reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-890. Refunds when application is refused or rejected; refund of fees collected in error.

Whenever any application made to the Department of Motor Vehicles is accompanied by any fee as required by law and such application is refused or rejected, the fee shall be returned to the applicant. Whenever the Department, through error, collects any fee not required to be paid under this chapter or any amount over and above the required correct fee, such fee or amount shall be refunded to the person paying it upon the initiative of the Department or upon application therefor made within six months after the date of such payment or overpayment.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-50; 1952 Code Section 46-50; 1950 (46) 2203.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-900. Procedures for refund when vehicle is not used or is destroyed.

(A) When a vehicle is registered and licensed under this chapter and the required fee is paid but it has not been operated in this State or elsewhere as a vehicle registered and licensed under the laws of this State since the beginning of the registration and license period for which the registration and license fee was paid and a claim is filed with the Department of Motor Vehicles for a refund within ninety days after the date of the registration and license and the claim is supported by evidence of nonoperation satisfactory to the department and is accompanied by the return of the registration card and license plates, or satisfactory proof that the card or plates have been lost, the department may make refund to the original payer of the full amount of the biennial registration and license fee.
(B) When a vehicle is registered and licensed under this chapter and the required fee is paid and the vehicle is junked or totally destroyed during the registration and license period for which the fee was paid and a claim is filed with the department for refund within ninety days after the date the vehicle was junked or destroyed and the claim is supported by evidence satisfactory to the department and is accompanied by the return of the registration card and license plates or sufficient proof that the card or plates have been lost, the department may refund the proportionate part of the license and registration fee paid, based on one twelfth of the fee paid for every full calendar month remaining if the vehicle received an annual registration, one twenty-fourth of the fee paid for every full calendar month remaining if the vehicle received a biennial registration, and one-sixth of the fee paid for every full calendar month remaining if the vehicle received a six-month registration in the registration and license period. However, no refund of less than ten dollars may be made under this section.
(C) When a vehicle is sold and is licensed and registered with a South Carolina apportioned license plate and the required fee has been paid, the registrant may apply for a refund of the South Carolina apportioned fee based on the full months remaining in the license period within ninety days of the date of sale. Notification of the sale must be provided to the department along with the license plate and registration card. No refund may be made for less than ten dollars.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-51; 1952 Code Section 46-51; 1949 (46) 342; 1951 (47) 527; 1955 (49) 142; 1990 Act No. 543, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22T.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-905. Motor vehicle registration refund.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 56-3-900, when the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle or vehicle including, but not limited to, trailers and semitrailers, licensed and registered for a biennium pursuant to Section 56-3-253 surrenders the license plate and registration to the Department of Motor Vehicles in the first twelve months of the licensing period, the department shall refund to the owner or lessee an amount equal to one-half the registration fee paid on the vehicle. If the owner or lessee is simultaneously registering another vehicle, the refund amount, at the owner's or lessee's option, may be applied against the registration fee due.
HISTORY: 1994 Act No. 417, Section 2.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-910. Placement of fees and penalties in state highway account of South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank; exceptions; reports.

All fees and penalties collected by the department under the provisions of this chapter must be placed in the state highway account of the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank except for those fees and penalties which must be credited to a different account as otherwise provided for by law.
Not later than September first of each year, the department must provide the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank a report for the previous fiscal year that lists the total amount of fees and penalties it collected pursuant to Sections 56-3-660 and 56-3-670 by vehicle classification and weight.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-52; 1952 Code Section 46-52; 1949 (46) 342; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1366; 1997 Act No. 148, Section 4; 2000 Act No. 387, Part II, Section 98A; 2005 Act No. 57, Section 1, eff May 17, 2005; 2005 Act No. 176, Section 12, eff June 14, 2005; 2009 Act No. 18, Section 1, eff May 19, 2009.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-920. Fees additional to public service fees.

