Article 8. Special Plates of California Vehicle Code >> Division 3. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 8.
(a) Identification plates issued for trailers, semitrailers,
motor-driven cycles, and pole and pipe dollies, and such vehicles as
are exempt from the payment of registration fees under this code
shall display suitable distinguishing marks or symbols, and the
registration numbers assigned to each class of vehicles shall run in
a separate numerical series, except that registration numbers
assigned to vehicles exempt from the payment of registration fees may
run in several separate numerical series.
(b) Vehicles subject to Sections 9400 and 9400.1 shall be issued
license plates with suitable distinguishing marks or symbols
distinguishing them from other license plates issued.
(c) Vehicles subject to Section 5014.1 shall be issued permanent
identification plates with suitable distinguishing marks or symbols
that distinguish them from other license plates.
The department may issue license plates for vehicles exempt
from registration fees in the same series as plates issued for
nonexempt vehicles. The plates may be issued for a one-year period
and only upon the certification of the department that the issuance
of the plates has been requested by the head of a criminal justice or
a law enforcement agency of a city, county, or state or federal
department, that the vehicle is assigned to persons responsible for
investigating actual or suspected violations of the law or the
supervision of persons liberated from a state prison or other
institution under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections
by parole or the supervision of persons liberated from an institution
under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Youth Authority by
parole, and is intended for use in the line of duty.
The director may enter into agreements or arrangements with
motor vehicle departments in other states to provide for a
reciprocal exchange of regular series license plates for the purposes
of and under the conditions provided in Sections 5001 and 5003.
The department may issue regular series plates to the
Department of General Services for use on motor vehicles maintained
within motor vehicle pools of state-owned vehicles when the vehicles
are used for the purposes set forth in Section 5001, except that the
Department of General Services shall not assign, dispatch, or
otherwise make any of those vehicles available for use by any agency
of the state except upon the certification of the department.
The department shall issue regular series license plates
for any motor vehicle owned by, or in the possession and use of, the
Senate or Assembly, upon the request of the Rules Committee thereof.
(a) The Chancellor or a president of a campus of the
California State University, or the president or a chancellor of a
campus of the University of California, who is regularly issued a
state-owned vehicle may apply to the department for regular series
license plates for that vehicle, if a request for that issuance is
also made by the Trustees of the California State University or the
Regents of the University of California, as applicable. The request
by the president or chancellor and by the trustees or regents shall
be in the manner specified by the department.
(b) Regular series license plates issued pursuant to subdivision
(a) shall be surrendered to the department by the trustees or
regents, as applicable, upon the reassignment of a vehicle, for which
those plates have been issued, to a person other than the person who
requested those plates.
(a) For a county of over 20,000 square miles in area, a
member of the county board of supervisors, or a county assessor,
auditor, controller, treasurer, or tax collector, who is regularly
issued a county-owned vehicle may apply to the department for regular
series license plates for that vehicle, if a request for that
issuance is also made by the county board of supervisors. The
application and the request shall be in the manner specified by the
department.
(b) Regular series license plates issued pursuant to subdivision
(a) shall be surrendered to the department by the board member or
administrative officer, as applicable, upon the reassignment of a
vehicle, for which those plates have been issued, to a person other
than the person who requested those plates.
(a) (1) Distinctive license plates issued for a motor
vehicle owned by a current or retired Member of the California
Legislature, which plates denote that the person is, or was, a Member
of the Legislature, and distinctive license plates issued for a
vehicle owned by a Member of the Congress of the United States, which
plates denote that the person is a Member of Congress, shall be
subject to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal
of registration.
(2) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration
or renewal of registration, the applicant shall be charged the
following additional fees:
(b) For an original registration, the applicant shall be charged
the fee specified in subdivision (a) of Section 5106.
(c) For a renewal of registration, the applicant shall be charged
the fee specified in subdivision (b) of Section 5106.
(d) When a Member or former Member of the California Legislature
or a Member of the Congress of the United States who has been issued
personalized license plates pursuant to this section applies to the
department for transfer of the plates to another passenger vehicle,
commercial motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer, a transfer fee in
the amount specified pursuant to Section 5108 shall be charged in
addition to all other appropriate fees.
(e) After deducting the costs incurred by the department to
administer this section, the department shall deposit in the
California Environmental License Plate Fund, all fees received by the
department in payment for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of the
special license plates authorized under this section.
(f) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2014.
