KRS § 186.041 — KY Code / Title XVI / Chapter 186 / Section 186.041
186.041 Special military-related license plates
Status: in_force

186.041 Special military-related license plates.

(1) Each initial and renewal application by a person who meets the criteria of paragraph

(a) of this section and each initial application by a person who meets the criteria of

paragraph (b), (c), or (d) of this section for a special military license plate shall be

accompanied by proof as set forth in subsection (10) of this section that the person

is associated with the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air

Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Space Force, United States Coast

Guard, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Kentucky National Guard, Merchant

Marines with service between December 7, 1941, and August 15, 1945, or Civil Air

Patrol in one (1) of the following ways:

(a) A member of the Armed Forces of the United States;

(b) A retired member;

(c) A member of the National Guard or Reserve component who has completed

his or her term of service, or has retired with a minimum of twenty (20) years

of service; or

(d) A veteran who received a discharge under honorable conditions, or the

veteran's surviving spouse, and:

1. Performed one hundred eighty (180) days of active-duty service;

2. Received an early release due to injuries or other medical condition, or

at the convenience of the service;

3. Received a hardship discharge;

4. Was separated or retired due to a disability; or

5. Was determined to have a service-connected disability incurred during

the enlistment.

(2) The member, retired member, veteran, reservist, or his or her spouse who is eligible

under subsection (9) of this section may purchase an unlimited number of special

military-related license plates described in subsection (1) of this section, annually

for vehicles they own or lease. A disabled veterans license plate shall expire on July

31.

(3) A recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross

shall be eligible for a Service Cross license plate upon submission of an application

to the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs. The recipient shall be required to

include with the initial application for a Service Cross license plate a copy of the

general order that authorized the award and the recipient's Department of Defense

form number 214. The Department of Veterans' Affairs shall verify the

documentation submitted with the application for a Service Cross license plate, and

if the individual applying for the plate is confirmed to be a recipient of the

Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross, the Department of

Veterans' Affairs shall submit the applicant's name to the Transportation Cabinet's

Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing not later than September 1 preceding the year

that the Service Cross license plate is to be initially issued or renewed. When the

Service Cross license plate is ready, the plate shall be sent to the county clerk in the

county of the applicant's residence. The Transportation Cabinet's Division of Motor

Vehicle Licensing shall inform each applicant in writing that the Service Cross

license plate is ready and may be picked up at the county clerk's office. The

Transportation Cabinet shall prescribe the type of application form required by this

subsection and shall supply the Department of Veterans' Affairs with the

application form required by this subsection.

(4) A person who is a former prisoner of the enemy during World War I, World War II,

the Korean War, or the Vietnam War, or the spouse of a deceased former prisoner

of war, shall be eligible for a former prisoner of war license plate by submitting

written proof from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or other

appropriate federal agency stating the period of time the person or person's spouse

was a prisoner of war. If a former prisoner of war dies with a vehicle licensed as

authorized under this section, the person's surviving spouse may retain the license

plate for use on the same vehicle or on another vehicle that complies with KRS

186.164(7).

(5) A person who is certified by the Kentucky chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors

Association as being a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor shall be eligible for a

Pearl Harbor license plate and shall be required to attach to the special military-

related license plate application written evidence from the Kentucky chapter of the

Pearl Harbor Survivors Association that the person:

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

(b) 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 to exceed three (3) miles;

(c) Was discharged honorably from the United States Armed Forces; and

(d) Is certified by the Kentucky chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors

Association.

(6) A person who is eligible to receive a Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Fathers, or Gold

Star Spouses license plate under KRS 186.164(15)(a) may receive up to two (2)

Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Fathers, or Gold Star Spouses license plates free of

charge and may purchase additional license plates by paying the same fee as for

special military-related plates issued under KRS 186.162(2)(d) annually for

vehicles he or she owns or leases.

(7) The surviving spouse of a Purple Heart recipient, or a Kentucky National Guard

member or a retired member, who possessed a vehicle licensed with the Purple

Heart recipient special license plate or the Kentucky National Guard special license

plate, may retain the license plate for use on the same vehicle or another vehicle

that complies with KRS 186.164(7). The surviving spouse may renew the license

plate indefinitely, provided the appropriate registration fee is paid annually.

(8) A person who is attending or who is a graduate of the United States Air Force

Academy, the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy,

the United States Coast Guard Academy, or the United States Merchant Marine

Academy shall be eligible for a special military service academy license plate. A

special military service academy license plate under this subsection shall use the

same plate template as the standard special military license plate under subsection

(1) of this section, with stickers to identify the various service academies. The

Transportation Cabinet shall promulgate administrative regulations pursuant to

KRS Chapter 13A to establish the proof required to demonstrate current attendance

at or graduation from a service academy. An eligible applicant may receive up to

two (2) special military service academy license plates.

(9) (a) The legally married spouse of a member of the Armed Forces of the United

States who meets the criteria for a special military license plate under

subsection (1) of this section shall be eligible for a special military license

plate. A special military license plate under this subsection shall use the same

template as the standard special military license plate under subsection (1) of

this section, with a sticker identifying the plate as that of a military spouse.

(b) An applicant who is eligible for a special military license plate under this

subsection shall present as proof of eligibility an original or copy of his or her

marriage certificate establishing marriage to the member of the Armed Forces

of the United States and an original or copy of one (1) of the following:

1. His or her unexpired DD-1173 form; or

2. Any identification document outlined in subsection (10) of this section

issued to his or her spouse.

(10) Prior to receiving a special military-related plate requested under subsection (1) of

this section, the applicant shall present as proof of eligibility, an original or copy of

his or her:

(a) Unexpired Veteran Identification Card or Veteran Health Identification Card

issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs;

(b) DD-2, DD-214, DD-256, DD-257, or NGB-22 form; or

(c) Unexpired Geneva Conventions Identification Card issued by the United

States Department of Defense.