Current Status Introducing Body:House Bill Number:4409 Primary Sponsor:Kirsh Committee Number:21 Type of Legislation:GB Subject:Motor vehicle dealer license plates Residing Body:House Current Committee:Education and Public Works Computer Document Number:DKA/3104AL.94 Introduced Date:19940111 Last History Body:House Last History Date:19940111 Last History Type:Introduced, read first time, referred to Committee Scope of Legislation:Statewide All Sponsors:Kirsh Inabinett Stille Simrill Delleney Type of Legislation:General Bill
Bill Body Date Action Description CMN Leg Involved
____ ______ ____________ ______________________________ ___ ____________
4409 House 19940111 Introduced, read first time, 21
referred to Committee
4409 House 19931215 Prefiled, referred to 21
Committee
View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.
TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-2320, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE DEALER LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO REVISE THE NUMBER OF PLATES ISSUED.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 56-3-2320 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Section 105, Part II, Act 164 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"Section 56-3-2320. (A) Upon application being made and the required fee being paid to the department, the department may issue dealer license plates to a licensed motor vehicle dealer. The license plates, notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, may be used exclusively on motor vehicles owned by, or assigned to the dealer when operated on the highways of this State by the dealer, its corporate officers, its employees, or a prospective purchaser of the motor vehicle. The use by a prospective purchaser is limited to seven days and the dealer must provide the prospective purchaser with a dated demonstration certificate. The certificate must be approved by the department. Dealer plates may not be used to operate wreckers or service vehicles in use by the dealer, nor to operate vehicles owned by the dealer that are leased or rented by the public. No dealer plates may be issued by the department unless the dealer furnishes proof in a form acceptable to the department that he has a retail business license as required by Chapter 36 of Title 12 and has made at least fifty sales of motor vehicles in the twelve months preceding his application for a dealer plate. The sales requirement may be waived by the department if the dealer has been licensed for less than one year. However, a dealer that sells less than fifty but more than ten vehicles in the twelve months preceding his application for a dealer plate is eligible to obtain one dealer license plate. The cost of this plate is three hundred dollars. Twenty dollars of this fee must be remitted to the department and the balance of this fee must be remitted to the treasury of the county in which the dealer is licensed.
A dealer may be issued plates at a rate of one for every twenty vehicles sold during the preceding year. the following rate:
Vehicles Sold in Previous Maximum Number
Twelve-Month Period of Plates
Fewer than 12 1
At least 12 but less than 25 4
At least 25 but less than 37 5
At least 37 but less than 49 6
49 or more At least 6, but not
more than 1 for every
10 vehicles sold.
For good cause shown, the department in its discretion may issue extra plates. If the dealer has been licensed less than one year, the department shall issue a number of license plates based on an estimated number of sales for the coming year. The department may increase or decrease the number of plates issued based on actual sales made.
The cost of each dealer plate issued is twenty dollars.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a dealer franchised exclusively for the sale of heavy duty trucks is eligible to obtain dealer license plates for exclusive use on the heavy duty trucks regardless of the number of trucks sold by him during the preceding required number of months. These dealer license plates for trucks must be noted with a distinct and separate identification and used only on heavy duty trucks.
(B) For purposes of this section, the testing or demonstration of a truck as defined in Section 56-3-20(10) includes permitting a prospective buyer to use the truck for carrying merchandise or cargo for a period not to exceed three days upon the dealer providing the buyer with a special demonstration certificate for this purpose. The form and content of the demonstration certificate must be as prescribed by regulation of the department which also shall provide certificates to dealers upon their request. The original certificate must be kept by the buyer in the cab of the truck during the three-day demonstration period, and the dealer shall retain a copy of the certificate and also shall mail a copy of the certificate to the department within twenty-four hours after it is issued to the buyer."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 1994.