The department shall maintain a record of the registration of
exempt vehicles with regular series plates, which record shall not
be open to public inspection. The record shall be disclosed in the
event of any accident involving a vehicle so registered on demand of
the Attorney General or upon an order of court. In the event of an
inquiry by a county sheriff, city chief of police, or judge of any
court relating to such exempt vehicle in connection with an alleged
violation of state or local traffic laws, the department shall notify
the supervisor of the person to whom the vehicle was assigned of the
inquiry and the alleged violation and shall notify the inquiring
official that this has been done without disclosing the name of the
person involved.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, any
owner of a vehicle described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) which is
operated or moved over the highway primarily for the purpose of
historical exhibition or other similar purpose shall, upon
application in the manner and at the time prescribed by the
department, be issued special identification plates for the vehicle:
(1) A motor vehicle with an engine of 16 or more cylinders
manufactured prior to 1965.
(2) A motor vehicle manufactured in the year 1922 or prior
thereto.
(3) A vehicle which was manufactured after 1922, is at least 25
years old, and is of historic interest.
(b) The special identification plates assigned to motor vehicles
with an engine of 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965 and
to any motor vehicle manufactured in the year 1922 and prior thereto
shall run in a separate numerical series, commencing with "Horseless
Carriage No. 1".
The special identification plates assigned to vehicles specified
in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) shall run in a separate numerical
series, commencing with "Historical Vehicle No. 1".
Each series of plates shall have different and distinguishing
colors.
(c) A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25) shall be charged for the
initial issuance of the special identification plates. Such plates
shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced. If such
special identification plates become damaged or unserviceable in any
manner, replacement for the plates may be obtained from the
department upon proper application and upon payment of such fee as is
provided for in Section 9265.
(d) All funds received by the department in payment for such
identification plates or the replacement thereof shall be deposited
in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.
(e) These vehicles shall not be exempt from the equipment
provisions of Sections 26709, 27150, and 27600.
(f) As used in this section, a vehicle is of historic interest if
it is collected, restored, maintained, and operated by a collector or
hobbyist principally for purposes of exhibition and historic vehicle
club activities.
(a) (1) An owner of a vehicle that is a 1969 or older
model-year vehicle or the owner of a commercial vehicle or a pickup
truck that is a 1972 or older model-year may, after the requirements
for the registration of the vehicle are complied with and with the
approval of the department, utilize license plates of this state with
the date of year corresponding to the model-year date when the
vehicle was manufactured, if the model-year date license plate is
legible and serviceable, as determined by the department, in lieu of
the license plates otherwise required by this code.
(2) The department may consult with an organization of old car
hobbyists in determining whether the date of year of the license
plate corresponds to the model-year date when the vehicle was
manufactured.
(b) A fee of forty-five dollars ($45) shall be charged for the
application for the use of the special plates.
(c) In addition to the regular renewal fee for the vehicle for
which the plates are authorized, the applicant for a renewal of the
plates shall be charged an additional fee of ten dollars ($10). If
payment of a regular vehicle renewal fee is not required by this
code, the holder of license plates with a date corresponding to the
model-year may retain the plates upon payment of an annual fee of
twenty dollars ($20) that shall be due at the expiration of the
registration year of the vehicle to which the plates were last
assigned under this section.
(d) If a person who is authorized to utilize the special license
plates applies to the department for transfer of the plates to
another vehicle, a transfer fee of twelve dollars ($12) shall be
charged in addition to all other appropriate fees.
(a) Subject to subdivision (d), the department shall
establish the California Legacy License Plate Program and create and
issue a series of specialized license plates known as California
Legacy License Plates that replicate the look of California license
plates from the state's past. The design of the plates shall be
identical, to the extent the department determines it to be
reasonably feasible under current manufacturing processes, to a
regular license plate, except as provided in subdivision (b).
(b) The California Legacy License Plates shall consist of one or
more of the following designs:
(1) Yellow background with black lettering per the appearance of
California license plates issued by the department from 1956 to 1962,
inclusive.
(2) Black background with yellow lettering per the appearance of
California license plates issued by the department from 1965 to 1968,
inclusive.
(3) Blue background with yellow lettering per the appearance of
California license plates issued by the department from 1969 to 1986,
inclusive.
(c) An applicant for the specialized license plates described in
subdivision (a), who shall be the owner or lessee of the vehicle on
which the plates will be displayed, may choose to either accept a
license plate character sequence assigned by the department or
request a combination of letters or numbers or both, subject to
Section 5105.
