec. (a) to delete provision allowing licensee to furnish proof of financial responsibility separately with respect to each vehicle or group of vehicles leased to a single lessee and to add provision requiring licensee to specify that coverage is for all owned vehicles regardless of duration of lease or rental period, effective July 1, 2013; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (b) to delete reference to official stamp, effective June 30, 2015; P.A. 16-55 amended Subsec. (b) by adding reference to person, firm or corporation licensed by another state, replacing provision re issuance of temporary transfer with provision re electronic registration or transfer of registration and adding provision requiring licensee to register or transfer registrations electronically if licensee files an average of 7 or more registrations or transfers each month, amended Subsec. (c) by adding provision requiring licensee to renew registration electronically if licensee renews an average of 7 or more registrations each month, and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 18-164 amended Subsec. (b) by increasing period of time for licensee to submit registration application to commissioner from 5 days to 10 days, effective July 1, 2018.

See Sec. 14-52 re cash bond or surety bond requirements.

See Secs. 14-153 and 14-153a for similar provisions re renting of vehicles.

Cited. 203 C. 667.