REQUIRES TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY VOTE
(§§ 1, 11)
(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 17, 2025)
FIRST REPRINT S.B. 181
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SENATE BILL NO. 181–SENATOR CRUZ-CRAWFORD
PREFILED FEBRUARY 3, 2025
____________
Referred to Committee on Growth and Infrastructure
SUMMARY—Provides for the issuance of special license plates
indicating support for Nevada State University.
(BDR 43-787)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: Yes.
~
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to special license plates; providing for the
issuance of special license plates indicating support for
Nevada State University; exempting the special license
plates from certain provisions otherwise applicable to
special license plates; imposing a fee for the issuance and
renewal of such license plates; and providing other
matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law authorizes the issuance of various special license plates. (NRS 1
482.3672-482.37947) Section 1 of this bill requires the Department of Motor 2
Vehicles, in cooperation with Nevada State University, to design, prepare and issue 3
special license plates indicating support for Nevada State University. Section 1 4
requires a person wishing to obtain the special license plates to pay to the 5
Department: (1) a fee for initial issuance of $35 and a fee for renewal of $10; (2) all 6
applicable registration and license fees and governmental services taxes; and (3) an 7
additional fee for initial issuance of $25 and an additional fee for renewal of $20, to 8
be deposited with the State Treasurer who must, on a quarterly basis, distribute the 9
fees evenly to Nevada State University to support athletics programs and the 10
Nevada State University Foundation to operate a program to provide certain 11
necessary items to students, faculty and staff of the University. Section 1 authorizes 12
a person wishing to obtain the special license plates to request that the plates be 13
combined with personalized prestige plates if the person pays the additional fees for 14
the personalized prestige plates. Section 2 of this bill makes a conforming change 15
to apply provisions relating to the issuance and renewal of a special license plate 16
for certain trailers to include the Nevada State University special license plate. 17
Section 5 of this bill prohibits the Department from issuing the Nevada State 18
University special license plate for a full trailer or semitrailer. 19
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Under existing law, certain special license plates: (1) must be approved by the 20
Department; (2) are subject to a limitation on the number of separate designs of 21
special license plates which the Department may issue at any one time; and (3) may 22
not be designed, prepared or issued by the Department unless a certain number of 23
applications for the plates are received. (NRS 482.367002, 482.367008, 482.36705) 24
Sections 6-8 of this bill exempt from such requirements the special license plates 25
indicating support for Nevada State University. 26
Section 9 of this bill excludes the Nevada State University special license 27
plates from the definition of “special license plate” for purposes of existing 28
provisions governing investigations relating to finances of charitable 29
organizations that receive additional fees from special license plates. 30
(NRS 482.38272-482.38279) 31
Section 3 of this bill prohibits a new vehicle dealer who is authorized to issue 32
certificates of registration from accepting an application for the registration of a 33
motor vehicle if the applicant wishes to obtain the Nevada State University special 34
license plates. 35
Section 4 of this bill authorizes the Director of the Department to order the 36
preparation of sample license plates that are of the same design and size as the 37
Nevada State University special license plates. 38
Section 10 of this bill makes a conforming change to authorize the holder of 39
the original registration of any vehicle to transfer the registration and use of the 40
Nevada State University special license plates to another vehicle under certain 41
circumstances. 42
Section 11 of this bill establishes a fee of $10 for the replacement of a Nevada 43
State University special license plate. 44
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Chapter 482 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 1
thereto a new section to read as follows: 2
1. The Department, in cooperation with Nevada State 3
University, shall design, prepare and issue license plates that 4
indicate support for Nevada State University using any colors and 5
designs which the Department deems appropriate. 6
2. The Department shall issue license plates that indicate 7
support for Nevada State University for a passenger car or light 8
commercial vehicle upon application by a person who is entitled to 9
license plates pursuant to NRS 482.265 and who otherwise 10
complies with the requirements for registration and licensing 11
pursuant to this chapter. A person may request that personalized 12
prestige license plates issued pursuant to NRS 482.3667 be 13
combined with license plates that indicate support for Nevada 14
State University if that person pays the fees for the personalized 15
