Texas Administrative Code › Title 43 - TRANSPORTATION › Part 10 - TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES › Chapter 217 - VEHICLE TITLES AND REGISTRATION › Subchapter B - MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION › Section 217.55 - Exempt and Alias Vehicle Registration

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) Exempt
				  plate registration.
(1) Issuance. Pursuant to
				  Transportation Code, §
											502.453 or §
											502.456, certain
				  vehicles owned by and used exclusively in the service of a governmental agency,
				  owned by a commercial transportation company and used exclusively for public
				  school transportation services, designed and used for fire-fighting or owned by
				  a volunteer fire department and used in the conduct of department business,
				  privately owned and used in volunteer county marine law enforcement activities,
				  used by law enforcement under an alias for covert criminal investigations,
				  owned by units of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary headquartered in
				  Texas and used exclusively for conduct of United States Coast Guard or Coast
				  Guard Auxiliary business and operations, or owned or leased by a non-profit
				  emergency medical service provider are exempt from payment of a registration
				  fee and are eligible for exempt plates.
(2) Application for exempt registration.
(A) Application. An application for exempt
				  plates shall be made to the county tax assessor-collector, shall be made on a
				  form prescribed by the department, and shall contain the following information:
(i) vehicle description;
(ii) name of the exempt agency;
(iii) a certification by an authorized person
				  stating that the vehicle is owned or under the control of and will be operated
				  by the exempt agency; and
(iv) a
				  certification that each vehicle listed on the application has the name of the
				  exempt agency printed on each side of the vehicle in letters that are at least
				  two inches high or in an emblem that is at least 100 square inches in size and
				  of a color sufficiently different from the body of the vehicle as to be clearly
				  legible from a distance of 100 feet, unless the applicant complies with the
				  requirements under this section for each vehicle that is exempt by law from the
				  inscription requirements.
(B) Emergency medical service vehicle.
(i) The application for exempt registration
				  must contain the vehicle description, the name of the emergency medical service
				  provider, and a statement signed by an officer of the emergency medical service
				  provider stating that the vehicle is used exclusively as an emergency response
				  vehicle and qualifies for registration under Transportation Code, §
													502.456.
(ii) A copy of an emergency medical service
				  provider license issued by the Department of State Health Services must
				  accompany the application.
(C) Fire-fighting vehicle. The application
				  for exempt registration of a fire-fighting vehicle or vehicle owned privately
				  by a volunteer fire department and used exclusively in the conduct of
				  department business must contain the vehicle description, including a
				  description of any fire-fighting equipment mounted on the vehicle if the
				  vehicle is a fire-fighting vehicle. The certification must be executed by the
				  person who has the proper authority and shall state either:
(i) the vehicle is designed and used
				  exclusively for fire-fighting; or
(ii) the vehicle is owned by a volunteer fire
				  department and is used exclusively in the conduct of its business.
(D) County marine law enforcement
				  vehicle. The application for exempt registration of a privately-owned vehicle
				  used by a volunteer exclusively in county marine law enforcement activities,
				  including rescue operations, under the direction of the sheriff's department
				  must include a statement signed by a person having the authority to act for a
				  sheriff's department verifying that fact.
(E) United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
				  vehicle. The application for exempt registration of a vehicle owned by units of
				  the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary headquartered in Texas and used
				  exclusively for conduct of United States Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary
				  business and operation, including search and rescue, emergency communications,
				  and disaster operations, must include a statement by a person having authority
				  to act for the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary that the vehicle or trailer
				  is used exclusively in fulfillment of an authorized mission of the United
				  States Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary, including search and rescue,
				  emergency communications, or disaster operations.
(F) Motor vehicles owned and used by
				  state-supported institutions. If the applicant is exempt from the inscription
				  requirements under Education Code §
												51.932, the applicant
				  must present a certification that each vehicle listed on the application is
				  exempt from the inscription requirements under Education Code §
												51.932.
(3) Exception. A vehicle may be exempt from
				  payment of a registration fee, but display license plates other than exempt
				  plates if the vehicle is not registered under subsection (b) of this section.
(A) If the applicant is a law enforcement
				  office, the applicant must present a certification that each vehicle listed on
				  the application will be dedicated to law enforcement activities.
(B) If the applicant is exempt from the
				  inscription requirements under Transportation Code, §
												721.003, the
				  applicant must present a certification that each vehicle listed on the
				  application is exempt from inscription requirements under Transportation Code,
				  §
												721.003. The
				  applicant must also provide a citation to the section that exempts the
				  vehicle.
(C) If the applicant is
				  exempt from the inscription requirements under Transportation Code, §
												721.005 the
				  applicant must present a certification that each vehicle listed on the
				  application is exempt from inscription requirements under Transportation Code,
				  §
												721.005. The
				  applicant must also provide a copy of the order or ordinance that exempts the
				  vehicle.