The Arizona Motor Vehicle Department is very strict about changing your driver’s license and registering your car as soon as you move here.

Fines for Not Registering Your Car Are Steep

The penalties for driving without a proper license, registration or insurance in Arizona are quite serious. Driving without a license is a class 1 misdemeanor and penalties can include the vehicle being impounded, 48 hours in jail and a court imposed fine of $300 or more.

New residents to the State of Arizona are required to obtain an Arizona driver license and to register their vehicles in this State.

Arizona state law requires that a new resident obtain a driver license and registration immediately if any one of the following applies, if you:

• Work in Arizona (other than for seasonal agricultural work)
• Place children in school without paying the tuition rate of a nonresident
• Have a business with an office in Arizona, and that bases and operates vehicles in this state
• Obtain a state license or pay school tuition fees at the same rate as an Arizona resident
• Have a business that operates vehicles to transport goods or passengers within Arizona
• Remain in Arizona for a total of 7 months or more during any calendar year, regardless of your permanent residence

The statute for driving without registration says that being without proper registration on a vehicle is a class 5 felony (which can come with jail time, usually spent in Tent City with guys wearing Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s pink boxers):

A person who is the resident or nonresident owner or operator of a motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer that is required by law to be registered in this state and that is not registered or does not display license plates assigned by the department for the current registration year and who operates or knowingly permits the vehicle to be operated on a highway is subject to a civil penalty of three hundred dollars.

The penalties are so harsh that if you’ve moved here, I urge you obtain current AZ registration and plates on your vehicle immediately!

Vehicle Registration Fees

So now you’re wondering what the car registration fees will run you…unfortunately, they’re a lot steeper in Arizona than in many other states, but at least they’re not as high as California.

Several fees are standard for all vehicles:

• Title fee – $4

• Registration fee – $8

• Air quality research fee – $1.50

The variable fee comes in the form of the vehicle license tax (VLT), which is assessed instead of the personal property tax that many other states charge. It is based on the manufacturer’s base retail price of the automobile, but takes into account amortization, so you will pay a little less to register your vehicle each year.

Let’s Do the Math

Here’s the formula – I suggest you break out your calculator (figures rounded):

Let’s say we’re talking about a 1 year old car that cost $25,000 new.

The VLT is based on an assessed value of 60% of the manufacturer’s base retail price:

$25,000 x .60 = $15,000

16.25% reduction for each year it has been registered in AZ:

$15,000 – 16.25% =  $12,563

Divide that figure by 100:

$12,563 / 100 = $1,256

Now you multiply that figure by $2.80 for a new car and $2.89 for a used car:

$1,256 x 2.89 = $363

So your vehicle registration fee will cost you $363 plus the standard fees for a total of $376.50. If you have an older car you’ll probably have to get an emissions test too.

If this math has driven you crazy, call the MVD instead and ask them for the registration cost.

Yep, it’s a lot, but at least you can use it as a deduction on your Arizona state taxes.