Summary — HB 1443 (North Dakota): Farm and Forestry Vehicle Plates & Registration
Status: Second reading — failed to pass (yeas 5, nays 85)
Introduced: November 21, 2024
Primary statutes amended: NDCC § 39‑04‑10.7 and § 39‑04‑19(5)
Sponsors: Reps. D. Ruby, K. Anderson, Beltz, Brandenburg, D. Johnston, Marschall, Osowski, Vetter; Sens. Cory, Lemm, Magrum, Wanzek
Purpose / intent
The bill would (1) require the Department director to issue special number plates or validation decals, at no additional charge, for trucks or truck‑trailer combinations registered as farm or forestry vehicles, and (2) revise the statutory definition, eligibility, penalty, and registration fee schedule for farm and forestry vehicles weighing over 20,000 pounds (up to 105,500 pounds).
Key provisions
Special plates/decals (NDCC § 39‑04‑10.7)
- The director must issue special number plates or validation decals—distinct from other plates—without an additional charge when an applicant pays the applicable registration fee.
- The director determines form/size and must adopt rules governing issuance.
Farm & forestry vehicle registration (NDCC § 39‑04‑19(5))
- Defines “farm vehicles” as trucks or truck combinations weighing more than 20,000 but not more than 105,500 pounds that are:
- Owned or leased at least one year by a bona fide resident farmer; and
- Used exclusively to transport the farmer’s own property or property exchanged between farms (farm work‑exchange), and not used in commercial retail/wholesale business or otherwise for hire.
- Defines “forestry vehicles” similarly, when used in forestry or forestry‑related businesses.
- Enforcement/penalty: a person violating the subsection must, in addition to other penalties, license the vehicle for the full license period at the higher commercial vehicle rate based on the vehicle’s weight at time of violation.
- Establishes a detailed tiered registration fee schedule by gross weight and by year(s) registered. Fees increase with gross vehicle weight and vary by the number of years registered; example ranges in the text run roughly from ~$111 for the lightest bracket to ~$649 for the heaviest bracket.
Who would be affected
- Primary: resident farmers and forestry businesses who own or lease heavy trucks or truck‑trailer combinations used exclusively for farm or forestry purposes.
- Secondary: the Department (director) responsible for issuing plates/decals and adopting implementing rules; motor vehicle enforcement and licensing operations.
- Potentially affected: operators who use farm‑designated vehicles for prohibited commercial activity (subject to higher commercial registration rates if violations occur).
Procedural / timeline notes
- The bill amended two North Dakota Century Code sections and included a new, weight‑tiered fee table in statute.
- It reached second reading but failed to pass (vote recorded: yeas 5, nays 85), so it did not advance to become law in this session.
Fiscal/operational impacts
- The bill establishes explicit registration fees (statutory schedule) for heavy farm/forestry vehicles and requires rulemaking by the director; the fiscal note is not included here. Adoption could change registration revenue collection and administrative workload for vehicle licensing (implementing special plates/decals and rules, and applying the new fee tiers). Enforcement language could shift some noncompliant vehicles to higher commercial fees when violations are found.
If you want, I can:
- Extract and present the full statutory fee table in a clean table;
- Compare the bill’s changes to current law to show exact differences; or
- Draft a short fiscal-impact estimate checklist for state licensing offices.
