Notice Requirements

Notice Requirements for Passenger Carriers

General Notice Requirements

Applicants seeking certain types of passenger carrier authority (common carriers, certain restricted common carriers, contract passenger carriers, and sight-seeing carriers) must provide notification of their application to every motor carrier holding the same type of certificate and operating or providing service within the area proposed to be served by the applicant.

In addition to notifying persons with similar certificates that provide service within the same area, applicants must also notify all affected persons that have requested notification and publish notice of such application in a newspaper having a general circulation in the proposed area to be served or in the area where the applicant's primary business office is located. Applicants seeking statewide authority to serve all of the Commonwealth must publish notice in either a newspaper with a general circulation throughout Virginia or a newspaper with a general circulation in the area in which the applicant's primary business office is located. All passenger carrier applicants must publish such notice once within four weeks of the date on the certificate notification package sent by DMV. DMV may shorten the four week period for publication if requested by the applicant.

As part of the application process, applicants must submit the name of the newspaper in which they intend to publish notice. The proposed newspaper will be evaluated by DMV staff to ensure compliance with Va. Code § 8.01-324 and Va. Code § 46.2-2001.3.

Contract bus carrier applicants must comply with all of the requirements above, except that such applicants are not required to notify persons with the same type of certificate who provide service within the same area.

Additional Notice Requirements for Common Carriers

In addition to the above requirements, applicants seeking common carrier authority must provide notification to the mayor or principal officer of any city or town and on the chairman of the board of supervisors of every county into or through which the applicant intends to provide service.

Notice Requirements for Household Goods Carriers

Applicants seeking authority to operate as a households goods carrier must provide notification to the mayor or principal officer of any city or county and on the chairman of the board of supervisors of any county in which the applicant maintains offices and/or warehouses; and on every affected person who has requested notification.

Publication of a summary of the application must be made in a newspaper having a general circulation in the area where the primary business office is located. Applicants must publish such notice once within four weeks of the date on the certificate notification package sent by DMV. DMV may shorten the four week period for publication, if requested by the applicant.

As part of the application process, all household goods carrier applicants must submit the name of the newspaper in which they intend to publish notice. DMV staff will advise each applicant whether the newspaper they intend to use will comply with the requirements of Va. Code § 46.2-2108.4 and Va. Code § 8.01-324.