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In action on April 21, the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners approved lowering the county vehicle registration fee on utility and travel trailers from $30 per year to $5 per year.
Board Chair Tootie Smith noted, “This is a rare opportunity to reduce a fee for our residents. Trailers do not have the same impact on our roadways as cars and trucks. This is an equitable and fair action to take to help support those with trailers.”
With the Board’s action, the lower fee is expected to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, after the county and state (which collects the fees) have made changes necessary in the collection system. The recommendation to reduce the fee to $5 came from the county’s Community Road Fund Advisory Committee after discussing concerns raised by members of the public about the trailer fee.
The fee reduction applies only to the countywide vehicle registration fee, not to the state fee on light trailers.
The Clackamas County vehicle registration fee (VRF) went into effect in January 2020 to provide a local source of revenue that allows the county and cities in the county to complete road projects that are important to residents and businesses.
Revenue from the county vehicle registration fee supports the Community Road Fund (CRF) program, which funds road transfers, congestion relief, local road paving, and safety projects on county roads. The fee reduction for trailers is expected to have a minimal impact on revenue for road construction projects, and will not have any impact on projects currently underway.
Currently county residents pay an annual county VRF of $30 for most vehicles, including utility and light trailers. While state law (ORS 801.041) requires that a fee be charged for those trailers required to be licensed by the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the county is permitted to adopt a lower rate for utility and light trailers. The law also exempts some types of trailers from the fee – such as travel trailers and campers – and there will continue to be no charge for those vehicles.
For more information, go to CRF website.