Bill 4276

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               4276
Ratification Number:       737
Act Number                 597
Introducing Body:          House
Subject:                   Issuance of motor vehicle license
                           plates

(A597, R737, H4276)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-1230, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO SPECIFICATIONS OF LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT NEW PLATES MAY BE PROVIDED AT TIMES DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BUT AT LEAST EVERY SIX YEARS AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT MAY REVALIDATE ALL LICENSE PLATES EXCEPT VEHICLES EXCEEDING TWENTY-SIX THOUSAND POUNDS BY STICKER OR OTHER SUITABLE MEANS UPON PAYMENT OF THE SAME FEE PRESCRIBED FOR THE INITIAL ISSUANCE; TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-1960 RELATING TO PARKING BY HANDICAPPED PERSONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR ISSUANCE OF A DISTINGUISHING LICENSE PLATE BY AUTHORITY OF THE SECTION; AND TO AMEND THE 1976 CODE BY ADDING ARTICLE 55 TO CHAPTER 3 OF TITLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR SPECIAL PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS' LICENSE PLATES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Issuance of motor vehicle license plates

SECTION 1. Section 56-3-1230 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-3-1230. License plates must be at least six inches wide and not less than twelve inches in length and must show in bold characters the year of registration, serial number, and either the full name or the abbreviation of the name of the State and other distinctive markings as the department may consider advisable to indicate the class of the weight of the vehicle for which the license plate was issued. The plate must be of a strength and quality to provide a minimum service period of five years. A new license plate including personalized and special plates must be provided by the department at intervals the department considers appropriate but at least every six years. License plates issued for vehicles in excess of twenty-six thousand pounds must be issued annually and no revalidation sticker may be issued for the plates.

The face of the license plate must be treated completely with a retroreflective material which increases the nighttime visibility and legibility of the plate. The department shall prepare the specifications for the retroreflective material.

In those years in which a metal plate is not issued, a revalidation sticker with a distinctive serial number or other suitable means prescribed by the department must be issued and affixed in the space provided on the license plate assigned to the vehicle upon payment of the fee prescribed for registration and licensing, including fees for personalized or special license plates."

Parking by handicapped persons

SECTION 2. Section 56-3-1960(1) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(1) Any person who is handicapped as defined in this article must be allowed to park in metered or timed parking places without being subject to parking fees or fines. This section has no application to those areas or during those times in which the stopping, parking, or standing of all vehicles is prohibited or which are reserved for special types of vehicles. As a condition to this privilege, a vehicle must display a distinguishing license plate which must be issued by the department, pursuant to this section or Section 56-3-1110, for vehicles registered to the disabled person. The license plate must be issued for the usual fee applicable to standard license plates, except that a person who qualifies for a license plate under this section and also qualifies as a disabled veteran under Section 56-3-1110 must be issued the license plate provided for in this section free of charge. Application must be made on a form prescribed by the department and applicants may apply by mail. Each application must be accompanied by a licensed physician's certificate that the applicant is handicapped as defined in this article and that the handicap is permanent. No applicant may be denied a license plate if the completed application is accompanied by a licensed physician's certificate as required by this subsection."

Pearl Harbor survivors' license plates

SECTION 3. Chapter 3, Title 56 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

Section 56-3-5910. An owner of a motor vehicle who is a resident of this State may apply for a motor vehicle license plate under this article if he:

(1) was a member of the United States Armed Forces on December 7, 1941;

(2) was on station on December 7, 1941, during the hours of 7:55 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., Hawaii time at Pearl Harbor, the Island of Oahu, or offshore at a distance not exceeding three miles; and

(3) received an honorable discharge from the United States Armed Forces.

Section 56-3-5920. The Department of Highways and Public Transportation shall design a Pearl Harbor survivor license plate for motor vehicles. The license plates issued pursuant to this article must be numbered consecutively and contain the words `Pearl Harbor Survivor'.

Section 56-3-5930. (A) An applicant must be issued a Pearl Harbor survivor license plate for his private motor vehicle, used for personal conveyance and not for commercial purposes, upon submitting proof of eligibility and complying with the state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles and payment of the regular license fee for license plates as prescribed by law plus, for the initial issuance, an additional fee of fifteen dollars.

(B) All applications for Pearl Harbor survivor license plates must be verified by the South Carolina State Chairman of Pearl Harbor Survivors.

Section 56-3-5940. In those years in which a metal plate is not issued for a license plate authorized by this article a revalidation sticker with a distinctive serial number or other suitable means prescribed by the department must be issued and affixed in the space provided on the license plate assigned to the vehicle upon payment of the fee prescribed for registration and licensing.

Section 56-3-5950. Only one license plate may be issued to an applicant and the license plate is nontransferable."

Time effective

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Approved the 25th day of June, 1990.