The registration and license fees imposed by this article shall be in addition to any fees required by law to be paid to the Public Service Commission, and nothing in this chapter shall affect or impair the provisions of Chapter 23 of Title 58.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-53; 1952 Code Section 46-53; 1949 (46) 342.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1010. Definitions.

As used in this article:
(1) "Fleet" means fifty or more marked private passenger motor vehicles or property carrying vehicles with empty weight of not more than twenty-two thousand pounds and a gross vehicle weight of not more than twenty-six thousand pounds, owned or long-term leased by a corporation or other legal entity, and registered in this State pursuant to this article.
(2) "Marked vehicle" means a vehicle with a name, trademark, or logo located either on the sides or the rear of the vehicle in sharp contrast to the background and of a size, shape, and color that is legible during daylight hours from a distance of fifty feet.
HISTORY: 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 90; 1994 Act No. 322, Section 1; 1996 Act No. 459, Sections 141, 246A; 2004 Act No. 196, Section 1.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1020. Corporation or other entity may register vehicles as fleet on annual basis; special license plates and registration cards; application and fee.

A corporation or other legal entity may register its fleet on an annual basis so that the registration of all vehicles in the fleet expires in the same month instead of staggered vehicle registration. The month of expiration must be approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The department may issue special license plates and registration cards for fleet motor vehicles upon application in a manner determined by the department. The application must be approved if it contains the information necessary for qualification as a fleet motor vehicle, provides a list of all vehicles to be included in the fleet, and includes payment of a filing fee of one hundred dollars. The filing fee is in addition to the registration fees required by this chapter. The department may authorize select fleet operators to issue special license plates and registration cards for their own fleet vehicles.
HISTORY: 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 90; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 142.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1030. Fleet registration card to be carried and made available to law enforcement officers; license plate to be displayed.

Upon approval of the application for fleet registration, the director shall issue a fleet registration card and license plate for each of the qualified vehicles in the fleet. The fleet registration card must be carried in the vehicle at all times and made available to a law enforcement officer on demand. The license plate must be displayed in the manner prescribed by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
HISTORY: 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 90.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1040. Fees for private passenger motor vehicles and property-carrying vehicles; vehicle added to fleet during registration year.

The fee for private passenger motor vehicles registered as part of a fleet under the provisions of this article is the same fee imposed by Section 56-3-620. The fee for property-carrying vehicles registered as part of a fleet under the provisions of this article is the same fee imposed by Section 56-3-660. A vehicle added to the fleet during the registration year must be registered in accordance with the provisions of this article. The fee for licensing and registration may be prorated as prescribed by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
HISTORY: 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 90; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 143.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1050. Renewal of fleet registration; deletion of vehicle from fleet.

Upon renewal of the fleet registration, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall require payment of full licensing fees for every vehicle registered in this preceding year unless the vehicle has been properly deleted from the fleet.
To delete a vehicle from the fleet, the fleet registration card and the fleet license plate must be surrendered to the department. If the card or license plate is lost or stolen, the person registering the fleet shall submit a sworn statement giving the circumstances for the inability to surrender the card or license plate.
HISTORY: 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 90.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1110 to 56-3-1130. Repealed.

HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1110, titled Special license plate for wartime disabled veteran, had the following history: 1962 Code Section 46-61; 1952 Code Section 46-61; 1950 (46) 2359; 1951 (47) 224; 1958 (50) 1664; 1959 (51) 50; 1968 (55) 2855; 1976 Act No. 562; 1979 Act No. 72; 1992 Act No. 485, Section 4; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 144; 2006 Act No. 398, Section 18, eff September 7, 2006. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1120, titled Disabled veteran special license plates authorized, had the following history: 1962 Code Section 46-62; 1952 Code Section 46-62; 1950 (46) 2359; 2001 Act No. 104, Section 5. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1130, titled Penalties, had the following history: 1962 Code Section 46-64; 1952 Code Section 46-64; 1950 (46) 2359. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1150. Repealed.

