DOL: Owners of more than 37,700 vehicles in Washington owe the state $15 each

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The state Department of Licensing said Thursday that owners of 32,749 out-of-state vehicles that were titled in Washington will soon receive a letter from the DOL asking them to pay a $15 fee that wasn't collected to a "processing error."

"These owners brought their vehicles to Washington from out of state between December 2016 and August 2017, and should have been assessed a $15 Out of State Vehicle Check fee ... at the time they titled their vehicle in Washington state," the DOL said.

The agency said the error resulted in about $491,000 in uncollected fees, which, it said, help fund highway safety programs.

"Customers will need to pay this outstanding balance prior to their next renewal, and can pay in-person at a vehicle licensing office or online at dol.wa.gov," it said.