DMV Links
View the DMV website for renewing a registration, canceling plates, verifying your renewal status after payment of delinquent taxes, and much more.
Address change with the DMV click here.
Renew your registration with the DMV click here.
Motor Vehicle Questions and Answers
Any vehicle that is registered in the Town of Watertown according to the Department of Motor Vehicle on October 1st, will generate a tax bill the following July. That bill will represent a full 12 months of ownership from October through September 30th.
If a vehicle was disposed of, sold, destroyed, or stolen during that 12 month period a proration may be available. Proper documentation will have to be furnished to the Assessors’ office for review. If the plates were transferred to another vehicle during that time period, the original bill needs to be paid in full and then the following January a motor vehicle supplemental bill will be generated. This bill will show a credit for the payment you made on the first vehicle.
These bills are for vehicles that were registered at the motor vehicle department after October 1st but before August 1st of the following year. Motor Vehicle Supplemental bills are sent out at the end of December and are due January 1st, you have up and including February 1st to pay without penalty.
This bill represents ownership from the time you registered with the DMV to September 30th.
If a motor vehicle bill is not paid within the 30 day grace period, the name (s) on the registration will be reported delinquent to the DMV and all registrations will be denied until payment is made in full and a release is issued by the tax office. If a release is needed immediately, cash is the required form of payment. All other forms of payment have a wait period before the release is given.
First check to see if you canceled the registration before OR after the period the bill covers. If it was before the September 30th date, did you give a copy of the plate receipt that you received from the DMV to the Town Assessor? If you already have given a copy to the assessor this may be an adjusted bill already, please feel free to e-mail us to verify if it has been. If you haven't given a copy to the assessor, please do so and the Assessor may pro-rate the assessment and the tax office will send you an adjusted bill. If you would like to fax this information, fax to 860-274-8130, Attn: Assessor's Office.
If you lived in Watertown on October 1st, you owe the tax to Watertown. If you moved before, you must produce proof of your new residency. If you purchased a home - a copy of your field card from your towns assessor's office, if you are renting - a copy of your lease with the date the lease begins or a copy of a utility bill dated prior to October 1st. Please send your proof to: Watertown Assessor's Office, 61 Echo Lake Road Watertown, CT 06795. All address changes for motor vehicle accounts need to be made with DMV.
To possibly get an adjustment to this bill, please send the Assessor's office a copy of the registration(s) in your current state for each vehicle. If you registered in the new state after October 1st, there will be an amount remaining to pay. After the assessor makes any necessary changes we will send an adjusted bill out to you.
No, you have 30 days to pay all bills from the due date. This should allow you enough time to get the necessary documents into the assessor and be notified of any changes made to the amount(s) due.
Maybe you did not update your address with the DMV or it was never changed at the post office. The law states, G.S. Section 12-130, "failure to receive a bill does not invalidate the tax nor the interest."
Yes, CLICK HERE to pay any motor vehicle taxes using your credit card or debit card. There will be a convenience fee assessed for this service.
Any questions involving assessments, exemptions, or prorations, please direct to the Assessors office directly at 860.945.5235.