Source: http://rabbit.monqcle.com/contents/statutes/Louisiana%20Revised%20Statutes/TITLE%2032%20Motor%20Vehicles%20and%20Traffic%20Regulation/RS%2032%3A863.1%20Evidence%20of%20compulsory%20motor%20vehicle%20liability%20security%20contained%20in%20vehicle%3B%20enforcement%3B%20penalty%3B%20fees
Timestamp: 2020-05-28 21:57:21
Document Index: 141172162

Matched Legal Cases: ['§863', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§1', '§16', '§1', '§1', '§4']

Louisiana | RS 32:863.1 Evidence of compulsory motor vehicle liability security contained in vehicle; enforcement; penalty; fees | Rabbit Crowd Library
§863.1. Evidence of compulsory motor vehicle liability security contained in vehicle;
enforcement; penalty; fees
A. Except as provided in R.S. 32:863.1.1, no owner or lessee of a self-propelled
motor vehicle registered in this state, except a motor vehicle used primarily for exhibit or
kept primarily for use in parades, exhibits, or shows, or agricultural or forest use vehicles
during seasons when they are not used on the highways, shall operate or allow the operation
of such vehicle upon any public road, street, or highway in this state unless there is contained
within the vehicle one of the following documents evidencing that the motor vehicle is in
compliance with R.S. 32:861 relative to compulsory motor vehicle liability security:
(1) A certificate of insurance. "Certificate" means the written evidence of motor
vehicle liability insurance as defined in R.S. 32:900 that is in the form of one of the
(a) An insurance identification card, a photocopy of the card, or an image of the card
displayed on a mobile electronic device, issued by an insurer to its insured which shall
(i) The name and address of the insurance company.
(ii) The insurance policy number.
(iii) A description of the motor vehicle insured under the policy.
(iv) The effective date and the expiration date of the policy.
(v) The name of any person who is excluded from coverage as authorized by R.S.
32:900(L).
(b) A motor vehicle liability insurance policy or a duplicate original thereof.
(c) A motor vehicle liability insurance policy binder or a duplicate original thereof.
(2) A duplicate original of a motor vehicle liability bond which complies with the
requirements for a motor vehicle liability bond set forth in R.S. 32:861(B).
(3) A certificate of the state treasurer stating that cash or securities have been
deposited with said treasurer as provided for under the provisions of R.S. 32:861(C).
(4) A certificate of self-insurance issued by the secretary under the provisions of R.S.
32:1042 qualifying the owner of the vehicle as a self-insurer.
B.(1) When a law enforcement officer stops a vehicle at an administrative violations
checkpoint, or in connection with an alleged violation of the law, or for any other reason, or
when a law enforcement officer investigates an accident, the law enforcement officer shall
determine if the owner or lessee of each vehicle is in compliance with the provisions of this
Section which require evidence of liability insurance or other security to be contained in the
(2) When a law enforcement officer makes a compliance determination as required
by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the officer shall also determine if the owner or lessee of
each vehicle is compliant with the requirements of R.S. 32:861 by electronically verifying,
as applicable by means within his capacity, that the documents evidencing compliance are
(3) If the owner or lessee is not in compliance with the provisions of this Part, the
law enforcement officer shall take the actions specified in this Section.
C.(1)(a) If the operator of a motor vehicle is unable to show compliance with the
provisions of this Part by displaying the required document when requested to do so, the
motor vehicle shall be impounded and the operator shall be issued a notice of noncompliance
with the provisions of this Part on a form to be provided by the department. Notwithstanding
the provisions of R.S. 32:852(E), such notice may be sent by first class mail. A copy of the
notice of noncompliance shall be provided to the towing or storage company and a copy shall
be forwarded to the office of motor vehicles within three calendar days after the notice of
noncompliance was served. The notice of noncompliance shall serve as notice of
administrative hearings rights. In addition, the law enforcement officer shall remove the
license plate from the vehicle if the vehicle is registered in Louisiana. The law enforcement
officer shall deliver the vehicle license plate to the chief of the agency which employs the
officer, or to a person in that agency designated to receive such license plates. In those cases
in which a motor vehicle is not impounded, a copy of the notice of noncompliance shall be
attached to the vehicle license plate and both shall be delivered to the nearest office of motor
vehicles within three calendar days after the notice of noncompliance was served.
