What's happening
This bill removes the requirement to attach a specific farm location to vehicle registrations for certain farm-related vehicles in New York.
Why it matters
Reduces administrative burden and paperwork for farmers. by eliminating the need to specify and attach a particular farm location to each vehicle registration, making it easier to register eligible farm vehicles.
Provides greater flexibility for farm operations. as vehicles can be used across multiple locations managed as part of a single farm enterprise without the need to update registration documents each time the location changes.
May improve compliance and reduce risk of technical violations. by removing a detailed registration requirement that could otherwise result in unintentional noncompliance if farm boundaries or operations shift.
Preserves existing safety and usage restrictions. (e.g., distance limits, prohibited times, and mechanical safety requirements), so while registration is simplified, operational rules for farm vehicles on public roads remain in place.
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Who cares
Farm vehicle owners
The bill would remove the requirement to list their designated farm reference point in an attachment to the vehicle registration, while retaining the 25-mile one-way travel limit from that point.
Department of Motor Vehicles and registration agents
The bill would eliminate the registration-attachment requirement for the owner-designated farm point while leaving the other registration requirements in place.
Farm operators transporting vehicles or materials
The bill would retain existing limits on eligible trips between farm facilities, to municipal sanitary landfills and repair shops, and from a vehicle’s point of sale to a farm.
Headline styles
Ease Farm Vehicle Registration
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to transportation
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to transportation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 63–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1454
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ease Farm Vehicle Registration
In Assembly Committee · Transportation · Sponsor William Magee
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3924
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 30, 2017
Introduced by Sens. RITCHIE, AVELLA, BONACIC, GALLIVAN, RANZENHOFER -read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to certain registrations of vehicles
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 13 of section 401 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 295 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
13. Registration of motor vehicles, trailers and semitrailers operated upon public highways connecting portions of a farm or farms, municipal sanitary landfills, licensed motor vehicle repair shops and the point of sale of the vehicle. Motor vehicles, other than motor vehicles manufactured and equipped primarily for the transportation of passengers, trailers and semitrailers, to be operated by any person, upon a public highway for the purpose of traveling by the most direct route, but in no event further than twenty-five miles one-way from a point on the farm as designated by the vehicle owner [and set forth in an attachment to the vehicle registration], (a) between fields, buildings, and facilities managed or operated as part of a single farm enterprise in connection with the production, harvesting, processing or marketing on that farm of crops, livestock, or livestock products produced on that farm; or (b) for the purpose of transporting materials from a farm to the nearest available municipal sanitary landfill; or (c) for the purpose of transporting the motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer to a motor vehicle repair shop licensed pursuant to this chapter for the repair or adjustment of equipment provided that, in addition to the route restrictions set forth in this subdivision, no such transport shall be authorized (i) if such vehicle has an out-of-service defect relating to load securement, brake systems, steering components and/or coupling devices, or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08775-01-7
S. 3924 2
after it has been placed out-of-service; (ii) on any limited access highway; and (iii) during the period of one hour before sunset to one hour after sunrise; or (d) for the purpose of transporting the motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer, at the time of first receipt, from its point of sale to a farm, may be registered as provided in this subdivision. Every owner of such vehicles may cause to be filed by mail or otherwise, with the commissioner or with any agent of the commissioner, an application for registration of such vehicle, addressed to the commissioner, and on a blank to be furnished by the commissioner for that purpose, containing the information required by subdivision one of this section and such other information as the commissioner shall require. The commissioner or agent shall make such investigation, as he or she shall determine necessary, and if satisfied that the vehicle is to be operated exclusively as provided in this subdivision shall, upon the payment of a fee of one dollar, assign to such vehicle a distinctive number and issue and deliver to the applicant a set of number plates and a certificate of registration in such form as the commissioner shall prescribe, indicating the extent to which the vehicle registered may be operated on the public highways and such vehicle may be operated only as so indicated. For the purposes of this subdivision, the terms "farm" and "crops, livestock or livestock products," shall have the same meaning as "land used in agricultural production" and "crops, livestock and livestock products," respectively, as defined in section three hundred one of the agriculture and markets law, except that farmers with an average gross sales value of at least one thousand dollars per year of crops, livestock, and livestock products shall be eligible to register vehicles pursuant to this subdivision.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to certain registrations of vehicles
Purpose
To eliminate the additional attachment that is currently required of farm plated vehicle registration. This attachment must be kept with the vehicle registration at all times and creates onerous burdens on the industry.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 401 Subdivision 13 to remove the additional vehicle registration requirement of attaching farm vehicle certification to the farm vehicle registration and having to make such documentation available at all times.
Section 2 provides the effective date.
Justification
This bill reduces the unnecessary and cumbersome paperwork associated with farm plated vehicles and helps alleviate the regulatory burden facing the agricultural community. Farm plates provide New York producers with the opportunity to obtain a reduced rate for vehicle and plate registration for vehicles used exclusively in agricultural production. Currently, farm plated vehicles are restricted to travel within a 25-mile radius of the farm for their business needs such as traversing between fields, delivery to/from a land-fill and necessary repair and maintenance of the farm vehicle at a repair shop.
While the 25-mile travel restriction is based on, and specific to, the farm address listed on the farm vehicle's registration, the farmer must file additional paperwork specifically addressing all points of destination for that specific registered farm vehicle. This information must then be kept on file with the vehicle registration as an attachment. Each time the farmer acquires additional land or finds it necessary to travel to an alternate destination in order to conduct business, he/she must file another document with the Department of Motor Vehicles which expends time and staff resources on behalf of the farmer and the State.
With state law already strictly designating use of farm plated vehicles to within 25 miles of the farm that the vehicle is registered to, the additional documentation and maintenance of such paperwork with the State is duplicative and unnecessary. The repeal of this requirement would allow our farm community to focus their valuable time planting and harvesting crops throughout vital months of the year instead of devoting their efforts towards unnecessary filing requirements.
Legislative history
2011-2012: S.5262 Passed Senate / A.8351 Referred to Transportation 2013-2014: S.1951 Passed Senate / A.169 Referred to Transportation 2015-2016: S.2399 Passed Senate/A.1429 Referred to Transportation
Fiscal impact
None to the state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.