PORTLAND, Maine — An annual task often forgotten by Mainers: registering your car.
In most municipalities, only police can issue a ticket if you're caught driving with an expired registration. But after Portland city councilors passed an ordinance last October amending parking regulations, the city's parking department is now able to write those tickets.
Those workers aren't necessarily "on the lookout" for the violations, Portland spokesperson Jessica Grondin said Friday.
"We’re trying to be as accommodating as we can," Grondin said. "We’re not trying to penalize anyone. We’re just trying to get compliance in registering your vehicle."
There are a few "grace periods" to help drivers avoid the $35 fee. First, you can only violate the ordinance if your car's registration has expired by more than two months. If you do find a ticket on your windshield, you will have 30 days to renew your registration, and the city will void the ticket.
Grondin said city officials noticed a lot of drivers weren't registering their cars on time after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, costing the city money from excise tax payments. Revenue from parking meters and tickets goes to the city's general fund, Grondin added, and a significant loss of those funds could result in possible increases in property taxes.
"Again, [we're] not trying to get people to have an extra ticket. [We're] trying to get them in compliance with registering their vehicle," Grondin said.
Since the ordinance went into effect on Nov. 15, 2023, data from the city of Portland show that 1,567 tickets have been issued for unregistered vehicles as of Friday: 282 of them have been voided, and 481 were paid.
While police can still issue tickets for expired registrations, Grondin said this new ordinance can give officers more time to respond to other calls, especially as the department is understaffed.
If you need a reminder to register your car, you can sign up for alerts here. You can also renew it online if your municipality participates in the state's rapid renewal program. You can find more information here.