HISTORY: Former Section, titled Free vehicular registration for former prisoners of war, had the following history: 1978 Act No. 446 Section 1; 1979 Act No. 163 Section 1; 1981 Act No. 176; 1987 Act No. 129 Section 1; 1992 Act No. 485, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1367; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 145. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1210. License plates furnished by Department.

Beginning with the licensing year 1975-1976, the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon registering and licensing a vehicle, shall issue to the owner one license plate. Every license plate shall remain the property of the State but shall be displayed on the vehicle as required by this chapter.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-71; 1952 Code Section 46-71; 1949 (46) 342; 1974 (58) 2262.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1230. Specifications of license plates; periodic issuance of new plates; treatment with reflective material; issuance of revalidation stickers.

(A) 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, the serial number, the full name or the abbreviation of the name of the state, and other distinctive markings 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 of five years. A new license plate including personalized and special plates, but excluding license plates provided in Sections 56-3-660 and 56-3-670, must be provided by the department at intervals the department considers appropriate, but at least every ten years. A new license plate for vehicles contained in Sections 56-3-660 and 56-3-670, must be provided by the department at intervals the department considers appropriate. Beginning with the vehicle registration and license fees required by this title which are collected after July 1, 2002, except for the fees collected pursuant to Sections 56-3-660 and 56-3-670, two dollars of each biennial fee and one dollar of each annual fee collected from the vehicle owner must be placed by the Comptroller General in a special restricted account to be used solely by the Department of Motor Vehicles for the costs associated with the production and issuance of new license plates. The department is not authorized to use this set aside money for any other purpose. License plates issued for vehicles in excess of twenty-six thousand pounds must be issued biennially, and no revalidation sticker may be issued for the plates. License plates issued as permanent may be revalidated and replaced at intervals determined by the department.
(B) 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.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-72; 1952 Code Section 46-72; 1949 (46) 342; 1966 (54) 2257; 1974 (58) 2262; 1978 Act No. 421 Section 2; 1978 Act No. 567 Section 1; 1990 Act No. 591, Section 1; 1990 Act No. 597, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22U; 1994 Act No. 497, Section 60; 2001 Act No. 55, Section 2; 2005 Act No. 57, Section 2, eff May 17, 2005; 2016 Act No. 158 (H.3911), Section 1, eff April 21, 2016.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1240. Display of license plates; motorcycles equipped with vertically mounted brackets; missing plates.

License plates issued for motor vehicles must be attached to the outside rear of the vehicle, open to view. However, on truck tractors and road tractors the plates must be attached to the outside front of the vehicle provided that single unit commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of twenty-six thousand pounds may have the license plate on either the outside front or rear of the vehicle. Every license plate, at all times, must be fastened securely in a horizontal and upright position to the vehicle for which it was issued so as to prevent the plate from swinging. However, if a motorcycle is equipped with vertically mounted license plate brackets, its license plate must be mounted vertically with its top fastened along the right vertical edge. The bottom of the plate must be at a height of not less than twelve inches from the ground in a place and position clearly visible as provided in Section 56-5-4530, and it must be maintained free from foreign materials and in a clearly legible condition. No other license plate, lighting equipment, except as permitted in Section 56-5-4530, tag, sign, monogram, tinted cover, or inscription of metal or other material may be displayed above, or upon the plate other than that which is authorized and issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles for the purpose of validating the plate. It is not unlawful to place a decal or a frame on the license plate if it does not obscure any letters or numbers. A motor vehicle owner may attach a trailer hitch to a motor vehicle provided the hitch does not obscure more than two inches of the license plate issued to the motor vehicle. It is unlawful to operate or drive a motor vehicle with the license plate missing and a person who is convicted for violating this section must be punished as provided by Section 56-3-2520.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-73; 1952 Code Section 46-73; 1949 (46) 342; 1957 (50) 146; 1974 (58) 2262; 1991 Act No. 46, Section 1; 2007 Act No. 90, Section 2, eff June 14, 2007; 2008 Act No. 347, Section 1, eff June 16, 2008; 2012 Act No. 272, Section 16, eff December 26, 2012.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1250. Registration cards; contents, possession, and display.

