§ 707. Registration and fees
(a) A passenger tramway shall not be operated in this State unless the operator of the
passenger tramway has been registered by the Department. On or before the first day
of November in each year, every operator of a passenger tramway shall apply to the
Department on forms prepared by the Department for registration under this chapter.
The application shall contain information that the Department may require and shall
be accompanied by a registration fee, according to the formula stated in this section,
unless an alternate payment plan is approved by the Commissioner pursuant to subsection
(f) of this section. The Department shall assess total registration fees in the sum
of the amount approved in the appropriations process for the program for that fiscal
year, adjusted by any balance in the Passenger Tramway Special Fund from the prior
fiscal year.
(b) Each operator shall pay a proportionate share of the total registration fees as determined
by the total lineal feet of each type of tramway operated as follows:
(1) the operator’s total lineal footage of multi-car passenger tramways times the product
of the base rate times 150 percent;
(2) the operator’s total lineal footage of detachable grip chair lifts times the product
of the base rate times 125 percent;
(3) the operator’s total lineal footage of fixed grip chair lifts times the base rate;
(4) the operator’s total lineal footage of surface lifts and rope tows times the product
of the base rate times 50 percent;
(5) all tramways being registered for the first time shall pay a sum equal to five times
the registration fee required to be paid for similar type tramways that have previously
been registered;
(6) all major modifications of existing passenger tramways where the Department has determined
that a 50 percent alteration or upgrade of structural, mechanical, or electrical systems
has occurred or where the Department has determined that a full load test of the lift
is required, shall pay a fee according to the following schedule:
(A) drive terminal, tension terminal, or mid-station terminal M-modification (50 percent
or more) shall pay an equivalent annual registration fee times two;
(B) any two of the above M-modifications (50 percent or more) shall pay an equivalent
annual registration fee times three;
(C) any three of the above M-modifications (50 percent or more) shall pay an equivalent
annual registration fee times four;
(D) towers, structures, and foundation M-modification (50 percent or more) not including
any of the M-modifications listed in subdivision (b)(6)(A) of this section shall pay
an equivalent annual registration fee times two;
(E) any combination of the above in aggregate shall never exceed five times the registration
fee required for first-time registration;
(7) any passenger tramway that operates for more than five days singly or in aggregate,
between the periods of June 1 through October 30, shall pay an annual registration
fee equal to that of a similar type tramway plus 25 percent.
(c) For purposes of computing the base rate, “lineal footage” means the total lineal footage
of each type of tramway registered during the previous operating year.
(d) [Repealed.]
(e)(1) All fees collected under this section shall be credited to a special fund for the
Department to be expended for carrying out its duties under this chapter and may also
be expended as provided pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection.
(2) The Passenger Tramway Board may expend amounts that it determines to be appropriate
from the special fund established pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection for
the purpose of contributing to ski lift mechanic education, job training, and apprenticeship
programs.
(f) The Commissioner has discretion to authorize a tramway operator to enter a payment
plan to pay some or all of the fee due to the State after November 1 upon a showing
of financial need. The authorization and terms of any payment plan shall be in writing
and set a date or dates for payment, provided that the total amount of the fee due
to the State shall be paid not later than January 15. Failure to pay on November 1
or pursuant to an authorized plan may subject the operator to the penalties established
in section 712 of this chapter. (Added 1961, No. 266, § 7, eff. Aug. 1, 1961; amended 1965, No. 183; 1969, No. 46; 1971, No. 227 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 1-3, eff. April 5, 1972; 1975, No. 254 (Adj. Sess.), § 162(h); 1977, No. 119 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. Feb. 7, 1978; 1981, No. 36, § 4; 1985, No. 26; 1985, No. 74, § 304; 1989, No. 210 (Adj. Sess.), § 288; 1991, No. 206 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 3, 4; 1995, No. 186 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. May 22, 1996; 1999, No. 49, § 149; 2013, No. 101 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2015, No. 97 (Adj. Sess.), § 63; 2019, No. 80, § 18; 2023, No. 85 (Adj. Sess.), § 463, eff. July 1, 2024.)