CHAPTER 246*
MOTOR VEHICLES

      *Motor vehicle legislation justified by the police power. 108 C. 337; id., 377. Cited. 119 C. 569; 158 C. 236. In the event of any conflict between provisions of no-fault insurance law and existing statutes concerning motor vehicles, the latter shall prevail. 169 C. 267, 278. Cited. 225 C. 499, 509.

      Cited. 10 CA 18, 21. Cited. Id., 22, 26.

      General purpose is not to extend to nonresidents reciprocal privilege beyond relieving them from necessity of procuring Connecticut operator's license. 23 CS 26.

Table of Contents

Sec. 14-1. Definitions.
Sec. 14-1a. "Authorized emergency vehicle" defined.
Sec. 14-2. Appointment of Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.
Sec. 14-3. Powers and duties of commissioner.
Sec. 14-4. Findings and rulings of commissioner.
Sec. 14-4a. Conduct of hearings and rendering of decisions.
Sec. 14-5. Branch offices.
Sec. 14-5a. Ansonia branch office.
Sec. 14-5b. Discontinuation of branch offices.
Sec. 14-6. Coordination of enforcement activities.
Sec. 14-7. Deputy commissioners.
Sec. 14-8. Police authority of commissioner and inspectors.
Sec. 14-9. Oath of office.
Sec. 14-10. Definitions. Records. Disclosure of personal information and highly restricted personal information contained in motor vehicle records. Regulations.
Sec. 14-11. Employment of legal assistance.
Sec. 14-11a. Exceptional issuance of certificates and licenses for law enforcement activities. Verification by Chief State's Attorney of statements on application for such certificates and licenses.
Sec. 14-11b. Handicapped driver training program.
Sec. 14-11c. Motor Carrier Advisory Council. Members. Duties.
Sec. 14-11d. Annual safety inspection program for fire department apparatus.
Secs. 14-11e to 14-11h.
Sec. 14-11i. Payment of fees by credit card.
Sec. 14-12. Motor vehicle registration. Application. Issuance by dealers. Misrepresentation. Registration number and certificate. Requirements for registration. Temporary registration.
Sec. 14-12a. Registration of certain motor vehicles garaged or operated in Connecticut.
Sec. 14-12b. Presentation of insurance identification card or policy and statement that minimum security will be continuously maintained required for issuance of registration. Investigation of violations.
Sec. 14-12c. Verification of security coverages. Surrender or confiscation of plates, when. Penalties for failure to insure or maintain insurance and for presentation of false or fraudulent identification card.
Secs. 14-12d and 14-12e. Notice of voiding or suspension of registration or operator's license; reregistration or reinvestment; proof of financial responsibility. Presumption of failure to file insurer name and policy number; offset of suspension periods.
Sec. 14-12f. Provisions inapplicable to certain vehicles.
Sec. 14-12g. Cancellation of motor vehicle registration for violation of mandatory security requirements. Notice. Hearing. Consent agreements. Suspension of motor vehicle operator's license.
Sec. 14-12h. Maintenance and compilation of record of all cancelled registrations. Availability. Stop and detain procedures, when. Removal of plates. Fees. Seizure, impoundment and forfeiture of vehicle.
Sec. 14-12i. Restoration fees. Reimbursement to entities returning confiscated registration number plates to the department.
Sec. 14-12j. Agreements with qualified independent contractors to provide consulting and other services.
Sec. 14-12k. Regulations.
Sec. 14-12l. Collection of Social Security numbers and federal employer identification numbers. List of persons to whom motor vehicle registrations issued to be provided to Commissioner of Revenue Services.
Secs. 14-12m and 14-12n. Forfeiture of impounded motor vehicle; proceedings; proceeds from sale. Uninsured motor vehicle forfeiture revolving account.
Secs. 14-12o and 14-12p.
Sec. 14-12q. Vehicle identification card.
Sec. 14-12r. Inspection of vehicle identification number.
Sec. 14-12s. Administrative fees.
Sec. 14-12t. Regulations.
Sec. 14-13. Registration certificate and insurance identification card to be carried in vehicle.
Sec. 14-14. Registration of motor vehicles owned by minors. Proof of financial responsibility.
Sec. 14-15. Leasing or renting of motor vehicles. Issuance of temporary transfers.
Sec. 14-15a. Registration of vehicles leased or rented for use in Connecticut.
Sec. 14-15b. Motor vehicle rental contracts. Required notice re collision damage waiver. Prohibited sales and advertising practice.
Sec. 14-15c. Repossession of rented motor vehicles by rental companies.
Sec. 14-16. Transfer of ownership. Designation of beneficiary. Fees. Penalties.
Sec. 14-16a. Inspection of older vehicles before or upon transfer of ownership. Historical or special interest fire apparatus. Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicles and modified antique motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-16b. Inspection of damaged vehicles.
Sec. 14-16c. Insurance companies', persons', firms' or corporations' duties re totalled vehicles and certificates of title. Operation and inspection of totalled vehicles. Regulations.
Sec. 14-17. Notice of change in appearance or equipment.
Sec. 14-17a. Notice of change in registrant's address.
Sec. 14-18. Display of number plates and stickers. Issuance of sample number plates. Return of number plates to commissioner.
Sec. 14-19. Registration of fire apparatus.
Sec. 14-19a. Regulations re issuance of special number plates to members of qualifying organizations. Issuance and renewal of collegiate special number plates. Discontinuance of special number plates.
Sec. 14-20. Number plates for antique, rare or special interest motor vehicles. Issuance of number plates corresponding to year of manufacture. Registration. Regulations.
Sec. 14-20a. Number plates for volunteer firefighters.
Sec. 14-20b. Number plates for veterans.
Sec. 14-21. Number plates for amateur radio licensees.
Sec. 14-21a. "Foreign consul" registration and number plates.
Sec. 14-21b. Issuance of reflectorized number plates. Display. Infraction.
Sec. 14-21c. Number plates for manufacturers of automotive equipment. Proof of financial responsibility.
Sec. 14-21d. Prisoner of war and congressional medal of honor registration and number plate.
Sec. 14-21e. Number plates commemorating Long Island Sound. Voluntary lighthouse preservation donation. Fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-21f. Keep Kids Safe number plates. Fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-21g. Keep Kids Safe account.
Sec. 14-21h. Number plates for animal population control. Fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-21i. Greenways commemorative number plates. Fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-21j. Amistad commemorative number plates. Fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-21k. Amistad commemorative account.
Sec. 14-21l. Olympic Spirit commemorative number plates. Fees.
Sec. 14-21m. Olympic Spirit commemorative account.
Sec. 14-21n. State and municipal police officers killed in the line of duty memorial number plates. Fees.
Sec. 14-21o. United We Stand commemorative number plates. Fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-21p. United We Stand commemorative account.
Sec. 14-21q. Childhood cancer awareness commemorative plates. Fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-21r. Childhood cancer awareness account.
Sec. 14-21s. Wildlife conservation commemorative number plates. Fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-21t. Wildlife conservation account.
Sec. 14-22. Expiration and renewal.
Secs. 14-22a to 14-22e.
Sec. 14-22f. Cancellation of motor vehicle registration in error or failure to maintain accurate record of registration. Remedies.
Sec. 14-23. Refunds on registrations to persons in armed forces.
Sec. 14-24. Heavy duty trailers. Heavy construction equipment. Gross weight of tractor-trailer units.
Sec. 14-25. Registration not required for trailers used as parade floats.
Sec. 14-25a. Identifying registration certificate and marker for certain construction equipment.
Sec. 14-25b. Registration of vehicles operated as special mobile equipment.
Sec. 14-26. Motor or service buses, taxicabs, school buses, motor vehicles in livery service and school buses used in part in livery service.
Sec. 14-27. Number plates for public service motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-27a. Number plates for vanpool vehicle. Minimum insurance requirements.
Sec. 14-28. Passenger motor vehicle plates for livery cars or taxicabs.
Sec. 14-29. Owners of motor or service buses, taxicabs, school buses and motor vehicles in livery service to furnish insurance or bond.
Sec. 14-30. Public service motor vehicles registered in another state.
Sec. 14-31. Refund of registration fees for motor vehicles with commercial registration unfit for use.
Sec. 14-32. Commercial motor vehicle in interstate business.
Sec. 14-33. Renewal of registration denied for failure to pay motor vehicle property tax or fines for parking violations. Collection of delinquent property tax by commissioner.
Sec. 14-33a. Notice to commissioner of tax payment.
Sec. 14-34. Reciprocity of registration.
Sec. 14-34a. Reciprocal agreements apportioning the registration of commercial vehicles.
Sec. 14-35. Transporter's registration.
Sec. 14-35a. Restrictions on owner of motor vehicle with suspended registration.
Sec. 14-36. Motor vehicle operator's license. Learner's permit. Limited license. Requirements. Driving history record check. Penalty. Regulations.
Sec. 14-36a. Classification of operators' licenses.
Sec. 14-36b. Renewal.
Sec. 14-36c. Specification of class of license.
Sec. 14-36d. Operator's license to contain picture. License for minors. Temporary license.
Sec. 14-36e. (Formerly Sec. 10-24). Course in motor vehicle operation and highway safety.
Sec. 14-36f. (Formerly Sec. 10-24d). Regulations concerning driver education programs.
Sec. 14-36g. Restrictions on transportation of passengers by holders of motor vehicle operator's licenses who are sixteen or seventeen years of age. Regulations. Penalties.
Sec. 14-37. Limited license on proof of financial responsibility by owner.
Sec. 14-37a. Special operator's permit for employment purposes.
Sec. 14-38. Recall, suspension or revocation of minor operator's license.
Sec. 14-38a. Instruction manual printed in Spanish.
Sec. 14-39. Nonresident operators. Reciprocity concerning equipment, marking and inspection of vehicles.
Sec. 14-40. Operation of motor vehicle owned by resident of foreign country.
