Officials see little effect from higher license fees
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on November 2, 2005 1:47 PM
Substantially higher fees for driver license and license plate renewals has not led to a revolt by Wayne County motorists -- at least not yet.
The new fees went into effect Oct. 1.
First Sgt. T.C. McLeod, who commands the Highway Patrol's Wayne County district, says he has not noticed an increase in the number of drivers who are driving with expired licenses or plates.
Maj. Mike Hopper, who supervises the Goldsboro Police Department's patrol division, says his officers have issued only one citation all year for an expired license tag. Police did file 481 charges for no operator's license between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15.
An employee at the driver's license office in Goldsboro said the new driver license fees went from $3.25 per year to $4 per year, or up 23 percent. Learner's permits went up 50 percent from $10 to $15. The license restoration fee was doubled from $25 to $50, and a driving-while-impaired restoration fee was increased 50 percent from $50 to $75.
Commercial driver license fees and learner's permits also rose 50 percent from $10 to $15 per year.
An employee at the state Department of Motor Vehicles office in Goldsboro said license plates for cars rose from $20 to $28 a year, or 40 percent. Plates for private trucks under 4,000 pounds rose 30 percent from $21.50 to $28 a year. License tags for private trucks under 5,000 pounds were increased 26 percent from $34.50 to $43.50 a year, and tags for private trucks under 6,000 pounds were hiked 26 percent from $40.75 to $51.50 a year.
A license tag for a motorcycle went up 50 percent from $12 to $18 a year. Tags for house and camping trailers rose 10 percent from $10 to $12 a year.