(d) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration
or renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be
paid for the issuance, renewal, retention, or transfer of the
specialized license plates:
(1) Fifty dollars ($50) for the original issuance of the plates.
(2) Forty dollars ($40) for a renewal of registration with the
plates.
(3) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another
vehicle.
(4) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for each substitute replacement
plate.
(5) Thirty-eight dollars ($38), when the payment of renewal fees
is not required as specified in Section 4000 and the holder of the
specialized license plates retains the plates. The fee shall be due
at the expiration of the registration year of the vehicle to which
the specialized license plates were assigned. This paragraph shall
not apply when a plate character sequence is assigned by the
department pursuant to subdivision (c).
(e) Sections 5106 and 5108 do not apply to the specialized license
plates issued pursuant to this section.
(f) The department shall not issue California Legacy License
Plates for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration
fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.
(g) (1) The department shall not establish the California Legacy
License Plate Program until the department has received not less than
7,500 paid applications for plates. The department shall collect and
hold applications for the plates. The department shall not issue a
specialized license plate until it has received not less than 7,500
paid applications for any one of the particular plates within the
time period prescribed in this section.
(2) The department shall have until January 1, 2015, to receive
the required number of applications. If, after that date, 7,500 paid
applications have not been received for any one of the three plates
described in subdivision (b), the department shall immediately refund
to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been collected.
(h) (1) Upon a determination by the department that there are
sufficient funds for the program, moneys shall be available, upon
appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the necessary
administrative costs of establishing the California Legacy License
Plate Program.
(2) After deducting its administrative costs under this
subdivision, the department shall deposit any additional revenue
derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, retention, and
substitution of the specialized license plates into the California
Environmental License Plate Fund, for appropriation by the
Legislature pursuant to existing law.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, any owner
of a motorcycle manufactured in the year 1942 or prior thereto
shall, upon application in the manner and at the time prescribed by
the department, be issued special license plates for the motorcycle.
The special license plates assigned to such motorcycles shall run in
a separate numerical series. An additional fee of fifteen dollars
($15) shall be charged for the initial issuance of the special
license plates. Such plates shall be permanent and shall not be
required to be replaced. If such special license plates become
damaged or unserviceable in any manner, replacement for the plates
may be obtained from the department upon proper application and upon
payment of such fee as is provided for in Section 9265. Except as
otherwise provided in this section, such motorcycles shall be subject
to the same annual registration fees and provisions of law as are
other motorcycles.
All revenues derived from the fees provided for in this section
above actual costs of the production and issuance of the special
plates for motorcycles, or the replacement thereof, shall be
deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund by the
department.
(a) Any person holding an unexpired amateur radio station
license issued by the Federal Communications Commission may, after
the requirements for the registration of the motor vehicle have been
complied with, also apply directly to the department for special
license plates, and the department may issue special plates in lieu
of the regular license plates. The special license plates shall be
affixed to the motor vehicle for which registration is sought and, in
lieu of the numbers otherwise prescribed by law, shall display the
official amateur radio station call letters of the applicant as
assigned by the Federal Communications Commission.
The applicant shall, by satisfactory proof, show that he or she is
the holder of an unexpired license.
(b) The department shall not issue more than one set of special
plates for any licensed amateur radio station.
(c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration
or renewal of registration, the following special fees shall be paid:
(1) Twenty dollars ($20) for the initial issuance of the special
plate.
(2) Twelve dollars ($12) for the transfer of the special plate to
another motor vehicle.
(a) The department may issue distinctive license plates for
motor vehicles owned or leased by an honorary consular officer or a
similar official when the department is otherwise satisfied that the
issuance of the license plates is in order. An honorary consular
officer or similar official is a citizen of the United States, or a
permanent resident of this country, who is appointed by a foreign
country for the purpose of facilitating and promoting the interest of
that country.
(b) The motor vehicles for which the license plates are issued
shall be subject to all regular license and registration fees. In
addition to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal
of registration, the additional fees specified in Sections 5106 and
5108, as applicable, shall be paid, and shall be deposited in the
Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund.
(a) The department may issue, for a fee determined by the
department to be sufficient to reimburse the department for actual
costs incurred pursuant to this section, distinctive license plates
for motor vehicles owned or leased by an officer or a designated
employee of a foreign organization recognized by the United States
pursuant to the Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. Sec. 3301 et seq.)
when the department is otherwise satisfied that the issuance of the
license plates is in order.
(b) The distinctive license plates shall be designed by the
department and shall contain the words "Foreign Organization."
