PARKVILLE, Md. — Maryland drivers who are heading to the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) soon to renew their vehicle registration may get a sense of deja-vu at hearing this news: registration fees are going up once again.
This time a year ago, Maryland drivers saw a dramatic increase in registration fees - a more than 60 percent hike. The MVA said it was the first time the fees went up since 2004. Now, the government's coming back for more.
For a typical passenger car, a one-year registration renewal cost you $67.50 in 2023. Last year, that went up to $110.50. This year, it's up to $120.50 - a 78% increase from two years ago. The fees vary depending on weight and vehicle type. Click here for a full list.
Hear from residents who are not to happy about Maryland vehicle registration fees increasing....again
Compare that to our neighbors: Pennsylvania's registration fee is $48, Delaware's is $40, Virginia's is $30, Washington D.C.'s is $72.
And if you're in the market for a new car, expect to pay more too. Title fees are doubling, from $100 to $200. The vehicle excise tax is going up from 6% to 6.5%
The fee increases are part of the state budget passed in the spring, and will help pay for transportation projects as Maryland climbs out of a more than $3 billion deficit.
The MVA sent WMAR-2 News the following statement on the fee increases:
This past Legislative Session, state lawmakers approved more than $400 million annually in new transportation revenues. This included increasing various MVA fees, such as vehicle registration and the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program, also known as VEIP.
The additional dollars allow MDOT to match our available federal funding and financing to turn $400 million a year into $700 million in additional capital spending each year. The majority of the fees collected by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration go into the Transportation Trust Fund, which helps fund MDOT operations, maintenance, and construction of roads and bridges, public transportation, and port and aviation operations.
Information on the new fees can be found here: https://mva.maryland.gov/about-mva/Pages/fees.aspx. [mva.maryland.gov]
WMAR-2 News talked to drivers outside the MVA in Parkville who were feeling lucky they decided to renew their registration on Monday, rather than Tuesday when the fee increases take effect. But that didn't mean they weren't still frustrated at the news.
"Unbelievable," Dennis Brazil said. "I didn't even know about it. That's the killer. I’m disappointed of course. Everything though - it's everything."
"It sucks," Jeffrey Blizzard said. "It's not a good thing. But people have to have everything done, so gotta deal with it."
"I mean, gosh, give us a break. Do we get a break?" Lynn Thompson asked. "Market food going up, taxes going up, everything's going up. And we as the little people are under here floating - trying to stay afloat."
Some had a more optimistic outlook.
“$100 is a lot to go up, but like if there's a deficit and you gotta do something about it,” Deborah Toole said. “I just pay whatever they tell me to pay. Life's too short to complain about things.”