prestige license plates in addition to the fees for the license plates 16
that indicate support for Nevada State University pursuant to 17
subsections 3 and 4. 18
3. The fee for the license plates that indicate support for 19
Nevada State University is $35, in addition to all other applicable 20
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registration and license fees and governmental services taxes. The 1
license plates are renewable upon the payment of $10. 2
4. In addition to all other applicable registration and license 3
fees, governmental services taxes and the fee prescribed pursuant 4
to subsection 3, a person who requests a set of license plates that 5
indicate support for Nevada State University must pay a fee of $25 6
for the issuance of the plates and a fee of $20 for each renewal of 7
the plates, to be deposited in accordance with subsection 5. 8
5. The Department shall deposit the fees collected pursuant to 9
subsection 4 with the State Treasurer for credit to the State 10
General Fund. The State Treasurer shall, on a quarterly basis, 11
distribute equally the fees deposited pursuant to this subsection 12
between: 13
(a) Nevada State University to support athletics programs at 14
Nevada State University; and 15
(b) The Nevada State University Foundation to operate a 16
program to provide to students, faculty and staff of Nevada State 17
University necessary items, including, without limitation: 18
(1) Perishable and nonperishable food items; 19
(2) School supplies; 20
(3) Clothing; and 21
(4) Personal hygiene products. 22
6. The provisions of NRS 482.36705 do not apply to license 23
plates described in this section. 24
7. If, during a registration period, the holder of license plates 25
issued pursuant to the provisions of this section disposes of the 26
vehicle to which the plates are affixed, the holder shall: 27
(a) Retain the plates and affix them to another vehicle that 28
meets the requirements of this section if the holder pays the fee for 29
the transfer of the registration and any registration fee or 30
governmental services tax due pursuant to NRS 482.399; or 31
(b) Within 30 days after removing the plates from the vehicle, 32
return them to the Department. 33
8. The Department may accept any gifts, grants and 34
donations or other sources of money for the production and 35
issuance of the special license plates pursuant to this section. All 36
money received pursuant to this subsection must be deposited in 37
the Revolving Account for the Issuance of Special License Plates 38
created by NRS 482.1805. 39
Sec. 2. NRS 482.2065 is hereby amended to read as follows: 40
482.2065 1. A trailer may be registered for a 3-year period as 41
provided in this section. 42
2. A person who registers a trailer for a 3-year period must pay 43
upon registration all fees and taxes that would be due during the 3-44
year period if he or she registered the trailer for 1 year and renewed 45
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that registration for 2 consecutive years immediately thereafter, 1
including, without limitation: 2
(a) Registration fees pursuant to NRS 482.480 and 482.483. 3
(b) A fee for each license plate issued pursuant to NRS 482.268. 4
(c) Fees for the initial issuance and renewal of a special license 5
plate pursuant to NRS 482.265, if applicable. 6
(d) Fees for the initial issuance and renewal of a personalized 7
prestige license plate pursuant to NRS 482.367, if applicable. 8
(e) Additional fees for the initial issuance and renewal of a 9
special license plate issued pursuant to NRS 482.3667 to 482.3823, 10
inclusive, and section 1 of this act, which are imposed to generate 11
financial support for a particular cause or charitable organization, if 12
applicable. 13
(f) Governmental services taxes imposed pursuant to chapter 14
371 of NRS, as provided in NRS 482.260. 15
(g) The applicable taxes imposed pursuant to chapters 372, 374, 16
377 and 377A of NRS. 17
3. As used in this section, the term “trailer” does not include a 18
full trailer or semitrailer that is registered pursuant to subsection 3 of 19
NRS 482.483. 20
Sec. 3. NRS 482.216 is hereby amended to read as follows: 21
482.216 1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 482.2155, 22
upon the request of a new vehicle dealer, the Department may 23
authorize the new vehicle dealer to: 24
(a) Accept applications for the registration of the new motor 25
vehicles he or she sells and the related fees and taxes; 26
(b) Issue certificates of registration to applicants who satisfy the 27
requirements of this chapter; and 28
(c) Accept applications for the transfer of registration pursuant 29
to NRS 482.399 if the applicant purchased from the new vehicle 30
dealer a new vehicle to which the registration is to be transferred. 31
2. A new vehicle dealer who is authorized to issue certificates 32
of registration pursuant to subsection 1 shall: 33
(a) Transmit the applications received to the Department within 34
the period prescribed by the Department; 35
(b) Transmit the fees collected from the applicants and properly 36
account for them within the period prescribed by the Department; 37
(c) Comply with the regulations adopted pursuant to subsection 38
5; and 39
(d) Bear any cost of equipment which is necessary to issue 40
