2023 Tennessee Code › Title 55 - MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES (§§ 55-1-101 — 55-53-105) › Chapter 4 - REGISTRATION AND LICENSING OF MOTOR VEHICLES (§§ 55-4-NEW — 55-4-702) › Part 2 - SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES (§§ 55-4-201 — 55-4-299) › Section 55-4-223 - Emergency personnel

(a)
Registration plates issued under the emergency category pursuant to §
55-4-203(c)(1)(B)-(N)
may be issued to persons included in the groups set out in this section, and in accordance with this part.
(b)
An owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of this state and who holds a permanent official identification card of an auxiliary police unit working with the civil defense authorities, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles, payment of the regular license fee for plates, as prescribed under §
55-4-111
and payment of the fee provided for in §
55-4-204
, shall be issued a registration plate as provided for in this part.
(c)
A resident of the state who holds a permanent official registration card of the civil air patrol and/or the civil defense organization, and/or a spouse, whose vehicle is titled or leased in the name of the resident and/or spouse, upon application accompanied by a letter from the local civil defense director indicating the current membership of the applicant and/or the spouse of the applicant, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles, payment of the regular license fee for plates, as prescribed under §
55-4-111
, and payment of any fee provided for in §
55-4-204
, shall be issued a registration plate as provided for in this part.
(d)
An owner or lessee of a motor vehicle, who is a resident of this state and who is a member of the Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads or who is a resident of this state and a member of an emergency services squad in any county having a population of six hundred thousand (600,000) or more, according to the 1970 federal census or any subsequent federal census, or who is a resident of this state and is an emergency medical technician, paramedic, emergency medical technician-paramedic, or other emergency medical responder, upon complying with the title and registration law, payment of the regular license fee appropriate to the vehicle's design or use, as prescribed under §
55-4-111
or §
55-4-113
, and payment of the fee provided for in §
55-4-204
, shall be issued a registration plate as provided for in this part; except, that any active volunteer member of a local rescue squad who has at least one (1) year of service shall be exempt, at the time of renewal, from the regular license fee for only one (1) motor vehicle, upon the certification or sworn statement from the captain of the local rescue squad to which the person is attached confirming the person is an active volunteer member. In addition to the exemption provided by this subsection (d), the legislative body of a county is authorized to waive the motor vehicle tax for motor vehicles receiving an exemption under this subsection (d) from the registration fee if the waiver is approved in the same manner as the adoption of the motor vehicle tax under §
5-8-102
. The county clerk shall issue no plates to a local rescue squad member until receiving a list of all eligible members from the captain of the local rescue squad. Emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or emergency medical technician-paramedics not affiliated with a local rescue squad are required to present a current, valid paramedic, emergency medical technician, or emergency medical technician-paramedic's license prior to issuance of a plate under this section. Other emergency medical responders not affiliated with a local rescue squad are required to present a current, valid emergency medical responder's certification prior to issuance of a plate under this section.
(e)
(1)
The commissioner shall cause to be manufactured metal plates of distinctive design for various groups included in the emergency category. Upon application by the president, or other chief executive officer, of recognized organizations of persons in the various groups in the emergency category and the submission of a certified listing of the members of that organization and their motor vehicle registration numbers, the commissioner shall sell, at a cost of two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) per plate, to the chief executive officer the appropriate number of plates for distribution to each listed person, with the plates to be displayed on the front of each vehicle registered by that person in the emergency category.
(2)
The plates shall be for identification purposes only and shall not be valid for motor vehicle operation. The plates shall be issued only for the term of the emergency category registration plate, and shall be surrendered by the holder at such time as the holder's emergency registration expires or the holder ceases to be a member of the group included in the emergency category.
(3)
It is a Class A misdemeanor to display the plate on any vehicle that is not properly registered in the emergency category.
(f)
Notwithstanding this section to the contrary, an owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of the state and who is a full-time police officer as defined by §
38-8-101
and is certified as such, and authorized, by the chief law enforcement officer of the organization to which the person is attached or by which the person is employed, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles and paying the regular fee applicable to the motor vehicle, shall be issued an emergency registration plate.
