One of our most popular blog posts features an infographic focused on a topic that matters to just about every vehicle-owner in this state. We're talking vehicle registration fees.

Not only has that post been viewed a record number of times, but it is also one of our most-commented-on blog entries. Because it has garnered so many questions, we thought we’d share some of the ones that are most frequently asked (along with the answers!).

Question) What is a Vehicle License Tax?

Answer) A Vehicle License Tax (VLT) is part of your vehicle registration fee. In Arizona, a VLT is assessed in place of a personal property tax charged by other states. The VLT is based on an assessed value of 60 percent of the manufacturer’s base retail price reduced by 16.25 percent for each year since the vehicle was first registered (15 percent before 8/1/98). Then, as of the Dec 1, 2000 reduction, the rate is calculated as $2.80 (new vehicles)/$2.89 (used vehicles) for each $100 of the assessed value. For example, for a new vehicle that costs $25,000, and is registered for two years, the first year assessed value would be $15,000 and the VLT would be $420.00. The second year the assessed value would be $12,562.50 and the VLT would be $363.06.

Q) I will be on an extended vacation and will not be able to get my mailed registration renewal in time to complete before it expires. What do I do if I am not able to get my mailed renewal form?

A) You may wish to sign up for email reminders on ServiceArizona.com. You can then use the site to renew online from any location. If an emission test is not required you may renew up to six months before the expiration. If an emissions test is required, you may renew your registration up to three months before the expiration by showing your current registration at the test station. You can find more information on our website.

Q) Is there some place to find out how much you spent on registration to enter on 1040 forms for taxes?
A) You may request a Vehicle Fee Recap on MVD's Service Arizona site. The EZ Vehicle Fee Recap offers a free, easy way for you to access your vehicle tax details. During the busy tax season, Arizona vehicle owners can view their own report of registration fees and taxes paid in the prior calendar year.

Q) I am a snow bird from Minnesota and I reside in Phoenix from November to March every year. What should I do to comply with auto registration for my car?
A)  State law requires that you obtain an Arizona vehicle registration and driver license if you remain in Arizona for a total of seven months or more during any calendar year, regardless of your permanent residence. Find more details about registering your vehicle on our website.

Q) A friend told me that you discount fees for seniors. I cannot find anything on the website indicating that this is true. Can you clarify for me?
A) There are no age-based discounted vehicle license tax (VLT) or registration fees. There are certain VLT waivers available, to those who qualify, through your county assessor’s office or the Social Security Administration. Please contact those agencies for more information.

Q) I'm a 100% disabled veteran, are there and fees waived or discounted?

A) Yes. You must be certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be 100-percent disabled and drawing compensation on that basis. You will need to submit your letter of eligibility to MVD from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Please find more information on our website.

So, did we cover everything? Let us know in the comments below if you have any additional questions related to vehicle registration costs.

Supporting your favorite charity has never looked so good! Four new Arizona specialty license plates are now available for purchase from MVD and each one supports a different organization…

The new plates feature designs that spotlight the Arizona Coyotes, Midwestern University, the U.S. Marine Corps and Firefighter Safety Training. In addition to these new specialty plates, the Classic Car license plate is now available for personalization.

As we mentioned before, the funds raised by each plate will go to support a different charity.

• The money raised by the Arizona Coyotes license plate will go to the Arizona Coyotes Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations that serve children and service men and women with health care, education, cultural arts and youth sports in the state of Arizona.
• Funds raised by the Midwestern University license plate will go to support scholarships for students studying health sciences.
• The U.S. Marine Corps license plate funds will be used to award scholarships to children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen killed or wounded in combat or those children who have demonstrated financial need. This plate is also available for motorcycles and golf carts.
• The money raised by the Firefighter Safety Training license plate will be used to provide scholarships for life safety training of firefighters in Arizona.