(c) The department shall establish procedures for both of the
following:
(1) To verify the eligibility of an applicant for plates issued
pursuant to this section.
(2) To authorize a recognized foreign organization to apply on
behalf of its officers for plates issued pursuant to this section.
(a) The department shall, upon application and without
additional fees, issue a special license plate or plates pursuant to
procedures adopted by the department to all of the following:
(1) A disabled person.
(2) A disabled veteran.
(3) An organization or agency involved in the transportation of
disabled persons or disabled veterans if the motor vehicle that will
have the special license plate is used solely for the purpose of
transporting those persons.
(b) The special license plates issued under subdivision (a) shall
run in a regular numerical series that shall include one or more
unique two-letter codes reserved for disabled person license plates
or disabled veteran license plates. The International Symbol of
Access adopted pursuant to Section 3 of Public Law 100-641, commonly
known as the "wheelchair symbol" shall be depicted on each plate.
(c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), prior to issuing a
special license plate to a disabled person or disabled veteran, the
department shall require the submission of a certificate, in
accordance with paragraph (2), signed by the physician and surgeon,
or to the extent that it does not cause a reduction in the receipt of
federal aid highway funds, by a nurse practitioner, certified nurse
midwife, or physician assistant, substantiating the disability,
unless the applicant's disability is readily observable and
uncontested. The disability of a person who has lost, or has lost the
use of, one or more lower extremities or one hand, for a disabled
veteran, or both hands for a disabled person, or who has significant
limitation in the use of lower extremities, may also be certified by
a licensed chiropractor. The blindness of an applicant shall be
certified by a licensed physician and surgeon who specializes in
diseases of the eye or a licensed optometrist. The physician and
surgeon, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, physician
assistant, chiropractor, or optometrist certifying the qualifying
disability shall provide a full description of the illness or
disability on the form submitted to the department.
(2) The physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, certified nurse
midwife, physician assistant, chiropractor, or optometrist who signs
a certificate submitted under this subdivision shall retain
information sufficient to substantiate that certificate and, upon
request of the department, shall make that information available for
inspection by the Medical Board of California or the appropriate
regulatory board.
(3) For a disabled veteran, the department shall accept, in lieu
of the certificate described in paragraph (1), a certificate from the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs that certifies that the
applicant is a disabled veteran as described in Section 295.7.
(d) A disabled person or disabled veteran who is issued a license
plate or plates under this section shall, upon request, present to a
peace officer, or person authorized to enforce parking laws,
ordinances, or regulations, a certification form that substantiates
the eligibility of the disabled person or veteran to possess the
plate or plates. The certification shall be on a form prescribed by
the department and contain the name of the disabled person or
disabled veteran to whom the plate or plates were issued, and the
name, address, and telephone number of the medical professional
described in subdivision (c) who certified the eligibility of the
person or veteran for the plate or plates.
(e) The certification requirements of subdivisions (c) and (d) do
not apply to an organization or agency that is issued a special
license plate or plates under paragraph (3) of subdivision (a).
(f) The special license plate shall, upon the death of the
disabled person or disabled veteran, be returned to the department
within 60 days or upon the expiration of the vehicle registration,
whichever occurs first.
(g) When a motor vehicle subject to paragraph (3) of subdivision
(a) is sold or transferred, the special license plate or plates
issued to an organization or agency under paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a) for that motor vehicle shall be immediately returned
to the department.
(a) Upon a receipt of request for information by a local
law enforcement agency or local or state agency responsible for the
administration or enforcement of parking regulations, the department
shall make available to the requesting agency any information
contained in a physician's certificate submitted to the department to
substantiate the disability of a person applying for or who has been
issued special license plates pursuant to Section 5007. The
department shall not provide the information specified in this
subdivision to any private entity or third-party parking citation
processing agency.
(b) A local authority may establish a review board or panel, for
the purposes of reviewing information contained in applications for
special license plates and the certification of qualifying
disabilities for persons residing within the jurisdiction of the
local authority. The review board shall include a physician or other
medical authority. Any findings or determinations by a review board
or panel under this section indicating that an application or
certification is fraudulent or lacks proper certification shall be
transmitted to the department or other appropriate authorities for
further review and investigation.
(a) Any person who is regularly employed or engaged as a bona
fide newspaper, newsreel, or television photographer or cameraman,
may, after the requirements for the registration of the motor vehicle
have been complied with, also apply for special license plates, and
the department shall issue special license plates in lieu of the
regular license plates. The special license plates shall be affixed
to the vehicle for which registration is sought and shall display the
letters "PP" enclosed by a shield.