The department, upon registering and licensing a vehicle, shall issue to the owner of the vehicle a registration card containing upon the face of the card the date issued, the name and address of the owner, including the county in which the owner resides, the registration and license number assigned to the vehicle, and that other description of the vehicle as may be determined by the department. The registration card must be delivered to the owner. Every registration card must at all times be carried by the person driving or in control of the vehicle, who shall display it upon demand of a police officer or any other person authorized by law to examine registration cards.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-74; 1952 Code Section 46-74; 1949 (46) 342; 1968 (55) 2631; 1992 Act No. 278, Section 1; 2005 Act No. 29, Section 1, eff March 22, 2005.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1260. Procedures upon transfer of ownership of vehicle; notice to department and disposition of plates.

Whenever the owner of a registered and licensed vehicle transfers his ownership therein, he shall immediately notify the Department of Motor Vehicles in writing, giving the name and address of the new owner and the date of transfer. The license plate issued for the vehicle shall remain with the prior owner who, within thirty days of the transfer, either shall apply for the transfer of the plate pursuant to Section 56-3-1290 or shall return the plate to the Department; in either event the registration card shall be concurrently returned to the Department. If the vehicle is registered and licensed in the name of the State, any department, agency, or political subdivision of the State, or any department or agency of such a subdivision and a reduced registration and license fee has been paid, the owner shall return the registration card and the plate issued for the vehicle to the Department for cancellation, unless the transfer is made to another like agency qualified to obtain a registration and license of the vehicle at the reduced rate.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-75; 1952 Code Section 46-75; 1949 (46) 342; 1959 (51) 391; 1984 Act No. 371, Section 3; 1985 Act No. 40, Section 5.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1265. Display of special license plates for particular groups.

The Department of Motor Vehicles must display in all Department of Motor Vehicle offices where motor vehicle license plates or stickers may be obtained or renewed examples of all types of special license plates which individuals of a particular group may obtain. The provisions of this section do not apply to special personalized motor vehicle license plates which individuals may obtain from the department under Section 56-3-2010.
HISTORY: 2001 Act No. 55, Section 1.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1270. Procedures upon transfer of ownership of vehicle; application for transfer and issuance of new card; fee.

Whenever any person other than a duly licensed motor vehicle dealer receives by purchase, gift, trade, or otherwise a vehicle which was registered and licensed in this State for the then current registration and license year, the person so receiving such vehicle shall within thirty days after the transfer of ownership make application to the Department of Motor Vehicles for registration and a license plate for such vehicle. The Department, upon being satisfied as to the genuineness and regularity of the application and with proof of the ad valorem tax being paid as required in Section 12-37-2610, shall issue a new registration card and license plate to the new owner.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-76; 1952 Code Section 46-76; 1949 (46) 342; 1976 Act No. 738 Section 7; 1984 Act No. 371, Section 4; 1985 Act No. 40, Section 6.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1280. Transfer of registered and licensed vehicle to licensed dealer.

Whenever a duly licensed motor vehicle dealer receives by purchase, gift, trade, or otherwise a vehicle which was registered and licensed in this State for the then current registration and license year, the dealer shall not be required to obtain a new registration and license plate, but it shall be optional.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-77; 1952 Code Section 46-77; 1949 (46) 342; 1984 Act No. 371, Section 5.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1290. Transfer of plates to another vehicle of same owner.