certificates of registration, including any computer hardware or 41
software. 42
3. A new vehicle dealer who is authorized to issue certificates 43
of registration pursuant to subsection 1 shall not: 44
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(a) Charge any additional fee for the performance of those 1
services; 2
(b) Receive compensation from the Department for the 3
performance of those services; 4
(c) Accept applications for the renewal of registration of a motor 5
vehicle; or 6
(d) Accept an application for the registration of a motor vehicle 7
if the applicant wishes to: 8
(1) Obtain special license plates pursuant to NRS 482.3667 9
to 482.3823, inclusive [;] , and section 1 of this act; or 10
(2) Claim the exemption from the governmental services tax 11
provided pursuant to NRS 361.1565 to veterans and their relations. 12
4. The provisions of this section do not apply to the registration 13
of a moped pursuant to NRS 482.2155. 14
5. The Director shall adopt such regulations as are necessary to 15
carry out the provisions of this section. The regulations adopted 16
pursuant to this subsection must provide for: 17
(a) The expedient and secure issuance of license plates and 18
decals by the Department; and 19
(b) The withdrawal of the authority granted to a new vehicle 20
dealer pursuant to subsection 1 if that dealer fails to comply with the 21
regulations adopted by the Department. 22
Sec. 4. NRS 482.2703 is hereby amended to read as follows: 23
482.2703 1. The Director may order the preparation of 24
sample license plates which must be of the same design and size as 25
regular license plates or license plates issued pursuant to NRS 26
482.384. The Director shall ensure that: 27
(a) Each license plate issued pursuant to this subsection, 28
regardless of its design, is inscribed with the word SAMPLE and an 29
identical designation which consists of the same group of three 30
numerals followed by the same group of three letters; and 31
(b) The designation of numerals and letters assigned pursuant to 32
paragraph (a) is not assigned to a vehicle registered pursuant to this 33
chapter or chapter 706 of NRS. 34
2. The Director may order the preparation of sample license 35
plates which must be of the same design and size as any of the 36
special license plates issued pursuant to NRS 482.3667 to 482.3823, 37
inclusive [.] , and section 1 of this act. The Director shall ensure 38
that: 39
(a) Each license plate issued pursuant to this subsection, 40
regardless of its design, is inscribed with the word SAMPLE and the 41
number zero in the location where any other numerals would 42
normally be displayed on a license plate of that design; and 43
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(b) The number assigned pursuant to paragraph (a) is not 1
assigned to a vehicle registered pursuant to this chapter or chapter 2
706 of NRS. 3
3. The Director may establish a fee for the issuance of sample 4
license plates of not more than $15 for each license plate. 5
4. A decal issued pursuant to NRS 482.271 may be displayed 6
on a sample license plate issued pursuant to this section. 7
5. All money collected from the issuance of sample license 8
plates must be deposited in the State Treasury for credit to the 9
Motor Vehicle Fund. 10
6. A person shall not affix a sample license plate issued 11
pursuant to this section to a vehicle. A person who violates the 12
provisions of this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor. 13
Sec. 5. NRS 482.274 is hereby amended to read as follows: 14
482.274 1. The Director shall order the preparation of vehicle 15
license plates for trailers in the same manner provided for motor 16
vehicles in NRS 482.270, except that a vehicle license plate 17
prepared for a full trailer or semitrailer that is registered pursuant to 18
subsection 3 of NRS 482.483 is not required to have displayed upon 19
it the month and year the registration expires. 20
2. The Director shall order preparation of two sizes of vehicle 21
license plates for trailers. The smaller plates may be used for trailers 22
with a gross vehicle weight of less than 1,000 pounds. 23
3. The Director shall determine the registration numbers 24
assigned to trailers. 25
4. Any license plates issued for a trailer before July 1, 1975, 26
bearing a different designation from that provided for in this section, 27
are valid during the period for which such plates were issued. 28
5. The Department shall not issue for a full trailer or semitrailer 29
that is registered pursuant to subsection 3 of NRS 482.483 a special 30
license plate available pursuant to NRS 482.3667 to 482.3823, 31
inclusive [.] , and section 1 of this act. 32
Sec. 6. NRS 482.367002 is hereby amended to read as 33
follows: 34
482.367002 1. A person may request that the Department 35
design, prepare and issue a special license plate by submitting an 36
application to the Department. A person may submit an application 37
for a special license plate that is intended to generate financial 38
support for an organization only if: 39
(a) For an organization which is not a governmental entity, the 40
organization is established as a nonprofit charitable organization 41
which provides services to the community relating to public health, 42
education or general welfare; 43
(b) For an organization which is a governmental entity, the 44