The applicant shall, by satisfactory proof, show that he or she is
a bona fide newspaper, newsreel, or television photographer or
cameraman.
(b) The department shall not issue more than one set of the
special plates to any person.
(c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration
or renewal of registration, the following special fees shall be paid:
(1) Twenty dollars ($20) for the initial issuance of the special
plate.
(2) Twelve dollars ($12) for the transfer of the special plate to
another motor vehicle.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, when a
motor vehicle which is leased to a school district for use as a
schoolbus, as defined in Section 545, temporarily reverts to the
possession and control of the lessor, and if the motor vehicle
thereafter becomes subject to registration, the lessor may, as an
alternative to such registration, secure a temporary permit to
operate the vehicle in this state for any one or more calendar
months. Such permit shall be posted upon the windshield or other
prominent place upon the vehicle, and shall identify the vehicle for
which it is affixed. When so affixed, such permit shall serve in lieu
of registration. If such a lessor operates the motor vehicle under a
temporary permit issued pursuant to this section, he shall
notwithstanding the provisions of Section 5000 continue to display on
the vehicle the exempt license plates issued to the vehicle as a
schoolbus. Upon payment of the fees specified in Section 9266, the
department may issue a temporary permit under this section.
Every piece of special construction equipment, special mobile
equipment, cemetery equipment, trailer, semitrailer, and every
logging vehicle shall display an identification plate issued pursuant
to Section 5014 or 5014.1.
An application by a person other than a manufacturer or
dealer for an identification plate for special construction
equipment, cemetery equipment, special mobile equipment, logging
vehicle, cotton trailer, or farm trailer as specified in Section
36109, a vehicle that is farmer-owned and used as provided in
subdivision (b) of Section 36101, a motor vehicle that is
farmer-owned and operated and used as provided in subdivision (a) of
Section 36101, an automatic bale wagon operated as specified in
subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 36102, or a farm trailer that is
owned, rented, or leased by a farmer and is operated and used as
provided in subdivision (b) of Section 36010, shall include the
following:
(a) The true, full name and the driver's license or identification
card number, if any, of the owner.
(b) A statement by the owner of the use or uses which he or she
intends to make of the equipment.
(c) A description of the vehicle, including any distinctive marks
or features.
(d) A photograph of the vehicle. Only one photograph of one piece
of equipment shall be required to be attached to the application when
identification plates are to be obtained for more than one piece of
equipment, each of which is of the same identical type.
(e) Other information as may reasonably be required by the
department to determine whether the applicant is entitled to be
issued an identification plate.
(f) A service fee of fifteen dollars ($15) for each vehicle. The
plates shall be renewed between January 1 and February 4 every five
calendar years, commencing in 1986. Any part of the year of the first
application constitutes a calendar year. An application for renewal
of an identification plate shall contain a space for the applicant's
driver's license or identification card number, and the applicant
shall furnish that number, if any, in the space provided.
(a) Upon the implementation of the permanent trailer
identification plate program, the following applies:
(1) All trailers, except in cases where the registrant has elected
to apply for trailer identification plates pursuant to Section 5014
or the trailer is exempt from registration pursuant to Section 36100
or 36109, shall receive an identification certificate upon conversion
to the permanent trailer identification program. The following
trailers, except as provided in Section 5101, may be assigned a
trailer identification plate by the department in accordance with
this section or an election may be made to keep the current plate on
the expiration date of registration:
(A) Logging dolly.
(B) Pole or pipe dolly.
(C) Semitrailer.
(D) Trailer.
(E) Trailer bus.
(2) An auxiliary dolly or tow dolly may be assigned a permanent
trailer identification plate.
(3) Trailer coaches and park trailers, as described in subdivision
(b) of Section 18010 of the Health and Safety Code, are exempted
from the permanent trailer identification plate program.
(b) The permanent trailer identification plate shall be in a size
and design as determined by the department.
(c) The permanent trailer identification plate and the permanent
trailer identification certificate shall not expire as long as the
appropriate fees have been paid.
(d) Upon sale or transfer of the trailer or semitrailer, the
assigned permanent trailer identification plate shall remain with the
trailer or semitrailer for the life of the vehicle except as
provided in Section 5101. Upon transfer of ownership, a new
identification certificate shall be issued and the transferee shall
pay a fee of seven dollars ($7).