Sec. 14-40a. Motor vehicle operator's license with a motorcycle endorsement; requirements. Examination. Penalty.
Sec. 14-40b. License without examination.
Sec. 14-40c. Hearing upon denial or suspension of operator's license.
Sec. 14-41. Expiration and renewal of operators' licenses and permits. Vision screening. Notice.
Sec. 14-41a. Renewal of license for persons age sixty-five or over.
Sec. 14-42. Commissioner to furnish blanks. Indication of anatomical donation.
Sec. 14-42a. Agreement with procurement organizations. Inclusion of information re procurement organizations in driver education programs.
Sec. 14-43. Misrepresentation renders license void.
Sec. 14-44. License endorsement for operators of commercial motor vehicles used for passenger transportation. License endorsements for operators of school buses, student transportation vehicles, activity vehicles, taxicabs, motor or service buses and motor vehicles in livery service. Requirements. Hearing. Appeal. Penalty.
Sec. 14-44a. Commercial driver's license required for operation of a commercial motor vehicle. Exceptions. Penalty.
Sec. 14-44b. Prohibition re more than one driver's license.
Sec. 14-44c. Application for commercial driver's license or commercial driver's instruction permit. Penalty.
Sec. 14-44d. Information on commercial driver's license. Classifications.
Sec. 14-44e. Limitations on issuance of commercial driver's license. Qualification standards. Waiver of skills test. Requirements for license endorsement to operate vehicle transporting hazardous materials. Commercial driver's instruction permit.
Sec. 14-44f. Penalties for supplying false information to obtain commercial driver's license.
Sec. 14-44g. Driving record information. Notification of commercial driver's license issuance. Expiration of license. License renewal procedures.
Sec. 14-44h. Expiration and renewal of commercial drivers' licenses. Notice.
Sec. 14-44i. Fees for commercial driver's license and tests. Waiver of certain fees.
Sec. 14-44j. Notification of convictions, suspensions, revocations and cancellations by holder of commercial driver's license. Information re previous employment. Penalty.
Sec. 14-44k. Disqualification from operation of commercial motor vehicles. Disqualification offenses. Lifetime disqualification. Mitigation of lifetime disqualification.
Sec. 14-44l. Notification of traffic convictions.
Sec. 14-44m. Authority to enter into agreements with other jurisdictions.
Sec. 14-44n. Notification of violation to licensing authority of another state.
Sec. 14-45. Notice of change in operator's address. IV-D support cases. Penalty.
Sec. 14-45a. Regulations re standards for licensing of persons with health problems, referrals to medical advisory board, vision standards. Vision screenings.
Sec. 14-46. Report of names of persons with chronic health or vision problems.
Sec. 14-46a. Motor Vehicle Operator's License Medical Advisory Board: Definitions.
Sec. 14-46b. Establishment of board. Membership. Compensation. Executive session.
Sec. 14-46c. Responsibilities of board; recommendations.
Sec. 14-46d. Confidential use of reports or records. Testimony re reports or records.
Sec. 14-46e. Recommendations of board to be advisory. Failure to comply with requests of commissioner or board.
Sec. 14-46f. Immunity from civil liability.
Sec. 14-46g. Right of appeal.
Sec. 14-47. Fees for registering motor vehicles eligible for commercial registration and tractors.
Sec. 14-48. Fees for registering commercial tractor and semitrailer as a unit or separately.
Sec. 14-48a. Registration of commercial truck-tractor.
Sec. 14-48b. Registration fee of semitrailer drawn by truck-tractor.
Sec. 14-48c. Registration of commercial motor vehicle engaged in seasonal operations.
Sec. 14-48d. Registration of leased motor vehicle. Regulations.
Sec. 14-49. Fees for miscellaneous registration and other fees.
Sec. 14-49a. Fee for registration for six months or less.
Sec. 14-49b. Registration renewal fee.
Sec. 14-50. Fees for operator's license, passenger endorsement and examination. Waiver of operator's license and registration fees. Regulations.
Sec. 14-50a. Fees for copies, abstracts, duplicates, replacements and searches. Restriction on use of information. Penalty.
Sec. 14-50b. Fee for restoration of operator's license or registration.
Sec. 14-51. Definitions.
Sec. 14-51a. Civil penalties.
Sec. 14-52. License required for selling or repairing motor vehicles. Surety bonds required for selling, repairing, leasing or renting motor vehicles. Penalty.
Sec. 14-52a. Grounds for refusal to grant or renew license.
Sec. 14-52b. Surrender of new car dealer license in event of cancellation, termination or failure to renew franchise by manufacturer. Manufacturer to operate as a dealer on a temporary basis. Issuance of used car dealer's license to entity owned or controlled by a manufacturer. Extension of temporary license.
Sec. 14-53. Location of business to be approved.
Sec. 14-54. Location to be approved by local authority.
Sec. 14-55. Hearing.
Sec. 14-56. Commissioner to decide if requested by local authority.
Sec. 14-57. Appeal.
Sec. 14-58. Application. General registration of motor vehicles. Documents to be issued to drivers. Photostatic copies of registration certificate as proof of ownership.
Sec. 14-59. Special dealers' plates for trucks or other vehicles with commercial registration.
Sec. 14-60. Use of dealers' and repairers' plates.
Sec. 14-61. Dealer issuance of temporary transfer of registration. Fee.
Sec. 14-61a. Dealer to file application for permanent registration and certificate of title by electronic transmission.
Sec. 14-62. Order and invoice on sale of motor vehicle; information required. Dealer preparation charges. Certificate of title on sale of used motor vehicle.
Sec. 14-62a. Sale of new motor vehicle; information re price.
Sec. 14-62b. Sale of used motor vehicle parts.
Sec. 14-63. Regulations. Customer complaints. Stipulation by licensees.
Sec. 14-64. Suspension and revocation of licenses. Civil penalties. Restitution orders.
Sec. 14-65. Auction permit. Exception. Regulations. Penalties.
Sec. 14-65a. Exemption of dealers in certain trailers.
Sec. 14-65b.
Secs. 14-65c and 14-65d.
Sec. 14-65e. Motor vehicle repairs: Definitions.
Sec. 14-65f. (Formerly Sec. 14-65b). Motor vehicle repairs, written or oral authorizations. Estimates. Claims.
Sec. 14-65g. Waiver of estimates. Record of authorizations and of required information. Estimate of charges for diagnosis.
Sec. 14-65h. (Formerly Sec. 14-65c). Invoice requirements for motor vehicle repair work. Return of replaced parts.
Sec. 14-65i. (Formerly Sec. 14-65d). Signs required to be posted in motor vehicle repair shops.
Sec. 14-65j. False statements. Charges for repairs not performed. Completion of repairs.
Sec. 14-65k. Investigations. Subpoenas. Injunctions.
Sec. 14-66. Wreckers. Towing and transporting. Distinguishing number plates.
Sec. 14-66a. Regulations.
Sec. 14-66b. Operators of wrecker services to maintain records.
Sec. 14-67. Qualifications of licensee; bond; fees. Solicitation of service contracts.
Sec. 14-67a. Application for license. Requirements.
Sec. 14-67b. Manufacturer's obligations re warranty.
Sec. 14-67c. Suspension or revocation of manufacturer's license. Civil penalty.
Sec. 14-67d. Manufacturer's registrations. Fees.
Secs. 14-67e and 14-67f.
Sec. 14-67g. (Formerly Sec. 21-15). Definitions.
Sec. 14-67h. "Major component parts" defined.
Sec. 14-67i. (Formerly Sec. 21-16). Certificate of approval of location; license required. Exceptions.
Sec. 14-67j. Intermediate processors. Permit and license required. License required to transport vehicles or parts processed by intermediate processors. Records of vehicles or parts received, dismantled or sold. Inspection. Regulations.
Sec. 14-67k. (Formerly Sec. 21-17). Hearing on application. Fee.
Sec. 14-67l. (Formerly Sec. 21-18). License and fees. General registration of motor vehicles. Documents to be issued to drivers of such motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-67m. (Formerly Sec. 21-18a). Record of vehicles or major component parts received, dismantled or sold. Inspection of records, vehicles, parts and premises. Receipt of certificate of title. Penalty.
Sec. 14-67n. (Formerly Sec. 21-19). Use of general registration restricted. Number plates for motor vehicles being towed. Fees.
Sec. 14-67o. (Formerly Sec. 21-20). Revocation of license upon sale or transfer of business.
Sec. 14-67p. (Formerly Sec. 21-21). Suspension or revocation for violation.
Sec. 14-67q. (Formerly Sec. 21-22). Commissioner may impose conditions concerning establishment and maintenance of yards.
Sec. 14-67r. (Formerly Sec. 21-22a). Fencing.
Sec. 14-67s. (Formerly Sec. 21-23). Ordinances creating restricted districts.
Sec. 14-67t. (Formerly Sec. 21-24). Publication of ordinances.
Sec. 14-67u. (Formerly Sec. 21-25). Appeal.
Sec. 14-67v. (Formerly Sec. 21-26). Penalty. Injunction to restrain violation.
Sec. 14-67w. (Formerly Sec. 21-26a). Scrap metal processors exempted. Receipt of motor vehicles. Required information. Inspection of premises and records. Retention of records. Regulations.
Sec. 14-68. Definitions.
Sec. 14-69. License to conduct school. Financial responsibility.
Sec. 14-70. Grounds for denial of application.
Sec. 14-71. Schedule of rates to be filed.
Sec. 14-72. Suspension, revocation or refusal to renew school license.
Sec. 14-73. Instructor's license.
Sec. 14-74. Suspension of or refusal to renew instructor's license.
Sec. 14-75. Revocation or suspension of license after renewal.
Sec. 14-76. Hearing for reinstatement or renewal. Appeal.
Sec. 14-77. Records of licensee.
Sec. 14-78. Regulations for conduct of schools.
Sec. 14-79. Penalty.
Sec. 14-80. Mechanical equipment.
Sec. 14-80a. Maximum noise levels.
Sec. 14-80b. Ball joints and tie rod ends. Prohibition on certain installations and attachments to.
Secs. 14-80c to 14-80g.
Sec. 14-80h. Brake equipment of motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-80i. Brake equipment of motorcycles.
Sec. 14-81. Brake equipment of trailers.
Sec. 14-81a. Hydraulic brake fluid.
Sec. 14-81b. Restrictions on used brake drums and brake discs.
Sec. 14-82. Free-wheeling devices.
Secs. 14-83 to 14-96. Head and rear lights; spotlights; color of lights; reflectors; turn signals; minimum standards; single-beam, multibeam and alternate road-lighting equipment; number of driving lamps; flashing lights; emergency lighting equipment; etc.
Sec. 14-96a. Lighted lamps and illuminating devices required, when.
Sec. 14-96b. Head lamps.
