By Town Crier Staff Report
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently launched a Web page at www.dmv.ca.gov where motorists can check to see if they might qualify for a Smog Impact Fee refund.
Motorists visiting the DMV Web site can check for eligibility by providing the license plate or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and the first five characters of their last name. The system will search DMV records for a match, reporting the results to the user. In addition to the search capability, the DMV Web site has extensive information about the refund program.
In June, Governor Gray Davis signed SB 215 and AB 809, authorizing the DMV to return $665 million to the vehicle owner or lessee who paid the smog fee. Between Oct. 15, 1990 and Oct. 19, 1999, most vehicles registered in another state or country were assessed a $300 Smog Impact Fee when first registering in California. After an appeals court ruled the fee unconstitutional in late 1999, Davis stopped collection of the smog fee, waived an appeal and sought to return fees previously collected, plus interest.
Davis said the fee was assessed in violation of the U.S. and California constitutions.
The DMV is searching its records and has designed an outreach program to contact those entitled to refunds. The Web site is part of that effort. A mailing campaign will send Notices of Eligibility between July 8 and Sept. 8 to those who qualify for a refund but have not yet filed a claim.
