SPOKANE, Wash. -- A big price increase for car tab renewals has left a lot of drivers in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties a bit surprised on Monday.
The increase is related to the passage of Sound Transit 3 last November, which increased its tax by $80 for every $10,000 of a vehicle's value.
While Spokane drivers are not impacted by this tax, the fees can still add up.
Here is an example for a small passenger car like a Mazda 3 or a Honda Civic in Spokane:
You will notice that the state’s base fee is $30, but then there is also a $25 vehicle weight fee. These fees help support Washington state’s transportation system and motor vehicle fund. It funds accounts such as ferry operations, state patrol, and transportation improvement across the state.
So what about all of the other fees?
The $3.00 filing fee goes to the county where the vehicle is registered and covers costs to manage vehicle licensing. The $5.00 service fee is distributed to the local office where you actually go to pick up your new car tabs. If the service is not performed by a local office – such as if you filed for renewal online and had the tabs mailed to you – the fee helps fund state ferry construction.
The charge of 25 cents for license plate technology pays for computer system network and upgrade costs. The charge of 50 cents for the DOL’s service fee pays for expenses related to operations for vehicle licensing.
The $20.00 local option fee is one that only impacts drivers within the City of Spokane and it goes directly to the City’s Transportation Benefit District.
This is a fee that the Spokane City Council passed through Ordinance C34648 in 2010. These funds go to the City’s six-year street maintenance program, officials said.
These are just fees at the basic level for a car or SUV. State officials said there are between 30 and 50 specialty licenses that Spokane drivers have to consider. A full breakdown of fees can be found on the Washington State Department of Licensing website.