Sec. 14-96c. Tail lamps. Illumination of rear registration plate.
Sec. 14-96d. Reflectors.
Sec. 14-96e. Stop lamps. Turn signals.
Sec. 14-96f. Special requirements for buses, trucks, trailers, truck tractors.
Sec. 14-96g. Colors of lamps and reflectors. Reflective sheeting on certain vehicles.
Sec. 14-96h. Mounting of reflectors and clearance lamps.
Sec. 14-96i. Visibility of reflectors and clearance, identification and side marker lamps.
Sec. 14-96j. Vehicles operated in combination.
Sec. 14-96k. Projecting loads. Carrying of animals.
Sec. 14-96l. Sufficiency of head and rear lights. Parked vehicles.
Sec. 14-96m. Farm tractors and equipment.
Sec. 14-96n. General lighting requirements.
Sec. 14-96o. Spot lamps. Fog lamps. Auxiliary passing lamps. Auxiliary driving lamps.
Sec. 14-96p. Color of lights. Flashing or revolving lights. Authorized use of blue or green lights.
Sec. 14-96q. Special restrictions on lamps. Flashing lights.
Sec. 14-96r. Color of stop lamps. Turn signal lamps.
Sec. 14-96s. Fender, backup and identification lamps. Penalties.
Sec. 14-96t. Multiple-beam road-lighting equipment.
Sec. 14-96u. Use of multiple-beam road-lighting equipment.
Secs. 14-96v and 14-96w. Single-beam road-lighting equipment. Distance forward lights to illuminate.
Sec. 14-96x. Head lamp of motorcycle.
Sec. 14-96y. Number of head lamps. Number in combination with other lamps.
Sec. 14-96z. Intensity of certain lamps. Location of red light.
Sec. 14-96aa. Standards and specifications for lamps for snow-removal and highway maintenance equipment.
Sec. 14-96bb. Operation of motor vehicles without required lighting devices.
Sec. 14-96cc. Regulation of hazardous lighting equipment.
Sec. 14-97. Defrosting devices on school buses and motor vehicles used to transport passengers for hire.
Sec. 14-97a. Emergency lighting or reflecting devices on motor vehicles used to transport passengers for hire and motor vehicles with commercial registration.
Sec. 14-97b. Lift equipment on motor buses.
Sec. 14-98. Tires.
Sec. 14-98a. Tires to be in safe operating condition.
Sec. 14-99. Mirror. Motor vehicles with commercial registration to allow others to pass.
Secs. 14-99a to 14-99e.
Sec. 14-99f. Windshield. Obstruction of view.
Sec. 14-99g. Definitions. Tinted or reflectorized windows. Obstruction of view prohibited. Exceptions. Sale or delivery of motor vehicles having tinted or reflectorized windows prohibited. Stickers required. Penalty. Window tinting businesses. Regulations.
Sec. 14-99h. Etching of vehicle identification numbers. Marking of component parts. Penalty. Regulations.
Sec. 14-100. Safety glass. Use of plastics.
Sec. 14-100a. Seat safety belts. Child restraint systems.
Sec. 14-100b. Air pollution control devices required on certain passenger motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-100c.
Sec. 14-101. Turn signals.
Sec. 14-102. View in and exits from motor vehicles used to transport passengers for hire.
Sec. 14-103. Inspection of motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-103a. Inspection of reassembled, altered or rebuilt vehicles.
Sec. 14-103b. High-mileage vehicles, regulations re safety and performance standards.
Sec. 14-103c. Vehicles using liquid propane gas as fuel.
Sec. 14-103d. Vehicles using any pressurized gas as fuel. Regulations. Class C misdemeanor.
Sec. 14-104. Fenders and other wheel protectors.
Sec. 14-105. Television screens prohibited. Video display instrumentation and closed video monitor for backing, permitted.
Sec. 14-106. Air conditioning equipment.
Sec. 14-106a. Tamper-resistant odometer required. Mileage reading required on registration application.
Sec. 14-106b. Properly functioning odometer required. Tampering with odometer prohibited.
Sec. 14-106c. Headerboards required on commercial van-type motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-107. Liability of owner, operator, lessee.
Sec. 14-108. Report of accidents.
Sec. 14-108a. Uniform investigation of accident report.
Secs. 14-108b, 14-108c and 14-109. Statistical information based on reports. Report of accident involving unlicensed operator under instruction. Coroner to investigate fatal motor vehicle accidents.
Sec. 14-110. Oaths and subpoenas. False statements or reports.
Sec. 14-111. Suspension or revocation of registration, license or right to operate.
Sec. 14-111a. Possession of alcoholic liquors in motor vehicles by underage persons.
Sec. 14-111b. Suspension of operator's license following conviction for speeding.
Secs. 14-111c and 14-111d. Driver license compact. Definitions applicable to driver license compact; comparable convictions to be reported; report of suspension or revocation action to department.
Sec. 14-111e. Suspension or delay of issuance of operator's license for misuse of license to procure liquor.
Sec. 14-111f. Suspension of operator's license for possession of counterfeit or altered license.
Sec. 14-111g. Operator's retraining program.
Sec. 14-111h. Definitions applicable to driver license agreement.
Sec. 14-111i. Entry into driver license agreement. Regulations.
Sec. 14-111j. Findings and declarations re driver license agreement.
Sec. 14-111k. Application for a motor vehicle operator's license from applicants in other member jurisdictions.
Sec. 14-111l. Driver control record. Record of convictions and administrative actions.
Sec. 14-111m. Notice of failure to comply with a citation.
Sec. 14-111n. Reports of comparable convictions. Suspension of operator's license.
Sec. 14-111o. Form and use in evidence of records received from other member jurisdictions. Electronic transmission.
Sec. 14-111p. Validity of reports or records received from members of the Driver License Compact.
Sec. 14-111q. Hearing.
Sec. 14-112. Proof of financial responsibility.
Secs. 14-113 to 14-115. Financial responsibility of motor vehicle owners and operators required after accident; definitions. Administration by Motor Vehicle Commissioner; hearings; appeals. Abstract of operating record.
Sec. 14-115a. Request for abstract of operating record.
Secs. 14-116 to 14-128. Accident reports. Determination of amount of security; suspension of license and registration; exceptions; liability policy or bond. Release in behalf of minor. Exceptions. Duration of suspension. Unlicensed or nonresident operators; reciprocity. Amount of security, reduction. Custody, use and return of deposits. Evidence inadmissible in damage actions. Suspension pending disposition of judgment. Transfer of registration or ownership during suspension. Return of license or registration to commissioner. Governmental and public service vehicles exempt.
Sec. 14-129. Self-insurance.
Sec. 14-130.
Secs. 14-131 to 14-133. Discharge in bankruptcy not to release judgment debtor. Relief under other statutes. Penalties.
Sec. 14-134. Appeals from commissioner.
Sec. 14-135. Attorney General to act when commissioner is disqualified.
Sec. 14-136. First complaint.
Sec. 14-137. Authority to make regulations and certify or limit the use of devices and equipment.
Sec. 14-137a. Point system for motor vehicle violations.
Sec. 14-138. State police to assist.
Sec. 14-139. Conviction to be endorsed on license.
Sec. 14-140. When bail may be waived. Failure to appear. Reciprocal agreements. Filing fee for motion to reopen judgment.
Sec. 14-140a. Automobile club bail bond certificates, when acceptable as bail.
Sec. 14-141. Courts to report convictions and other dispositions to commissioner.
Sec. 14-142. Proceedings against negligent court clerk.
Sec. 14-143. Expenses in unsuccessful prosecutions by state police.
Sec. 14-144. No fees for arrests for motor vehicle violations.
Sec. 14-145. Towing or removal of motor vehicle from private property.
Sec. 14-145a. Express instruction of property owner or lessee required for towing or removal of motor vehicle. Rebate prohibited.
Sec. 14-145b. Storage and release of towed motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-145c. Liability of property owner or lessee for improper towing or removal of motor vehicle.
Sec. 14-146. Objects not to be thrown at motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-147. Improper use of marker, registration or license.
Sec. 14-147a. Theft or illegal possession of number plate or sticker.
Sec. 14-148. Abandoned markers.
Sec. 14-149. Mutilated or removed vehicle identification, factory or engine number. Discovery of vehicle reported as stolen or of vehicle or major component part with mutilated or missing identification, engine or factory number. Disposition of vehicle or part held in custody. Penalty. Fee.
Sec. 14-149a. Ownership or operation of chop shop.
Sec. 14-150. Abandoned or unregistered motor vehicles and motor vehicles which are a menace to traffic. Notice. Removal. Storage. Hearing. Lien. Sale.
Sec. 14-150a. Removal of abandoned motor vehicles by municipalities. Notice.
Sec. 14-150b. Municipal Abandoned Vehicle Trust Fund.
Sec. 14-151. State marshals and constables to enforce law concerning abandoned motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-151a. Report by owner or person in lawful possession of theft of motor vehicle. Regulations re uniform procedure. Report as condition precedent to settling insurance claim.
Sec. 14-152. Report by law enforcement agencies of theft or recovery of motor vehicle.
Sec. 14-153. Renting of motor vehicles.
Sec. 14-153a. Exemption. Penalty.
Sec. 14-153b. Proof of credit.
Sec. 14-154. Liability of owner for damage caused by rented or leased car.
Sec. 14-154a. Liability of owner for damage caused by rented or leased motor vehicle. Exceptions.
Sec. 14-155. Fines and forfeitures to be paid to commissioner.
Sec. 14-156. Receipts of Department of Motor Vehicles to be credited to Special Transportation Fund.
Sec. 14-156a. Payment of State Police Department expenditures from Highway Fund.
Sec. 14-157.
Sec. 14-158. Fines and forfeitures paid to commissioner to be receipts of General Fund.
Sec. 14-159. Refund of money paid to commissioner.
Sec. 14-160. Reservation of license numbers. Fee for low numbers.
Sec. 14-161. Impersonation of inspector or agent.
Sec. 14-162. Ordinances.
Sec. 14-163. Commissioner to furnish lists of motor vehicle and snowmobile owners to town assessors.
Sec. 14-163a. Driving on ice.
Sec. 14-163b. Motor vehicles formerly used as ambulances.
Sec. 14-163c. Motor carrier safety regulations for intrastate or interstate commerce. Variations or exemptions. Enforcement powers of police officers and motor vehicle inspectors.
Sec. 14-164. General penalty.
Sec. 14-164a. (Formerly Sec. 29-143). Motor vehicle racing.

