BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Baltimore County Council is looking at how to enforce Maryland's crackdown on out-of-state license plates for in-state residents.
The state began this crackdown on October 1st.
Under Maryland law, new residents must register their vehicles within 60 days of moving to the state.
If a vehicle is not registered before the 60-day grace period, the owner may be fined $7 a day, up to a maximum of $420 per vehicle.
"And then at some point after that period of time they're gonna ask us, Baltimore County to sort of be the hammer to go out and either impound the vehicle, put a boot on the vehicle or whatever the case may be," said Baltimore County Councilman Julian Jones.
Tuesday, Baltimore County Council will be discussing a bill to specify that enforcement.
The bill states the county could place a boot on a car or impound it if it was not registered in Maryland 60 days after the owner moved here.
The proposal also states that the county could take the registration plates of an improperly registered residents car.
Councilman Jones told WMAR-2 News that he has serious concerns about this bill, saying the enforcement measures would just make people more impoverished.
"I'm saying that many of them are doing it because either they can't afford the tags here in Maryland because it is significantly cheaper in Virginia, they can't afford the insurance here, or they have some fines the MVA put on them that they can't afford to pay."
For a normal passenger car weighing 3,500 lbs or less , it costs $120.50 to register a car in Maryland vs $30.75 in Virginia.
However, one county resident said that's a small price to pay for peace of mind on the road.
"Such as the Virginia tags, we know they don't have any insurance and me being a victim of a hit and run, I lost my car and that was one of the main ways I provided for my son," she said.
Councilman Nino Mangione sent WMAR-2 News a statement in support of the bill saying,
“I think this legislation is an important step in correcting a problem that has existed in Baltimore County for years. We have people who are taking advantages of the county and the state. These problems need to be addressed and they need to end. I support this bill because it provides Baltimore County with additional tools to enforce vehicle registration requirements or to collect outstanding traffic and parking fines. I think this legislation is fair, reasonable, and useful.”
The council will vote on the bill on November 2nd.
