(a) A motor vehicle registration expires upon transfer of ownership of the motor vehicle. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall enter such expiration in the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles only when the transferor cancels his or her registration for such motor vehicle in accordance with procedures established by the commissioner or when the transferee reregisters such motor vehicle with the department, whichever occurs first.

(b) If a motor vehicle is owned by one owner who is a natural person, such owner may designate, in writing in a space provided on the certificate of registration for such motor vehicle, a beneficiary who shall assume ownership of such motor vehicle after the death of the owner and upon the making of an application pursuant to this subsection. The owner making such designation shall have all rights of ownership of such motor vehicle during the owner's life and the beneficiary shall have no rights in such motor vehicle until such time as the owner dies and an application is made pursuant to this subsection. Not later than sixty days after the death of the owner, the beneficiary may make application to the commissioner for the issuance of a certificate of title and a certificate of registration for such motor vehicle in the beneficiary's name. Such application shall be accompanied by: (1) The original certificate of registration in which the beneficiary is designated pursuant to this subsection; (2) a death certificate for the deceased owner; (3) such proof of the beneficiary's identity as the commissioner may require; (4) the transfer fee required by subsection (c) of this section; and (5) any applicable fees for registration, title and number plates as required under this chapter and chapter 247. If the beneficiary fails to make such application within the time period specified in this subsection, the beneficiary shall have no right to obtain ownership of and title to such motor vehicle under this subsection after the expiration of such time period. The right of the beneficiary to obtain ownership of and title to such motor vehicle under this subsection shall be subordinate to the rights of each lienholder whose security interest in such motor vehicle is duly recorded pursuant to chapter 247. The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this subsection.

(c) If the owner of a registered motor vehicle dies, the registration for the vehicle shall, unless the vehicle is destroyed, continue in force as a valid registration until the end of the registration period unless: (1) Ownership of the vehicle is transferred pursuant to subsection (b) of this section or by the deceased owner's executor, administrator, legatee or distributee prior to the end of the registration period, in which case the registration shall continue in force until the time of the transfer; or (2) ownership of the vehicle is transferred to the brother, sister, father, mother, child or spouse of the owner, in which case the registration shall, upon the payment of a fee of twenty dollars, continue in force until the end of the registration period or until the ownership is sooner transferred to a person other than such a relative. If at the end of the registration period the relative has not transferred ownership of the vehicle and the relative applies for registration of the vehicle, the registration shall not be subject to the provisions of subsection (a) of section 12-71b.

(d) If a motor vehicle is transferred in connection with the organization, reorganization or dissolution, or because of the partial liquidation, of an incorporated or unincorporated business in which gain or loss to the transferor is not recognized for federal income tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury regulations and rulings issued thereunder, the registration of the vehicle shall, upon the payment of a fee of twenty dollars, continue in force until the end of the registration period or until the registration is sooner transferred to anyone outside the original business organization. If the transferee of the motor vehicle has not transferred ownership of the motor vehicle to anyone outside the original business organization at the end of the registration period and the transferee applies for a registration for the vehicle, the registration shall not be subject to the provisions of subsection (a) of section 12-71b.

(e) A person who transfers ownership of a registered motor vehicle to another may have registered in his name, upon the filing of a new application and the payment of the fee required by subsection (i) of section 14-49, another motor vehicle for the remainder of the registration period if the gross weight of the other motor vehicle is the same or less than that of the transferred motor vehicle and the registration of the transferred motor vehicle has been surrendered. If the gross weight of the other motor vehicle is greater than the gross weight of the motor vehicle the registration of which has been surrendered, the applicant shall pay, in addition to such fee, the difference between the fee paid by him for the surrendered registration and the fee for the registration of the motor vehicle of greater gross weight. The minimum fee for any such transfer shall be twenty dollars.

(f) Any person may transfer an unexpired registration of a motor vehicle such person owns or leases for a period of one year or more, to another motor vehicle owned or so leased by such person upon payment of the fee required by subsection (i) of section 14-49. Any person transferring such a leased motor vehicle shall provide the commissioner with evidence that the lessor has granted permission for such transfer. If a transfer is made to a motor vehicle of greater gross weight or from one class of registration to another, credit shall be given toward the new registration in accordance with schedules established by the commissioner. The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this subsection.