PART I
DEFINITIONS

      Sec. 14-1. Definitions. (a) Terms used in this chapter shall be construed as follows, unless another construction is clearly apparent from the language or context in which the term is used or unless the construction is inconsistent with the manifest intention of the General Assembly:

      (1) "Activity vehicle" means a student transportation vehicle that is used to transport students in connection with school-sponsored events and activities, but is not used to transport students to and from school;

      (2) "Agricultural tractor" means a tractor or other form of nonmuscular motive power used for transporting, hauling, plowing, cultivating, planting, harvesting, reaping or other agricultural purposes on any farm or other private property, or used for the purpose of transporting, from one farm to another, agricultural implements and farm products, provided the agricultural tractor is not used on any highway for transporting a pay load or for some other commercial purpose;

      (3) "Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle twenty-five years old or older which is being preserved because of historic interest and which is not altered or modified from the original manufacturer's specifications;

      (4) "Apparent candle power" means an illumination equal to the normal illumination in foot candles produced by any lamp or lamps, divided by the square of the distance in feet between the lamp or lamps and the point at which the measurement is made;

      (5) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means (A) a fire department vehicle, (B) a police vehicle, or (C) a public service company or municipal department ambulance or emergency vehicle designated or authorized for use as an authorized emergency vehicle by the commissioner;

      (6) "Auxiliary driving lamp" means an additional lighting device on a motor vehicle used primarily to supplement the general illumination in front of a motor vehicle provided by the motor vehicle's head lamps;

      (7) "Bulb" means a light source consisting of a glass bulb containing a filament or substance capable of being electrically maintained at incandescence;

      (8) "Camp trailer" includes any trailer designed and used exclusively for camping or recreational purposes;

      (9) "Camper" means any motor vehicle designed or permanently altered in such a way as to provide temporary living quarters for travel, camping or recreational purposes;

      (10) "Combination registration" means the type of registration issued to a motor vehicle used for both private passenger and commercial purposes if such vehicle does not have a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of ten thousand pounds;

      (11) "Commercial driver's license" or "CDL" means a license issued to an individual in accordance with the provisions of sections 14-44a to 14-44m, inclusive, which authorizes such individual to drive a commercial motor vehicle;

      (12) "Commercial driver's license information system" or "CDLIS" means the national database of holders of commercial driver's licenses established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration pursuant to section 12007 of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986;

      (13) "Commercial motor vehicle" means a vehicle designed or used to transport passengers or property, except a vehicle used within one hundred fifty miles of a farm in connection with the operation of such farm, fire fighting apparatus or other authorized emergency vehicles, or a recreational vehicle in private use, which (A) has a gross vehicle weight rating of twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more; (B) is designed to transport sixteen or more passengers, including the driver, or is designed to transport more than ten passengers, including the driver, and is used to transport students under the age of twenty-one years to and from school; or (C) is transporting hazardous materials and is required to be placarded in accordance with 49 CFR 172, Subpart F, as amended;

      (14) "Commercial registration" means the type of registration required for any motor vehicle designed or used to transport merchandise, freight or persons in connection with any business enterprise, unless a more specific type of registration is authorized and issued by the commissioner for such class of vehicle;

      (15) "Commercial trailer" means a trailer used in the conduct of a business to transport freight, materials or equipment whether or not permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer;

      (16) "Commissioner" includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation; except that the deputy commissioners of motor vehicles and the Attorney General are deemed, unless the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles otherwise provides, to be designated and authorized by, and acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation;

      (17) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as in section 21a-240 and the federal laws and regulations incorporated in chapter 420b;

      (18) "Conviction" means an unvacated adjudication of guilt, or a determination that a person has violated or failed to comply with the law in a court of original jurisdiction or an authorized administrative tribunal, an unvacated forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure the person's appearance in court, the payment of a fine or court cost, or violation of a condition of release without bail, regardless of whether or not the penalty is rebated, suspended or probated;

      (19) "Dealer" includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his or her employ;

      (20) "Disqualification" means a withdrawal of the privilege to drive a commercial motor vehicle, which occurs as a result of (A) any suspension, revocation, or cancellation by the commissioner of the privilege to operate a motor vehicle; (B) a determination by the Federal Highway Administration, under the rules of practice for motor carrier safety contained in 49 CFR 386, as amended, that a person is no longer qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle under the standards of 49 CFR 391, as amended; or (C) the loss of qualification which follows any of the convictions or administrative actions specified in section 14-44k;

      (21) "Drive" means to drive, operate or be in physical control of a motor vehicle, including a motor vehicle being towed by another;

      (22) "Driver" means any person who drives, operates or is in physical control of a commercial motor vehicle, or who is required to hold a commercial driver's license;

      (23) "Driver's license" or "operator's license" means a valid Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license or a license issued by another state or foreign jurisdiction authorizing the holder thereof to operate a motor vehicle on the highways;

      (24) "Employee" means any operator of a commercial motor vehicle, including full-time, regularly employed drivers, casual, intermittent or occasional drivers, drivers under contract and independent, owner-operator contractors, who, while in the course of operating a commercial motor vehicle, are either directly employed by, or are under contract to, an employer;

      (25) "Employer" means any person, including the United States, a state or any political subdivision thereof, who owns or leases a commercial motor vehicle, or assigns a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle;

      (26) "Farm implement" means a vehicle designed and adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock-raising operations and which is not operated on a highway for transporting a pay load or for any other commercial purpose;

      (27) "Felony" means any offense as defined in section 53a-25 and includes any offense designated as a felony under federal law;

      (28) "Fatality" means the death of a person as a result of a motor vehicle accident;

      (29) "Foreign jurisdiction" means any jurisdiction other than a state of the United States;

      (30) "Fuels" means (A) all products commonly or commercially known or sold as gasoline, including casinghead and absorption or natural gasoline, regardless of their classification or uses, (B) any liquid prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, which, when subjected to distillation in accordance with the standard method of test for distillation of gasoline, naphtha, kerosene and similar petroleum products by "American Society for Testing Materials Method D-86", shows not less than ten per cent distilled (recovered) below 347 Fahrenheit (175 Centigrade) and not less than ninety-five per cent distilled (recovered) below 464 Fahrenheit (240 Centigrade); provided the term "fuels" shall not include commercial solvents or naphthas which distill, by "American Society for Testing Materials Method D-86", not more than nine per cent at 176 Fahrenheit and which have a distillation range of 150 Fahrenheit, or less, or liquefied gases which would not exist as liquids at a temperature of 60 Fahrenheit and a pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute, and (C) any liquid commonly referred to as "gasohol" which is prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, consisting of a blend of gasoline and a minimum of ten per cent by volume of ethyl or methyl alcohol;

      (31) "Garage" includes every place of business where motor vehicles are, for compensation, received for housing, storage or repair;

      (32) "Gross vehicle weight rating" or "GVWR" means the value specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a single or a combination (articulated) vehicle, or its registered gross weight, whichever is greater. The GVWR of a combination (articulated) vehicle commonly referred to as the "gross combination weight rating" or GCWR is the GVWR of the power unit plus the GVWR of the towed unit or units;

