Cite as: 68 CNCA § 1357

A. Each applicant for vehicle registration with the Nation shall present, with the completed application form, the following items:

1. A valid certificate of title to the vehicle in the name of the applicant; and

2. Unless the vehicle is currently registered with the Cherokee Nation pursuant to this Act in the applicant's name, proof of current and valid vehicle registration with another tribe, territory or state, or if a new purchase, a copy of the bill of sale; and

3. A valid Oklahoma driver’s license showing applicant's residence within or outside of the Reservation of the Cherokee Nation; and

4. Proof of current valid Oklahoma liability insurance policy or bond covering any liability for an accident involving such motor vehicle, with coverage limits, exclusive of interest and costs, of not less than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) because of bodily injury to or death to any one person in any one collision or accident and, subject to said limit for one person, not less than Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00) because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one collision or accident, and not less than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one collision or accident; and

5. Evidence that the owner of the vehicle is a Cherokee Nation Citizen.

B. Penalties For late registration

1. Any tribal citizen residing within the Compact Jurisdictional Area of the Cherokee Nation, or owning and garaging a vehicle within said Jurisdictional Area, who is eligible to apply for a certificate of title, certificate of registration, tag and decal for said vehicle shall have thirty (30) days after purchasing or obtaining possession of said vehicle, or thirty (30) days after the expiration of the previous tag issued by the Cherokee Nation, another tribe, Oklahoma or other state or territory, within which to apply for a Cherokee Nation certificate of title, certificate of registration, tag and decal. Failure to apply within the prescribed time will result in the civil penalty of Twenty-Five Cents (0.25¢) per day beginning on the first day following the expiration of said thirty (30)–day period, provided that no such penalty shall be assessed unless and until an application for registration is made. Provided, the foregoing penalty shall not exceed two (2) times the registration fee for the vehicle and shall be assessed and collected by the Commission at the time of application for a new or renewal registration for said vehicle. No such application shall be granted until all civil penalties and fines owed by the applicant pursuant to this Act are paid in full along with all other taxes and fees payable hereunder, except that penalties need not be paid if the Administrator waives the penalties in whole or in part in accordance with paragraph 2 of subsection B of this section. Any vehicle last registered with the Cherokee Nation pursuant to this Act whose tag has been expired for twelve (12) months or longer and being operated upon any tribal trust land or fee land within the Compact Jurisdictional Area of the Cherokee Nation is hereby declared contraband and shall be subject to seizure and sale by the Commission; provided, that not less than thirty (30) days prior to that date of sale the Commission shall give notice of the date and time of sale to the owner and any lien holder whose name(s) appears on the most recent application for registration and/or lien entry for said vehicle, by certified mail sent to the address set forth therein, during which period the owner may avoid the sale and recover the vehicle by paying all fees, taxes, fines and penalties then owing with respect to said vehicle. The proceeds of such sale shall be deposited into the General Fund and shall be available for appropriation and allocation under 68 CNCA § 1305(B), unless there is a lien holder whose lien has been perfected in accordance with the regulations of the Commission, in which event the proceeds shall be first applied to the costs of sale, then to any such lien holders in accordance with their respective priorities, and the balance, if any, into the General Fund for appropriation and allocation pursuant to this Act.

2. The Administrator shall have the authority to waive penalties in whole or in part for failure to register a vehicle in accordance with this Act.

3. The Administrator shall have the authority to deny registration or renewal registration to any applicant when the application information submitted by the applicant is determined by the Administrator to be fraudulent or incorrect. If a vehicle is registered hereunder and thereafter the Administrator determines that the registration was made on the basis of false or fraudulent information, the Administrator shall notify the applicant-owner that the registration has been revoked. Notification shall be done by certified mail and shall be complete upon acceptance of, or refusal to accept, delivery of the notice.

4. Penalties under this section shall not apply if the vehicle has been properly registered with any other tribe, state, territory or the United States.

C. Application form. The vehicle registration application form shall be as prescribed by the Commission pursuant to regulations promulgated by it hereunder and shall include provisions whereby the applicant expressly submits himself or herself to the jurisdiction of Cherokee Nation and its courts for purposes of enforcement of this Act, including without limitation the assessment and collection of any penalties, fines or interest provided for hereunder.

Historical Data

LA 01–01, eff. March 12, 2001. Amended LA 34–01, eff. September 12, 2001; LA 05–08, eff. May 18, 2008; LA 27–13, eff. October 31, 2013; LA 06–16, eff. April 21, 2016. Amended LA 45-24, eff. December 20, 2024.