(g)
Notwithstanding this section to the contrary, an owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of the state and who is a trauma physician licensed by the board of medical examiners, who submits a statement or certification from the board of medical examiners and from a trauma center in a hospital or other medical facility confirming that the applicant practices medicine as a trauma physician, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles and paying the regular fee applicable to the motor vehicle and a fee equal to the cost of producing the plate; provided, however, that the issuance of the plates shall be revenue neutral, shall be issued an emergency registration plate and shall be eligible to renew such emergency registration plate.
(h)
Notwithstanding this section to the contrary, an owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of the state and who is a nurse licensed by the Tennessee board of nursing, who submits a statement or certification from a trauma center or emergency room in a hospital or other medical facility confirming that the applicant is a trauma nurse, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles and paying the regular fee applicable to the motor vehicle and a fee equal to the cost of producing the plate; provided, that the issuance of the plates is revenue neutral, shall be issued an emergency registration plate and shall be eligible to renew the registration plate.
(i)
Notwithstanding this section to the contrary, an owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of this state and who is on-call surgical personnel licensed or certified under title 63 or as a surgical technologist under title 68, chapter 57, serving in a hospital, emergency room or surgical department, who submits a statement or certification from the hospital, emergency room or surgical department confirming that the applicant is on-call surgical personnel, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles and paying the regular fee applicable to the motor vehicle and a fee equal to the cost of producing such plate, shall be issued an emergency registration plate and shall be eligible to renew such registration plate; provided, that the issuance of the plates shall be revenue neutral.
(j)
Subject to the requirements of §
55-4-202
, the commissioner is authorized and shall issue a license plate to an owner or lessee of a motorcycle who is otherwise eligible for an emergency plate in the appropriate category; provided, however, that the owner or lessee shall comply with the state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motorcycles and shall pay the regular fee applicable to motorcycles and the applicable fee specified in §
55-4-204
prior to the issuance of the plate.
(k)
Notwithstanding this section to the contrary, an owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of the state and who is a constable duly elected, trained, and qualified in accordance with title 8, chapter 10, and is certified as such, and authorized, by the county legislative body of the county in which the person serves, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles and paying the regular fee applicable to the motor vehicle, shall be issued an emergency registration plate.
(l)
(1)
As used in this subsection (
l
), "emergency communication dispatcher" or "dispatcher" means an emergency call taker or public safety dispatcher who receives an initial or transferred 911 call from the public in this state.
(2)
Notwithstanding this section to the contrary, an owner or lessee of a motor vehicle who is a resident of this state and an emergency communication dispatcher and who submits a statement or certification from the municipality, county, or emergency communications district to which the dispatcher is attached or by which the dispatcher is employed, confirming that the applicant is a dispatcher, upon complying with state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles and paying the regular fee applicable to the motor vehicle and a fee equal to the cost of producing the plate must be issued, and is eligible to renew, an emergency registration plate; provided, that the issuance of the plates is revenue neutral.
Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 117, s 3, eff. 7/1/2023.
Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 117, s 1, eff. 7/1/2023.
Amended by 2020 Tenn. Acts, ch. 597, s 3, eff. 7/1/2020.
Amended by 2020 Tenn. Acts, ch. 597, s 2, eff. 7/1/2020.
Amended by 2018 Tenn. Acts, ch. 1023, s 49, eff. 7/1/2018.
Amended by 2018 Tenn. Acts, ch. 923, s 2, eff. 5/15/2018.
Amended by 2017 Tenn. Acts, ch. 97, Secs.s 2, s 3 eff. 4/4/2017.
Acts 1998, ch. 1063, § 1; 2002, ch. 633, §§ 3, 6; 2004, ch. 937, § 3; 2007 , ch. 63, §§ 3, 4; 2008 , ch. 1007, § 4; 2008 , ch. 1165, §§ 45, 46; 2009 , ch. 589, § 35.