If you have/drive a moped, you must now get it registered before you can motor on highways or public vehicular areas.(G.S. 20-53.4, effective July 1, 2015)
A moped is defined as “[a] vehicle that has two or three wheels, no external shifting device, and a motor that does not exceed 50 cubic centimeters piston displacement and cannot propel the vehicle at a speed greater than 30 miles per hour on a level surface.” (G.S. 20-4.01(21a), see G.S. 105-164.3).
If you have a moped that can go faster than 30 mph, registration has already been required. G.S. 20-50(a).
To get your moped registered, you must have a manufacturer’s certificate of origin and the moped must be designed and manufactured for use on highways or public vehicular areas.
The fee for registering a moped is $18.00. But residents of Durham, Orange, Randolph, and Wake counties will have to pay additional county surcharges. G.S. 20-87(6).
If you get caught driving an unregistered moped on a street or highway, allowing a moped someone else to drive your unregistered moped or not displaying your registration, it is a Class 3 misdemeanor. G.S. 20-111(1).
Right now, moped insurance is not required but that won’t be the case for long. The General Assembly ratified a bill recently which amends the law (G.S. 20-309(a)) and requires owners of mopeds as of July 1, 2016 to have insurance.
