(a) Upon receipt of a completed application for registration of a snowmobile, the department shall record the registration of the snowmobile under a number assigned to the snowmobile by the department. A number assigned to a snowmobile at the time of the original registration must remain with the snowmobile until the snowmobile is destroyed, abandoned, or permanently removed from the state or until the registration number is changed or terminated by the department.
(b) The department shall issue a registration without the payment of a fee if the snowmobile is owned by a state agency, a political subdivision of the state, or another state. The department may, upon request, issue a registration without the payment of a fee if the snowmobile is owned by the United States.
(c) The department shall, upon assignment of a registration number, issue and deliver to the owner a certificate of registration in a form prescribed by the department. A certificate of registration is not valid unless it is signed by the person who signed the application for registration.
(d) At the issuance of the original certificate of registration and upon renewal, the department shall issue to the registrant a validation decal indicating the validity of the current registration and the expiration date. A validation decal must be affixed to the snowmobile in the manner prescribed by the department. A snowmobile is not validly registered under this chapter unless a validation decal and current registration have been issued as required by this section.
(e) A snowmobile shall display the registration number assigned to it at all times in the manner prescribed by the department.
(f) While operating a snowmobile that is required to be registered under this chapter, a person shall have in possession or carry in the snowmobile a valid registration. Upon demand by a peace officer authorized to enforce this chapter, a person operating a snowmobile shall produce for inspection the certificate of registration for the snowmobile and furnish to the peace officer any information necessary for the identification of the snowmobile and its owner.
(g) A snowmobile owner holding a certificate of registration shall notify the department in writing of a change of residence within 15 days after the change occurs.
(h) A snowmobile may be registered for two, four, or six years. A snowmobile registration expires at the end of the last season for which it is issued. An application for renewal of registration for the succeeding years must be made at a time and in a form prescribed by the department.
(i) The department may issue a replacement certificate of registration if the owner demonstrates to the department that the original certificate has been lost, mutilated, or destroyed.