(b) The owner of the vehicle shall have three calendar days, excluding Saturdays,
Sundays, and legal holidays, from the date that the notice of noncompliance was issued to
present to the office of motor vehicles proof of insurance coverage or security in effect at the
time of the issuance of the notice of noncompliance. If the vehicle was properly insured at
the time the notice was issued, any valid license plate shall be returned within forty-eight
hours, exclusive of legal holidays, to the owner of the vehicle at no cost to the owner.
However, if, within sixty days from the date the notice of noncompliance is issued, the owner
fails to provide proof of the fact that the vehicle was properly insured at the time the notice
of noncompliance was issued, the chief administrative officer of the office of motor vehicles
shall destroy, or shall cause to be destroyed, the license plate removed from that owner's
vehicle and shall notify the secretary that the owner of the vehicle is not in compliance with
the compulsory liability law. Upon receipt of such notification, the secretary shall revoke
the registration of such vehicle. Sixty days after the date of issuance of the notice of
noncompliance, the fees imposed in this Section shall be owed even if the owner
subsequently provides proof the motor vehicle was insured, and all such fees shall be
considered final delinquent debt.
(c) For a first offense there shall be a reinstatement fee of one hundred dollars, for
a second offense there shall be a reinstatement fee of two hundred fifty dollars, and for any
subsequent offense there shall be a reinstatement fee of five hundred dollars. The
reinstatement fee contained herein shall be in addition to other appropriate registration fees
allowed by law and reinstatement shall depend upon proof of compliance with the
compulsory liability law.
(2) In those cases in which the motor vehicle is not impounded, any law enforcement
officer who removes and takes a license plate pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall
issue for attachment to the rear end of the vehicle, a temporary sticker denoting its use in lieu
of an official license plate. The sticker shall bear the date upon which it was issued in
written or stamped numerals or letters not less than three inches in height. This temporary
sticker shall only be effective for a period of three calendar days beginning from the day on
which the license plate is taken.
(3) The temporary stickers required by Paragraph (2) of this Subsection shall be
designed and produced by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, and the
department shall supply such stickers, at no cost, to all law enforcement agencies authorized
by law to enforce traffic laws.
(4) The Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall formulate and promulgate
rules and regulations for the implementation of the provisions of this Section. To this end,
no license shall be taken or destroyed pursuant to the authority granted in Paragraph (1) of
this Subsection until such rules are properly promulgated in accordance with law. However,
this limitation shall not be construed so as to otherwise limit the enforcement of laws relative
to operating a vehicle without proper insurance or security.
(5)(a) The administrative hearing shall be limited to a review of the issue of whether
the vehicle was covered by a valid policy of insurance at the time of the alleged violation.
The records of the department on the particular violation shall be prima facie proof of the
violation, and the owner or operator shall have the burden of proving that the vehicle was
covered by a valid policy of insurance or was self-insured pursuant to this Chapter at the time
of the violation. The owner or operator may subpoena any witness to appear at the hearing,
including the officer issuing the violation, to establish that the owner or operator was in
compliance with the law at the time of the alleged violation. A request for a hearing shall
not stay the sanctions required by this Part. If it is determined at the administrative hearing
that the vehicle was covered by a valid policy of insurance or was self-insured pursuant to
this Chapter at the time of the violation, but that such proof was not presented to the law
enforcement officer at the time the vehicle was impounded, then the vehicle owner shall be
required to pay the storage and wrecker fees of the person or company who impounded and
towed the subject vehicle.
(b) The department or other agency that conducts the hearings shall promulgate such
rules and regulations as are necessary to implement the requirements of this Section. Any
action for judicial review of the decision from the administrative hearing shall be in the same
manner and under the same conditions as provided in R.S. 32:414. No court shall issue an
injunction, stay or other process preventing the enforcement of the sanctions required by this
Part pending the hearing provided for in this Part, except as provided by R.S. 49:964.
(6) The impounded vehicle shall remain impounded and the registration shall remain
suspended until such time as proof of valid insurance is given to the Department of Public
Safety and Corrections. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, in no
event shall a car be released from impoundment until such time as proof, in writing, has been
presented from the Department of Public Safety and Corrections that all penalties, fees, fines
and requirements of this Section have been met.
(7) In those instances when there is a passenger in the motor vehicle under the age
of twelve or when the driver or a passenger in the motor vehicle has a disability or when
considering the location and the time of day of the stop, the law enforcement officer
perceives that there would be a threat to the public safety or to the occupants in the motor
vehicle, such law enforcement officer enforcing the provision of this Section may in lieu of
the impoundment provisions of this Section, seize the license plate and issue a temporary
sticker valid for three calendar days. Upon expiration of the sticker, the vehicle shall not be
driven until the owner has complied with the requirements of this Section. In the event the
vehicle is being driven after the expiration of the temporary sticker provided for herein, the
vehicle shall be immediately impounded pursuant to the provisions of this Section.
