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ANSONIA – City officials in Ansonia say they’ll be stepping up enforcement on out-of-state registrations.
At an Aldermen subcommittee meeting on Feb. 5, corporation counsel John Marini said the city’s code of ordinances gives them the authority to fine owners of vehicles with incorrect registrations. He said during the meeting that an enforcement campaign is coming soon.
“If you have an out-of-state plate in Ansonia, and we have a good faith basis to believe that you’re basically living here in Ansonia or in this state with that out-of-state license plate – in violation of state law – we now have the ability to give you a citation,” Marini said.
The city’s code of ordinances allows for a $250 fine for a car that isn’t registered in-state within 90 days of moving to Connecticut.
Marini said enforcement will rely on cooperation between the police and the tax assessor’s office. He said an enforcement officer will patrol the streets looking for cars with out-of-state plates that appear to be residing in Ansonia.
The police department’s plate readers don’t differentiate between states, according to Ansonia Police Lt. Patrick Lynch. Currently the out-of-state registration rules are only enforced when violations are reported to police, or when police run a driver’s plate as part of a traffic stop.
Other cities in Connecticut have adopted similar measures in recent years. In Waterbury, city officials ramped up enforcement in 2021. Torrington has contracted a private company to enforce laws on out-of-state plates, according to its city website.
CTNewsJunkie reported in 2019 that out-of-state plates have become a headache for tax collectors. Motorists often register their car in states where they don’t live, in order to pay cheaper registration fees and avoid Connecticut’s car tax. As of 2022, there were 24 states that don’t collect property taxes on personal vehicles, according to a report from WalletHub.
The motor vehicle mill rate in Ansonia is 32.46, which is the maximum allowed under Connecticut state law. Tax bills are calculated by multiplying the assessed value of a vehicle by the mill rate and then dividing by 1,000.
A car valued at $10,000 pays $324.60 in taxes per year. A truck valued at $40,000 pays $1,298.40 in taxes per year.
The City of Ansonia has collected $3,614,013.96 in car taxes since July, according to a recent tax collection report.