The Department of Motor Vehicles, upon application and the payment of a fee of ten dollars, shall transfer the license plate assigned for one vehicle to another vehicle of the same general type owned or leased by the same person without a paid tax receipt for the vehicle. However, subsequent transfers of a license plate to the same vehicle may not be processed without a paid tax receipt based upon the value of the vehicle to which the plate is being transferred. Three dollars of the fees paid pursuant to this section must be deposited in the state general fund, and the remaining seven dollars must be placed by the Comptroller General into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-77.1; 1959 (51) 391; 1976 Act No. 738 Section 8; 1984 Act No. 371; 1994 Act No. 497, Part II, Section 106A; 2008 Act No. 353, Section 2, Pt 13B, eff July 1, 2009; 2016 Act No. 275 (S.1258), Section 30, eff July 1, 2016.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1300. Change in name or address of owner; notice to department.

Whenever any person after making application for or obtaining the registration and licensing of a vehicle shall move from the address named in the application or shown upon the registration card, such person shall within thirty days thereafter notify the Department of Motor Vehicles in writing of his old address and new address and obtain from the Department a corrected registration card. Whenever the name of any person who has made application for or obtained the registration and licensing of a vehicle is thereafter changed by marriage or otherwise, such person shall within thirty days thereafter notify the Department of such former and new names and obtain from the Department a corrected registration card.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-78; 1952 Code Section 46-78; 1949 (46) 342; 1955 (49) 242.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1310. Procedures for replacement of lost or damaged registration cards or license plates.

In the event any registration card or license plate is lost, mutilated or becomes illegible, the owner or legal representative or successor in the interest of the owner of the vehicle for which it was issued, as shown by the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles, shall immediately make application for and obtain a duplicate or substitute or a new registration and license under a new number, as determined to be most advisable by the Department, upon the applicant furnishing information satisfactory to the Department and the payment of any fee required under the provisions of Section 56-3-1320.
If a license plate is lost an application shall be made within ten days to the Department for replacement along with the required fee on forms prescribed by the Department. If a license plate is disfigured, mutilated or defaced to an extent to make it difficult to read, it shall be returned to the Department within ten days with an application for replacement and the required fee. The Department shall issue the replacement plate along with the current revalidation sticker.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-79; 1952 Code Section 46-79; 1949 (46) 342; 1978 Act No. 421 Section 3.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1320. Fees for replacement plates and cards.

The Department of Motor Vehicles shall charge a fee of six dollars for every license plate or revalidation sticker issued as a replacement. If a special personalized plate is replaced by a new special personalized plate, the department shall charge a fee in the same amount as the original fee. The department may not charge a fee for a registration card issued as a replacement for a registered and licensed vehicle, but a fee of one dollar must be charged for every duplicate registration card issued by the department.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-80; 1952 Code Section 46-80; 1949 (46) 342; 1978 Act No. 421 Section 4; 1986 Act No. 445; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 146.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1330. Suspension, cancellation, or revocation of cards, and plates.

The Department of Motor Vehicles may suspend, cancel, or revoke the registration and license of a vehicle, or the registration card, license plate, revalidation sticker, or other document issued by the department as authorized under this chapter in any of the following events when the:
(1) department determines to its satisfaction that such registration and license, registration card, license plate, revalidation sticker, or other document was fraudulently or erroneously issued;
(2) department determines to its satisfaction that a registered and licensed vehicle is mechanically unsafe or unfit to be operated or moved upon a highway;
(3) vehicle registered and licensed has been dismantled or wrecked;
(4) department determines that the required fee has not been paid and is not paid upon reasonable notice and demand;
(5) registration card, license plate, revalidation sticker, or other document is knowingly displayed upon a vehicle other than the one for which it was issued;
(6) department determines to its satisfaction that the owner has committed any offense under this chapter involving such registration card, license plate, revalidation sticker, or other document;
(7) department is so authorized under any other provisions of law.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-81; 1952 Code Section 46-81; 1949 (46) 342; 1978 Act No. 421 Section 5; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1369; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 147.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1335. Suspension of vehicle's registration for failure to pay toll; reinstatement fee.

