License plate registration

One of our residents has an older vehicle they are trying to sell and its plates are out of date. The HOA is saying they are in violation due to the vehicle's plates being out of date.

My question is how hard can an HOA look at this? Past just checking the color and number on a tag sticker, can the association run license plate numbers? Or have the police run numbers on request? That seems like an invasion of privacy without due cause?

Any opinions would be helpful here, out of curiosity.

TimD,

If the vehicle is parked on common area (vs. private driveways) you may make a complaint to the police, who may come out and ticket. They will not ticket if the vehicle is on private property. To allow the police to enforce traffic violations on common area, the Board did fill out a form with the local police station.

Realistically, all the Association can do is look at the tag and, if the owner is known, contact the member (as has been done).

There are services out there (do an internet search for search license plates) that can give the owner information to the Board if needed.

I doubt the police will run a check for you.

TimB

Depending on the State, when the plates are turned in, they may get a refund of the prorated registration.

I don't think the association needs to run plates. Homeowners know they have to keep vehicles in running condition with current tags, so if you see outdated plates, it should be enough to notify the owner and perhaps warn the car will be towed at his/her expense, if your community has that as an option.

This is why our association hired off duty police officers as security officers. They don't patrol the community 24/7, but make regular visits to talk to homeowners who've contacted them, follow up on issues the property manager or the board has brought to their attention, and swing by someone's home when they're out of town just to make sure nothing's amiss Our community documents state we've adopted the city and state laws on traffic, vehicle registration, etc. as community rules all residents must comply with.

We've also said inoperable vehicles and/or those without current tags have to be stored in the garage - since 2/3rds of the community doesn't have garages (we're a townhouse community), those residents have to store the car elsewhere (covering it isn't enough). Our officers will place a sticker on the window asking the homeowner to call to see what's what. The homeowner MUST call - usually, this fixes the problems.

There are some who will simply scrap off the sticker and do nothing else, but have found our officers will follow up if they don't hear anything. If the car still has outdated plates or is inoperable, it gets towed at the owner's expense.

Also, if there are strange cars popping up that don't seem to belong to any resident (tenants at the apartment complex next door did that a lot before the security officers began doing their thing), we notify the officers who can run the plates. They may ask around to see if the car belongs to anyone, but if not, it gets towed.

Thank you for the replies everyone. I will have to take these suggestions into consideration.

Virginia State Law states that all motorized autos must display currant tags and inspection stickers if parked on public streets or on private property, that can be seen from the public road. Prince William County states the same thing and then adds, unless the car has a cover. Our HOA states that ALL cars / trucks must display current tags and inspection stickers. If you cover your car or not, if it does not meet the HOAs requirements, it can be towed.

Then I guess the situation you describer, would carry a different set of parameters. I am referring to our Condo Association. We have no private driveways.

As far as a Private Driveway, that may depend if your HOA requires you to provide information on cars / trucks. Or what they have in their CCRs about this subject. It could also depend on your Local Laws. Maybe even your State Requirements. Etc, etc.

"As far as the OPs questionne of our residents has an older vehicle they are trying to sell and its plates are out of date. The HOA is saying they are in violation due to the vehicle's plates being out of date".

It seems that this vehicle can clearly be seen, while not trespassing.

"My question is how hard can an HOA look at this? Past just checking the color and number on a tag sticker, can the association run license plate numbers? Or have the police run numbers on request? That seems like an invasion of privacy without due cause?

IMHO, as hard as they need to, to bring compliance. If the tag can be clearly seen and it is expired, then why run the plate? As far as the Association being able to run your tag? Like I said before, IMHO, I really don't think they have the means to do so. As far as having the Police do it, again, why would they need to, if the tag can clearly be seen as expired, then it is expired.

Without knowing what the OPs Law states about having a vehicle with expired tags, sitting in a private driveway, any answer I give, is pure speculation. As far as Virginia Goes, if the Police can see it, private or not, they can write you a ticket.

The OP is from North Carolina ... Which means what you stated from Virginia State Law would not apply. Essentially I was asking for the OP to tell me where there has been any violation under their laws or documents. Keep in mind ... all State Laws vary and why we on this site try to keep the posts specific to the Original Posters (OP) state requirements. Also ... keep in mind that a Developer can put anything they want into CCR's; however, anything violating Federal, State, or Local Laws potentially can be null and void. CCR's can state that vehicles must display current tags ... but the question is do they have any LEGAL authority to do anything especially in planned community developments whereby each person owns a lot and their driveway. In some states that is a local authority or police matter to handle and not an HOA issue.

All 50 under certain circumstances.

? Ever heard of a car dealer ?

however

The key is PUBLIC VIEW.

Should the HOA's streets be privately owned (whether the community is gated or not) no member of the general public would see said vehicle, therefore ..................