2023 New York Laws › VAT - Vehicle and Traffic › Title 11 - Registration of Snowmobiles, Motorboats and Limited Use Vehicles › Article 47 - Registration of Snowmobiles › 2222 - Registration.

§ 2222. Registration.  1.  Except  as  hereinafter provided, no person
shall  operate  any  snowmobile  within  the  state  unless:  (a)   such
snowmobile  has  been  registered  and  numbered  in accordance with the
provisions of  this  article,  and  the  registration  number  for  such
snowmobile  is in full force and effect as hereinafter provided; and (b)
the registration number for such snowmobile is displayed as  hereinafter
provided.
2.  The  commissioner  is authorized to register a snowmobile, issue a
registration certificate  and  assign  a  registration  number  to  such
snowmobile. All such registrations shall be valid until the thirty-first
day  of  August  following  the  date  of such registration; except that
registrations issued between the first day of April and the thirty-first
day of August, inclusive, shall be valid until the thirty-first  day  of
August  in  the  following  year; and unless, prior to expiration of the
period  of  registration,  it  is  surrendered,  cancelled,  revoked  or
suspended pursuant to the provisions of this article.
3.  A  number  once  assigned under this section shall remain with the
registered snowmobile until the snowmobile is  destroyed,  abandoned  or
permanently  removed  from  the state, or until changed or terminated by
the commissioner.
4. Fees. Fees for registration of snowmobiles, to be collected by  the
commissioner under this article, are as follows:
(a) A fee of ten dollars for each individual resident registration.
(b) A fee of ten dollars for each individual nonresident registration.
(c) A fee of fifty dollars for each two-year dealer registration.
(d)  A  fee  of  five  dollars for each additional dealer demonstrator
registration number.
(e) A fee of one dollar  for  replacement  of  a  lost,  mutilated  or
destroyed certificate.
4-a.  Additional  fee.  In  addition to the other fees provided for in
paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subdivision  four  of  this  section  the
commissioner  shall, upon application in such cases for the registration
of a snowmobile or the renewal thereof, collect the annual  one  hundred
twenty-five  dollar fee for residents and one hundred twenty-five dollar
fee for nonresidents or  a  fifty-five  dollar  fee  for  residents  and
fifty-five dollar fee for nonresidents who provide proof, at the time of
registration,  that such individual is a member of an organized New York
state snowmobile club that is a member of the New York state  snowmobile
association  or  is  a  member of an organized New York state snowmobile
club that is a trail maintenance entity and a member  of  the  New  York
state  snowmobile  association which are imposed by section 21.07 of the
parks, recreation and historic preservation law. In the  event  that  an
individual seeking snowmobile club membership is unable, for any reason,
to secure such club membership, he or she may contact the New York state
snowmobile  association,  who  shall  secure  such  membership  for such
person. This fee shall also be collected from dealers  at  the  time  of
original  registration and at the time of each renewal. The commissioner
shall effectuate regulations regarding what  is  required  as  proof  of
membership  in  an  organized  New  York state snowmobile club that is a
trail maintenance entity and a member of the New York  state  snowmobile
association for the purposes of this subdivision.
5.  Application.  The  owner of each snowmobile requiring registration
under this section shall present an application for registration to  the
commissioner,   on   a  blank  to  be  prepared  and  furnished  by  the
commissioner for that purpose. Such  application  shall  contain  or  be
accompanied  by  such  evidence  of  the  ownership  of  the  snowmobile
described in the application as may be required by the commissioner.
6. Dealers. Any person who is a dealer shall register as a dealer. The
commissioner, upon receipt of an application and the required fee, shall
assign a distinctive dealer registration number to  the  registrant  and
issue  an  appropriate  registration  certificate  to him and assign two
dealer  demonstrator  registration  numbers  and upon the payment of the
appropriate fee, such additional numbers as shall be  requested.  Dealer
registrations  and dealer demonstrator registration numbers shall not be
transferable.
7. Renewal. After payment of the  registration  fees  as  provided  in
subdivisions  four  and  four-a  of  this  section,  every  owner  of  a
snowmobile shall renew his or her registration  annually  on  or  before
September  first  of  each  year and every dealer shall renew his or her
registration biennially in such form  and  manner  as  the  commissioner
shall prescribe. If a dealer registration is issued for a period of more
or  less than two years, the fee for such registration shall be prorated
on a monthly basis.