The Department of Motor Vehicles shall suspend a motor vehicle's current registration and shall not register or reregister a motor vehicle that was operated when its driver failed to pay a toll and whose owner has an outstanding judgment for failure to pay a toll pursuant to Section 57-5-1495(E) entered against him. The suspension or denial of registration or reregistration shall remain in effect until the judgment is satisfied, evidence of the satisfaction has been provided to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and a reinstatement fee of fifty dollars has been paid. The reinstatement fee collected must be placed by the Comptroller General into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167.
HISTORY: 2006 Act No. 267, Section 1, eff nine months after approval (approved May 2, 2006); 2016 Act No. 275 (S.1258), Section 31, eff July 1, 2016.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1340. Suspension of driver's license does not automatically suspend registration or license plates.

The suspension of a license issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles to any person to operate a motor vehicle on the highways of the State shall not serve to automatically suspend the registration or license plates.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-81.1; 1963 (53) 501; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1370.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1350. Return of suspended, cancelled, or revoked cards, and plates.

Whenever the Department of Motor Vehicles, as authorized under this chapter, cancels, suspends, or revokes the registration and license of a vehicle or the registration card, license plate, revalidation sticker, or other document issued by it pursuant to this chapter, the owner or person in possession of the document shall immediately return it to the department. The department in all cases shall furnish the person returning the document with a receipt indicating the date of surrender.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-82; 1952 Code Section 46-82; 1949 (46) 342; 1978 Act No. 421 Section 6; 1989 Act No. 148, Section 37.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1360. Use of license plate on vehicle other than vehicle for which plate was issued.

No person shall drive or operate any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer or pole trailer on a highway displaying thereon a vehicle license plate which was issued for any other vehicle, and no person shall give, sell, lend, steal or borrow any vehicle license plate issued for a particular vehicle for the purpose of using such license plate on any other vehicle.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-83; 1952 Code Section 46-83; 1949 (46) 342.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1370. Defacement of license plates; seizure of misused, altered, or defaced plates.

No person shall, with intent to defraud, deface or cause to be defaced in any manner any vehicle license plate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Any duly authorized agent of the Department may take up, repossess or recover any license plate if it is being improperly used or if it has been altered or defaced, and the Department may revoke the registration and license of the vehicle involved.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-84; 1952 Code Section 46-84; 1949 (46) 342; 1957 (50) 595.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1380. Return of registration card and license plates for wrecked or dismantled vehicle.

An owner who dismantles or wrecks a vehicle registered and licensed pursuant to this chapter shall forward to the Department of Motor Vehicles the registration card, license plate, and revalidation sticker last issued for the vehicle. A person or entity who disposes of a vehicle to a demolisher or secondary metals recycler shall provide the vehicle's title certificate to the demolisher or secondary metals recycler so that the demolisher or secondary metals recycler can surrender the title certificate to the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to Sections 56-5-5670 and 56-5-5945.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-85; 1952 Code Section 46-85; 1949 (46) 342; 1978 Act No. 421 Section 7; 2012 Act No. 242, Section 5, eff December 15, 2012.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1410. Fraudulent alteration or forgery of documents; use of altered or forged documents.

It is a misdemeanor, punishable as prescribed in this chapter, for any person (a) to alter, with fraudulent intent, any document issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles as authorized under this chapter except a registration card or license plate, (b) to forge or counterfeit any such document issued or purported to have been issued by the Department or (c) to hold or use any such document, knowing it to have been altered, falsified or forged.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-86; 1952 Code Section 46-86; 1949 (46) 342; 1957 (50) 595.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1450. Year of manufacture license plates.

