Section 202. Fees for searches and copies of documents

1. Except in those
  cases in which it is provided by law that no fee shall be  charged,  the
  fees  for searching the records of the department of motor vehicles kept
  pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and for furnishing copies  of
  documents  in  said  department  kept pursuant to the provisions of this
  chapter shall be as provided in this section. Provided, however, that no
  fee shall be charged any public officer, board or body,  volunteer  fire
  company  or  volunteer  ambulance  service,  for  searches  or copies of
  documents to be used for a public purpose.
    2. Fees for searches of records. * (a) The fee for a search  which  is
  made manually by the department shall be ten dollars.
    * NB Effective until March 31, 2015
    * (a)  The  fee  for a search which is made manually by the department
  shall be five dollars.
    * NB Effective March 31, 2015
    * (b) The fee for a  search  which  is  made  by  direct  entry  by  a
  requester who has been approved for such entry by the commissioner shall
  be seven dollars.
    * NB Effective until March 31, 2015
    * (b)  The  fee  for  a  search  which  is  made  by direct entry by a
  requester who has been approved for such entry by the commissioner shall
  be four dollars.
    * NB Effective March 31, 2015
    * (c) The fee for a search which is made by  means  of  an  electronic
  medium  which has been prepared by a requester who has been approved for
  such  service  by  the  commissioner  and  which  is  processed  by  the
  department shall be seven dollars.
    * NB Effective until March 31, 2015
    * (c)  The  fee  for  a search which is made by means of an electronic
  medium which has been prepared by a requester who has been approved  for
  such  service  by  the  commissioner  and  which  is  processed  by  the
  department shall be four dollars.
    * NB Effective March 31, 2015
    (d) The commissioner may condition approval  for  direct  entry  of  a
  request  or  use  of  an  electronic  medium  by  a  requester  upon the
  establishment and maintenance of an account with the department  with  a
  minimum   balance  established  by  the  commissioner  from  which  fees
  chargeable  to  the  requester  shall  be  deducted.  In  addition,  the
  commissioner  shall  prescribe the specifications and procedures for use
  of electronic media and may establish a minimum and/or a maximum  number
  of  searches  which  may  be contained on any one such electronic medium
  submission.
    (e) For the purposes of this section, a  search  shall  consist  of  a
  single  entry of an acceptable identifier for the purpose of obtaining a
  specific category of information relating to a person, vehicle or number
  plate. The commissioner shall by regulation define such  categories  and
  identifiers  acceptable  for  such  categories.  Except  as  provided in
  subdivision three of this  section,  a  search  of  the  record  of  the
  department  shall include the furnishing of the information disclosed by
  such  search,  and  with  respect  to  searches  made  manually  by  the
  department, shall include a certification of such record.
    3.  Fees  for  copies  of documents. The fees for copies of documents,
  other than accident reports, shall be one dollar per page. A page  shall
  consist of either a single or double side of any document. The fee for a
  copy  of  an  accident  report  shall  be fifteen dollars. All copies of
  documents shall be certified at no additional fee.  Whenever  search  of
  records  of the department is required in conjunction with a request for
  a copy of a document, the fee for such search shall be the fee  provided

  in  paragraph (a) of subdivision two of this section. The result of such
  search will be the locating of the document  to  be  copied,  or  if  no
  document  can  be  located,  a  certification to that effect will be the
  result of the search.
    4.  Registration  lists  and  title  information. (a) The commissioner
  shall have discretion to contract with the highest responsible bidder or
  bidders to  furnish  the  registration  information  specified  in  this
  section   from  the  records  of  all  vehicle  registrations  from  any
  registration period, or number of periods not exceeding  five  years  in
  the  aggregate,  with  respect  to  a  given territory or information on
  titles. In such event, the fees provided by this section shall not apply
  to copies of  records  furnished  under  any  such  contract.  Any  such
  contract entered into by the commissioner pursuant to this section shall
  not  be  for  a  term  of more than two years and shall contain language
  prohibiting the successful bidder from assigning the contract  and  from
  any  use  or  resale  of the information received which use or resale is
  contrary to the public policy of this state or is contrary to the public
  morals  or  welfare.  In  addition,  any  such  sale   of   registration
  information   shall  be  limited  to  only  that  part  of  the  vehicle
  registration records describing the name and address of the owner of the
  vehicle and the  make,  model,  year,  weight,  body  style,  number  of
  passengers and cylinders, fuel, license number, type of registration and
  transaction,  validation  and expiration date and vehicle identification
  number of the vehicle.
    (b) The commissioner shall notify each  vehicle  registrant  that  the
  registration  information specified in paragraph (a) of this subdivision
  has been or will be furnished to the contracting party. The commissioner
  shall inform each vehicle registrant when such  registrant  first  makes
  application  for  a vehicle registration or when such registrant applies
  to renew an existing vehicle registration how to achieve the deletion of
  such information from the contracting party's file. The contract between
  the commissioner and the contracting party shall provide that, upon  the
  request  of the registrant made in such manner and in such form as shall
  be prescribed by the commissioner, such registration  information  shall
  be  deleted  from the contracting party's file for all purposes, except:
  (i) issuance  of  manufacturer's  warranty,  safety  recall  or  similar
  notices, or (ii) statistical complications.
    (c)  Any  material  violation  of  the  terms  of such contract by the
  successful bidder not  corrected  or  discontinued  within  thirty  days
  following  receipt of notice of such violation will automatically cancel
  and void its contract with  the  commissioner  and  disqualify  it  from
  bidding for the five successive years following such cancellation.
    (d)  Any  contract  authorized by this section shall be subject to the
  provisions of article nine of the state finance law.
    (e)  The  commissioner  may  from  time  to  time  require  that   the
  contracting  party  pursuant  to this section submit written reports, in
  form satisfactory to  the  commissioner,  concerning  the  use  of  such
  registration or title information.
    5.  Miscellaneous  charges.  The commissioner upon request may furnish
  copies of documents and records of searches by means  other  than  first
  class  mail  upon  prior payment of any additional cost involved in such
  transmission. Where the cost of such requested  transmission  cannot  be
  readily determined before transmission, the commissioner may establish a
  reasonable  fee  to  cover the cost of such transmission. Nothing herein
  shall be construed to require the commissioner to provide such service.