Effective January 1, 2008, Roanoke County has eliminated the requirement to display automobile decals.
See the Frequently Asked Questions section below concerning the elimination of decals and the initiation of the Vehicle License Fee.
The local ordinance that eliminates the decal requirement also authorizes the following changes.
- An annual Vehicle License Fee must be paid for every vehicle, trailer or semitrailer garaged, stored, or parked in the County.
- The VLF can be transferred from 1 vehicle to another for the charge of $1.00 providing that the vehicle the VLF was paid on has been sold or disposed of and replaced by a new vehicle within 60 days, and the transfer takes place during the same physical year.
- Other than the aforementioned transfer, the VLF is not prorated or refunded.
The annual VLF is applied as follows:
|
Gross weight of 4000 pounds or below......................... |
$20.00 |
|
Gross weight of 4001 pounds or above........................ |
$25.00 |
|
Motorcycles.................................................................. |
$15.00 |
|
Trailers......................................................................... |
$20.00 |
|
Boat Trailers.................................................................. |
$6.50 |
|
Antique Vehicle (one time fee)....................................... |
$5.00 |
Why were vehicle decals eliminated?
The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors voted to eliminate the decal fee and the requirement to display a vehicle decal in March of 2007. This change is effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008.
Display of a vehicle decal as proof of payment of personal property taxes was previously required to assist in the collection of delinquent taxes. The Treasurer’s office has implemented a more effective collection process which makes the decal display requirement unnecessary.
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What is the Vehicle License Fee?
At the time the decal fee was eliminated, the Board adopted a Vehicle License Fee (VLF). The VLF is approved by the State Code of Virginia, Section 46.2-752 and was adopted by the County of Roanoke pursuant to Article II, Section 12.
The VLF is levied on every motor vehicle, trailer, and semitrailer garaged in the County of Roanoke. This fee covers the administrative cost of maintaining personal property records.
Roanoke County assesses personal property tax on all vehicles that are registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and garaged in the County of Roanoke as of January 1st of each year. If your vehicle or trailer is assessed taxes for that year, then you are also levied the VLF. Unlike prorated personal property taxes, the VLF is a nonprorated and nonrefundable fee.
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Why do I have to pay the VLF on a vehicle that I recently sold or disposed of?
Even if your personal property tax bill has been prorated and only a month of tax is owed, you still have to pay the VLF for this vehicle, which covers the administrative cost of maintaining records for this vehicle during the current year. Even if the vehicle is no longer in your possession at the time the tax is paid, a record for this vehicle registered in your name was maintained in the system and therefore the administrative cost still applies.
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If I sell my car and then purchase another vehicle, do I have to pay the VLF twice?
There is one exception to the requirements listed above. If you sell or dispose of your vehicle, and then replace it with another vehicle within 60 days, you can apply to the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office to have the fee transferred to the new vehicle for the cost of $1.00. This transaction must take place within the same fiscal year, and a disposal (the sale, removal, or junking of a vehicle) must occur before the new vehicle is added to the County’s records. If the new vehicle is added before sale or disposal of the first vehicle, a second VLF must be paid in full.
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Why do I have to pay the VLF on a vehicle that is inoperable or operated exclusively for ‘farm use’? I never purchased a decal for this vehicle.
The law states that the VLF is due on all registered vehicles. If the vehicle is registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and you are in possession of the vehicle, the fee applies, as records for this vehicle are collected and maintained in the County’s system. DMV records do not differentiate between vehicles that are operational and those that are inoperable, and it is not possible to determine the operating condition of every vehicle garaged in Roanoke County.
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Am I required to pay the VLF on antique vehicles?
Antique vehicles are afforded special terms by the State Code. If the vehicle is licensed as an Antique with the DMV, then the County will charge you a one-time VLF of $5.00 as long as that vehicle remains titled and registered in your name.
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