(A) An owner of a motor vehicle that is thirty years old or older, may apply to the department to use a license plate issued by this State in the year corresponding to the model year of the vehicle, if the license plate is legible and serviceable, as determined by the department. If the department determines that the plate is legible and serviceable, the applicant must submit the regular vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title, and the special license plate fee required by Section 56-3-2020. The biennial renewal fee for these plates shall be the regular vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title, and the special license plate fee required by Section 56-3-2020.
(B) Once the department approves use of the plate and the applicant submits the required fees, the department shall register the plate to the applicant. The department may not register a license plate that has a sequence of numbers, letters, or other characters identical to any other license plate already issued by the department. The applicant may only use the special license plate on the vehicle with which the license plate registration corresponds.
(C) License plates registered pursuant to this section may only be transferred to vehicles of the same model year as the year the license plate was originally issued.
HISTORY: 2006 Act No. 399, Section 1, eff six months after approval (approved September 29, 2006).
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1510. Special license plates authorized for amateur radio operators; fee.

The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue special motor vehicle license plates to persons who hold unrevoked and unexpired amateur radio licenses of a renewable nature issued by the Federal Communications Commission for private passenger motor vehicles registered in the same name. The biennial fee for the special license plates is two dollars in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee prescribed by Article 5 of this chapter. Only one set of the special plates may be issued to a person.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-95; 1954 (48) 1543; 1955 (49) 593; 1963 (53) 81; 1964 (53) 1901; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22V; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 148.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1520. Applications.

Applications for special license plates, as authorized under this article, must be made on forms provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles, contain proof satisfactory to the department that the applicant holds an unrevoked and unexpired amateur radio license, and state the call letters assigned to the applicant.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-95.1; 1954 (48) 1543; 1955 (49) 593; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22W; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 149.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1530. Design of plates; duration.

The special license plates must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates, upon which must be imprinted the official amateur radio call letters of the persons assigned by the Federal Communications Commission. The special plates are for biennial periods which expire twenty-four months from the month it is issued.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-95.2; 1954 (48) 1543; 1955 (49) 593; 1963 (53) 81; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22X; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 150.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1540. Transfer to another vehicle of same owner; display on unauthorized car; return on loss of radio license.

Special license plates issued pursuant to this article may be transferred to another vehicle of the same weight class owned by the same person upon application being made therefor and approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It shall be unlawful for any person to whom such special license plates have been issued to knowingly permit such plates to be displayed on any vehicle except the one authorized by the Department. If the amateur radio license of a person holding a special license plate issued pursuant to this article shall be cancelled or rescinded by the Federal Communications Commission, such person shall immediately return the special license plate to the Department.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-95.4; 1954 (48) 1543; 1955 (49) 593; 1963 (53) 81.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1550. Penalties.

Any person violating any of the provisions of this article or any person who (a) fraudulently gives false or fictitious information in any application for a special license plate, as authorized in this article, (b) conceals a material fact or (c) otherwise commits a fraud in any such application or in the use of any special license plate issued shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or thirty days' imprisonment, or both.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-95.6; 1955 (49) 593.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1560. Article is cumulative.

The provisions of this article shall not affect the registration and licensing of motor vehicles as required by other provisions of this chapter, but shall be cumulative thereto.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-95.5; 1954 (48) 1543; 1955 (49) 573.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1610. Issuance of special license plates to emergency medical technicians; fee.

The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue special motor vehicle license plates to emergency medical technicians for private passenger motor vehicles registered in the name of the technicians. The biennial fee for the special license plates is thirty dollars in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee prescribed by Article 5 of this chapter. Only one special plate may be issued to a person.
HISTORY: 1978 Act No. 613 Section 1; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22Y; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 151.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1620. Applications.

Applications for special license plates, as authorized under this article, shall be made on forms provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles and shall contain proof satisfactory to the Department that the applicant has been trained as an emergency medical technician by a hospital which conducts classes in emergency medical procedures and technology.
HISTORY: 1978 Act No. 613 Section 1; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 152.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1630. Size and design of plates; period of validity.

The special license plates must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates upon which must be imprinted the letters "EMT" and numbers the Department of Motor Vehicles may determine. The special plates are for biennial periods which expire twenty-four months from the month it is issued.
HISTORY: 1978 Act No. 613 Section 1; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22Z; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 153.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1640. Transfer of plates; use on unauthorized vehicle; return of plates on revocation of technician's license.

