482.367008 - Limitation on number of separate designs of special license plates that may be in issuance at any one time; issuance of additional designs of special license plates in order of authorizat
482.367008 Limitation on number of separate designs of special license plates that may be in issuance at any one time; issuance of additional designs of special license plates in order of authorization or approval; annual assessment of viability of current designs; notice of declining circulation; cessation of issuance of plates whose circulation falls below certain levels.
1. As used in this section, “special license plate” means:
(a) A license plate that the Department has designed and prepared pursuant to NRS 482.367002 in accordance with the system of application and petition described in that section;
(b) A license plate approved by the Legislature that the Department has designed and prepared pursuant to NRS 482.3747, 482.37903, 482.37905, 482.37917, 482.379175, 482.37918, 482.37919, 482.3792, 482.3793, 482.37933, 482.37934, 482.37935, 482.379355, 482.379365, 482.37937, 482.379375, 482.37938 or 482.37945; and
(c) Except for a license plate that is issued pursuant to NRS 482.3785, a license plate that:
(1) Is approved by the Legislature after July 1, 2005; and
(2) Differs substantially in design from the license plates that are described in subsection 1 of NRS 482.270.
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the Department shall not, at any one time, issue more than 25 separate designs of special license plates. Whenever the total number of separate designs of special license plates issued by the Department at any one time is less than 25, the Department shall issue a number of additional designs of special license plates that have been authorized by an act of the Legislature or the application for which has been approved by the Commission on Special License Plates pursuant to subsection 5 of NRS 482.367004, not to exceed a total of 25 designs issued by the Department at any one time. Such additional designs must be issued by the Department in accordance with the chronological order of their authorization or approval.
3. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, on October 1 of each year the Department shall assess the viability of each separate design of special license plate that the Department is currently issuing by determining the total number of validly registered motor vehicles to which that design of special license plate is affixed. The Department shall not determine the total number of validly registered motor vehicles to which a particular design of special license plate is affixed if:
(a) The particular design of special license plate was designed and prepared by the Department pursuant to NRS 482.367002; and
(b) On October 1, that particular design of special license plate has been available to be issued for less than 12 months.
4. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 6, if, on October 1, the total number of validly registered motor vehicles to which a particular design of special license plate is affixed is:
(a) In the case of special license plates designed and prepared by the Department pursuant to NRS 482.367002, less than 1,000; or
(b) In the case of special license plates authorized directly by the Legislature which are described in paragraph (b) of subsection 1, less than the number of applications required to be received by the Department for the initial issuance of those plates,
Ê the Director shall provide notice of that fact in the manner described in subsection 5.
5. The notice required pursuant to subsection 4 must be provided:
(a) If the special license plate generates financial support for a cause or charitable organization, to that cause or charitable organization.
(b) If the special license plate does not generate financial support for a cause or charitable organization, to an entity which is involved in promoting the activity, place or other matter that is depicted on the plate.
6. If, on December 31 of the same year in which notice was provided pursuant to subsections 4 and 5, the total number of validly registered motor vehicles to which a particular design of special license plate is affixed is:
(a) In the case of special license plates designed and prepared by the Department pursuant to NRS 482.367002, less than 1,000; or
(b) In the case of special license plates authorized directly by the Legislature which are described in paragraph (b) of subsection 1, less than the number of applications required to be received by the Department for the initial issuance of those plates,
Ê the Director shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, issue an order providing that the Department will no longer issue that particular design of special license plate. Such an order does not require existing holders of that particular design of special license plate to surrender their plates to the Department and does not prohibit those holders from renewing those plates.
(Added to NRS by 2003, 3066; A 2005, 2848; 2007, 575; 2009, 494)