Section 2222 - Registration1. 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.N.Y. Veh. and Traf. Law § 2222
Amended by New York Laws 2023, ch. 58,Sec. MM-1, eff. 5/3/2024.Amended by New York Laws 2017, ch. 341,Sec. 4, eff. 1/1/2018.