A special license plate issued pursuant to this article may be transferred to another vehicle of the same weight class owned by the same person upon application being made therefor and approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It shall be unlawful for any person to whom such special license plate has been issued to knowingly permit such plate to be displayed on any vehicle except the one authorized by the Department. If the recognition of a licensee as a qualified emergency medical technician is revoked, such person shall immediately return the special license plate to the Department.
HISTORY: 1978 Act No. 613 Section 1.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1650. Unlawful acts; penalties.

Any person violating any of the provisions of this article or who fraudulently gives false or fictitious information in any application for special license plates, as authorized in this article, conceals a material fact or otherwise commits a fraud in any such application or in the use of any special license plate issued shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or thirty days' imprisonment, or both.
HISTORY: 1978 Act No. 613 Section 1.
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1710. Department shall design and supply special license plate for publicly owned motor vehicles; unlawful to operate motor vehicle without plate.

The Department of Motor Vehicles shall design and supply, at an appropriate fee, a special license plate, or supplemental plate or attachment, for use on all publicly-owned motor vehicles operated by any department or institution of the State of South Carolina, or any of its political subdivisions. It shall be unlawful for any such publicly-owned vehicle to be operated in the State of South Carolina that does not carry such official emblem, marker, or plates. Provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to the automobile supplied for the Governor's personal use, automobiles supplied to law enforcement officers, when in the opinion of the chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division or the director of the department it is advisable that such automobiles not be so marked, nor to automobiles supplied to other state officials.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-95.21; 1963 (53) 358 [478]; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1371; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 154.
Article 14
Special License Plates; Members of the United States Military Reserve [Repealed]
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1750 to 56-3-1780. Repealed.

HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1750, titled Special license plates authorized for members of United States Military Reserve; fee, had the following history: 1986 Act No. 409, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22AA; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1372; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 155. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1760, titled Design of plates; duration, had the following history: 1986 Act No. 409, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22BB. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1770, titled Transfer to another vehicle of same owner; display on unauthorized car; return by holder ceasing to be member of United States Military Reserve, had the following history: 1986 Act No. 409, Section 1. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1780, titled Relation to other provisions; penalties, had the following history: 1986 Act No. 409, Section 1. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
Article 15
Special License Plates; Members of National Guard [Repealed]
2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 56 - Motor Vehicles › Chapter 3 - Motor Vehicle Registration And Licensing › Section 56-3-1810 to 56-3-1840. Repealed.

HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1810, titled Number of special license plates to be issued to members of National Guard, had the following history: 1962 Code Section 46-95.31; 1968 (55) 2443; 1970 (56) 1884; 1979 Act No. 35; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 156; 2013 Act No. 56, Section 2.A, eff June 12, 2013. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1815, titled Special license plates authorized for retired members of National Guard, had the following history: 1986 Act No. 409, Section 2; 1999 Act No. 63, Section 1; 2002 Act No. 193, Section 1; 2013 Act No. 56, Section 2.B, eff June 12, 2013. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1820, titled Design of plates; denotation of status; fee; duration, had the following history: 1962 Code Section 46-95.32; 1968 (55) 2443; 1970 (56) 1884; 1986 Act No. 409, Section 3; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 22C; 1996 Act No. 422, Section 4 and Act No. 425, Section 9; 1999 Act No. 63, Section 2; 2013 Act No. 56, Section 2.C, eff June 12, 2013. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1830, titled Transfer to another vehicle of same owner; display on unauthorized car; return by holder ceasing to be member of National Guard, had the following history: 1962 Code Section 46-95.33; 1968 (55) 2443; 1986 Act No. 409, Section 4; 1999 Act No. 63, Section 3. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.
HISTORY: Former Section 56-3-1840, titled Penalties, had the following history: 1962 Code Section 46-95.34; 1968 (55) 2443. Repealed by 2021 Act No. 38, Section 2, eff May 6, 2022.