A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to revise the collection of fees and penalties that must be paid in order to remove vehicle title and registration stops.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑54 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20‑54.  Imposing and clearing vehicle title and registration stops.
(a)	Registration and Title Stops. – The Division shall refuse registration or issuance of a certificate of title or any transfer of registration upon any of the following grounds:
…
(14)	County and municipal taxes and fees due on the vehicle have not been paid.
(15)	Registration of the owner's vehicle is blocked under G.S. 110‑142.2 as a sanction for failure to comply with a child support enforcement order or other order.
(b)	Clearing Stops. – When a vehicle title may not be issued or a vehicle registration may not be renewed until a fee or penalty imposed by the Department of Transportation or a debt owed to that Department has not been paid, the vehicle records of the Division must state the amount required to clear the title or registration stop on the vehicle. An owner of the vehicle may clear the stop by paying the required amount to the Division or to a commission contractor of the Division. The Division may require payment in cash or by credit or debit card.
(c)	New Stops Imposed After January 1, 2018. – When a law imposes a vehicle title or registration stop for failure to pay an amount due to an entity for any reason, the stop does not become effective until the vehicle records of the Division state the amount that must be paid to clear the stop. This section applies to a vehicle title or registration stop imposed by laws enacted on or after January 1, 2018."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 20‑50.4 is repealed.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2019.