organization only uses the financial support generated by the special 45
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license plate for charitable purposes relating to public health, 1
education or general welfare; 2
(c) The organization is registered with the Secretary of State, if 3
registration is required by law, and has filed any documents required 4
to remain registered with the Secretary of State; 5
(d) The name and purpose of the organization do not promote, 6
advertise or endorse any specific product, brand name or service that 7
is offered for profit; 8
(e) The organization is nondiscriminatory; and 9
(f) The license plate will not promote a specific religion, faith or 10
antireligious belief. 11
2. An application submitted to the Department pursuant to 12
subsection 1: 13
(a) Must be on a form prescribed and furnished by the 14
Department; 15
(b) Must specify whether the special license plate being 16
requested is intended to generate financial support for a particular 17
cause or charitable organization and, if so: 18
(1) The name of the cause or charitable organization; and 19
(2) Whether the financial support intended to be generated 20
for the particular cause or charitable organization will be for: 21
(I) General use by the particular cause or charitable 22
organization; or 23
(II) Use by the particular cause or charitable organization 24
in a more limited or specific manner; 25
(c) Must include the name and signature of a person who 26
represents: 27
(1) The organization which is requesting that the Department 28
design, prepare and issue the special license plate; and 29
(2) If different from the organization described in 30
subparagraph (1), the cause or charitable organization for which the 31
special license plate being requested is intended to generate 32
financial support; 33
(d) Must include proof that the organization satisfies the 34
requirements set forth in subsection 1; 35
(e) Must be accompanied by a surety bond posted with the 36
Department in the amount of $5,000, except that if the special 37
license plate being requested is one of the type described in 38
subsection 3 of NRS 482.367008, the application must be 39
accompanied by a surety bond posted with the Department in the 40
amount of $20,000; 41
(f) Must, if the organization is a charitable organization, not 42
including a governmental entity whose budget is included in the 43
executive budget, include a budget prepared by or for the charitable 44
organization which includes, without limitation, the proposed 45
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operating and administrative expenses of the charitable 1
organization; and 2
(g) Must be accompanied by suggestions for the design of and 3
colors to be used in the special license plate. The suggestion must be 4
made in consultation with the charitable organization for which the 5
special license plate is intended to generate financial support, if any. 6
3. If an application for a special license plate has been 7
submitted pursuant to this section but the Department has not yet 8
designed, prepared or issued the plate, the applicant shall amend the 9
application with updated information when any of the following 10
events take place: 11
(a) The name of the organization that submitted the application 12
has changed since the initial application was submitted. 13
(b) The cause or charitable organization for which the special 14
license plate being requested is intended to generate financial 15
support has a different name than that set forth on the initial 16
application. 17
(c) The cause or charitable organization for which the special 18
license plate being requested is intended to generate financial 19
support is different from that set forth on the initial application. 20
(d) A charitable organization which submitted a budget pursuant 21
to paragraph (f) of subsection 2 prepares or has prepared a new or 22
subsequent budget. 23
The updated information described in this subsection must be 24
submitted to the Department within 90 days after the relevant 25
change takes place, unless the applicant has received notice that the 26
special license plate is on an agenda to be heard at a public meeting 27
of the Department held pursuant to subsection 4, in which case the 28
updated information must be submitted to the Department within 48 29
hours after the applicant receives such notice. The updating of 30
information pursuant to this subsection does not alter, change or 31
otherwise affect the issuance of special license plates by the 32
Department in accordance with the chronological order of their 33
authorization or approval, as described in subsection 2 of 34
NRS 482.367008. 35
4. The Department shall hold a public meeting before 36
determining whether to approve or disapprove: 37
(a) An application for the design, preparation and issuance of a 38
special license plate that is submitted to the Department pursuant to 39
subsection 1; and 40
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 6, an application 41
for the design, preparation and issuance of a special license plate 42
that has been authorized by an act of the Legislature after January 1, 43
2007. 44
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In determining whether to approve such an application, the 1
