Connecticut General Statutes 14-99h – Etching of vehicle identification numbers. Marking of component parts. Penalty. Regulations
(a) Each new car dealer or used car dealer, as defined in § 14-51, or lessor licensed under the provisions of § 14-15 may offer the purchaser or lessee of a new or used motor vehicle, at the time of sale or lease, the optional service of etching the complete vehicle identification number on a lower corner of the windshield and on each side or rear window in such vehicle. Prior to July 1, 2022, each such dealer or lessor may etch the complete vehicle identification number on any such vehicle in its inventory prior to its sale or lease provided it specifies the charge for such service separately on the order for the sale of the motor vehicle as prescribed by the provisions of § 14-62. On and after July 1, 2022, no such dealer or lessor shall etch the complete vehicle identification number on any vehicle prior to the sale of or lease of such vehicle without the written consent of the purchaser or lessee of such vehicle.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 14-99h
- Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
- Commissioner: includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Dealer: includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his or her employ. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Manufacturer: means (A) a person, whether a resident or nonresident, engaged in the business of constructing or assembling new motor vehicles of a type required to be registered by the commissioner, for operation upon any highway, except a utility trailer, which are offered for sale in this state, or (B) a person who distributes new motor vehicles to new car dealers licensed in this state. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Motor vehicle: means any vehicle propelled or drawn by any nonmuscular power, except aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, motor-driven cycles, as defined in §. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Motorcycle: means (A) an autocycle, as defined in this section, or (B) a motor vehicle, with or without a side car, that has (i) not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, (ii) a saddle or seat which the rider straddles or a platform on which the rider stands, and (iii) handlebars with which the rider controls the movement of the vehicle. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, limited liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or requires. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Registration: includes the certificate of motor vehicle registration and the number plate or plates used in connection with such registration. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- State: means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the state of Connecticut. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Used motor vehicle: includes any motor vehicle which has been previously separately registered by an ultimate consumer. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Vehicle: includes any device suitable for the conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other means. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
(b) If a new car dealer or used car dealer, as defined in § 14-51, offers the purchaser of a new or used motor vehicle, at the time of sale, the optional service of marking vehicle component parts with the complete vehicle identification number, the dealer shall specify the charge for such service separately on the order for the sale of the motor vehicle as prescribed by the provisions of § 14-62. Each new or used dealer that sells a motorcycle shall offer to the purchaser to mark the complete vehicle identification number on the component parts of said motorcycle. Such service shall be subject to the regulations and standards adopted by the commissioner in accordance with this section.
(c) Each new car dealer, used car dealer or lessor shall charge reasonable rates for etching services and component parts marking services rendered within the state pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of this section and shall file a schedule of such rates with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Each such dealer or lessor may from time to time file an amended schedule of such rates with the commissioner. No such dealer or lessor may charge any rate for such etching services or parts marking services which is greater than the rates contained in the most recent schedule filed with the commissioner.
(d) A motor vehicle dealer, licensed in accordance with § 14-52, and meeting qualifications established by the commissioner, may verify a manufacturer‘s vehicle identification number to satisfy any provision requiring such verification in this chapter, or chapter 246a or 247. Such verification shall be provided in a written affidavit signed by such a motor vehicle dealer, or such dealer’s designee, and submitted to the commissioner. Such affidavit shall contain a statement that the manufacturer’s vehicle identification number corresponds to such number (1) on the manufacturer’s or importer’s certificate of origin, if the motor vehicle is new, (2) on a current certificate of title, or (3) on a current motor vehicle registration document. Such affidavit shall also contain a statement that the vehicle identification number has not been mutilated, altered or removed.
(e) Any person violating the provisions of subsection (c) of this section shall be subject to the penalties of false statement, provided for in sections 14-110 and 53a-157b.
(f) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section. Such regulations may provide standards for (1) the marking of component parts in a secure manner, (2) telephone or online access to a secure database of vehicles including motorcycles and parts that have been marked and registered in such database, and (3) the marking of parts used to replace parts that have been marked by repairers licensed in accordance with § 14-52.