(e) A service fee, sufficient to pay at least the entire actual
costs to the department, not to exceed twenty dollars ($20) shall be
assessed by the department upon converting to the permanent trailer
identification program.
(f) A fee of seven dollars ($7) for substitute permanent trailer
identification plates or certificates shall be charged.
(g) All valid trailer and semitrailer license plates and
registration indicia that were issued under this code prior to
December 31, 2001, upon which is affixed a permanent trailer
identification sticker issued by the department, may be displayed in
lieu of a permanent trailer identification plate as described in
Sections 5011 and 5014.
(h) Every trailer that is submitted for original registration in
this state shall be issued a permanent trailer identification plate
and identification certificate.
(i) A service fee of ten dollars ($10) shall be charged for each
vehicle renewing identification plates pursuant to this section.
These plates shall be renewed on the anniversary date of either the
trailer plate expiration date or the date of issuance of the original
permanent trailer identification plate, every five calendar years
commencing December 31, 2006.
(a) The application for an identification plate for special
construction equipment, special mobile equipment, cemetery equipment,
and any logging vehicle shall be made before that piece of equipment
is moved over a highway.
(b) The application for an identification plate for a cotton
trailer or a farm trailer as specified in Section 36109, a vehicle
that is farmer-owned and used as provided in subdivision (b) of
Section 36101, a motor vehicle that is farmer-owned and operated and
used as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 36101, or an automatic
bale wagon operated as specified in subdivision (a) or (b) of
Section 36102 shall be made before any such piece of equipment is
moved over a highway.
(c) The application for a permanent trailer identification plate,
as described in Section 5014.1, shall be made prior to the equipment
or vehicle described in subdivision (a) being moved, towed, or left
standing on any highway or in any offstreet public parking facility.
Upon proper application and payment of the fees specified in
Section 5014.1 or 9261, the department shall issue an identification
plate and an identification certificate for the piece of equipment,
vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or implement of husbandry for which
application is made.
(a) The department may issue a special identification plate
or other suitable device to a manufacturer or dealer of special
construction equipment, special mobile equipment, cemetery equipment,
tow dolly, logging vehicle, or implement of husbandry upon payment
of the fee specified in subdivision (b) of Section 9261. The
identification plate or other suitable device shall be of a size,
color, and configuration determined by the department. The form of
the application shall also be determined by the department.
(b) A manufacturer or dealer of special construction equipment,
special mobile equipment, cemetery equipment, any tow dolly, any
logging vehicle, or any implement of husbandry may operate or move
such equipment or vehicle upon the highways during the delivery of or
during the demonstration for the sale of such piece of equipment or
vehicle upon condition that any such equipment or vehicle display
thereon an identification plate or other suitable device issued to
such manufacturer or dealer; provided, that special permits have been
obtained in accordance with the provisions of Article 6 (commencing
with Section 35780) of Chapter 5 of Division 15 for the operation or
movement of any such equipment or vehicle of a size, weight, or load
exceeding the maximum specified in this code.
(a) Each identification plate issued under Section 5016 shall
bear a distinctive number to identify the equipment, logging
vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or implement of husbandry for which it
is issued. The owner, upon being issued a plate, shall attach it to
the equipment, logging vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or implement of
husbandry for which it is issued and shall carry the identification
certificate issued by the department as provided by Section 4454. It
shall be unlawful for any person to attach or use the plate upon any
other equipment, logging vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or implement
of husbandry. If the equipment, logging vehicle, trailer,
semitrailer, or implement of husbandry is destroyed or the ownership
thereof transferred to another person, the person to whom the plate
was issued shall, within 10 days, notify the department, on a form
approved by the department, that the equipment, logging vehicle,
trailer, semitrailer, or implement of husbandry has been destroyed or
the ownership thereof transferred to another person.
(b) Upon the implementation of the permanent trailer
identification plate program, all trailers except those exempted in
paragraphs (1) and (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 5014.1 may be
assigned a single permanent plate for identification purposes. Upon
issuance of the plate, it shall be attached to the vehicle pursuant
to Sections 5200 and 5201.
(c) An identification certificate shall be issued for each trailer
or semitrailer assigned an identification plate. The identification
certificate shall contain upon its face, the date issued, the name
and residence or business address of the registered owner or lessee
and of the legal owner, if any, the vehicle identification number
assigned to the trailer or semitrailer, and a description of the
trailer or semitrailer as complete as that required in the
application for registration of the trailer or semitrailer. For those
trailers registered under Article 4 (commencing with Section 8050)
of Chapter 4 on the effective date of the act adding this sentence
that are being converted to the permanent trailer identification
program, the identification card may contain only the name of the
registrant, and the legal owner's name is not required to be shown.
