46.2-749.3 - Special license plates for clean special fuel vehicles.
§ 46.2-749.3. Special license plates for clean special fuel vehicles.
A. The owner of any motor vehicle, except a motorcycle, that may utilizeclean special fuel may purchase special license plates indicating the motorvehicle utilizes clean special fuels. Upon receipt of an application, theCommissioner shall issue special license plates to the owners of suchvehicles.
As used in this section, "clean special fuel" means any product or energysource used to propel a highway vehicle, the use of which, compared toconventional gasoline or reformulated gasoline, results in lower emissions ofoxides of nitrogen, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide orparticulates or any combination thereof. The term includes compressed naturalgas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, hydrogen, hythane (acombination of compressed natural gas and hydrogen), and electricity.
On and after July 1, 2006, license plates provided for in this section shallbe issued with a new design distinctively different from the design oflicense plates issued to owners of vehicles that qualify for license platesunder this section whose applications are received by the Department prior toJuly 1, 2006, hereinafter referred to as "the FY 2007 design." Thedistinctively different design shall be developed by the Department inconsultation with the Department of State Police.
On and after July 1, 2011, license plates provided for in this section shallbe issued with a new design distinctively different from the design oflicense plates issued to owners of vehicles that qualify for license platesunder this section whose applications are received by the Department prior toJuly 1, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as the FY 2012 design). Thedistinctively different design shall be developed by the Department inconsultation with the Department of State Police. Thereafter, only "the FY2012 design" plate shall be issued to owners of vehicles that qualify forlicense plates under this section.
1. For the purposes of subdivision A 6 of § 33.1-46.2, on HOV lanes servingthe I-95/395 corridor, only vehicles registered with and displaying speciallicense plates issued under this section prior to July 1, 2006, shall betreated as vehicles displaying special license plates issued under thissection.
2. For the purposes of subdivision A 6 of § 33.1-46.2, on HOV lanes servingthe Interstate Route 66 corridor, only vehicles registered with anddisplaying special license plates issued under this section prior to July 1,2011, shall be treated as vehicles displaying special license plates issuedunder this section.
3. That the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, in consultationwith the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, shall develop procedures to ensure thatall potential purchasers of clean special fuel vehicles receive adequatenotice of the benefits, risks and timelines required for the issuance ofclean special fuel vehicle license plates.
B. With the exception of plates issued to government-use vehicles, the annualfee for plates issued pursuant to this section shall be $25 in addition tothe prescribed fee for state license plates. For each such $25 fee collectedin excess of 1,000 registrations pursuant to this section, $15 shall be paidto the State Treasury and credited to a special nonreverting fund known asthe HOV Enforcement Fund, established within the Department of Accounts, foruse by the Virginia State Police for enhanced HOV enforcement. The fee forplates issued pursuant to this section to government-use vehicles shall be asprescribed in subsection A of § 46.2-750.
(1993, cc. 255, 625; 1995, c. 134; 1999, c. 883; 2000, cc. 729, 758; 2006,cc. 873, 908; 2010, cc. 351, 390.)