A. (For contingent expiration date — see Acts 2019, c. 52, cl. 2) There is hereby levied, in addition to all other taxes and fees of every kind now imposed by law, a tax upon the sale or use of motor vehicles in Virginia, other than a sale to or use by a person for rental as an established business or part of an established business or incidental or germane to such business.

Attorney's Note

Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class 3 misdemeanorup to $500
For details, see Va. Code § 18.2-11

Terms Used In Virginia Code 58.1-2402

  • City: means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-208
  • Germane: On the subject of the pending bill or other business; a strict standard of relevance.
  • Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
  • United States: includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-255

The amount of the tax to be collected shall be determined by the Commissioner by the application of the following rates against the gross sales price:

1. Three percent through midnight on June 30, 2013, four percent beginning July 1, 2013, through midnight on June 30, 2014, 4.05 percent beginning July 1, 2014, through midnight on June 30, 2015, 4.1 percent beginning July 1, 2015, through midnight on June 30, 2016, and 4.15 percent beginning on and after July 1, 2016, of the sale price of each motor vehicle sold in Virginia. If such motor vehicle is a manufactured home as defined in § 36-85.3, the tax shall be three percent of the sale price of each such manufactured home sold in the Commonwealth; if such vehicle is a mobile office as defined in § 58.1-2401, the tax shall be two percent of the sale price of each mobile office sold in the Commonwealth; if such vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more and is neither (i) a manufactured home as defined in § 36-85.3, (ii) a mobile office as defined in § 58.1-2401, (iii) a trailer or semitrailer as severally defined in § 46.2-100 that is not designed or used to carry property, nor (iv) a vehicle registered under § 46.2-700, the tax shall be zero percent of the sale price of each such vehicle sold in the Commonwealth; and if such vehicle is an all-terrain vehicle, moped, or off-road motorcycle, as those terms are defined in § 46.2-100, sold by a Virginia dealer, or, if sold by anyone other than a Virginia dealer, used or stored for use (a) in a county or city located in a planning district described in § 58.1-603.1, the tax shall be six percent of the sales price of each such vehicle or (b) in any county or city other than those set forth in clause (a), the tax shall be 5.3 percent of the sales price of each such vehicle. In any city or county located within the Historic Triangle, as defined in § 58.1-603.2, an additional one percent tax shall be imposed in addition to the tax prescribed in clause (a) if such vehicle is an all-terrain vehicle, moped, or off-road motorcycle.

2. Three percent through midnight on June 30, 2013, four percent beginning July 1, 2013, through midnight on June 30, 2014, 4.05 percent beginning July 1, 2014, through midnight on June 30, 2015, 4.1 percent beginning July 1, 2015, through midnight on June 30, 2016, and 4.15 percent beginning on and after July 1, 2016, of the sale price of each motor vehicle, not sold in Virginia but used or stored for use in the Commonwealth; or three percent of the sale price of each manufactured home as defined in § 36-85.3, or two percent of the sale price of each mobile office as defined in § 58.1-2401, not sold in Virginia but used or stored for use in this Commonwealth. If such vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more and is neither (i) a manufactured home as defined in § 36-85.3, (ii) a mobile office as defined in § 58.1-2401, (iii) a trailer or semitrailer as severally defined in § 46.2-100 that is not designed or used to carry property, nor (iv) a vehicle registered under § 46.2-700, the tax shall be zero percent of the sale price of each such vehicle not sold in the Commonwealth but used or stored for use in the Commonwealth. If such vehicle is an all-terrain vehicle, moped, or off-road motorcycle, as those terms are defined in § 46.2-100, not sold in the Commonwealth but used or stored for use in the Commonwealth (a) in a county or city located in a planning district described in § 58.1-603.1, the tax shall be six percent of the sales price of each such vehicle or (b) in any county or city other than those set forth in clause (a), the tax shall be 5.3 percent of the sales price of each such vehicle. In any city or county located within the Historic Triangle, as defined in § 58.1-603.2, an additional one percent tax shall be imposed in addition to the tax prescribed in clause (a) if such vehicle is an all-terrain vehicle, moped, or off-road motorcycle. When any motor vehicle or manufactured home not sold in the Commonwealth is first used or stored for use in Virginia six months or more after its acquisition, the tax shall be based on its current market value.

3. The minimum tax levied on the sale of any motor vehicle in the Commonwealth that is subject to taxation at a rate exceeding zero percent shall be $75, except as provided by those exemptions defined in § 58.1-2403. This subdivision shall not apply to any all-terrain vehicle, moped, or off-road motorcycle subject to taxation under this chapter.

A. (For contingent effective date — see Acts 2019, c. 52, cl. 2) There is hereby levied, in addition to all other taxes and fees of every kind now imposed by law, a tax upon the sale or use of motor vehicles in Virginia, other than a sale to or use by a person for rental as an established business or part of an established business or incidental or germane to such business.

