2005 Idaho Code - 49-443 — LICENSE PLATES TO BE FURNISHED BY DEPARTMENT -- FORM AND CONTENTS

                                  TITLE  49
                                MOTOR VEHICLES
                                  CHAPTER 4
                          MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION
    49-443.  LICENSE PLATES TO BE FURNISHED BY DEPARTMENT -- FORM AND
CONTENTS. (1) The assessor or the department shall furnish to every owner
whose vehicle is registered by that office, pursuant to sections 49-402 and
49-402A, Idaho Code, one (1) license plate  for vehicles registered under the
provisions of section 49-406, 49-406A or 49-408, Idaho Code, or a motorcycle,
trailer, truck-tractor, or semitrailer, and two (2) license plates for every
other motor vehicle. If a vehicle is issued one (1) plate only, that plate
shall be displayed in accordance with the provisions of section 49-428, Idaho
Code. For vehicles registered under the provisions of section 49-407, Idaho
Code, the applicant shall provide one (1) plate to be displayed on the rear of
the vehicle.
    Commencing January 1, 1992, the color and design of the plates shall be
comparable to the color and design of the statehood centennial issue of
license plates with blue numerals and letters on a multicolored red, white and
blue background. Each license plate must bear upon its face the inscriptions
"Famous Potatoes" and "Scenic Idaho."
    Every license plate shall have displayed upon it the registration number
assigned to the vehicle and its owner and the name "Idaho" which may be
abbreviated. The plates issued under the provisions of section 49-402(1),
Idaho Code, and the required letters and numerals, including an identification
of the county in which the motor vehicle to which the plates will be affixed
is registered, shall be of sufficient size to be plainly readable from a
distance of seventy-five (75) feet during daylight, and each license plate and
registration sticker shall be treated with a fully reflectorized material
according to specifications prescribed by the board.
    (2)  License plates shall be valid for a period of seven (7) years
beginning with the date of issuance of new plates. At the end of the sixth
year, the registered owner shall receive notice of the date upon which the
plates will expire. The department shall implement a plate-number reservation
program beginning prior to the 1999 plate issue and following once every seven
(7) years thereafter, for a limited plate-number sequence in each county which
chooses to offer a reservation program. Requests for license plate number
reservations shall be submitted to the county during the open reservation
period established by the department. The department may charge a minimal fee
as determined by the board to recover costs to the department for reservation
of license plate numbers.
    (3)  If a license plate number has expired as provided in subsection (2)
of this section and the number was not reserved, or if the vehicle
registration is not renewed within sixty (60) days of its expiration, the
plate number shall be available for use by another registrant. To obtain a
specific number in the recycled license plate number file, the owner of a
registered vehicle shall pay a one (1) time fee as determined by rule of the
board.
    The provisions of this subsection shall apply only to vehicles registered
under the provisions of section 49-402(1), Idaho Code, and section 49-434(1),
Idaho Code, as it applies to noncommercial vehicles.
    (4)  License plates issued for vehicles required to be registered in
accordance with the provisions of sections 49-402 and 49-402A, Idaho Code,
shall be issued color coded registration validation stickers showing the year
of registration. Each registration validation sticker shall bear a number from
1 through 12, which number shall  correspond to the month of the calendar year
in which the registration of the vehicle expires and shall be affixed to the
lower right-hand corner of the plates within the outlined rectangular area.
    (5)  License plates for utility trailers registered under the provisions
of section 49-402A, Idaho Code, which are issued for five (5) or ten (10)
years and license plates for trailers, rental utility trailers and
semitrailers registered under the provisions of section 49-434, Idaho Code,
which are issued for five (5) years shall use the design in effect on the date
of manufacture. If a design change occurs, plates from the effective date of
the design change shall  be manufactured using the new design. Unexpired
plates need not be reissued to conform to a design change.
    (6)  For license plates which are lost, stolen, mutilated, or illegible,
the owner shall apply for a duplicate or substitute. The assessor shall also
furnish for each registration, and to validate the license plate, a
pressure-sensitive, uniquely-numbered registration sticker, except for
trailers and semitrailers registered under the optional seven (7) year trailer
provisions in section 49-434, Idaho Code. License plates issued for state,
county and city motor vehicles shall be permanent and remain on the vehicle
for which issued from year to year, and need no renewal or validation sticker.
    (7)  Whenever a vehicle is completely destroyed by fire or accident and
the operator submits satisfactory proof of that destruction to the department
or appropriate assessor's office, the registration use increment and fees
shall be  transferred to the replacement vehicle for a service transfer fee of
five dollars ($5.00), which fee shall be retained by the registering
authority. None of the original fees shall be subject to  refund.
    (8)  The department shall furnish to every owner whose vehicle is
registered under sections 49-434 and 49-435, Idaho Code, a pressure-sensitive,
uniquely-numbered registration sticker to validate the license plate.
    (9)  The board shall have authority to require the return to the
department of all license plates and registration stickers upon termination of
the lawful use of them by the owner.
    (10) The board may promulgate such rules as are necessary to implement the
provisions of this section.