Specialty license plates have an annual fee of $25 for a non-personalized plate and $50 for a personalized plate, with $17 going to support the charities. Vehicle owners can order the new plates online at ServiceArizona.com or at any MVD office or Authorized Third Party business. The plates are also available with a disability symbol.

To learn more about specialty plates, including the steps an organization or group must take to get a plate approved, you can revisit this blog post. If you’re really interested in license plates, which we’re assuming you are because you’re reading this right now (!!), check out this post that takes a look at how plates are made.

By Ryan Harding
ADOT Office of Public Information

When you apply for a driver license or identification card, registering to become an organ donor is as simple as checking a box. For years, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division and the Donor Network of Arizona have worked closely to educate people about organ and tissue donation and make it easy for people to register.

One young man who registered as an organ and tissue donor through the MVD was Michael Choppi. Michael passed away in January 2011 at the age of 24, and his kidneys and liver went on to save three lives. Michael was also a tissue donor, helping dozens of others live a quality life.

“It’s a sense of peace to know that night, there were people out there and families that benefited,” said Kim Choppi, Michael’s mother. “It’s nice to know that my son was able to provide the gift of life to someone.”

Michael made the decision to be an organ donor at the age of 14. When he was old enough to apply for a driver license, he didn’t have to think about checking the box on his application to become an organ donor.

“In our case, my son had the [foresight] to look into the future and if something happened to him, how could he help someone else,” said Mike Choppi, Michael’s father. “That’s the kind of kid Michael was.”

In 2003, only eight percent of Arizona adults were registered as organ donors. Right around that time, the MVD and Donor Network of Arizona began actively working together to promote organ donation and today, more than 50 percent of Arizona adults are organ donors.

“Organ donation is one of the most moving and impactful gifts you can give someone,” said Eric Jorgensen, director of the Motor Vehicle Division. “We are proud to partner with a great organization like Donor Network of Arizona to spread the word about the importance of organ and tissue donation and facilitate public participation.”

Ninety-five percent of organ donors have registered through the MVD.

“ADOT MVD Saves Lives Month gives Donor Network of Arizona a chance to thank the MVD staff on behalf of the community for their work in helping to spread the word about the importance of signing up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, and for giving Arizonans the opportunity to register whenever they complete a driver license or ID application,” said Sara Pace Jones, vice president of Development and Referral Services for Donor Network of Arizona.

“Every time a person checks the box to save and heal lives, they are giving voice to generosity in our community. We rely on our partnership with this incredible government agency to make the most of life through the gift of organ and tissue donation,” Jones continued.

For more information on organ donation, visit Donor Network of Arizona at dnaz.org.

“Registering at the MVD takes the decision making out of a family’s hands who now has one less thing to worry about,” said Mike. “It’s so easy. There’s no excuse not to do it.”

By Dani Weber
ADOT Office of Creative Services

ADOT and its employees are dedicated to serving the public, both on the clock and off. Last month, the Motor Vehicle Division of ADOT was recognized by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators with two different awards for ways they’ve served the public.

The first award was the Community Service Award — which recognizes “give back” programs like food drives and gifts for children — for our Holiday Stockings program. This program is unique to ADOT and has MVD employees or employee teams create themed stockings filled with toys and treats. Staff vote on their favorite, but all stockings are donated to organizations supporting women and children affected by domestic violence, including the Sojourner Center in Phoenix and the Brewster Center in Tucson. This year’s theme was “Dr. Seuss,” and as you can see from the photos, the employees had a lot of fun with it!

Julie Potter, the customer service representative who took the donations to the charity, said, “The smile on the face of the representative from The Brewster Center made me realize the impact it had.

The stockings, which are donated to organizations supporting women and children affected by domestic violence, are filled with donated toys and treats.

Also, with our team being so new at the time, it really was a unique bonding experience for us and brought us together as a team.”

