2021 Georgia Code
Title 40 - Motor Vehicles and Traffic
Chapter 2 - Registration and Licensing of Motor Vehicles
Article 2 - Registration and Licensing Generally
§ 40-2-31. License Plate Design; Revalidation and County Decals

1. If the applicant meets the requirements set forth in this chapter, the commissioner shall issue to the applicant a license plate bearing a distinctive number or a distinctive number to be displayed electronically upon a license plate by a digital license plate provider pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter.
2. Such license plates shall be at least six inches wide and not less than 12 inches in length, except motorcycle license plates which shall be at least four inches wide and not less than seven inches in length, and shall show in boldface characters the month and year of expiration, the serial number, and either the full name or the abbreviation of the name of the state, shall designate the county from which the license plate was issued unless specifically stated otherwise in this chapter, and shall show such other distinctive markings as in the judgment of the commissioner may be deemed advisable, so as to indicate the class of weight of the vehicle for which the license plate was issued; and any license plate for a low-speed vehicle shall designate the vehicle as such. Such plates may also bear such figures, characters, letters, or combinations thereof as in the judgment of the commissioner will to the best advantage advertise, popularize, and otherwise promote Georgia as the "Peach State." Except for license plates issued pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter, the license plate shall be of such strength and quality that the plate shall provide a minimum service period of at least five years. The commissioner shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act," for the design and issuance of new license plates and to implement the other provisions of this Code section.
3. Except for license plates issued pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter, the face of the license plate to be displayed shall be treated completely with a retroreflective material which will increase the nighttime visibility and legibility of the plate. The department shall prepare the specifications which such retroreflective material shall meet.
4. In those years in which a new license plate is not issued and the license plate was not issued pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter, a revalidation decal with a distinctive serial number shall be issued and affixed in the space provided on the license plate issued to the applicant which shall indicate the year and month through which the registration of the vehicle shall be valid; provided, however, that if the commissioner determines that it is necessary, two revalidation decals shall be issued for each license plate to reflect the required information. When an applicant is issued a revalidation decal and such applicant registered the vehicle in another county the previous year, the applicant shall also be issued a new county decal which shall be properly affixed to the license plate and shall replace the other county decal.
5. The commissioner shall furnish without cost to each tag agent reflective adhesive decals in sufficient number, upon which there shall be printed the name of the agent's county. Such a decal shall be issued with each metal license plate and shall be affixed in the space provided on the license plate without obscuring any number or other information required to be present on the plate. A tag agent shall offer, upon such issuance of a new metal license plate, the option of obtaining a county decal or a decal providing for the nation's motto, "In God We Trust."
6. A county tag agent shall issue a county name decal, upon request, for the agent's county only if:
   1. The applicant is a resident of or a business located in the county named on the decal;
   2. The applicant is registering a new vehicle in such county, is renewing a current vehicle registration, or is transferring registration of a vehicle to the county named on the decal;
   3. The application for registration of the vehicle is being made in the county named on the decal; and
   4. The license plate was not issued pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter.
7. The commissioner shall furnish without cost to each tag agent reflective adhesive decals in sufficient number, upon which there shall be printed the nation's motto, "In God We Trust." A tag agent shall offer, upon such issuance of a new metal license plate, the option of obtaining a county decal or a decal providing for the nation's motto, "In God We Trust." Such a decal shall be issued, upon request and free of charge, by a county tag agent with each new metal license plate.

(b.1)Notwithstanding the provisions of Code Sections 40-2-131 and 48-2-17, the commissioner shall retain the costs of manufacturing and delivery of license plates, revalidation decals, and county name decals from the registration fee as set forth in Code Section 40-2-151; provided, however, that this subsection shall not apply to license plates issued pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter.

