Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Transportation Committee

HB 2413

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Removes the existing tiered late penalties for a late aircraft registration and replaces the penalties with one penalty of $100 if the aircraft registration is 60 days or more past due.
Establishes time frames for aircraft owners to provide a municipality or port district proof of aircraft registration when leasing or purchasing tie-down or hanger space.

Background:

The Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) Aviation is responsible for registering aircraft in the State of Washington. Every aircraft must be registered with the DOT each calendar year in which the aircraft is operated or based within Washington. The registration is based on a calendar year and is collected during the month of January. The registration fee is $15. An excise tax is also imposed on each aircraft, it is collected annually or on a staggered collection schedule. The excise tax is based on the type of aircraft and whether it is operated privately or by a commuter air carrier.

Failure to register an aircraft as required is subject to the following penalties: (1) if the registration is 60 to 119 days past due, the penalty is $100 dollars; (2) if the registration is 120 days to 180 days past due, the penalty is $200; and (3) if the registration is over 180 days past due, the penalty is $400.

The revenue from the registration fees, excise tax, and penalties are deposited into the Aeronautics Account.

If the DOT is satisfied the requirements for the registration of the aircraft have been met, then a certificate of registration is issued.

There are aircraft that are exempt from registration: government aircraft; foreign aircraft; non-resident owned aircraft; and large private airplanes here for repair, alteration, reconstruction, or storage for more than a year.

A municipality or port district that owns, operates, or leases an airport with the intent to operate, must require from an aircraft owner proof of aircraft registration as a condition of leasing or selling tie-down or hanger space for an aircraft.

In 2014 there were 6,560 aircraft registered and 2,667 aircraft exempt.

In 2015 there were 6,551 aircraft registered and 2,459 aircraft exempt.

Summary of Bill:

The bill removes the existing tiered penalty structure and replaces the penalties with one penalty that is $100 if the aircraft registration is 60 days or more past due. The bill implements a schedule for providing proof of registration to a municipality or port district that owns, operates or leases an airport. The schedule is:

for the purchase of tie-down or hanger space, the airport must allow 30 days from the date of the application for purchase to produce proof of the aircraft registration;
for the lease of tie-down or hanger space that extends 30 days or more, the airport must allow the lessee 30 days to produce proof of the aircraft registration from the date of the application for lease of tie-down or hanger space; and
for the lease of tie-down or hanger space that extends less than 30 days, the airport must allow the lessee to produce proof of aircraft registration at any point prior to the final day of the lease.