(C) Personalized plates not approved. A personalized
license plate number will not be approved by the executive director
if the alpha-numeric pattern:
(i) conflicts with the department's current or proposed
regular license plate numbering system;
(ii) would violate §217.27 of this title (relating
to Vehicle Registration Insignia), as determined by the executive
director; or
(iii) is currently issued to another owner.
(D) Classifications of vehicles eligible for personalized
plates. Unless otherwise listed in subparagraph (E) of this paragraph,
personalized plates are available for all classifications of vehicles.
(E) Categories of plates for which personalized plates
are not available. Personalized license plate numbers are not available
for display on the following specialty license plates:
(i) Amateur Radio (other than the official call letters
of the vehicle owner);
(ii) Antique Motorcycle;
(iii) Antique Vehicle (includes Antique Auto, Antique
Truck, and Antique Bus);
(iv) Apportioned;
(v) Cotton Vehicle;
(vi) Disaster Relief;
(vii) Farm Trailer (except Go Texan II);
(viii) Farm Truck (except Go Texan II);
(ix) Farm Truck Tractor (except Go Texan II);
(x) Fertilizer;
(xi) Forestry Vehicle;
(xii) Log Loader;
(xiii) Machinery;
(xiv) Permit;
(xv) Rental Trailer;
(xvi) Soil Conservation;
(xvii) Texas Guard;
(xviii) Golf Cart;
(xix) Package Delivery Vehicle; and
(xx) Off-highway Vehicle.
(F) Fee. Unless specified by statute, a personalized
license plate fee of $40 will be charged in addition to any prescribed
specialty license plate fee.
(G) Priority. Once a personalized license plate number
has been assigned to an applicant, the owner shall have priority to
that number for succeeding years if a timely renewal application is
submitted to the county tax assessor-collector each year in accordance
with subsection (d) of this section.
(d) Specialty license plate renewal.
(1) Renewal deadline. If a personalized license plate
is not renewed within 60 days after its expiration date, a subsequent
renewal application will be treated as an application for new personalized
license plates.
(2) Length of validation. Except as provided by Transportation
Code, §§504.401, 504.4061, or 504.502, all specialty license
plates, symbols, tabs, or other devices shall be valid for 12 months
from the month of issuance or for a prorated period of at least 12
months coinciding with the expiration of registration.
(3) Renewal.
(A) Renewal notice. Approximately 60 days before the
expiration date of a specialty license plate, symbol, tab, or other
device, the department will send each owner a renewal notice that
includes the amount of the specialty plate fee and the registration
fee.
(B) Return of notice. The owner must return the fee
and any prescribed documentation to the tax assessor-collector of
the county in which the owner resides or a county tax assessor-collector
who is willing to accept the application, except that the owner of
a vehicle with one of the following license plates must return the
documentation, and specialty license plate fee, if applicable, directly
to the department and submit the registration fee to a county tax
assessor-collector:
(i) County Judge;
(ii) Federal Administrative Law Judge;
(iii) State Judge;
(iv) State Official;
(v) U.S. Congress--House;
(vi) U.S. Congress--Senate; and
(vii) U.S. Judge.
(C) Expired plate numbers. The department will retain
a specialty license plate number for 60 days after the expiration
date of the plates if the plates are not renewed on or before their
expiration date. After 60 days the number may be reissued to a new
applicant. All specialty license plate renewals received after the
expiration of the 60 days will be treated as new applications.
(D) Issuance of validation insignia. On receipt of
a completed license plate renewal application and prescribed documentation,
the department will issue registration validation insignia as specified
in §217.27 unless this section or other law requires the issuance
of new license plates to the owner.
(E) Lost or destroyed renewal notices. If a renewal
notice is lost, destroyed, or not received by the vehicle owner, the
specialty license plates, symbol, tab, or other device may be renewed
if the owner provides acceptable personal identification along with
the appropriate fees and documentation to the tax assessor-collector
of the county in which the owner resides or a county tax assessor-collector
who is willing to accept the application. Failure to receive the notice
does not relieve the owner of the responsibility to renew the vehicle's
registration.
(e) Transfer of specialty license plates.
(1) Transfer between vehicles.
(A) Transferable between vehicles. The owner of a vehicle
with specialty license plates, symbols, tabs, or other devices may
transfer the specialty plates between vehicles by filing an application
through the county tax assessor-collector in which the owner resides
or a county tax assessor-collector who is willing to accept the application,
if the vehicle to which the plates are transferred:
(i) is titled or leased in the owner's name; and
(ii) meets the vehicle classification requirements
for that particular specialty license plate, symbol, tab, or other
device.
(B) Non-transferable between vehicles. The following
specialty license plates, symbols, tabs, or other devices are non-transferable
between vehicles:
(i) Antique Vehicle license plates (includes Antique
Auto, Antique Truck, and Antique Bus), Antique Motorcycle license
plates, and Antique tabs;
(ii) Classic Auto, Classic Truck, Classic Motorcycle,
Classic Travel Trailer, Street Rod, and Custom Vehicle license plates;
(iii) Forestry Vehicle license plates;
(iv) Log Loader license plates;
(v) Golf Cart license plates;
(vi) Package Delivery Vehicle license plates; and
(vii) Off-highway Vehicle license plates.
(C) New specialty license plates. If the department
creates a new specialty license plate under Transportation Code, §504.801,
the department will specify at the time of creation whether the license
plate may be transferred between vehicles.
(2) Transfer between owners.
(A) Non-transferable between owners. Specialty license
plates, symbols, tabs, or other devices issued under Transportation
Code, Chapter 504, Subchapters C, E, and F are not transferable from
one person to another except as specifically permitted by statute.
(B) New specialty license plates. If the department
creates a new specialty license plate under Transportation Code, §504.801,
the department will specify at the time of creation whether the license
plate may be transferred between owners.
(3) Simultaneous transfer between owners and vehicles.
Specialty license plates, symbols, tabs, or other devices are transferable
between owners and vehicles simultaneously only if the owners and
vehicles meet all the requirements in both paragraphs (1) and (2)
of this subsection.
(f) Replacement.
(1) Application. When specialty license plates, symbols,
tabs, or other devices are lost, stolen, or mutilated, the owner shall
apply directly to a county tax assessor-collector for the issuance
of replacements.
(2) Temporary registration insignia. If the specialty
license plate, symbol, tab, or other device is lost, destroyed, or
mutilated to such an extent that it is unusable, and if issuance of
a replacement license plate would require that it be remanufactured,
the owner must pay the statutory replacement fee, and the department
will issue a temporary tag for interim use. The owner's new specialty
license plate number will be shown on the temporary tag unless it
is a personalized license plate, in which case the same personalized
license plate number will be shown.
(3) Stolen specialty license plates.
Cont'd... |