(a) Staggered renewal system to be established.--The department shall establish a system of staggered registration renewal in a manner that an approximately equal number of registrations will expire every month throughout the year. In order to implement and maintain the staggered registration system, the department may prorate annual registration fees over registration periods of from 6 to 18 months.

(a.1) Seasonal registration.--Upon application on a form prescribed by the department, the owner or lessee of a passenger car, recreational motor vehicle, motorcycle, truck or farm vehicle which does not have a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds may register the vehicle with the department for a period of successive months of less than one year. The applicant shall specify the period of months during which the vehicle shall be registered. Except when the department initially converts a currently valid annual registration to a seasonal registration, the annual fee prescribed for the vehicle by Chapter 19 (relating to fees) shall be paid in full by the applicant regardless of the number of months chosen for registration by the applicant. Upon receipt of the appropriate fee and the properly completed form, including all information required by this chapter, the department shall issue a seasonal registration that shall expire on the last day of the expiration month chosen by the registrant. No insurer of a vehicle belonging to any owner or lessee who obtains a seasonal registration and who applies for or receives a reduced automobile insurance premium on account thereof shall be required to provide any contractual coverage, whether in the form of the provision of a defense or the payment of first-party or third-party benefits or otherwise, to the owner or lessee in connection with any event occurring during that part of the year in which the vehicle is not registered; and such owner or lessee shall be treated for all purposes, including, without limitation, ascertaining rights to stack coverages and to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, as a person who does not own that vehicle and has no duty to carry financial responsibility on it for that part of the year.

(b) New registration.--A new registration is effective on the date of issuance of a registration card by the department or the date of issuance of a temporary registration card by an authorized agent of the department under section 1310 (relating to temporary registration cards).

(c) Renewal of registration.--A renewed registration shall be effective on issuance by the department of a renewed registration card.

(d) Expiration of registration.--A registration shall expire on the last day of the month designated on the registration card.

(e) Antique, classic and collectible vehicles.--Antique, classic and collectible motor vehicle registrations shall expire upon the salvaging, scrapping or transfer of ownership of the vehicle, except that if the transfer is between spouses or between parent and child the registration may be transferred upon payment of a transfer fee.

(f) Optional permanent trailer registration.--Except as set forth in section 1920(c) (relating to trailers), the registration of trailers permanently registered as provided in section 1920(c) shall expire upon salvaging of the vehicle or transfer of ownership.

(g) Election.--Upon application on a form prescribed by the department, the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle, except a motor vehicle registered under the International Registration Plan and a motor vehicle with a seasonal registration or a circus or carnival plate, may elect to pay an annual registration fee for a two-year period. The fee shall be two times the amount of the registration fee otherwise payable for the motor vehicle under this title.

(May 26, 1982, P.L.435, No.129, eff. imd.; Dec. 20, 1995, P.L.669, No.75, eff. 120 days; July 11, 1996, P.L.660, No.115, eff. 60 days; Apr. 17, 1997, P.L.6, No.3, eff. July 1, 1997; Dec. 1, 2004, P.L.1771, No.229, eff. 60 days; Dec. 18, 2007, P.L.436, No.67, eff. 60 days; Nov. 25, 2013, P.L.974, No.89; July 2, 2014, P.L.988, No.109, eff. 60 days)

2014 Amendment. Act 109 amended subsec. (a.1).

2013 Amendment. Act 89 amended subsec. (f) and added subsec. (g), effective January 1, 2014, as to subsec. (f) and December 31, 2016, as to subsec. (g). See the preamble to Act 89 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to legislative findings and declarations.

2004 Amendment. Act 229 amended subsec. (a).

1995 Amendment. Act 75 amended subsec. (e).

1982 Amendment. Act 129 amended subsecs. (a) and (c).

Cross References. Section 1307 is referred to in section 1786 of this title.