(g) Any person who sells any motor vehicle, other than a new motor vehicle, for which a certificate of title has not been issued and which is not registered under the provisions of subsections (e) or (g) of section 14-12, shall, within forty-eight hours of the sale, certify under oath to the commissioner, on blanks provided by him, such information as the commissioner may require. Until the commissioner receives the certification under oath required by this subsection, he shall not issue a registration other than for a new motor vehicle and shall not renew a registration other than for the same owner.

(h) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to the penalty provided for false statement. Any person who violates any provision of subsection (g) of this section shall, for a first offense, be deemed to have committed an infraction, and, for a subsequent offense, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or both.

(1949 Rev., S. 2364; 1951, 1953, S. 1287d; 1957, P.A. 301; 1959, P.A. 181, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 233, S. 3; 581, S. 2, 3; 1969, P.A. 759, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 871, S. 84; P.A. 75-213, S. 3, 53; P.A. 76-338, S. 6, 8; P.A. 80-466, S. 5, 25; P.A. 82-223, S. 6; P.A. 83-577, S. 12; P.A. 84-429, S. 6; P.A. 85-525, S. 1, 6; P.A. 86-271, S. 1, 2; P.A. 99-268, S. 14, 46; P.A. 00-169, S. 22; P.A. 02-105, S. 1; P.A. 04-182, S. 1–3; P.A. 18-164, S. 3.)

History: 1959 act included proviso in Subsec. (a) re organization, reorganization, dissolution etc. of business; 1961 acts increased fees in Subsec. (a) from $1, increased minimum fee in Subsec. (b) from $1, removed references in Subsec. (b) to light weight and removed provision for proration of the additional fee payable under Subsec. (b) where transfer was made on or after October first; 1969 act increased minimum fees in Subsecs. (a) and (b) from $2 to $3; 1971 act substituted “false statement” for “perjury” and replaced $25 fine for violation of Subsec. (a) with reference to penalty for false statement in Subsec. (e); P.A. 75-213 increased minimum fees in Subsecs. (a) and (b) to $5; P.A. 76-338 amended Subsec. (a) to exclude recipients of transferred motor vehicle from payment of property tax when initially registering car; P.A. 80-466 included reference to single license plate; P.A. 82-223 amended Subsec. (e) to specify that the commission of a first offense constituted an infraction and established a minimum fine of $25 and lowered the maximum fine from $100 to $90 for such first offense; P.A. 83-577 amended Subsec. (e) by deleting the provision specifying minimum and maximum fines for an infraction; P.A. 84-429 added provisions re oath requirements to Subsec. (f) from Sec. 14-12, relettered Subsecs., rephrased provisions and made other technical changes; P.A. 85-525 amended Subsec. (d) by adding provision increasing transfer fee periodically from $7.50 as of July 1, 1985, to $12 as of July 1, 1992; P.A. 86-271 amended Subsecs. (b) and (c), increasing fees for continuation of registration, scheduling increases to take effect as of July first of 1986, 1988 and 1992; P.A. 99-268 amended Subsec. (e) to include a motor vehicle leased for a period of one year or more, to require evidence of lessor approval for the transfer of a leased motor vehicle and to allow the commissioner to adopt regulations implementing the provisions of the Subsec., effective January 1, 2000; P.A. 00-169 revised effective date of P.A. 99-268 but without affecting this section; P.A. 02-105 added new Subsec. (b) re designation of beneficiary, redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) to (g) as Subsecs. (c) to (h) and revised internal references accordingly, effective January 1, 2003; P.A. 04-182 amended Subsec. (c)(2) to increase fee to $20 for continuation of registration after death of owner and pending transfer of ownership of vehicle to designated relative, amended Subsec. (d) to increase fee to $20 to continue registration of vehicle upon transfer of vehicle after organization, reorganization, dissolution or partial dissolution of business and amended Subsec. (e) to increase minimum fee for transfer to $20, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 18-164 amended Subsec. (a) to replace provisions re transfer of ownership with provision re commissioner entering expiration of registration in department's records, effective July 1, 2018.

A partnership car, taken by one of the partners on dissolution, must be reregistered. 100 C. 119. Cited. 110 C. 281.

Cited. 9 CA 686.

The leaving of a license plate belonging to defendant in or on the car which facilitates its use by another who causes injury could constitute negligence on the part of defendant. 40 CS 149.