§17A-3-14e. Special registration plates for organizations.

(a) The division may continue to issue all special registration plates to organizations issued under a prior enactment of §17A-3-14 of this code.

(b) An organization requesting the creation and issuance of a special registration plate shall make application with the division. The application shall include sufficient information, as determined by the commissioner, to determine whether the special registration plate requested, and the organization making the application, meet all the requirements set forth in this section and legislative rule. The application shall include a proposed design, including lettering, logo, image, or message to be placed on the registration plate. The commissioner shall notify the organization of the commissioner’s approval or disapproval of the application.

(c) (1) The commissioner may not begin the design or production of any license plates authorized and approved pursuant to this section until the organization which applied for the special registration plate has collected and submitted collectively to the division applications completed by at least 100 persons and collectively deposited with the division all fees necessary to cover the first year’s basic registration, one-time design and manufacturing costs, and the first year additional annual fee for all of the submitted applications.

(2) By concurrent resolution of the Legislature, the requirement to collectively deposited with the division all fees necessary to cover the first year’s basic registration, one-time design, and manufacturing costs may be waived for any organization.

(d) If the organization fails to submit the required number of applications and fees within six months of the effective date of the approval of the application for the plate by the commissioner, the plate may not be produced until a new application is submitted and is approved by the commissioner: Provided, That an organization that is unsuccessful in obtaining the minimum number of applications may not make a new application for a special plate until at least two years have passed since the approval of the previous application of the organization.

(e) The division shall charge a special initial application fee of $25 for each special license plate in addition to all other fees required by this chapter. This special fee shall be collected by the division and deposited in the State Road Fund.

(f) The division shall charge an annual fee of $15 for each special registration plate in addition to all other fees required by this chapter.

(g) Upon appropriate application, the division may issue a special registration plate designed by the commissioner in consultation with the organization for any number of vehicles titled in the name of a qualified registration plate applicant. Persons desiring the special registration plate shall offer sufficient proof of membership in the organization unless the organization has identified in the application that the special registration plate is desired to be made available for general issuance.

(h) The commissioner may discontinue the issuance or renewal of the registration of any special plate issued pursuant to this section if:

(1) The number of valid registrations for the specialty plate falls below 100 plates for at least 12 consecutive months; or

(2) The organization no longer exists or no longer meets the requirements of this section.

(i) If a new design is requested after issuance of a special registration plate, the organization shall pay the costs of design and any unused material from the previous design. In addition, the division shall charge a special initial application fee of $25 for each newly designed special license plate in addition to all other fees required by this chapter.