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Senate committee hears bill to exempt salvaged UTVs, ATVs from VIN inspections
Summary
Sen. John Braun and staff told the Senate Transportation Committee that Senate Bill 5462 would exempt wheeled all‑terrain and utility vehicles declared total loss or salvaged from Washington State Patrol VIN inspection requirements; staff estimated roughly 83 vehicles could be affected and a one‑time IT cost for the Department of Licensing.
Sen. John Braun, sponsor of Senate Bill 5462, told the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 3 that the bill would exempt wheeled all‑terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility‑type vehicles (UTVs) declared total loss or salvaged from the state’s vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection requirement.
Brian Moore, committee staff, summarized the technical scope: the Washington State Patrol is required to complete VIN inspections in several circumstances, including when a vehicle is declared a total loss or salvaged, is rebuilt after a title was returned to the state, or when documents indicate a vehicle was salvaged in another state. Moore said the standard VIN inspection fee is $65 and the fee revenue is deposited into the State Patrol Highway Account. He said the fiscal note estimates that 83 vehicles might be exempt under the bill and that the Department of Licensing would incur a one‑time information technology programming cost of about $41,000 to implement the exemption in its systems.
Sen. Braun framed the change as a limited effort to reduce the vehicle inspection backlog: “It takes a little bit more off the program, allows them to catch up,” and he pointed out that snowmobiles already do not require VIN inspections. Braun told the committee the bill is intended to let the patrol prioritize automobile inspections, which he described as “a much bigger safety and compliance issue.”
Moore said the bill may also produce an indeterminate workload and revenue impact for state agencies but characterized the long‑term fiscal effect as relatively minimal. No public testimony was recorded for SB 5462 during the hearing.
The committee did not take final action on the bill during the Feb. 3 session; the hearing consisted of staff presentation and sponsor remarks.
