7.736 — DRIVING WITHOUT VALID REGISTRATION WITH KNOWLEDGE

Violations of "Statute 7.736" results in an Class E Misdemeanor

(a) Definitions

Driving without valid registration with knowledge refers to operating a vehicle on public roads when the vehicle’s registration has expired, been canceled, or is otherwise invalid, with the driver being aware of the status of the registration.

(b) Elements

To establish the offense of driving without valid registration with knowledge, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt the following elements:

The defendant was driving a vehicle on public roads.
The vehicle’s registration was invalid, expired, or canceled.
The defendant knew or should have known that the vehicle’s registration was not valid.

(c) Defenses

Defenses against a charge of driving without valid registration with knowledge may include:

The defendant was unaware that the registration had expired or was invalid.
The defendant had already paid for the registration but had not yet received the updated registration or sticker.
The defendant was in the process of renewing the registration, and there was no reasonable way for them to have known that the registration had not yet been processed.

(d) Aggravating Factors

The court may consider the following aggravating factors when determining the severity of the offense:

The defendant has a history of similar offenses or a pattern of failing to maintain proper registration.
The defendant was involved in a traffic incident or caused an accident while driving the unregistered vehicle.
The defendant had prior knowledge of the vehicle's registration status but chose to drive the vehicle anyway.
The defendant was operating a commercial vehicle without valid registration.

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(b) Elements

To establish the offense of driving without valid registration with knowledge, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt the following elements:

The defendant was driving a vehicle on public roads.

The vehicle’s registration was invalid, expired, or canceled.

The defendant knew or should have known that the vehicle’s registration was not valid.

Defenses against a charge of driving without valid registration with knowledge may include:

The defendant was unaware that the registration had expired or was invalid.

The defendant had already paid for the registration but had not yet received the updated registration or sticker.

The defendant was in the process of renewing the registration, and there was no reasonable way for them to have known that the registration had not yet been processed.

(d) Aggravating Factors

The court may consider the following aggravating factors when determining the severity of the offense:

The defendant has a history of similar offenses or a pattern of failing to maintain proper registration.

The defendant was involved in a traffic incident or caused an accident while driving the unregistered vehicle.

The defendant had prior knowledge of the vehicle's registration status but chose to drive the vehicle anyway.

The defendant was operating a commercial vehicle without valid registration.