Authorizes purchaser of automobile by private sale to operate automobile for three-day period following purchase without permanent registration or transfer of title.

S3726

SENATE, No. 3726

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 5, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Authorizes purchaser of automobile by private sale to
operate automobile for three-day period following purchase without permanent
registration or transfer of title.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning temporary registration of automobiles
and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a. Any resident of this
State purchasing a passenger automobile pursuant to a private sale in this
State from any person who is not a dealer or used motor vehicle dealer, and
provided the automobile is to be principally garaged, registered, and titled in
this State, may register the automobile in New Jersey on a temporary basis.

���� b.��� A temporary registration
pursuant to this section shall be made through an application submitted to the
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission through the commission�s website, with an
electronic signature by the applicant, that requires the applicant to submit
the applicant�s name, address, and age, the automobile seller�s name, a
description of the character of the automobile including the make and model of
the automobile and vehicle identification number, the date of the private sale,
the odometer reading at the time of sale, the name of the insurance company
insuring the automobile, the insurance policy number, a certification by the
applicant that the automobile is insured in accordance with the requirements of
the "Motor Vehicle Security-Responsibility Law," P.L.1952, c.173
(C.39:6-23 et seq.), and any other information that may be required by the
Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.�� In the event
that the insurance is terminated, the insurer shall notify the chief
administrator within 30 days following the termination.� The commission shall
maintain a record of all temporary registration applications made pursuant to
this section and all temporary license plates provided pursuant to this
section, store this information in a database or registry, and make this information
accessible to law enforcement officers.� Immediately upon submission of the
application, the commission shall provide to the applicant:

���� (1)����� a receipt through
electronic mail that may serve as proof of temporary registration pursuant to
this section; and

���� (2)����� a temporary license
plate, in a manner to be determined by the chief administrator, which may be
printed by the applicant and which shall be displayed on the automobile.

���� �c.��� Following submission of
the application, the applicant may operate the automobile on the roadways of
this State for a period of three days from submission of the application,
provided that the automobile is insured in accordance with the requirements of
the "Motor Vehicle Security-Responsibility Law," P.L.1952, c.173
(C.39:6-23 et seq.) and the temporary license plate provided pursuant to
subsection b. of this section is displayed on the automobile, notwithstanding
that the automobile does not have a permanent registration and may not be
properly titled with the commission.� A law enforcement officer shall review
the database or registry maintained by the commission or the receipt provided
to the applicant by electronic mail pursuant to subsection b. of this section
to confirm the temporary registration status of the automobile.� Following the
three-day period, the automobile shall not be operated on the roadways of this
State unless it is registered pursuant to R.S.39:3-4 or properly registered in
another state or jurisdiction.

���� d.��� Any person violating the
provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $100,
except that for the intentional misstatement of any fact in the application
required to be made by the chief administrator, the person making the misstatement
shall be subject to the penalties provided in R.S.39:3-37.

���� 2.��� The New Jersey Motor
Vehicle Commission shall provide on the commission�s website an electronic form
that a seller of a passenger automobile may use to provide proof that an
individual purchased a passenger automobile from the seller in a private sale
in this State pursuant to subsection a. of section 1 of this act.� The
commission shall allow the seller of a passenger automobile in a private sale
to complete the form and upload it to the commission�s website, along with an
electronic copy of a picture of the title of the passenger automobile that was
sold.� The commission shall maintain a record of all information contained in
the completed forms pursuant to this section, store the information in a
database or registry, and make the information accessible to law enforcement
officers. A seller who complies with the provisions of this section, as of the
date and time the commission electronically receives the completed form and
picture of the title, shall no longer be considered the owner of the passenger
automobile that was sold and, as such, shall no longer be subject to any law
enforcement action or liable for any penalties provided pursuant to law.

���� 3.��� During the public health
emergency declared on March 9, 2020 by the Governor, pursuant to Executive
Order No. 103 and extended, where applicable, by subsequent executive orders,
the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission may extend
the period that persons may operate automobiles purchased pursuant to private
sale that are temporarily registered pursuant to section 1 of P.L.��� , c.���
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) on the roadways of
this State to a period not to exceed 10 days from the submission of the
application pursuant to section 1 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill), provided that the automobile is insured
in accordance with the requirements of the "Motor Vehicle
Security-Responsibility Law," P.L.1952, c.173 (C.39:6-23 et seq.) and the
temporary license plate provided pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of
P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) is
displayed on the automobile.�

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the third month following enactment, except that the
Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall take
anticipatory action in advance thereof to ensure the timely implementation of
this act.

STATEMENT

���� T
his bill authorizes a person who purchases a passenger
automobile through a private sale from a person who is not a dealer or used
motor vehicle dealer to operate the automobile on the roadways in the State for
a period of three days, provided that the automobile is properly insured and
the person who purchased the automobile temporarily registers the automobile
pursuant to the bill and displays on the automobile the temporary license plate
provided pursuant to the bill.

����� In order to be authorized to operate an automobile in
such a manner, the automobile purchaser is required to submit information to
the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) through the commission�s
website. Once that information is submitted, the commission is required to
provide the person with a receipt by electronic mail that proves that the
person temporarily registered the automobile with the commission, which may
serve as proof of the registration status of the automobile, and a printable temporary
license plate, which is to be displayed on the automobile.� The commission is
required to maintain a record of the information submitted through the website
and the temporary license plates provided to applicants in a database or
registry, which is to be accessible to law enforcement officers.� Any person
violating the provisions of section 1 of the bill is to be subject to a fine of
up to $100.� Any person that provides an intentional misstatement of any fact
is subject to the penalties provided by law concerning the provision of
falsified information to the commission.

����� The bill requires the commission to provide an
electronic form on the commission�s website for a seller of a passenger
automobile in a private sale to provide proof that the seller�s vehicle has
been purchased by someone in a private sale.� The commission is to maintain all
information provided to it and any seller who submits information to the
commission pursuant to the electronic form will no longer be considered the
owner of the passenger automobile that was sold.

����� The bill also includes a temporary provision that
authorizes the chief administrator to expand the three-day time period under
the bill to a 10-day time period during the Coronavirus disease 2019 public
health emergency.