Upon transfer of those trailers, the identification card shall
contain the name of the owner and legal owner, if any. When an
identification certificate has been issued to a trailer or
semitrailer, the owner or operator shall make that certificate
available for inspection by a peace officer upon request.
(d) The application for transfer of ownership of a vehicle with a
trailer plate or permanent trailer identification plate shall be made
within 10 days of sale of the vehicle. The permanent trailer
identification certificate is not a certificate of ownership as
described in Section 38076.
Whenever the ownership of equipment, a logging vehicle, or an
implement of husbandry is transferred, the transferee shall within
10 days thereafter make application to the department for a transfer
of ownership and pay the fee specified in subdivision (c) of Section
9261.
The authorizations for the issuance of special license plates
referred to in Sections 5005 and 5008 do not apply to trailers.
Any person holding an unexpired license for a class D radio
station in the Citizens Radio Service issued by the Federal
Communications Commission may, at the time he or she makes
application for an original or a renewal registration for a motor
vehicle, also apply directly to the department for special license
plates, to be affixed to the motor vehicle for which registration is
sought, on which, in lieu of the numbers otherwise prescribed by law,
shall be inscribed the official class D radio station call sign of
the applicant as assigned by the Federal Communications Commission.
The applicant shall, by satisfactory proof, show that he or she is
the holder of an unexpired license and, in addition to the regular
registration fee, may be charged a fee of twenty dollars ($20) for
each set of special plates when issued and fifteen dollars ($15) each
succeeding year the vehicle is registered. Whenever the vehicle or
the ownership of the vehicle for which plates are issued is changed,
a fee of twenty dollars ($20) may be charged. When the applicant also
pays weight fees, the department shall so indicate on the special
license plates.
After the requirements for the registration of the vehicle
have been complied with, the department shall issue such plates in
lieu of the regular license plates. The department shall not issue
more than one set of special plates for any licensed class D radio
station in the Citizens Radio Service.
(a) Until December 31, 1984, a person described in Section
5101 may also apply for a set of commemorative 1984 Olympic
reflectorized license plates and the department shall issue those
special license plates in lieu of the regular license plates. No
commemorative 1984 Olympic reflectorized license plates shall be
issued pursuant to an application therefor which is submitted on or
after January 1, 1985, but the holder of those plates may thereafter
renew or retain them, or transfer them to another vehicle, subject to
this section.
(b) The commemorative 1984 Olympic reflectorized license plates
shall be of a distinctive design and shall be available in a special
series of letters or numbers, or both, as determined by the
department after consultation with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing
Committee.
(c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration
or renewal of registration, a special fee of twelve dollars ($12)
shall be paid for the transfer of the special plates to another
vehicle.
(d) When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in
Section 4000, or when the person determines to retain the plates upon
sale, trade, or other release of the vehicle upon which the special
plates have been displayed, the person shall notify the department
and the person may retain the special plates.
(e) Until December 31, 1989, duplicate, replacement plates shall
be identical commemorative 1984 Olympic reflectorized license plates
of the same letter, number, and design as originally issued. However,
duplicate, replacement plates of the commemorative 1984 Olympic
reflectorized license plate series shall not be available on or after
January 1, 1990. Thereafter, unless otherwise provided by this code,
regular series plates shall be issued for the fee provided in
Section 9265 whenever substitute or duplicate plates are requested.
(f) All revenue derived from the additional special fees provided
in this section shall be deposited in the California Environmental
License Plate Fund pursuant to Section 21191 of the Public Resources
Code.
(a) (1) Until December 31, 2013, a person described in
Section 5101 may also apply for a set of commemorative Olympic
reflectorized license plates and the department shall issue those
special license plates in lieu of regular license plates. The
commemorative Olympic reflectorized license plates shall be of a
distinctive design and shall be available in a special series of
letters or numbers, or both, as determined by the department after
consultation with the United States Olympic Committee. The department
may issue the commemorative Olympic reflectorized license plates as
environmental license plates, as defined in Section 5103, in a
combination of numbers or letters, or both, as requested by the owner
or lessee of the vehicle.