Department shall consider, without limitation, whether it would be 2
appropriate and feasible for the Department to design, prepare and 3
issue the particular special license plate. The Department shall 4
consider each application in the chronological order in which the 5
application was received by the Department. 6
5. Before holding a public meeting pursuant to subsection 4, 7
the Department shall: 8
(a) At least 30 days before the public meeting is held, notify: 9
(1) The person who requested the special license plate 10
pursuant to subsection 1; and 11
(2) The charitable organization for which the special license 12
plate is intended to generate financial support, if any; and 13
(b) Post a notice of the public meeting that complies with 14
chapter 241 of NRS. 15
6. The provisions of paragraph (b) of subsection 4 do not apply 16
with regard to special license plates that are issued pursuant to NRS 17
482.3746, 482.3751, 482.3752, 482.3757, 482.3783, 482.3785, 18
482.3787, 482.37901, 482.37902, 482.37906, 482.37907, 482.3791, 19
482.3794 or 482.3817 [.] or section 1 of this act. 20
7. The Department may design and prepare a special license 21
plate requested pursuant to subsection 1 if the Department: 22
(a) Determines that the application for that plate complies with 23
subsection 2; and 24
(b) Approves the application for that plate after holding the 25
public meeting required pursuant to subsection 4. 26
8. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 482.367008, the 27
Department may issue a special license plate that: 28
(a) The Department has designed and prepared pursuant to 29
subsection 7; and 30
(b) Complies with the requirements of NRS 482.367003, 31
for any motorcycle, passenger car or light commercial vehicle 32
upon application by a person who is entitled to license plates 33
pursuant to NRS 482.265 and who otherwise complies with the 34
requirements for registration and licensing pursuant to this chapter. 35
A person may request that personalized prestige license plates 36
issued pursuant to NRS 482.3667 be combined with a special 37
license plate issued pursuant to this section if that person pays the 38
fees for personalized prestige license plates in addition to the fees 39
for the special license plate. 40
9. Upon making a determination to issue a special license plate 41
pursuant to subsection 8, the Department shall notify: 42
(a) The person who requested the special license plate pursuant 43
to subsection 1; and 44
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(b) The charitable organization for which the special license 1
plate is intended to generate financial support, if any. 2
10. After making a determination to issue a special license 3
plate pursuant to this section, if the Department determines not to 4
use the design or colors suggested pursuant to paragraph (g) of 5
subsection 2, the Department shall notify the person who requested 6
the special license plate pursuant to subsection 1. The notice must 7
include, without limitation, the reasons the Department did not use 8
the design or colors suggested pursuant to paragraph (g) of 9
subsection 2. 10
11. Within 180 days after receiving the notice pursuant to 11
subsection 10, the person who requested the special license plate 12
pursuant to subsection 1 shall, in consultation with the charitable 13
organization for which the special license plate is intended to 14
generate financial support, if any, submit a revised suggestion for 15
the design of and colors to be used in the special license plate. If the 16
person does not submit a revised suggestion within 180 days after 17
receiving the notice pursuant to subsection 10, the Department must: 18
(a) Not issue the special license plate; and 19
(b) Notify: 20
(1) The person who requested the special license plate 21
pursuant to subsection 1; and 22
(2) The charitable organization for which the special license 23
plate is intended to generate financial support, if any. 24
12. After receiving the suggested design of and colors to be 25
used in the special license plate pursuant to paragraph (g) of 26
subsection 2 or subsection 11 and upon determining the design of 27
and the colors to be used in the special license plate, the Department 28
shall submit the design of and the colors to be used in the special 29
license plate to the person who requested the special license plate 30
pursuant to subsection 1 and to the charitable organization for which 31
the special license plate is intended to generate financial support, if 32
any. The person and the charitable organization, if any, shall 33
respond to the Department within 30 days after receiving the design 34
of and the colors to be used in the special license plate and shall: 35
(a) Approve the design of and the colors to be used in the 36
special license plate; or 37
(b) Submit suggestions to revise the design of or colors to be 38
used in the special license plate. 39
If the person who requested the special license plate pursuant to 40
subsection 1 and the charitable organization for which the special 41
license plate is intended to generate financial support, if any, fail to 42
respond within 30 days after receiving the design of and the colors 43
to be used in the special license plate, the person and charitable 44
organization shall be deemed to approve the design of and the colors 45
