Committee backs bill to standardize temporary registration permits, extend validity to 75 days and add fraud penalties

The Senate Transportation Committee voted to recommend a due pass on House Bill 1118 after testimony explained the bill standardizes display locations for temporary registration permits, extends their validity from 30 to 75 days and criminalizes misuse and alteration of those permits.

Sgt. Evan Savageau of the North Dakota Highway Patrol told the committee the working group with DOT redesigned the temporary registration permit and identified enforcement problems caused by permits displayed in inconsistent locations or printed on the back of registration cards. He recommended language specifying that a temporary registration must be displayed in one of three locations: the rear window, the rearmost driver-side window, or in the rear license-plate area. He also proposed increasing the temporary-permit validity period to 75 days and removing antiquated language requiring the permit to be printed on the back of the vehicle registration card.

Brad Schafer, director of Driver and Vehicle Services for the North Dakota Department of Transportation, said DOT provides printable temporary permits online and at kiosks, that only one permit can be issued per vehicle, and that DOT recently enabled law enforcement access to temporary-permit information through a criminal-justice portal. DOT supported the 75-day alignment with dealership-issued permits and the amendment to remove the back-of-card option because the cards are often illegible and have been used fraudulently.

Why it matters: The bill seeks to reduce fraud and make temporary permits reliably visible to law enforcement without forcing owners into unnecessary procedural steps. Testimony noted that the proposed 75-day dealer-length period aligns dealership practice and makes enforcement more consistent.

Amendments and committee direction Committee members agreed to an amendment to strike the requirement that the temporary permit be printed on the reverse side of the vehicle registration card and to retain a reasonableness standard for plate legibility rather than a strict 100-foot night visibility requirement. The committee authorized staff to prepare the amendment for floor language.

Committee action The committee voted to recommend a due pass on House Bill 1118 as amended. The roll call recorded unanimous approval from the members present.

Provenance: - topicintro: clerk read the bill title and Sgt. Savageau opened with supporting testimony about display, design and fraud. - topfinish: roll call and committee authorization to draft the agreed amendment and recommend the bill as amended.