North Carolina Requires Moped Registration, Insurance May Be Next

After July 1, 2015, while riding a moped will still not require an operator’s license, all mopeds owned in North Carolina will need to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and pay the same fees as their motorcycle counterparts. Although not a huge burden, moped owners will be required to pay $40 for a title and a minimum of $15 in order to receive a valid license plate.

The other requirements of moped registration are pretty straightforward. Owners must provide proof that the moped was designed for use on public roads. They must also produce a certificate of origin from the OEM. If no OEM certificate of origin is available, owners may also fill out an affidavit explaining both the reason they don’t have the certificate and why they should be allowed to register their vehicle.

Because of an uptick in moped fatalities in North Carolina, a effort to add an insurance requirement for licensing mopeds is in the works. The licensing bill above includes a provision for the Transportation Oversight Committee to produce a study listing the number of accidents in which mopeds are involved and their causes. The results will be presented to the North Carolina General Assembly next year. This information will be used to determine if an insurance mandate is necessary.

By Evans Brasfield