The second award was the Customer Convenience Award, which recognizes efforts to make life easier for MVD customers through such methods as offering or enhancing online transactions, improved payment options or the ability to speed up services. AAMVA awarded ADOT MVD with this honor for expanding driver license transactions to additional Authorized Third Parties, which is alleviating some of the traffic in MVD offices and is giving customers more service options. There are currently 17 locations offering driver license services and there are more to come. Many have extended hours and are open on Saturdays. The aim is to make lines short and faster for everyone, and these ATP locations are really helping us achieve that goal.

In response to the awards, MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said he was “grateful to AAMVA for recognizing MVD programs and [congratulates] our dedicated employees who are committed to providing outstanding service to our customers and our shared communities.”

We’re all humbled to be recognized by the AAMVA and will continue to try to improve the lives of all our customers in every way we can.

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness month, a time when all motorists are reminded of how important it is to safely share the road.

It’s also a great opportunity for us to share today’s video…

As you can see, the focus is on the value of enrolling in a professional motorcycle rider training course.

By attending an approved rider training course, motorcyclists of all skill levels not only have the chance to obtain professional instruction to become a safer rider, they are also able to acquire their motorcycle endorsement easily and conveniently.

“One of the advantages of taking a driving training course for motorcycles is you take the driving test and you go through all the different maneuvers you would at MVD,” says Juanita Cason in the video above. “You also take the written test that you would do at MVD, only by taking it in class then you get a piece of paper once you pass and you just take that piece of paper down to MVD and they actually give you your driver license endorsement”

More information from the Motorcycle Training Foundation can be found online. You’ll also find the Motorcycle Operator Manual, along with a list of authorized motorcycle training providers on ADOT’s website. We also invite you to revisit some of our previous motorcycle safety blog posts.

The availability of energy-efficient license plates for owners of qualified vehicles has ended as the maximum number of plate applications has been reached.

In May 2014, 1,800 energy-efficient license plates became available as previous owners of the plates turned them in due to moving out of state, selling their qualifying vehicle or other reasons.

Plates were available on a first-come, first-served basis and were exclusively distributed through ServiceArizona.com.

The energy-efficient plate program was established by the federal government. The program, which offers a maximum of 10,000 license plates in Arizona, allows owners of qualifying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to receive a plate and use the HOV lane during rush hours regardless of the number of passengers.

While the energy-efficient plate program is suspended until further notice, ADOT will continue to update the list of eligible vehicles pending resumption of the program. Also, those vehicle owners who already have an energy-efficient plate can still transfer the plate to another currently qualifying vehicle they own while the program is suspended.

For more information about the program, including a list of qualifying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, please visit azdot.gov/eev.

Sadly, homelessness is a problem faced by some who have courageously served their country.

In an effort to assist those men and women, an outreach event called the Maricopa County StandDown is held each year to connect homeless and at-risk veterans with needed resources.

ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division has participated for the past several years…

Just one of the many agencies on hand to help, MVD can assist veterans who are attempting to get a driver license or state identification card – important credentials to have when applying for employment, benefits and other services.

At this year’s StandDown, held Feb. 12-13 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, about 35 ADOT employees staffed a temporary, full-service MVD office on-site.

As in previous years, veterans were able to conduct transactions for driver license applications, renewals, written examinations and the road skills test (Courtesy Chevrolet provided vehicles to be used for those who did not have one of their own). They were also able to pick up a snack – MVD employees contributed money throughout the year in order to provide 1,800 sandwiches, 1,600 cupcakes and water at the event.

MVD Manager Jon Jenkins conducts a road test at the 2015 StandDown.

Besides MVD, other agencies were at this year’s StandDown to offer housing assistance, legal aid, benefits help and even veterinary services for the pets. Sleeping areas and shower facilities were also provided, along with meals, clothing and haircuts.

MVD Metro East Area Manager Anne Yanofsky serves on the executive board of the Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance, the group that organizes several StandDown events around the state. Yanofsky explains that veterans who obtain a license or identification card at the StandDown don’t have to pay fees – those are covered by the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness and the Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance.