D. Prior to reinstatement of registration and license plate privileges to any individual
who cannot prove the required insurance coverage or security in effect at the time of the
offense within three calendar days after the offense, the Department of Public Safety and
Corrections shall collect a reinstatement fee of ten dollars to offset the costs of administering
this Section. This ten-dollar fee shall be in addition to any other fines, fees, or penalties
owed prior to reinstatement of privileges.
E. The legislature hereby declares that the presence of a current license plate on a
motor vehicle has become one indication that the motor vehicle is covered by liability
security. The legislature further declares that the provisions of R.S. 47:505(B) which require
owners of motor vehicles to surrender the license plates of motor vehicles when the lawful
use of the motor vehicle by the owner has terminated has become an integral part of the
enforcement of the laws requiring all motor vehicles to be covered by liability security. In
order to inform the public of the requirements of R.S. 47:505(B) and to facilitate the
enforcement of the laws requiring motor vehicle liability security, the office of motor
vehicles shall provide notice of the requirements of R.S. 47:505(B) to each person to whom
a motor vehicle registration is delivered or transmitted.
F. In the case where the driver is a minor child, the owner of the vehicle shall be
responsible under this Section. If the owner of the vehicle is the minor child, the parents of
the minor child shall be jointly subject to the provisions of this Section along with the minor
child, unless the minor has been adjudicated emancipated, or is in the sole custody of another
or only one parent under the law. If the minor is in the sole custody of another or only one
parent under the law, the person or parent in whose sole custody the child has been placed
will be jointly responsible with the minor child under this Section.
G. The only acceptable means of proof of a valid and current policy of insurance
(1) The insurance identification card, a photocopy of the card, or an image of the
card that is displayed on a mobile electronic device, declaration page, or policy issued by the
(2) In the case of a self-insured vehicle as provided in R.S. 32:851 et seq., the
certificate of self-insurance issued by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
(3) The records of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, if such records
reflect that the motor vehicle is covered by a valid and current policy of liability insurance.
(4) The law enforcement officer making the stop has a reasonable belief that the
motor vehicle is covered by a valid and current policy of liability insurance.
H. Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 330, §1.
I.(1) Every owner or lessee of a self-propelled motor vehicle registered in another
state which is involved in a traffic accident or collision in Louisiana shall provide one of the
documents comparable to those listed in Subsection A evidencing that the motor vehicle is
covered by a valid policy of automobile insurance. If the operator of the motor vehicle is
unable to show such proof, a notice of noncompliance shall be issued.
(2) If the operator of the motor vehicle is issued a notice of noncompliance, the
owner of the vehicle shall have thirty working days from the date that the notice of
noncompliance was issued to present to the office of motor vehicles proof that insurance
coverage was in effect at the time of the issuance of the notice of noncompliance or proof
that insurance coverage was not required by the state in which the vehicle was registered.
(3) If the owner fails to provide the proof required in Paragraph (2) of this
Subsection, there shall be a fine of one hundred dollars for a first offense, a fine of two
hundred fifty dollars for a second offense, and a fine of five hundred dollars for any
Acts 1984, No. 212, §1, eff. July 1, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 616, §§1, 2, eff. July 9,
1987; Acts 1992, No. 805, §1; Acts 1993, No. 100, §1, eff. May 26, 1993; Acts 1993, No.
259, §1; Acts 1994, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 119, §1, eff. July 7, 1994; Acts 1995, No. 209, §1;
Acts 1995, No. 423, §1; Acts 1995, No. 759, §1; Acts 1997, No. 835, §1, eff. July 10, 1997;
Acts 1997, No. 1486, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; Acts 1999, No. 330, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1347, §1;
Acts 2001, No. 916, §1; Acts 2012, No. 824, §1; Acts 2014, No. 641, §1, eff. July 1, 2014;
Acts 2014, No. 649, §1, eff. July 1, 2014; Acts 2014, No. 811, §16, eff. June 23, 2014; Acts
2015, No. 414, §1; Acts 2016, No. 197, §1.
{{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1984, NO. 212, §4.}}
Rs 9:315.33 Suspension Of License; Notice Of Suspension From Licensing Board; Temporary License
Rs 30:2528 Litter Bags; Distribution And Design