With the state budget finally approve, the DMV has resumed its normal processing of car registration renewals but owners are getting a 30-day grace period.

A DMV statement says registrations due in July, August and September can be renewed online — CLICK HERE — without waiting for a bill from the DMV.

For those who wait for the bill, the DMV says don’t be alarmed by the late payment penalty amounts described on the bill itself. They don’t apply. But you will face penalties if you exceed the 30-day grace period, and a green insert with your bill explains those fines. So if you get your DMV bill today and it says it was due yesterday, as some Road Warrior readers have, don’t fret. You’ve got the extra time.

Everyone whose registration renewal comes due the rest of the year gets the 30-day grace period. The grace period was given by the Legislature when, in a budget move, changed DMV’s registration process for the last half of this year. Democrats were hoping that by delaying the DMV process they would buy time and win approval to keep vehicle license fees up. But that didn’t work out, and the vehicle license fee July 1 dropped from 1.15 percent to 0.65 percent. However, the registration fee went up $12 to $46.

The DMV says police are aware of the budget-caused delay in registrations and will not ticket you until the first day of the second month after your registration expires. For example: A car with a registration that expires in July wouldn’t be cited for delinquent registration prior to September 1, 2011.