(Ga. L. 1927, p. 226, § 8; Ga. L. 1931, p. 7, § 84; Code 1933, § 68-214; Ga. L. 1939, p. 182, § 2; Ga. L. 1943, p. 341, § 3; Ga. L. 1953, Nov.-Dec. Sess., p. 343, Part 1, § 1; Ga. L. 1955, p. 659, § 7C; Ga. L. 1969, p. 266, §§ 2, 3; Ga. L. 1979, p. 615, § 1; Ga. L. 1981, p. 714, §§ 1, 2; Code 1981, §40-2-29; Ga. L. 1982, p. 1584, §§ 2A, 5A; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1333, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 949, § 2; Ga. L. 1988, p. 380, § 3; Code 1981, §40-2-31, as redesignated by Ga. L. 1990, p. 2048, § 2; Ga. L. 1995, p. 809, § 4; Ga. L. 1996, p. 1118, § 4; Ga. L. 1997, p. 419, § 6; Ga. L. 2001, p. 4, § 40; Ga. L. 2002, p. 512, § 6; Ga. L. 2006, p. 434, § 1/HB 363; Ga. L. 2010, p. 9, § 1-67/HB 1055; Ga. L. 2012, p. 1070, § 2/SB 293; Ga. L. 2021, p. 124, § 4/SB 210.)

The 2021 amendment, effective July 1, 2021, inserted "or a distinctive number to be displayed electronically upon a license plate by a digital license plate provider pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter" at the end of subsection (a); substituted "Except for license plates issued pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter, the license" for "The license" at the beginning of the third sentence in subsection (b); added the proviso at the end of subsection (b.1); substituted "Except for license plates issued pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter, the face" for "The face" at the beginning of subsection (c); inserted "and the license plate was not issued pursuant to Article 2B of this chapter," near the beginning of the first sentence of subsection (d); substituted "metal license plate" for "permanent license plate" near the middle of the last sentence of subsection (e); deleted "and" at the end of paragraph (f)(2); substituted "; and" for a period at the end of paragraph (f)(3); added paragraph (f)(4); and substituted "metal license plate" for "permanent license plate" near the beginning of the second sentence and near the end of the last sentence of subsection (g).

- Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2010, a period was deleted at the beginning of subsection (b.1).

- Ga. L. 1995, p. 809, § 22, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "Any local law enacted pursuant to Code Section 40-2-21, which is in conflict with the provisions of this Act shall stand repealed on the effective date of this Act." The act became effective January 1, 1997.

Ga. L. 1996, p. 1118, § 18, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "Those parts of Act No. 385, Ga. L. 1995, an Act amending Chapter 2 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles, and amending Article 10 of Chapter 5 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to ad valorem taxation of motor vehicles and mobile homes, approved April 19, 1995, in conflict with this Act are repealed."

Ga. L. 2012, p. 1070, § 4/SB 293, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2012, and shall apply to license plates issued on or after such date."

- For article commenting on the 1997 amendment of this Code section, see 14 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 215 (1997).

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Evidence obtained from search after legal stop.

- When any one of the traffic violations observed by a police officer would have provided probable cause to effectuate a traffic stop, the trial court's denial of a motion to suppress evidence found during a subsequent search of the defendant's person, based upon an allegedly improper traffic stop, was not clearly erroneous. Tukes v. State, 236 Ga. App. 77, 511 S.E.2d 534 (1999).

Cited in Undercofler v. White, 113 Ga. App. 853, 149 S.E.2d 845 (1966); Garner v. State, 154 Ga. App. 839, 269 S.E.2d 912 (1980).

OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

All classes and types of plates should be seven-year plates.

- All classes and types of motor vehicle license plates issued, except those issued to motor vehicles in excess of 24,000 pounds, should be five-year (now seven-year) license plates. 1970 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 70-195.

- Legislature intended, and provided for, the treatment of the entire surface of the plate, not a limitation of the treatment to the numerals and/or embossments appearing on the face of the plate. 1969 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 69-345.

- Former Code 1933, § 68-214 (see now O.C.G.A. § 40-2-31), did not expressly require the Department of Offender Rehabilitation (now Department of Corrections) to undertake the manufacture of revalidation stickers and county- designation stickers. 1969 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 69-435.

Revalidation stickers must be of reflective material. 1969 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 69-461.

- Vehicle owner has mandatory responsibility to affix county name decal to plates in space provided. 1971 Op. Att'y Gen. No. U71-21.