8. The validating date tag. At the time of the  original  registration
and  at  the time of each annual renewal thereof, the commissioner shall
also issue to said registrant a date tag or tags indicating the validity
of the current registration  and  the  expiration  date  thereof,  which
validating  date tag or tags should be affixed to the snowmobile in such
manner as the commissioner may prescribe. Notwithstanding the fact  that
a  snowmobile  has  been assigned an identifying number, it shall not be
considered as validly registered within  the  meaning  of  this  section
unless  a  validating date tag and current registration certificate have
been issued.
9. Denial of current registration. In  the  event  that  a  snowmobile
sought  to be registered or re-registered does not, after inspection and
testing, comply with the provisions respecting equipment established  by
section  25.17  of the parks and recreation law or by the regulations of
the commissioner promulgated pursuant to this  title,  the  commissioner
may  deny  the issuance of a validating date tag and current certificate
of registration.
10. Snowmobiles owned by governmental agencies. A registration  number
shall  be  assigned,  without payment of a fee, for snowmobiles owned by
governmental agencies, or by volunteer organizations if used exclusively
for emergency purposes, provided that each such snowmobile shall display
the proper registration number assigned to it.
11. Exemption. No registrations shall be required  for  the  following
described snowmobiles:
(a) Snowmobiles owned and used by the United States.
(b)  Snowmobiles covered by a valid registration or license of another
state, province or country, as provided in subdivision  twelve  of  this
section.
(c)  Snowmobiles  operated  on  lands  owned  by  the  owner  of  such
snowmobile, or on lands to which such  owner  has  a  contractual  right
other  than  as  a  member  of  a  club  or association provided (i) the
snowmobile is not operated elsewhere  within  the  state,  and  (ii)  no
consideration,  either  direct  or indirect, is paid to the owner of the
snowmobile with respect to such operation.
12. Out of state snowmobile registration. The registration  provisions
of  this  article shall apply to non-resident owners of snowmobiles used
in New York state as provided for by the commissioner except when  their
snowmobile is used on trails which proceed along a New York state border
and  which,  occasionally as dictated by the terrain, cross into another
state, in which such snowmobile is registered; such cross border  trails
on  which  nonresident  owned  snowmobiles  may proceed without New York
state registration shall be designated by the state commissioner of  the

office  of  parks,  recreation  and historic preservation as provided in
section 25.04 of the parks, recreation and historic preservation law and
he shall publish such trail designation in the New York  state  register
and  other  publications  accessible  to  the  snowmobiling public. Such
non-resident registration applications shall be made  available  at  the
place  of  business  of  all  registered  dealers  and  by mail from the
department. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to  authorize
the  operation  of  any  snowmobile  contrary  to the provisions of this
article.
13. State aid. The Lake George park commission shall  be  entitled  to
receive  state  aid  in  an  amount  relating  to the percentage of fees
collected under this section that can be estimated to be  attributed  to
snowmobile use within the Lake George park. The amount of such aid shall
be  annually  determined  by  the  commissioner of parks, recreation and
historic preservation and the director of the budget.
14. Registration at time of sale. Snowmobiles sold by dealers shall be
registered at the time of sale of  such  snowmobile.  Such  registration
shall  be  valid until the thirty-first day of August following the date
of such sale; provided however that snowmobiles sold after  April  first
of each year shall be issued a registration valid until the thirty-first
day  of  August  in  the  year following that in which the snowmobile is
sold. Snowmobiles purchased to be used in accordance with paragraph  (c)
of  subdivision eleven of this section or for use exclusively outside of
the state of New York shall not require  registration  at  the  time  of
purchase, and the purchaser of such snowmobile shall sign a declaration,
provided   by   the  dealer,  which  shall  state  that  such  purchaser
understands the conditions under which a snowmobile must  be  registered
and  the penalty for violation of such registration provisions; the form
of such declaration shall be provided by the commissioner to each dealer
and shall be forwarded to the commissioner.