The amount of the tax to be collected shall be determined by the Commissioner by the application of the following rates against the gross sales price:

1. Three percent through midnight on June 30, 2013, four percent beginning July 1, 2013, through midnight on June 30, 2014, 4.05 percent beginning July 1, 2014, through midnight on June 30, 2015, 4.1 percent beginning July 1, 2015, through midnight on June 30, 2016, and 4.15 percent beginning on and after July 1, 2016, of the sale price of each motor vehicle sold in Virginia. If such motor vehicle is a manufactured home as defined in § 36-85.3, the tax shall be three percent of the sale price of each such manufactured home sold in the Commonwealth; if such vehicle is a mobile office as defined in § 58.1-2401, the tax shall be two percent of the sale price of each mobile office sold in the Commonwealth; if such vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more and is neither (i) a manufactured home as defined in § 36-85.3, (ii) a mobile office as defined in § 58.1-2401, (iii) a trailer or semitrailer as severally defined in § 46.2-100 that is not designed or used to carry property, nor (iv) a vehicle registered under § 46.2-700, the tax shall be zero percent of the sale price of each such vehicle sold in the Commonwealth; and if such vehicle is an all-terrain vehicle, moped, or off-road motorcycle, as those terms are defined in § 46.2-100, sold by a Virginia dealer, or, if sold by anyone other than a Virginia dealer, used or stored for use (a) in a county or city located in a planning district described in § 58.1-603.1, the tax shall be six percent of the sales price of each such vehicle or (b) in any county or city other than those set forth in clause (a), the tax shall be 5.3 percent of the sales price of each such vehicle.

2. Three percent through midnight on June 30, 2013, four percent beginning July 1, 2013, through midnight on June 30, 2014, 4.05 percent beginning July 1, 2014, through midnight on June 30, 2015, 4.1 percent beginning July 1, 2015, through midnight on June 30, 2016, and 4.15 percent beginning on and after July 1, 2016, of the sale price of each motor vehicle, not sold in Virginia but used or stored for use in the Commonwealth; or three percent of the sale price of each manufactured home as defined in § 36-85.3, or two percent of the sale price of each mobile office as defined in § 58.1-2401, not sold in Virginia but used or stored for use in this Commonwealth. If such vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more and is neither (i) a manufactured home as defined in § 36-85.3, (ii) a mobile office as defined in § 58.1-2401, (iii) a trailer or semitrailer as severally defined in § 46.2-100 that is not designed or used to carry property, nor (iv) a vehicle registered under § 46.2-700, the tax shall be zero percent of the sale price of each such vehicle not sold in the Commonwealth but used or stored for use in the Commonwealth. If such vehicle is an all-terrain vehicle, moped, or off-road motorcycle, as those terms are defined in § 46.2-100, not sold in the Commonwealth but used or stored for use in the Commonwealth (a) in a county or city located in a planning district described in § 58.1-603.1, the tax shall be six percent of the sales price of each such vehicle or (b) in any county or city other than those set forth in clause (a), the tax shall be 5.3 percent of the sales price of each such vehicle. When any motor vehicle or manufactured home not sold in the Commonwealth is first used or stored for use in Virginia six months or more after its acquisition, the tax shall be based on its current market value.

3. The minimum tax levied on the sale of any motor vehicle in the Commonwealth that is subject to taxation at a rate exceeding zero percent shall be $75, except as provided by those exemptions defined in § 58.1-2403. This subdivision shall not apply to any all-terrain vehicle, moped, or off-road motorcycle subject to taxation under this chapter.

B. A transaction taxed under subdivision A 1 shall not also be taxed under subdivision A 2, nor shall the same transaction be taxed more than once under either subdivision.

C. Any motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer exempt from this tax under subdivision 1 or 2 of § 58.1-2403 shall be subject to the tax, based on the current market value when such vehicle is no longer owned or used by the United States government or any governmental agency, or the Commonwealth of Virginia or any political subdivision thereof, unless such vehicle is then rented, in which case the tax imposed by § 58.1-1736 shall apply, subject to the exemptions provided in § 58.1-1737. Further, any motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer exempt from the tax imposed by this chapter under subdivision 11 of § 58.1-2403 or §§ 46.2-663 through 46.2-674 shall be subject to the tax, based on the current market value, when such vehicle is subsequently licensed to operate on the highways of the Commonwealth.

D. Any person who with intent to evade or to aid another person to evade the tax provided for herein falsely states the selling price of a vehicle on a bill of sale, assignment of title, application for title, or any other document or paper submitted to the Commissioner pursuant to any provisions of this title or Title 46.2 shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.

E. Effective January 1, 1997, any amount designated as a “processing fee” and any amount charged by a dealer for processing a transaction, which is required to be included on a buyer’s order pursuant to subdivision A 10 of § 46.2-1530, shall be subject to the tax.

Code 1950, §§ 58-685.12, 58-685.12:1; 1966, c. 587; 1970, c. 675; 1974, c. 477; 1976, cc. 567, 610; 1977, c. 537; 1981, c. 145; 1984, c. 675; 1985, c. 123; 1986, Sp. Sess., cc. 10, 11; 1988, c. 372; 1992, c. 384; 1993, c. 159; 1994, c. 527; 1996, c. 1047; 1997, cc. 283, 853; 2004, c. 522; 2005, c. 449; 2011, cc. 405, 639, 881, 889; 2012, cc. 22, 111; 2013, c. 766; 2018, cc. 838, 840; 2019, c. 52.