Current Status Introducing Body:House Bill Number:4660 Primary Sponsor:Neilson Committee Number:30 Type of Legislation:GB Subject:Motor vehicle dealer license plates Residing Body:House Current Committee:Ways and Means Computer Document Number:DKA/3177AL.94 Introduced Date:19940202 Last History Body:House Last History Date:19940202 Last History Type:Introduced, read first time, referred to Committee Scope of Legislation:Statewide All Sponsors:Neilson G. Bailey Boan G. Brown H. Brown Cooper Corning Elliott Govan P. Harris Harvin Hines Holt Huff Jennings Kennedy Koon McLeod Quinn Scott Sharpe Shissias R. Smith Snow Spearman Stoddard Stone Thomas Townsend Wells Whipper White J. Wilder Wilkes Wofford Wright Neal Harrelson Harrison Sturkie Keyserling McAbee Gonzales Witherspoon Canty Carnell T.C. Alexander Type of Legislation:General Bill
Bill Body Date Action Description CMN Leg Involved
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4660 House 19940202 Introduced, read first time, 30
referred to Committee
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TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-2320, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO DEALER LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO ALLOW THE USE OF DEALER LICENSE PLATES FOR THE DEALER TO TEST DRIVE, TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SALES REQUIRED BEFORE THE ISSUANCE OF THE LICENSE PLATES, TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LICENSE PLATES ISSUED, TO INCREASE THE COST OF THE FIRST LICENSE PLATE ISSUED, AND TO DELETE THE REQUIREMENT THAT A DEALER BE FRANCHISED TO SELL HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS; AND TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-2350, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO TRANSPORTER LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO EXPAND THE USE OF THE TRANSPORTER LICENSE PLATE.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 56-3-2320(A) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Section 105B, Part II, Act 164 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"(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, or on loan to the dealer for demonstration purposes 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 two dealer license plate plates. 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 three plates for the first fifty vehicles sold and one for every twenty additional twenty-five vehicles sold during the preceding year. 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 the first plate issued by the department to a dealer is one hundred fifty 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. The cost of each dealer plate subsequently issued is twenty dollars.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a dealer franchised exclusively for the sale of selling 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."
SECTION 2. Section 56-3-2350(B) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Section 105C, Part II, Act 164 of 1993, is further amended to read:
"(B) A motor vehicle dealer or wholesaler duly licensed under Section 56-15-310 may purchase transporter license plates and use them solely from the department. These plates may be used for transporting motor vehicles and heavy duty trucks from:
(1) one place of sale to another place of sale; and
(2) a place of sale to a place for repair between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and to road test the repaired vehicle or truck within a five mile radius of the repair facility during the same hours of the day.
Any other use of a transporter license plate by a duly licensed dealer or wholesaler is subject to a three hundred dollar fine and loss of the license plate."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.