FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 6229

                          C 188 L 98

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Enhancing compliance with aircraft registration laws.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Haugen, Morton, Goings, Winsley, Prince, Rasmussen, Prentice and Wood).

Senate Committee on Transportation

House Committee on Transportation Policy & Budget

Background:  Of the 9,868 aircraft based in Washington State, 4,807 aircraft were registered in 1997.  An additional 2,000 aircraft requiring registration were confirmed to be operating without a registration.  There are only two registration enforcement options currently available:  (1) request the State Patrol to investigate a potential evasion of registration; or (2) send Aviation Division staff out to public use airports to record aircraft identification numbers for purposes of running registration checks at a later time.  Due to various limiting factors of both options, neither of them has been able to significantly reduce the number of unregistered aircraft in the state.  Adding to the problem is the fact that an aircraft can lease or purchase tiedown or hangar space at a local, public use airport without having to show proof of registration to airport authorities.

Summary:  Port districts and municipalities who operate an airport must require from an aircraft owner proof of aircraft registration or proof of the intent to register an aircraft as a condition of leasing or selling tiedown or hangar space for an aircraft.  If the owner is found to have an unregistered aircraft, the airport must present the owner with the appropriate state registration forms and direct the owner to comply with the law.  After doing so, the airport may lease or sell the space to the owner of the unregistered aircraft, as it then becomes the aircraft owner's responsibility to register the aircraft.  At the end of each month, the airport must report the identification numbers of the unregistered aircraft and the names and addresses of the owners to the Aviation Division for further investigation.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 37 5

House     98 0

Effective:  June 11, 1998