Q: Joyce Franceschini of Calimesa said her neighbor bought a car more than 10 months ago in Arizona, but the neighbor and her car live in Southern California and the car still has temporary paper registration plates out of Arizona.
“I asked her when she was going to register it in California … she said never. Can she continue to keep paper plates?” Franceschini asked.
A: Legally, the answer is no. Based on the information our reader provided, her neighbor could get a citation if the temporary license plates are expired and California Department of Motor Vehicle records show the car is not currently registered in California. Without knowing for sure, we think it’s possible the neighbor may be trying to avoid California’s high vehicle registration fees.
“With a few exceptions, such as a non-resident student going to school in California, a vehicle must be registered here if it is located in California or is primarily used on California highways (located or operated in this state for a greater amount of time than any other state during the registration period), even if registered to a nonresident owner,” DMV spokesperson Ronald Ongtoaboc said. If the vehicle is purchased outside California, fees become due on the date the vehicle is first operated in California, and the vehicle must be registered with the DMV within 20 days to avoid penalties, he said.
Our reader (or anyone else for that matter) suspecting some funny business going on here could file a complaint with their local police department or online through the California Highway Patrol’s Registration Enforcement and Guidance Program at this link (https://www.chp.ca.gov/Notify-CHP/chp-reg-(Out-of-State-Registration-Violators)#chpregForm).
Construction update
The new Mayor Berwin Hanna Bridge over the Santa Ana River in the Norco area has finally opened and the Hamner Avenue Widening Project is also now completed. The newly completed bridge was named after longtime Norco resident and active community member Berwin Hanna who served as mayor, councilmember, and was appointed to represent the city of Norco on the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
The original bridge, built in 1939, linked Norco, Eastvale, and surrounding unincorporated areas in Riverside County. Although the bridge was widened and seismic upgrades were completed in 1978, the work was eventually found to be outdated and insufficient. The county began building the new 1,200-foot-long bridge in January 2021.
Hamner Avenue was widened from two to six lanes to enhance traffic flow. The project also widened the median and shoulders creating a 12-foot-wide separated multipurpose trail on the bridge’s east side. The new trail gives equestrians, pedestrians, and cyclists a safe route across the bridge and access to the Santa Ana River Trail.
Funding for the $71 million Norco and Riverside County Transportation Department project came from various sources, including Senate Bill 132, Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fees, federal highway bridge funds, and Coastal Conservancy funding to give access to the Santa Ana River Trail. For more details about the project, visit https://www.hamneraveproject.com/.
Do you commute to work in the Inland Empire? Spend a lot of time in your vehicle? Have questions about driving, freeways, toll roads or parking? If so, write or call On the Road and we’ll try to answer your questions. Please include your question or issue, name, city of residence, phone number and email address. Write ontheroad@scng.com or call us at our new phone number, 951-368-9995.
