Registration Suspended Due to Improper Notice, Do I Have a Chance in Court

**blackkknight** · 07-10-2012, 05:02 AM

My question involves vehicle registration or title in the state of: Pennsylvania

Hi, I just received notice that my registration is to be suspended what happened is that I switched insurance companies and i was unaware of the law that i have to send penndot proof that im sill insured. (i have proof that i was not uninsured for any period of time) but i moved and got married, so either they sent me the notice to my old address or I never got it. (i never received the letter that said i have 30 days to send them proof of insurance, if i knew i had to i would have) So #1, if I do appeal, do you think I have any chance to overturn the suspension given that I have records that show I didn't have a lapse of insurance? And #2, if I can't overturn it, can I "sell" the vehicle to my wife? And what would it take to do that? Thanks for the help!

**PTPD22** · 07-10-2012, 06:44 AM

Quoting blackkknight

but i moved and got married, so either they sent me the notice to my old address or I never got it. (i never received the letter that said i have 30 days to send them proof of insurance, if i knew i had to i would have)

If you failed to notify of your change of address (as I'm sure is required by Penn. law), then not receiving the notice is not going to be a defense. If you did provide notice of change of address within the required time, you might get some leeway...but no promises.

Quoting blackkknight

So #1, if I do appeal, do you think I have any chance to overturn the suspension given that I have records that show I didn't have a lapse of insurance?

I suspect that the suspension is for failure to notify regarding the new insurance - not for being uninsured. Meaning, even though you were insured, you failed to notify and, therefore, are still in violation. However, you should be able to get the suspension lifted after jumping through some hoops, providing evidence that you were never actually uninsured, and probably paying some processing and reinstatement fees.

Quoting blackkknight

And #2, if I can't overturn it, can I "sell" the vehicle to my wife? And what would it take to do that?

Hummm...any advice on this one will have to come from someone else. I can't even guess.

**blackkknight** · 07-10-2012, 07:12 AM

Paying fees isn't a big deal but I can't lose my registration. What kind of hoops are you talking about to lift the suspension lifted and how do I go about doing that?

**That Guy** · 07-11-2012, 06:07 AM

For starters, it was not improper notice. You never received it because your address was not current. That is on you!

Second, selling the car to your wife isn't going to make the penalty go away. But there are procedures where you can apply for reinstatement if you meet certain conditions.

This should give you a start:

§ 1783. Proof of financial responsibility before restoring operating privilege or registration.

§ 1786. Required financial responsibility.

§ 1960. Reinstatement of operating privilege or vehicle registration.