      (33) "Gross weight" means the light weight of a vehicle plus the weight of any load on the vehicle, provided, in the case of a tractor-trailer unit, "gross weight" means the light weight of the tractor plus the light weight of the trailer or semitrailer plus the weight of the load on the vehicle;

      (34) "Hazardous materials" has the same meaning as in Section 103 of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, 49 USC 1801 et seq.;

      (35) "Head lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the front of a motor vehicle projecting a high intensity beam which lights the road in front of the vehicle so that it can proceed safely during the hours of darkness;

      (36) "High-mileage vehicle" means a motor vehicle having the following characteristics: (A) Not less than three wheels in contact with the ground; (B) a completely enclosed seat on which the driver sits; (C) a single or two cylinder, gasoline or diesel engine or an electric-powered engine; and (D) efficient fuel consumption;

      (37) "Highway" includes any state or other public highway, road, street, avenue, alley, driveway, parkway or place, under the control of the state or any political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to public travel or other use;

      (38) "Imminent hazard" means the existence of a condition that presents a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, severe personal injury or a substantial endangerment to health, property, or the environment may occur before the reasonably foreseeable completion date of a formal proceeding begun to lessen the risk of that death, illness, injury or endangerment;

      (39) "Intersecting highway" includes any public highway which joins another at an angle whether or not it crosses the other;

      (40) "Light weight" means the weight of an unloaded motor vehicle as ordinarily equipped and ready for use, exclusive of the weight of the operator of the motor vehicle;

      (41) "Limited access highway" means a state highway so designated under the provisions of section 13b-27;

      (42) "Local authorities" includes the board of aldermen, common council, chief of police, warden and burgesses, board of selectmen or other officials having authority for the enactment or enforcement of traffic regulations within their respective towns, cities or boroughs;

      (43) "Maintenance vehicle" means any vehicle in use by the state or by any town, city, borough or district, any state bridge or parkway authority or any public service company, as defined in section 16-1, in the maintenance of public highways or bridges and facilities located within the limits of public highways or bridges;

      (44) "Manufacturer" means (A) a person, whether a resident or nonresident, engaged in the business of constructing or assembling new motor vehicles of a type required to be registered by the commissioner, for operation upon any highway, which are offered for sale in this state, or (B) a person who distributes new motor vehicles to new car dealers licensed in this state;

      (45) "Median divider" means an intervening space or physical barrier or clearly indicated dividing section separating traffic lanes provided for vehicles proceeding in opposite directions;

      (46) "Minibike" or "minicycle" means any two or three wheel motorcycle having one or more of the following characteristics: (A) Ten inches (254 mm) or less nominal wheel rim diameter; (B) forty inches or less wheel base; (C) twenty-five inches or less seat height measured at the lowest point on the top of the seat cushion without rider; (D) a propelling engine having a piston displacement of 50 c.c. or less;

      (47) "Modified antique motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle twenty-five years old or older which has been modified for safe road use, including but not limited to, modifications to the drive train, suspension, braking system and safety or comfort apparatus;

      (48) "Motor bus" includes any motor vehicle, except a taxicab, as defined in section 13b-95, operated in whole or in part on any street or highway in a manner affording a means of transportation by indiscriminately receiving or discharging passengers, or running on a regular route or over any portion of a regular route or between fixed termini;

      (49) "Motor home" means a vehicular unit designed to provide living quarters and necessary amenities which are built into an integral part of, or permanently attached to, a truck or van chassis;

      (50) "Motorcycle" means a motor vehicle, with or without a side car, having not more than three wheels in contact with the ground and a saddle or seat on which the rider sits or a platform on which the rider stands and includes bicycles having a motor attached, except bicycles propelled by means of a helper motor as defined in section 14-286, but does not include a vehicle having or designed to have a completely enclosed driver's seat and a motor which is not in the enclosed area;

      (51) "Motor vehicle" means any vehicle propelled or drawn by any nonmuscular power, except aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by physically handicapped persons at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one part of the golf course to another, golf cart type vehicles operated on roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, bicycles with helper motors as defined in section 14-286, special mobile equipment as defined in subsection (i) of section 14-165 and any other vehicle not suitable for operation on a highway;

      (52) "National Driver Registry" or "NDR" means the licensing information system and database operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and established pursuant to the National Driver Registry Act of 1982, as amended;

      (53) "New motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle, the equitable or legal title to which has never been transferred by a manufacturer, distributor or dealer to an ultimate consumer;

      (54) "Nonresident" means any person whose legal residence is in a state other than Connecticut or in a foreign country;

      (55) "Nonresident commercial driver's license" or "nonresident CDL" means a commercial driver's license issued by a state to an individual who resides in a foreign jurisdiction;

      (56) "Nonskid device" means any device applied to the tires, wheels, axles or frame of a motor vehicle for the purpose of increasing the traction of the motor vehicle;

      (57) "Number plate" means any sign or marker furnished by the commissioner on which is displayed the registration number assigned to a motor vehicle by the commissioner;

      (58) "Officer" includes any constable, state marshal, inspector of motor vehicles, state policeman or other official authorized to make arrests or to serve process, provided the officer is in uniform or displays the officer's badge of office in a conspicuous place when making an arrest;

      (59) "Operator" means any person who operates a motor vehicle or who steers or directs the course of a motor vehicle being towed by another motor vehicle and includes a driver as defined in subdivision (22) of this section;

      (60) "Out-of-service order" means a temporary prohibition against driving a commercial motor vehicle or any other vehicle subject to the federal motor carrier safety regulations enforced by the commissioner pursuant to the commissioner's authority under section 14-8;

      (61) "Owner" means any person holding title to a motor vehicle, or having the legal right to register the same, including purchasers under conditional bills of sale;

      (62) "Parked vehicle" means a motor vehicle in a stationary position within the limits of a public highway;

      (63) "Passenger and commercial motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for private passenger and commercial purposes which is eligible for combination registration;

      (64) "Passenger motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for the private transportation of persons and their personal belongings, designed to carry occupants in comfort and safety, with a capacity of carrying not more than ten passengers including the operator thereof;

      (65) "Passenger registration" means the type of registration issued to a passenger motor vehicle unless a more specific type of registration is authorized and issued by the commissioner for such class of vehicle;

      (66) "Person" includes any individual, corporation, limited liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or requires;

      (67) "Pick-up truck" means a motor vehicle with an enclosed forward passenger compartment and an open rearward compartment used for the transportation of property, and having a gross vehicle weight rating of less than ten thousand pounds;

      (68) "Pneumatic tires" means tires inflated or inflatable with air;

      (69) "Pole trailer" means a trailer which is (A) intended for transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, logs, pipes or structural members, which loads are capable of sustaining themselves as beams between supporting connections, and (B) designed to be drawn by a motor vehicle and attached or secured directly to the motor vehicle by any means including a reach, pole or boom;

      (70) "Recreational vehicle" includes the camper, camp trailer and motor home classes of vehicles;

      (71) "Registration" includes the certificate of motor vehicle registration and the number plate or plates used in connection with such registration;

      (72) "Registration number" means the identifying number or letters, or both, assigned by the commissioner to a motor vehicle;

      (73) "Resident", for the purpose of registering motor vehicles, includes any person having a place of residence in this state, occupied by such person for more than six months in a year, or any person, firm or corporation owning or leasing a motor vehicle used or operated in intrastate business in this state, or a firm or corporation having its principal office or place of business in this state;

      (74) "School bus" means any school bus, as defined in section 14-275, including a commercial motor vehicle used to transport preschool, elementary school or secondary school students from home to school, from school to home, or to and from school-sponsored events, but does not include a bus used as a common carrier;

      (75) "Second" violation or "subsequent" violation means an offense committed not more than three years after the date of an arrest which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same statutory provision, except in the case of a violation of section 14-215 or 14-224 or subsection (a) of section 14-227a, "second" violation or "subsequent" violation means an offense committed not more than ten years after the date of an arrest which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same statutory provision;

      (76) "Semitrailer" means any trailer type vehicle designed and used in conjunction with a motor vehicle so that some part of its own weight and load rests on or is carried by another vehicle;

      (77) "Serious traffic violation" means a conviction of any of the following offenses: (A) Speeding in excess of fifteen miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit, in violation of section 14-218a or 14-219; (B) reckless driving in violation of section 14-222; (C) following too closely in violation of section 14-240 or 14-240a; (D) improper or erratic lane changes, in violation of section 14-236; (E) driving a commercial motor vehicle without a valid commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-36a or 14-44a; (F) failure to carry a commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-44a; (G) failure to have the proper class of license or endorsement, or violation of a license restriction in violation of section 14-44a; or (H) arising in connection with an accident related to the operation of a commercial motor vehicle and which resulted in a fatality;

      (78) "Service bus" includes any vehicle except a vanpool vehicle or a school bus designed and regularly used to carry ten or more passengers when used in private service for the transportation of persons without charge to the individual;

      (79) "Service car" means any motor vehicle used by a manufacturer, dealer or repairer for emergency motor vehicle repairs on the highways of this state, for towing or for the transportation of necessary persons, tools and materials to and from the scene of such emergency repairs or towing;

      (80) "Shoulder" means that portion of a highway immediately adjacent and contiguous to the travel lanes or main traveled portion of the roadway;

      (81) "Solid tires" means tires of rubber, or other elastic material approved by the Commissioner of Transportation, which do not depend on confined air for the support of the load;

      (82) "Spot lamp" or "spot light" means a lighting device projecting a high intensity beam, the direction of which can be readily controlled for special or emergency lighting as distinguished from ordinary road illumination;