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to be used in the special license plate. The Department may adopt 1
regulations to carry out this subsection. 2
13. The Department must promptly release the surety bond 3
posted pursuant to subsection 2: 4
(a) If the Department determines not to issue the special license 5
plate; 6
(b) If the Department distributes the additional fees collected on 7
behalf of a charitable organization to another charitable organization 8
pursuant to subparagraph (2) of paragraph (c) of subsection 5 of 9
NRS 482.38279 and the surety bond has not been released to the 10
initial charitable organization; or 11
(c) If it is determined that at least 1,000 special license plates 12
have been issued pursuant to the assessment of the viability of the 13
design of the special license plate conducted pursuant to NRS 14
482.367008, except that if the special license plate is one of the type 15
described in subsection 3 of NRS 482.367008, the Department must 16
promptly release the surety bond posted pursuant to subsection 2 if 17
it is determined that at least 3,000 special license plates have been 18
issued pursuant to the assessment of the viability of the design of the 19
special license plate conducted pursuant to NRS 482.367008. 20
14. If, during a registration period, the holder of license plates 21
issued pursuant to the provisions of this section disposes of the 22
vehicle to which the plates are affixed, the holder shall: 23
(a) Retain the plates and affix them to another vehicle that meets 24
the requirements of this section if the holder pays the fee for the 25
transfer of the registration and any registration fee or governmental 26
services tax due pursuant to NRS 482.399; or 27
(b) Within 30 days after removing the plates from the vehicle, 28
return them to the Department. 29
15. On or before September 1 of each fiscal year, the 30
Department shall compile a list of each special license plate the 31
Department, during the immediately preceding fiscal year, designed 32
and prepared pursuant to subsection 7 or issued pursuant to 33
subsection 8. The list must set forth, for each such plate, the cause 34
or charitable organization for which the special license plate 35
generates or would generate financial support, and the intended use 36
to which the financial support is being put or would be put. The 37
Department shall make that information available on its Internet 38
website. 39
16. On or before January 31 of each year, the Department shall: 40
(a) Compile a report that contains information detailing: 41
(1) The requests submitted pursuant to subsection 1; 42
(2) The list compiled pursuant to subsection 15 for the 43
immediately preceding fiscal year; 44
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(3) Any special license plates that the Department will no 1
longer issue pursuant to NRS 482.367008; 2
(4) The results of any activities conducted pursuant to NRS 3
482.38272 to 482.38279, inclusive; and 4
(5) Any actions taken by the Department pursuant to 5
subsections 4 and 5 of NRS 482.38279; and 6
(b) Submit the report to the Director of the Legislative Counsel 7
Bureau for transmittal to the Legislature, if the Legislature is in 8
session, or to the Legislative Commission, if the Legislature is not 9
in session. 10
Sec. 7. NRS 482.367008 is hereby amended to read as 11
follows: 12
482.367008 1. As used in this section, “special license plate” 13
means: 14
(a) A license plate that the Department has designed and 15
prepared pursuant to NRS 482.367002 in accordance with the 16
system of application described in that section; 17
(b) A license plate approved by the Legislature that the 18
Department has designed and prepared pursuant to NRS 482.3747, 19
482.37903, 482.37917, 482.379175, 482.37918, 482.37919, 20
482.3792, 482.3793, 482.37933, 482.37934, 482.37935, 21
482.379355, 482.379365, 482.37937, 482.379375, 482.37938, 22
482.37939, 482.37945 or 482.37947; and 23
(c) Except for a license plate that is issued pursuant to NRS 24
482.3746, 482.3751, 482.3752, 482.3757, 482.3783, 482.3785, 25
482.3787, 482.37901, 482.37902, 482.37906, 482.37907, 482.3791, 26
482.3794, 482.37941 or 482.3817, or section 1 of this act, a license 27
plate that is approved by the Legislature after July 1, 2005. 28
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, 29
and except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, the Department 30
shall not, at any one time, issue more than 30 separate designs of 31
special license plates. Whenever the total number of separate 32
designs of special license plates issued by the Department at any one 33
time is less than 30, the Department shall issue a number of 34
additional designs of special license plates that have been authorized 35
by an act of the Legislature or the application for which has been 36
approved by the Department pursuant to NRS 482.367002, not to 37
exceed a total of 30 designs issued by the Department at any one 38
time. Such additional designs must be issued by the Department in 39
accordance with the chronological order of their authorization or 40
approval by the Department. 41
3. In addition to the special license plates described in 42
subsection 2, the Department may issue not more than five separate 43
designs of special license plates in excess of the limit set forth in 44