“They raise money throughout the year,” she said.

Early numbers show that more than 1,000 veterans were served by MVD at this year's StandDown event.

MVD Western Area Manager Dave Jackson, a veteran himself, said the StandDown offers a great opportunity to assist those who have served.

“To most of these guys, a driver license or identification card could mean a job,” said Jackson, adding that the credential can also aid with education, housing and other benefits. “It gives them an identity.”

MVD Customer Service Lead Cynthia Marin agrees.

“StandDown helps the community, it helps our veterans,” she said. “We just really appreciate their sacrifice.”

More information can be found on the Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance website. To learn about MVD’s participation in previous years, check out these blog posts.

Maybe you didn’t wake up this morning thinking that you’d get to see a photo from a traffic safety class held in 1973, but now that you have, aren’t you glad you got out of bed?

OK, maybe traffic school isn’t the most picturesque subject (certainly not compared to other topics we’ve covered), but it does give us the chance to segue over to our website and point out where you can find information on Traffic Survival School today.

Traffic Survival School (TSS) is designed to reach individuals who have exhibited a disregard for traffic laws and the safety of others. The TSS Program attempts to modify the behavior of these drivers by teaching them how to avoid adverse traffic situations by increasing their knowledge of Arizona traffic laws, defining their responsibilities while driving, and most importantly, improving their attitude toward safe driving.

In other words, if you run a red light, get a DUI, or have too many points against your license, you’ll be required by MVD to attend TSS in order to keep your driver license in good standing. You’ll be notified of this requirement through a Corrective Action Notice from MVD.

Additionally, courts can and do order juveniles who have exhibited poor driving behavior to attend the course (helping them to establish a lifetime of safe driving habits). Courts may also refer traffic violators to a Traffic Survival School as a condition of sentencing.

A quick note – Traffic Survival School should not be confused with Defensive Driving Schools, which are administered through the Arizona Supreme Court. Defensive Driving School is a court diversion program that allows eligible drivers to have the violation dismissed. If a driver chooses this option, and is eligible, the violation will not be included on his or her driving record and no points will be assessed for the violation.

TSS is administered by the Arizona Chapter National Safety Council, through a contract with ADOT. These schools train and assist errant drivers in the proper attitude and techniques in the operation of motor vehicles and strengthen their knowledge of state motor vehicle laws.

If you are required to attend TSS, you’ll be glad to know that the Arizona Chapter National Safety Council website makes it easy to search for classes near you. The site allows users to search for classes by address or ZIP code and you can also search by date to find a convenient time.

Now, back to that photo…

We don’t have too many details, other than the date it was taken (back in Dec. 1973) and the location (ADOT’s equipment auditorium, which was new at the time). If you zoom in close, you can read the information being presented on the board. It lists six conditions that lead to accidents, including light, weather, road, driver, vehicle and traffic.

New traffic issues have undoubtedly been added to modern curriculum since 1973, but it definitely looks like those drivers from 41 years ago were getting a good lesson!

For more information on Traffic Survival School, please visit our MVD website.

It’s safe to say things have changed since 1912 when the Arizona Highway Department was first established. But you don’t just have to take our word … we’ve got plenty of pictures to prove it. We combed through our archives and decided to periodically post these photos from the past in a blog series we’re calling, “From the ADOT Archives.”

Driver licenses are a big topic here on the ADOT Blog.

We’ve blogged about practice exams, told you about a license/identification option for veterans and explained how you can register to become an organ and tissue donor when you apply for your credential. Back in June, we detailed a new look and process and even asked for help in naming the Ringtail who sits in the bottom right corner of the new Arizona driver license/identification card.

Today, we have even more driver license info to share with you by way of the infographic below…

You’ll see that it shows you the steps involved in getting a new Arizona driver license or identification card. You can also find plenty of details on our MVD webpage and from this helpful FAQ.