      (83) "State" means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the state of Connecticut;

      (84) "Stop" means complete cessation of movement;

      (85) "Tail lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the rear of a motor vehicle showing a red light to the rear and indicating the presence of the motor vehicle when viewed from behind;

      (86) "Tank vehicle" means any commercial motor vehicle designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material within a tank that is either permanently or temporarily attached to the vehicle or its chassis which shall include, but not be limited to, a cargo tank and portable tank, as defined in 49 CFR 383.5, as amended, provided it shall not include a portable tank with a rated capacity not to exceed one thousand gallons;

      (87) "Tractor" or "truck tractor" means a motor vehicle designed and used for drawing a semitrailer;

      (88) "Tractor-trailer unit" means a combination of a tractor and a trailer or a combination of a tractor and a semitrailer;

      (89) "Trailer" means any rubber-tired vehicle without motive power drawn or propelled by a motor vehicle;

      (90) "Truck" means a motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property;

      (91) "Ultimate consumer" means, with respect to a motor vehicle, the first person, other than a dealer, who in good faith purchases the motor vehicle for purposes other than resale;

      (92) "United States" means the fifty states and the District of Columbia;

      (93) "Used motor vehicle" includes any motor vehicle which has been previously separately registered by an ultimate consumer;

      (94) "Utility trailer" means a trailer designed and used to transport personal property, materials or equipment, whether or not permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer, with a manufacturer's GVWR of ten thousand pounds or less;

      (95) "Vanpool vehicle" includes all motor vehicles, the primary purpose of which is the daily transportation, on a prearranged nonprofit basis, of individuals between home and work, and which: (A) If owned by or leased to a person, or to an employee of the person, or to an employee of a local, state or federal government unit or agency located in Connecticut, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to provide a seating capacity of at least seven but not more than fifteen individuals, or (B) if owned by or leased to a regional ride-sharing organization in the state recognized by the Commissioner of Transportation, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to provide a seating capacity of at least six but not more than nineteen individuals;

      (96) "Vehicle" includes any device suitable for the conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other means. The term does not include devices propelled or drawn by human power or devices used exclusively on tracks;

      (97) "Vehicle identification number" or "VIN" means a series of Arabic numbers and Roman letters that is assigned to each new motor vehicle that is manufactured within or imported into the United States, in accordance with the provisions of 49 CFR 565, unless another sequence of numbers and letters has been assigned to a motor vehicle by the commissioner, in accordance with the provisions of section 14-149;

      (98) "Wrecker" means a vehicle which is registered, designed, equipped and used for the purposes of towing or transporting wrecked or disabled motor vehicles for compensation or for related purposes by a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions of subpart (D) of part III of this chapter.

      (b) For the purposes of sections 14-39, 14-41, 14-44, 14-50, 14-273, 14-274, 14-275c, 14-276, 14-276a and 14-281b, "public passenger transportation permit" shall mean, until July 1, 1991, public service motor vehicle operator's license.

      (1949 Rev., S. 2350; 1953, S. 1278d, 1281d; 1955, S. 1279d, 1280d; 1959, P.A. 162; 283, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 233, S. 10; 1963, P.A. 560; February, 1965, P.A. 414, S. 1; 448, S. 1, 2, 3; 1967, P.A. 454, S. 1; 799; 821; 1969, P.A. 189; 569, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 355, S. 1, 2; 416, S. 2; 629; 740, S. 1; 848, S. 1, 2; 1972, P.A. 255, S. 1; P.A. 73-676, S. 1; P.A. 75-253, S. 1, 2; P.A. 76-250, S. 2, 3, 4; P.A. 77-67; P.A. 79-25, S. 1; 79-175, S. 2, 3; 79-244, S. 1, 5, 6; 79-627, S. 5, 6; P.A. 80-466, S. 2, 25; P.A. 81-394, S. 1; P.A. 82-460, S. 1, 2, 9; 82-472, S. 39, 183; P.A. 83-224, S. 1, 2; 83-278; 83-431, S. 2; 83-587, S. 67, 96; P.A. 84-429, S. 1; 84-546, S. 37, 173; P.A. 86-383, S. 1, 6; P.A. 88-245, S. 1, 7; P.A. 90-263, S. 1, 74; P.A. 91-272, S. 5, 8; P.A. 93-341, S. 1, 38; P.A. 95-79, S. 39, 189; 95-314, S. 4; P.A. 97-236, S. 23, 27; P.A. 99-268, S. 1, 2, 29; P.A. 00-35, S. 1; 00-99, S. 44, 154; 00-169, S. 22, 35; P.A. 02-70, S. 1, 17; P.A. 03-265, S. 5; P.A. 04-199, S. 7; 04-217, S. 1.)

