Counties are able to pass an ordinance implementing a $5 fee for each vehicle registered or renewed to an address location in that county. PennDOT collects the $5 fee at the time a vehicle is registered or renewed. The $5 fee is in addition to the registration fee. An updated list of participating counties and effective dates are as follows:
Effective Date Participating County
4/7/2015 Cumberland
4/29/2015 Fulton (Repealed 4/29/17)
5/1/2015 Blair
1/1/2016 Allegheny
4/1/2016 Bucks
4/1/2016 Westmoreland
4/11/2016 Philadelphia
5/1/2016 Dauphin
6/1/2016 Chester
6/30/2016 Greene
7/1/2016 Cambria
10/1/2016 York
1/1/2017 Montgomery
3/1/2017 Berks
4/1/2017 Beaver
10/1/2017 Centre, Lycoming
12/1/2017 Mifflin
1/1/2018 Schuylkill, Pike
3/1/2018 Union
4/1/2018 Erie
11/1/2018 Butler
1/18/2019 Luzerne
PennDOT updates the list of participating counties and effective dates on its website at www.dmv.pa.gov and search “Local Use.”
If the paperwork is processed online (through a provider such as Cox/Dealertrack) without the applicable $5 fee, the paperwork will be processed and a letter will be mailed to the customer in the affected county to let them know they owe an additional $5. If the paperwork is processed manually without the applicable $5 fee, the paperwork will be rejected. The MV-1, MV-4ST, MV-120, MV-140 and MV-217 A have been updated to allow for the fee to be itemized on the paperwork. Updated forms should be requested from PennDOT. Dealers should only collect the $5 local use fee if the county is listed on the PennDOT Fact Sheet and the fee is in effect. The $5 fee should also be separately itemized on the Bill of Sale as the “County Fee.”
Source: Pennsylvania Automotive Association
