§286-51 Registration, expense. (a) The certificate of registration for each motor vehicle in the counties of the State shall be renewed on a staggered basis as established by each county. The director of finance of each county may adopt rules to carry out the purposes stated in this section and shall expend the necessary funds from the director's operating funds as may be necessary for these purposes; provided that the director of finance, if the director has ascertained as of the date of the application that the registered owner has not deposited or paid bail with respect to any summons or citation issued to the registered owner for stopping, standing, or parking in violation of traffic ordinances within the county, may require, as a condition precedent to the renewal, that the registered owner deposit or pay bail with respect to all such summonses or citations. The certificates of registration issued hereunder shall show, in addition to all information required under section 286-47, the serial number of the tag or emblem and shall be valid during the registration year only for which they are issued. The certificates of ownership need not be renewed annually but shall remain valid as to any interest shown therein until canceled by the director of finance as provided by law or replaced by new certificates of ownership as hereinafter provided.

(b) This part shall be administered by the director of finance in conjunction with the requirements of sections 249-1 to 249-13 and shall entail no additional expense or charge to the person registering the ownership of a motor vehicle other than as provided by this section or by other laws; provided that for each new certificate of ownership issued by the director of finance under section 286-52, the director of finance may charge a fee which shall be deposited in the general fund. The fees charged to issue a new certificate of ownership shall be established by the county's legislative body.

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, an additional fee of not more than $1 for each certificate of registration for a U-drive motor vehicle and $2 for each certificate of registration for all other motor vehicles may be established by ordinance and collected annually by the director of finance of each county, to be used and administered by each county:

(1) For the purpose of beautification and other related activities of highways under the ownership, control, and jurisdiction of each county; and

(2) To defray the additional cost in the disposition and other related activities of abandoned or derelict vehicles as prescribed in chapter 290. For the purposes of this paragraph, other related activities shall include but need not be limited to any and all storage fees that are negotiated between each county and a towing company contracted by the county to remove and dispose of abandoned or derelict vehicles.

The $2 fee established pursuant to this subsection for certificates of registration for motor vehicles other than U-drive motor vehicles may be increased by ordinance up to a maximum of $10; provided that all amounts received from any fee increase over $2 shall be expended only for the purposes of paragraph (2). The moneys so assessed and collected shall be placed in a revolving fund entitled, "the highway beautification and disposal of abandoned or derelict vehicles revolving fund". [L 1929, c 197, §7; RL 1935, §2670; am L 1935, c 74, §1; am L 1941, c 298, §2; RL 1945, §7341; am L 1951, c 162, §6; RL 1955, §160-9; am L 1962, c 10, §2; am L 1965, c 125, §§1, 2; HRS §286-51; am L 1972, c 161, §1; am L 1976, c 237, §2; am L 1981, c 44, §2; am L 1982, c 135, §2; am L 1984, c 126, §2; gen ch 1985; am L 1999, c 274, §1; am L 2000, c 111, §1; am L 2007, c 269, §2; am L 2010, c 20, §4]