2006 Minnesota Statutes

84.82 SNOWMOBILE REGISTRATION.
    Subdivision 1.[Repealed, 1984 c 654 art 2 s 155]
    Subd. 1a. General requirements. A person may not operate or transport a snowmobile
unless the snowmobile has been registered under this section. A person may not sell a snowmobile
without furnishing the buyer a bill of sale on a form prescribed by the commissioner.
    Subd. 2. Application, issuance, reports, additional fee. (a) Application for registration
or reregistration shall be made to the commissioner or an authorized deputy registrar of motor
vehicles in a format prescribed by the commissioner and shall state the legal name and address
of every owner of the snowmobile.
(b) A person who purchases a snowmobile from a retail dealer shall make application for
registration to the dealer at the point of sale. The dealer shall issue a dealer temporary ten-day
registration permit to each purchaser who applies to the dealer for registration. Each retail dealer
shall submit completed registration and fees to the deputy registrar at least once a week. No fee
may be charged by a dealer to a purchaser for providing the temporary permit.
(c) Upon receipt of the application and the appropriate fee as hereinafter provided, the
commissioner or deputy registrar shall issue to the applicant, or provide to the dealer, an assigned
registration number or a commissioner or deputy registrar temporary ten-day permit. Once issued,
the registration number must be affixed to the snowmobile in a clearly visible and permanent
manner for enforcement purposes as the commissioner of natural resources shall prescribe. A
dealer subject to paragraph (b) shall provide the registration materials or temporary permit to
the purchaser within the temporary ten-day permit period. The registration is not valid unless
signed by at least one owner.
(d) Each deputy registrar of motor vehicles acting pursuant to section 168.33, shall also be a
deputy registrar of snowmobiles. The commissioner of natural resources in agreement with
the commissioner of public safety may prescribe the accounting and procedural requirements
necessary to assure efficient handling of registrations and registration fees. Deputy registrars shall
strictly comply with these accounting and procedural requirements.
(e) A fee of $2 in addition to that otherwise prescribed by law shall be charged for:
(1) each snowmobile registered by the registrar or a deputy registrar and the additional fee
shall be disposed of in the manner provided in section 168.33, subdivision 2; or
(2) each snowmobile registered by the commissioner and the additional fee shall be
deposited in the state treasury and credited to the snowmobile trails and enforcement account in
the natural resources fund.
    Subd. 3. Fees for registration. (a) The fee for registration of each snowmobile, other than
those used for an agricultural purpose, as defined in section 84.92, subdivision 1c, or those
registered by a dealer or manufacturer pursuant to clause (b) or (c) shall be as follows: $45 for
three years and $4 for a duplicate or transfer.
(b) The total registration fee for all snowmobiles owned by a dealer and operated for
demonstration or testing purposes shall be $50 per year.
(c) The total registration fee for all snowmobiles owned by a manufacturer and operated for
research, testing, experimentation, or demonstration purposes shall be $150 per year. Dealer and
manufacturer registrations are not transferable.
    Subd. 4. Renewal. Every owner of a snowmobile shall renew its registration in such manner
as the commissioner shall prescribe, upon payment of the same registration fees provided in
subdivision 3 hereof.
    Subd. 5. Snowmobiles owned by state or political subdivision. A registration number shall
be issued without the payment of a fee for snowmobiles owned by the state of Minnesota or a
political subdivision thereof upon application therefor.
    Subd. 6. Exemptions. Registration is not required under this section for:
(1) a snowmobile owned and used by the United States, another state, or a political
subdivision thereof;
(2) a snowmobile registered in a country other than the United States temporarily used
within this state;
(3) a snowmobile that is covered by a valid license of another state and has not been within
this state for more than 30 consecutive days;
(4) a snowmobile used exclusively in organized track racing events;
(5) a snowmobile in transit by a manufacturer, distributor, or dealer; or
(6) a snowmobile at least 15 years old in transit by an individual for use only on land owned
or leased by the individual.
    Subd. 7. Out of state snowmobiles. The commissioner of natural resources may issue
special permits to out of state snowmobiles from a state or country where registration is not
required to operate in Minnesota for limited periods of time not to exceed 30 days in connection
with organized group outings, trailrides, races, rallies and other promotional events.
    Subd. 7a. Collector snowmobiles. The commissioner may issue a special permit to a person
or organization to operate or transport a collector snowmobile without registration in parades or
organized group outings, such as races, rallies, and other promotional events and for up to ten
days each year for personal transportation. The commissioner may impose a reasonable restriction
on a permittee and may revoke, amend, suspend, or modify a permit for cause.
    Subd. 8. Registration by persons under 18 prohibited. No person under the age of 18
years may register a snowmobile.
    Subd. 9.[Repealed, 1985 c 54 s 3]
    Subd. 10. Proof of sales tax payment. A person applying for initial registration of a
snowmobile must provide a snowmobile purchaser's certificate, showing a complete description
of the snowmobile, the seller's name and address, the full purchase price of the snowmobile, and
the trade-in allowance, if any. The certificate must include information showing either (1) that the
sales and use tax under chapter 297A was paid or (2) the purchase was exempt from tax under
chapter 297A. The commissioner of public safety, in consultation with the commissioner and the
commissioner of revenue, shall prescribe the form of the certificate.
The certificate is not required if the applicant provides a receipt, invoice, or other document
that shows the snowmobile was purchased from a retailer maintaining a place of business in this
state as defined in section 297A.66, subdivision 1.
    Subd. 11. Refunds. The commissioner may issue a refund on a registration, not including any
issuing fees paid under subdivision 2, paragraph (e), or section 84.027, subdivision 15, paragraph
(a), clause (3), if the refund request is received within 12 months of the original registration and:
(1) the snowmobile was registered incorrectly by the commissioner or the deputy registrar; or
(2) the snowmobile was registered twice, once by the dealer and once by the customer.
History: 1967 c 876 s 4; 1969 c 131 s 1; 1969 c 695 s 3,4; 1969 c 1129 art 10 s 2; 1971 c
577 s 2-5; Ex1971 c 48 s 33,34; 1973 c 202 s 1; 1979 c 241 s 1; 1982 c 580 s 1,2; 1985 c 54 s
1,2; 1986 c 444; 1991 c 254 art 2 s 5,6; 1991 c 291 art 8 s 1; 1993 c 375 art 1 s 1; 1995 c 220 s
61; 1Sp1995 c 1 s 6,7; 1997 c 216 s 61; 1997 c 226 s 7; 2000 c 418 art 1 s 44; 2001 c 185 s 7;
2003 c 28 art 1 s 6; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 30,31