      History: 1959 acts added Subsecs. (21) and (51); 1961 act redefined "used or secondhand motor vehicle" in and added definitions of "new motor vehicle" and "ultimate consumer" to Subsec. (55); 1963 act redefined "second" or "subsequent" violation in Subsec. (44); 1965 acts added snow and lawn machines to Subsec. (26), "driver" to Subsec. (32) and Subsecs. (6), (14), (23), (39), (48) and (54); 1967 acts added Subsecs. (57) and (58) defining "tractor" or "truck tractor" and "wrecker" or "wrecker vehicle" and redefined "resident" in Subsec. (42) to delete persons carrying on business or engaged in occupation for more than six months a year; 1969 acts redefined "motor vehicle" in Subsec. (26) to exclude golf carts and added Subsec. (59) defining "farm implements"; 1971 acts redefined "gross weight" in Subsec. (14) to include special provision re tractor-trailer units, redefined "officer" in Subsec. (31) to include sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, redefined "manufacturer" in Subsec. (22), redefined "vehicle" in Subsec. (56) to include vehicles operated on cushions of air and to delete requirement that machine be suitable for use on highways and added Subsecs. (60) and (61) defining "tractor-trailer unit" and "limited access highway"; 1972 act redefined "manufacturer" in Subsec. (22) to include distributor of vehicles to new car dealers; P.A. 73-676 added Subsec. (62) defining "minibike" or "minicycle"; P.A. 75-253 redefined "motorcycle" to exclude vehicles with wholly or partially enclosed drivers' seat with motor outside enclosed area; P.A. 76-250 excluded bicycles with helper motors in Subsecs. (25) defining "motorcycle" and Subsec. (26) defining "motor vehicle"; P.A. 77-67 redefined "motor vehicles" in Subsec. (26) to delete requirement that vehicle be suitable for operation on a highway, to exclude vehicles used at mass transit facilities other than railroads and vehicles not suitable for operation on highway; P.A. 79-25 added Subsecs. (63) and (64) defining "antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" and "modified antique motor vehicle"; P.A. 79-175 added Subsec. (65) defining "vanpool vehicle"; P.A. 79-244 also added Subsec. (65) re vanpool vehicles and excluded vanpool vehicles from definitions of "public service motor vehicle" and "service bus" in Subsecs. (40) and (46); P.A. 79-627 included gasohol in Subsec. (12) defining "fuels", effective July 1, 1979, and applicable to fuel sold on or after that date; P.A. 80-466 amended definition of "motor vehicle registration" in Subsec. (27) to reflect use of single license plate; P.A. 81-394 added Subdiv. (66) defining "high-mileage vehicle"; P.A. 82-460 redefined "passenger motor vehicle" to specify applicability to vehicles capable of carrying not more than ten passengers, redefined "commercial motor vehicle", deleting limitations re use in business of registrant and propulsion method and redefined "passenger and commercial motor vehicle", deleting requirement that vehicles be "designed for use" for passenger and commercial purposes; P.A. 82-472 made technical corrections in definition of "high-mileage vehicle"; P.A. 83-224 amended Subdiv. (26) to exclude from the definition of a motor vehicle, golf cart type vehicles operated by state employees on state institution grounds; P.A. 83-278 amended Subdiv. (65) to include in definition of "vanpool vehicle" certain vehicles owned by or leased to recognized regional ride-sharing organizations; P.A. 83-431 amended Subdiv. (26) to exclude from the definition of a motor vehicle, special mobile equipment as defined in Sec. 14-165 (i); P.A. 83-587 made technical change in Subdiv. (12); P.A. 84-429 deleted the definition of "curb" in Subsec. (9), "distributor" in Subsec. (11), "head light" in Subsec. (15), "intersection" in Subsec. (18), "motor vehicle registration" in Subsec. (27), "rotary traffic island" in Subsec. (43), "secondhand motor vehicle" in Subsec. (55) and "wrecker vehicle" in Subsec. (58), transferred definition of "head lamp" from Subsec. (15) to (16), "registration" from Subsec. (27) to (45), "used motor vehicle" from Subsec. (55) to (62), "new motor vehicle" from Subsec. (55) to (31), "ultimate consumer" from Subsec. (55) to (61) and "wrecker" from Subsec. (58) to (65), added Subsec. (4) from Sec. 14-1a, renumbered the remaining Subsecs. as follows: (2) to (3), (3) to (5), (4) to (6), (5) to (7), (6) to (8), (7) to (9), (8) to (10), (10) to (11), (12) to (13), (13) to (14), (14) to (15), (16) to (18), (17) to (19), (19) to (20), (20) to (22), (21) to (23), (22) to (24), (23) to (25), (24) to (28), (25) to (29), (26) to (30), (28) to (32), (29) to (33), (30) to (34), (31) to (35), (32) to (36), (33) to (37), (34) to (38), (35) to (40), (36) to (39), (37) to (41), (38) to (42), (39) to (43), (40) to (44), (41) to (46), (42) to (47), (44) to (48), (45) to (49), (46) to (50), (47) to (51), (48) to (52), (49) to (53), (50) to (54), (51) to (55), (52) to (56), (53) to (59), (54) to (60), (56) to (64), (59) to (12), (60) to (58), (61) to (21), (62) to (2), (63) to (27), (64) to (63) and (66) to (17), and rephrased renumbered Subsec. (10) re definition of "commissioner"; P.A. 84-546 redefined "commissioner" to include deputy commissioner of motor vehicles, attorney general and any assistant to motor vehicles commissioner, but did not take effect, P.A. 84-429 having taken precedence; P.A. 86-383 redefined "commercial motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (9) to include vehicles transporting other passengers with their necessary personal belongings; P.A. 88-245 made technical change to definition of "commissioner" in Subsec. (10); P.A. 90-263 subdivided the section into Subsecs. (a) and (b), (1) amending Subdiv. (7) to substitute recreational for pleasure purposes and to delete phrase "used for the purpose of transporting personal property of the owner"; (2) amending Subdiv. (8) to redefine "camper" as any motor vehicle designed or permanently altered in such a way as to provide temporary living quarters for travel, camping or recreational purposes; (3) amending Subdiv. (9) to delete definition of "commercial motor vehicle" and insert definition of "combination registration"; (4) adding new definitions of "commercial driver's license" in Subdiv. (10), "commercial motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (11), "commercial registration" in Subdiv. (12), "commercial trailer" in Subdiv. (13), "controlled substance" in Subdiv. (15), "conviction" in Subdiv. (16), "disqualification" in Subdiv. (18), "drive" in Subdiv. (19), "driver" in Subdiv. (20), "driver's license" in Subdiv. (21), "employee" in Subdiv. (22), "employer" in Subdiv. (23), "felony" in Subdiv. (25), "foreign jurisdiction" in Subdiv. (26), "gross weight rating" in Subdiv. (29), "hazardous materials" in Subdiv. (31), "motor home" in Subdiv. (45), "nonresident commercial driver's license" in Subdiv. (50), "out-of-service order" in Subdiv. (55), "passenger registration" in Subdiv. (60), "recreational vehicle" in Subdiv. (64), "serious traffic violation" in Subdiv. (70), "state" in Subdiv. (76), "tank vehicle" in Subdiv. (79), "United States" in Subdiv. (85), and "utility trailer" in Subdiv. (87) and renumbering the other Subdivs. accordingly; (5) amending definition of "motor bus" in Subdiv. (44), formerly Subdiv. (28), to include any motor vehicle, except a taxicab, deleting reference to public service motor vehicle; (6) amending definition of "operator" in Subdiv. (54), formerly Subdiv. (36), to include a driver; (7) amending definition of "passenger and commercial motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (58), formerly Subdiv. (39), to include vehicles eligible for combination registration; (8) amending definition of "passenger motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (59), formerly Subdiv. (40), to delete former provisions and insert new provisions concerning use, design and capacity; (9) amending definition of "person" in Subdiv. (61), formerly Subdiv. (41), to specifically exclude the state or any political subdivision thereof; (10) amending definition of "pole trailer" in Subdiv. (63), formerly Subdiv. (43), to delete reference to commercial motor vehicle; and (11) deleting definition of "public service motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (44); and inserting new language in Subsec. (b) re meaning of term "public passenger transportation permit"; P.A. 91-272 amended exception to definition of "commercial motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (11)(B) of Subsec. (a) to include vehicles designed to transport "more than" ten passengers and used to transport students under twenty-one to and from school; P.A. 93-341 amended definition of "commercial driver's license" by deleting the reference to a "Class 1" license and reference to Sec. 14-36a, redefined "commercial motor vehicle" to exclude vehicles used "within one hundred fifty miles of a farm in connection with the operation of such farm" and recreational vehicles "in private use", redefined "serious traffic violation" to add a new Subpara. (E) re accident resulting in death, redefined "service bus" to include "school bus" and added definition of "school bus", renumbering previously existing Subdivs. of Subsec. (a) as necessary and made technical change in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-79 amended Subsec. (a)(61) by redefining "person" to include a limited liability company, effective May 31, 1995; P.A. 95-314 amended Subsec. (a)(69) to provide that a "second" or "subsequent" violation is one committed within "three" years after date of arrest resulting in a previous conviction for the same offense, in lieu of five years, and to redefine term in the case of a violation of Sec. 14-215, 14-224 or Subsec. (a) of Sec. 14-227a; P.A. 97-236 redefined "service bus" to require that school bus be "regularly used" to carry eight or more persons, effective June 24, 1997; P.A. 99-268 redefined "motorcycle" in Subsec. (a)(46) to exclude a vehicle "designed to have" a completely enclosed driver's seat in lieu of a vehicle having a completely "or partially" enclosed driver's seat, redefined "serious traffic violation" in Subsec. (a)(71) by changing from a violation of "sections 14-230 to 14-237, inclusive" to a violation of "section 14-236" in Subpara. (D) and redefined "service bus" in Subsec. (a)(72) to increase the minimum number of persons such vehicle may carry from "eight or more persons" to "ten or more passengers"; P.A. 00-35 redefined "wrecker" in Subsec. (a)(91) to delete "exclusively" following "equipped and used" and to add "by a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (D) of part III of this chapter"; P.A. 00-99 replaced reference to sheriff and deputy sheriff in Subsec. (a)(53) with state marshal, effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 00-169 redefined "person" in Subsec. (a)(61) to include a business trust and revised effective date of P.A. 99-268 but without affecting this section; P.A. 02-70 amended Subsec. (a) to add "rating" in Subdiv. (9), to substitute "place of residence" for "legal residence" and provide that such residence be occupied for more than six months in a year in Subdiv. (67), added new Subdiv. (91) re definition of "vehicle identification number" or "VIN", redesignated existing Subdiv. (91) as Subdiv. (92) and made technical changes in Subdivs. (4), (17), (40), (53) and (55), effective July 1, 2002, and amended Subsec. (a)(40) to add "new" and replace "under section 14-12, who offers the motor vehicles" with "by the commissioner, for operation upon any highway, which are offered" in Subpara. (A) and to make a technical change in Subpara. (B) (Revisor's note: The reference in Subsec. (a)(92) to "subdivision (D)" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "subpart (D)" for clarity of reference); P.A. 03-265 redefined "passenger motor vehicle" in Subdiv. (59); P.A. 04-199 defined "pick-up truck", made technical changes and renumbered subdivs. in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-217 defined "activity vehicle", "commercial driver's license information system", "fatality", "imminent hazard" and "National Driver Registry", redefined "disqualification", "school bus" and "serious traffic violation", made technical changes and renumbered subdivs. in Subsec. (a), effective January 1, 2005.

      See Sec. 14-51 for definitions applicable with respect to dealers' and repairers' licenses.

      See Sec. 14-68 for definitions applicable with respect to drivers' schools.

      See Sec. 14-100(b) for definition of "safety glass".

      "Guest" defined. 108 C. 630. Cited. 124 C. 552; 131 C. 714; 139 C. 707. Definition of "intersection" (former Subsec. (18)) includes area embraced within prolongation of the lateral curb lines of two or more highways which join one another at an angle whether or not one such highway crosses the other. 152 C. 219. Cited. 165 C. 422, 427, 428. Operation of a motor vehicle relates to the driving or movement of the vehicle itself or a circumstance resulting from movement of the vehicle. 180 C. 469, 471, 472. Cited. 189 C. 354, 355; Id., 550, 551. Cited. 221 C. 356, 368. Cited. 239 C. 1.

      Cited. 2 CA 523, 526. Cited. 7 CA 575, 577, 578. Cited. 9 CA 686, 714, 715. Cited. 10 CA 18, 22. Cited. 25 CA 492, 500; judgment reversed, see 222 C. 744 et seq. Cited. 30 CA 263, 269, 273. Cited. 41 CA 664, 668, 670.

      Cited. 36 CS 101, 102. Cited. 41 CS 326, 338, 339.

      Definition of "used" car not restricted to former Subsec. (55). 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 90. State is not limited to proving a vehicle a registered school bus by a certified copy of the registration prepared by the commissioner of motor vehicles. It could prove this element by such other evidence as it sees fit. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 5, 6.

      Subsec. (9) (Formerly Subsec. (7)):

      Cited. 203 C. 45, 55, 57.

      Subsec. (10) (Formerly Subsec. (8)):

      Cited. 168 C. 587.

      Cited. 36 CS 586, 589, 595.

      Subsec. (12):

      Analysis of vehicle eligibility for commercial registration. 69 CA 482.

      Subsec. (18) (Formerly Subsec. (16)):

      Cited. 165 C. 422, 427. Cited. 163 C. 369.

      Cited. 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 662. Road maintained by the town qualifies as public highway within statutory definition of a "highway". 3 Conn. Cir. Ct. 513.

      Subsec. (19) (Formerly Subsec. (17)):

      "Intersecting highway" defined. 101 C. 443.

      Subsec. (26):

      Cited. 41 CS 326, 329, 333, 339.

      Subsec. (29) (Formerly Subsec. (25)):

      Cited. 171 C. 255. Cited. 203 C. 45, 56. Cited. 239 C. 1.

      A motorcycle is included in the overall definition of a motor vehicle for general application of the motor vehicle statutes. 5 Conn. Cir. Ct. 219. Cited. 5 Conn. Cir. Ct. 221.

