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Moving Your Car to Alexandria

PHOTOS BY CHRIS MILITZER

After you get your vehicle registered with the Commonwealth of Virginia, there are some local things you’ll need to take care of here in the Alexandria area.

City of Alexandria

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA GOVERNMENT:

All motor vehicles normally parked, stored, or garaged (having situs) in the City of Alexandria, including vehicles with out-ofstate plates, must be registered for the City’s annual personal property tax.

All motor vehicles registered to a City address with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles must also be registered with the City, even vehicles normally parked, stored, or garaged in another state.

Vehicle owners must register with the City within 30 days of moving into the City, purchasing a vehicle, or registering a vehicle to a City address with Virginia DMV.

How do you register your vehicle with the City?

There are three ways to register your vehicle:

• Completing the online registration form available at alexandriava.gov/CarTax.

• Bring the vehicle’s state registration card, title or bill of sale and the owner’s driver’s license to 301 King St., 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (except holidays). • Print the registration form available from the Car Tax webpage and mail it with a copy of the vehicle’s state registration card, title or bill of sale to Treasury Division, PO Box 323,

Alexandria, VA 22313.

In addition, some neighborhoods require residential parking permits and guest passes for street parking. More information about that is available on the Car Tax webpage.

Fairfax County

In Fairfax County, the Department of Tax Administration handles the assessment of all vehicles normally garaged/parked in Fairfax County. Complete information is available at fairfaxcounty.gov/taxes/ vehicles.

FROM FAIRFAX COUNTY GOVERNMENT:

In addition to the value-based property tax, you must also register the vehicle with the county or town and pay a fee. Registration fees vary based on vehicle type, weight and use.

All vehicles, including automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles, are required to be registered with the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration (DTA) within 60 days of purchase or move into the county.

You can register your vehicle with Fairfax County online at fairfaxcounty.gov/ taxes/vehicles. Or, you may register by phone at 703-222-8234 (TTY 711) or in person at the Government Center, 12000 Government Center Pkwy., Fairfax, VA 22035.

Safety and Emissions Inspections

The Commonwealth of Virginia requires that all cars on the road in our area pass safety and emissions inspections. Most local gas stations and mechanic shops do both.

For complete information on emission inspections, visit dmv.virginia.gov/ vehicles/#emissions.asp. The Virginia State Police require safety inspections on all vehicles to ensure your tires, brakes, turn signals and more are in working order at all times. More information on this is available at vsp.virginia.gov.

HOV, HOT and E-ZPASS

If you’re moving here from outside the area, this may be the first time you’re encountering our notorious traffic congestion. No kidding: Our region consistently ranks among the top 3 worst traffic cities in the country based on a variety of studies. One way around it: Take the HOT lanes. On all major highways in our region, there are HOT lanes. HOT stands for high-occupancy toll. Vehicles with at least three people in them can use these lanes free of charge. Cars with fewer than three people will pay a toll that varies depending on time of day, traffic congestion and other factors. Either way, you need an E-ZPass.

Virginia uses the E-ZPass to collect tolls from drivers. E-ZPass is a small device that you mount on your windshield. As you’re driving, sensors and cameras over the road read your device and charge your account accordingly. To get an E-ZPass, visit E-ZPassVA.com and simply request one. You’ll need to link your bank account or a credit card to your E-ZPass account for automatic toll deduction.