(2) On or after January 1, 2014, original, substitute, or
duplicate Olympic license plates, including those issued as
environmental license plates, shall not be available. However, the
holder of Olympic license plates may thereafter renew or retain those
plates, or transfer them to another vehicle, subject to this
section. Unless otherwise provided by this code, regular series
plates shall be issued for the fee provided in Section 9265 whenever
substitute or duplicate plates are requested.
(3) On or after January 1, 2014, the holder of Olympic license
plates issued as environmental license plates, as defined in Section
5103, may apply for other special license plates using the exact
combination of numbers or letters, or both, if authorized by this
code, whenever the holder requests substitute or duplicate plates.
(b) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration
or renewal of registration, the following special fees shall be paid:
(1) Fifteen dollars ($15) for the transfer of the special plates
to another vehicle.
(2) Thirty dollars ($30) for the annual renewal of the special
plates.
(c) When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in
Section 4000, or when the person determines to retain the plates upon
sale, trade, or other release of the vehicle upon which the special
plates have been displayed, the person shall notify the department
and the person may retain the special plates.
(d) All revenue derived from the additional special fees provided
in this section, less costs incurred by the department pursuant to
this section, shall be deposited in the General Fund.
(a) A person described in Section 5101 may also apply for a
set of commemorative collegiate reflectorized license plates, and the
department shall issue those special license plates in lieu of the
regular license plates. The collegiate reflectorized plates shall be
of a distinctive design, and shall be available in a special series
of letters or numbers, or both, as determined by the department. The
collegiate reflectorized plates shall also contain the name of the
participating institution as well as the reflectorized logotype,
motto, symbol, or other distinctive design, as approved by the
department, representing the participating university or college
selected by the applicant. The department may issue the commemorative
collegiate reflectorized license plates as environmental license
plates, as defined in Section 5103, in a combination of numbers or
letters, or both, as requested by the owner or lessee of the vehicle.
(b) Any public or private postsecondary educational institution in
the state, which is accredited or has been accepted as a recognized
candidate for accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and
Colleges, may indicate to the department its decision to be included
in the commemorative collegiate license plate program and submit its
distinctive design for the logotype, motto, symbol, or other design.
However, no public or private postsecondary educational institution
may be included in the program until not less than 5,000 applications
are received for license plates containing that institution's
logotype, motto, symbol, or other design. Each participating
institution shall collect and hold applications for collegiate
license plates until it has received at least 5,000 applications.
Once the institution has received at least 5,000 applications, it
shall submit the applications, along with the necessary fees, to the
department. Upon receiving the first application, the institution
shall have one calendar year to receive the remaining required
applications. If, after that one calendar year, 5,000 applications
have not been received, the institution shall refund to all
applicants any fees or deposits which have been collected.
(c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration,
a renewal of registration, or a transfer of registration, the
following commemorative collegiate license plate fees shall be paid:
(1) Fifty dollars ($50) for the initial issuance of the plates.
These plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be
replaced.
(2) Forty dollars ($40) for each renewal of registration which
includes the continued display of the plates.
(3) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another
vehicle.
(4) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for replacement plates, if the
plates become damaged or unserviceable.
(d) When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in
Section 4000, or when the person determines to retain the
commemorative collegiate license plates upon sale, trade, or other
release of the vehicle upon which the plates have been displayed, the
person shall notify the department and the person may retain the
plates.
(e) Of the revenue derived from the additional special fees
provided in this section, less costs incurred by the department
pursuant to this section, one-half shall be deposited in the
California Collegiate License Plate Fund, which is hereby created,
and one-half shall be deposited in the California Environmental
License Plate Fund.
(f) The money in the California Collegiate License Plate Fund is,
notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, continuously
appropriated to the Controller for allocation as follows:
(1) To the governing body of participating public institutions in
the proportion that funds are collected on behalf of each, to be used
for need-based scholarships, distributed according to federal
student aid guidelines.
(2) With respect to funds collected on behalf of accredited
nonprofit, private, and independent colleges and universities in the
state, to the California Student Aid Commission for grants to
students at those institutions, in the proportion that funds are
collected on behalf of each institution, who demonstrate eligibility
and need in accordance with the Cal Grant Program pursuant to Chapter
1.7 (commencing with Section 69430) of Part 42 of the Education
Code, but who did not receive an award based on a listing prepared by
the California Student Aid Commission.
(g) The scholarships and grants shall be awarded without regard to
race, religion, creed, sex, or age.
(h) The Resources License Plate Fund is hereby abolished and all
remaining funds shall be transferred to the California Environmental
License Plate Fund effective July 1, 2014.