      Subsec. (30) (Formerly Subsec. (26)):

      Cited. 171 C. 255. An hydraulic hoist on a truck was not suitable for operation on a highway and was not a motor vehicle. 180 C. 469, 472. Cited. 189 C. 354, 357, 358. Cited. 215 C. 55-57. Cited. 239 C. 1.

      Cited. 8 CA 125, 139, 140.

      Policy of motor vehicle department to register fork lifts indicates they are "suitable for operation on a highway". 36 CS 101-103. Cited. 40 CS 156, 157. Cited. 41 CS 326, 333, 334, 336, 338, 340, 344, 346, 347.

      A standing machine affixed to and operated by the motor of a highway truck held a motor vehicle. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 116.

      Subsec. (31) (Formerly part of Subsec. (55)):

      Where court rendered judgment on a stipulation of facts that the portion of this subsection defining the phrase "ultimate consumer" is unconstitutional, held that judgment did not include any determination of validity of statute as it remained after the definition was held invalid and the judgment was clearly inadequate in that it did not conform to the pleadings, issues and prayers for relief. 152 C. 648.

      Subsec. (32) (Formerly Subsec. (28)):

      "Nonresident" defined. 107 C. 140.

      Subsec. (34) (Formerly Subsec. (18)):

      Cited. 30 CA 108, 118. Cited. Id., 263, 270.

      Subsec. (35) (Formerly Subsec. (31)):

      Cited. 239 C. 1.

      Cited. 1 CA 517, 518.

      Subsec. (36) (Formerly Subsec. (32)):

      "Operation" defined. 90 C. 414; 96 C. 391. Defendant, who had seized wheel while instructing another, was "operator". 119 C. 563. Cited. 141 C. 539. The use of any mechanical or electrical device not an integral part of a motor vehicle not considered "operation of a motor vehicle". 180 C. 469, 471, 472.

      Cited. 3 CA 246, 248.

      Subsec. (37) (Formerly Subsec. (33)):

      "Owner" defined. 92 C. 252; 100 C. 120; 104 C. 169. See 44 C. 298. Cited. 194 C. 129, 137.

      Cited. 9 CA 221, 226. Cited. 10 CA 22, 26.

      Subsec. (38) (Formerly Subsec. (34)):

      Definition of "parked vehicle" is not applicable to section 14-119. 142 C. 592. Subsection must be construed and interpreted together with section 14-251. Id. No distinction made between cars that are occupied and those that are not. 145 C. 141.

      Subsec. (39) (Formerly Subsec. (36)):

      Cited. 239 C. 1.

      Cited. 40 CS 156, 157.

      Subsec. (40) (Formerly Subsec. (35)):

      Cited. 203 C. 45, 56, 57. Motorcycles are not passenger motor vehicles within meaning of section. 239 C. 1.

      Subsec. (41) (Formerly Subsec. (37)):

      Cited. 9 CA 686, 714, 715.

      Cited. 40 CS 156, 157.

      Subsec. (44) (Formerly Subsec. (40)):

      As to "public service motor vehicles" as defined in an earlier act, see 92 C. 585; 97 C. 241. Cited. 114 C. 408.

      Subsec. (45):

      "Mobile home" as commonly understood does not encompass "motor homes". 70 CA 86.

      Subsec. (47) (Formerly Subsec. (30)):

      Cited. 30 CA 263, 269, 271, 272, 273.

      All-terrain vehicle qualifies for uninsured motorist coverage under the policy definition. 45 CS 144. Only purpose of golf cart exception is to allow the vehicle to be operated on highway for very limited purposes. 46 CS 24.

      Subsec. (48) (Formerly Subsec. (44)):

      Cited. 24 CS 365.

      Subsec. (56) (Formerly Subsec. (52)):

      Cited. 223 C. 127, 132.

      Subsec. (58):

      Cited. 239 C. 1.

      Subsec. (59):

      Cited. 239 C. 1.

      Subsec. (62) (Formerly part of Subsec. (55)):

      Where court rendered judgment on a stipulation of facts that the portion of this subsection defining the phrase "ultimate consumer" is unconstitutional, held that judgment did not include any determination of validity of statute as it remained after the definition was held invalid and the judgment was clearly inadequate in that it did not conform to the pleadings, issues and prayers for relief. 152 C. 648.

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      Sec. 14-1a. "Authorized emergency vehicle" defined. Section 14-1a is repealed.

      (1967, P.A. 832, S. 1; P.A. 84-429, S. 78.)

      See Sec. 14-1(4) for definition of "authorized emergency vehicle".

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PART II
DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES

      Sec. 14-2. Appointment of Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. There shall be a Commissioner of Motor Vehicles appointed in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-5 to 4-8, inclusive.

      (1949 Rev., S. 2351.)

      See Sec. 4-12 re removal of officers and commissioners for misconduct, incompetence or neglect of duty.

      Annotations to former statute:

      Failure of senate to act on nomination did not create vacancy which governor was authorized to fill; incumbent held over de jure. 132 C. 518. Cited. 133 C. 43; 136 C. 317.

      Cited. 13 CS 343.

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      Sec. 14-3. Powers and duties of commissioner. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall enforce the provisions of the statutes concerning motor vehicles and the operators of such vehicles. He shall administer, coordinate and control the operations of the department and shall be responsible for the overall supervision and direction of all facilities and activities of the department. He shall have the authority to contract for such services, programs and facilities other than the purchase or lease of real property as may be necessary to carry out his responsibilities under and for the orderly administration of this chapter and chapters 247 to 255, inclusive. He may retain and employ consultants and assistants on a contract or other basis for rendering professional, fiscal, engineering, technical or other assistance and advice. He shall submit to the Governor an annual report of his official acts, as provided in section 4-60. Said commissioner shall keep a record of proceedings and orders pertaining to the matters under his jurisdiction and of all licenses and certificates granted, refused, suspended or revoked by him and of all reports sent to his office. The commissioner shall furnish without charge, for official use only, certified copies of certificates and licenses and documents relating thereto to officials of the state or any municipality therein, to officials of any other state or to any court in this state. Any certified copy of any document or record of the commissioner, attested as a true copy by the commissioner, any deputy commissioner or chief of a division, shall be competent evidence in any court of this state of the facts therein contained.

      (1949 Rev., S. 2352; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 13; P.A. 73-661, S. 1; P.A. 88-245, S. 2, 7; P.A. 96-180, S. 36, 166.)

      History: P.A. 73-661 expanded duties of commissioner re administration of department, contracts and employment of personnel; P.A. 88-245 made minor change in wording; P.A. 96-180 substituted "The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles" for "Said commissioner", effective June 3, 1996.

      Statute will not provide alternative method of proving prior motor vehicle conviction. 151 C. 213. See annotations to section 54-62. Commissioner was required to keep a record of previous warnings and violations as related to the plaintiff and may act upon facts known to him even though they are not produced at the hearing. 165 C. 559. Cited. Id., 559, 567. Cited. 225 C. 499, 509.

      Cited. 24 CS 364. Cited. 36 CS 586, 589, 590. Dissent: Before copy of a motor vehicle record may be competent evidence, statute requires witnessing of its accuracy by named officials and certification of accuracy by personal signature of official. Id., 36 CS 586, 592, 595, 597, 599, 600. Cited. 38 CS 384, 386, 387. Cited. 39 CS 381, 383-385.

      Cited. 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 693 (footnote 2); 3 Conn. Cir. Ct. 112; id., 586.

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      Sec. 14-4. Findings and rulings of commissioner. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may, upon his initiative and after notice and hearing, make a finding of fact and issue a ruling thereon concerning any misfeasance or nonfeasance on the part of any officer for failure to enforce or for improperly enforcing any provision of this chapter relating to motor vehicles. Upon the presentation of such finding to him, the state's attorney of the judicial district wherein lies the jurisdiction of the accused shall apply to the superior court for said judicial district for a bench warrant for such accused. Such finding shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of official duty by the person named therein, and, upon conviction thereof, such officer shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars.

      (1949 Rev., S. 2353; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 127; P.A. 96-180, S. 37, 166.)

      History: P.A. 78-280 substituted "judicial district" for "county"; P.A. 96-180 substituted "The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles" for "Said commissioner", effective June 3, 1996.

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      Sec. 14-4a. Conduct of hearings and rendering of decisions. In any case where a hearing is required or authorized under the provisions of any statute dealing with the Department of Motor Vehicles such hearing may be conducted by and the decision rendered therein by the commissioner or by any person or persons designated by him.

      (1971, P.A. 755, S. 4.)

      History: (Revisor's note: In 1997 references throughout the general statutes to "Motor Vehicle(s) Commissioner" and "Motor Vehicle(s) Department" were replaced editorially by the Revisors with "Commissioner of Motor Vehicles" or "Department of Motor Vehicles", as the case may be, for consistency with customary statutory usage).

      Cited. 168 C. 587.

      Cited. 39 CS 285. Cited. 40 CS 505. Cited. 42 CS 602, 603.

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      Sec. 14-5. Branch offices. The commissioner shall have exclusive charge of the control and maintenance of the branch offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the expense of leasing and maintaining the same shall be paid out of the appropriation for said department.

      (1949 Rev., S. 2354.)

      History: (Revisor's note: In 1997 references throughout the general statutes to "Motor Vehicle(s) Commissioner" and "Motor Vehicle(s) Department" were replaced editorially by the Revisors with "Commissioner of Motor Vehicles" or "Department of Motor Vehicles", as the case may be, for consistency with customary statutory usage).

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      Sec. 14-5a. Ansonia branch office. Section 14-5a is repealed.

      (P.A. 80-444, S. 4, 6; P.A. 81-460, S. 3, 4.)