California Department Of Motor Vehicles CA DMV, California DMV, Santa Clara DMV, Failure to send registration renewal, until late fees were due Mountain view, California

Do you honestly believe that DMV has the time to evaluate the number of vehicles that you own and pick which renewal notice would generate the most penalties and then hit the delete button on that notice?  It is your responsibility to know when your tags expire and find out where the notice is if you haven't received it before the exp date.  If you have a clean pymt record on that veh you could ask that the penalties  be waived.  If you don't, then I wouldn't bother asking.  Renewal notices get lost in the mail, just like everything else.   You think CA DMV is a thug?  Some states send someone out to remove the plates if you don't pay on time.

They are thugs at the DMV!  The same thing happened to me that carried a $175 penalty fee.  I own three cars and did not receive the renewal registration on the newest/most expensive car of course!  The other two renewal notices came early just fine and I paid those on time.  The thugs purposely did not send the notice reminder because they figured they could tack on the heftiest fine for the newest car with the highest renewal fee.  Funny, I received the late notice just fine.  The folks at the DMV are only incompetent only at your expense.  they are smart enough to come up with the money making scheme taking advantage of people.

The government are the most dangerous thugs.  They are so deep in debt that they have now resort to just robbing its citizens.

(In response to the previous poster)

"Businesses" in general provide a quality service and reasonable prices to willing customers.

Only loan sharks (and maybe monopolies) treat "customers" w/ punitive fines of up to 160% (and broken knee caps).  http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/vr_info.htm#BM251 

I'll give one thing to loan sharks however, at least their customers willingly seek their service.

It's ludicrous to believe (or sell to others) that somehow these fines are reasonable.  There's absolutely no convincing reason a government agent may provide to require a Subject to register their vehicle (even non-op) if they don't use it on public roads.  If it's not on the road, it doesn't matter.

So why the horrendous late fines?

Theft and thuggery.

The registration card states that if you do not receive your renewal notice, you must use the expiring reg card to pay your fees.  It goes on to state that fees are due by expiration DATE, not MONTH, or penalties will be due.  It is the owners responsibility to know when their reg expires.  Most don't even know their plate numbers. 

DMV is just like any other business.  We process the renewal forms and we turn them over to the capable hands of the USPS.  What they do with them, once they leave our hands, we have no control over.  If this is the 2nd or 3rd yr that you did not receive the renewal notice, then you need to ask someone at DMV to take a 2nd look at your record. 

Finally, the penalty structure was in place long before our budget woes started.  They are in place to deter deliberate payment delay.  If you have had problems with receiving bills or mail from DMV, make a note in your day planner, remind yourself that you should have a renewal notice.  Be proactive, rather than reactive.