that subsection. To qualify for issuance pursuant to this subsection: 45
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(a) The Department must approve the design, preparation and 1
issuance of the special plates as described in NRS 482.367002; and 2
(b) The special license plates must have been applied for, 3
designed, prepared and issued pursuant to NRS 482.367002, except 4
that: 5
(1) The application for the special license plates must be 6
accompanied by a surety bond posted with the Department in the 7
amount of $20,000; and 8
(2) Pursuant to the assessment of the viability of the design 9
of the special license plates that is conducted pursuant to this 10
section, it is determined that at least 3,000 special license plates 11
have been issued. 12
4. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, on 13
October 1 of each year the Department shall assess the viability of 14
each separate design of special license plate that the Department is 15
currently issuing by determining the total number of validly 16
registered motor vehicles to which that design of special license 17
plate is affixed. The Department shall not determine the total 18
number of validly registered motor vehicles to which a particular 19
design of special license plate is affixed if: 20
(a) The particular design of special license plate was designed 21
and prepared by the Department pursuant to NRS 482.367002; and 22
(b) On October 1, that particular design of special license plate 23
has been available to be issued for less than 12 months. 24
5. If, on October 1, the total number of validly registered motor 25
vehicles to which a particular design of special license plate is 26
affixed is: 27
(a) In the case of special license plates not described in 28
subsection 3, less than 1,000; or 29
(b) In the case of special license plates described in subsection 30
3, less than 3,000, 31
the Director shall provide notice of that fact in the manner 32
described in subsection 6. 33
6. The notice required pursuant to subsection 5 must be 34
provided: 35
(a) If the special license plate generates financial support for a 36
cause or charitable organization, to that cause or charitable 37
organization. 38
(b) If the special license plate does not generate financial 39
support for a cause or charitable organization, to an entity which is 40
involved in promoting the activity, place or other matter that is 41
depicted on the plate. 42
7. If, on December 31 of the same year in which notice was 43
provided pursuant to subsections 5 and 6, the total number of validly 44
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registered motor vehicles to which a particular design of special 1
license plate is affixed is: 2
(a) In the case of special license plates not described in 3
subsection 3, less than 1,000; or 4
(b) In the case of special license plates described in subsection 5
3, less than 3,000, 6
the Director shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law to 7
the contrary, issue an order providing that the Department will no 8
longer issue that particular design of special license plate. Such an 9
order does not require existing holders of that particular design of 10
special license plate to surrender their plates to the Department and 11
does not prohibit those holders from renewing those plates. 12
Sec. 8. NRS 482.36705 is hereby amended to read as follows: 13
482.36705 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2: 14
(a) If a new special license plate is authorized by an act of the 15
Legislature after January 1, 2003, other than a special license plate 16
that is authorized pursuant to NRS 482.379375, the Legislature will 17
direct that the license plate not be designed, prepared or issued by 18
the Department unless the Department receives at least 1,000 19
applications for the issuance of that plate within 2 years after the 20
effective date of the act of the Legislature that authorized the plate. 21
(b) In addition to the requirements set forth in paragraph (a), if a 22
new special license plate is authorized by an act of the Legislature 23
after July 1, 2005, the Legislature will direct that the license plate 24
not be issued by the Department unless its issuance complies with 25
subsection 2 of NRS 482.367008. 26
(c) In addition to the requirements set forth in paragraphs (a) and 27
(b), if a new special license plate is authorized by an act of the 28
Legislature after January 1, 2007, the Legislature will direct that the 29
license plate not be designed, prepared or issued by the Department 30
unless the Department approves the application for the authorized 31
plate pursuant to NRS 482.367002. 32
(d) In addition to the requirements set forth in paragraphs (a), 33
(b) and (c), if a new special license plate is authorized by an act of 34
the Legislature after July 1, 2021, the Legislature will direct that the 35
license plate not be designed, prepared or issued by the Department 36
unless the organization meeting the requirements described in 37
subsection 1 of NRS 482.367002 submits suggestions for the design 38
of and colors to be used in the special license plate within 180 days 39
after the authorization of the special license plate. The provisions of 40
subsections 10, 11 and 12 of NRS 482.367002 apply to suggestions 41
submitted pursuant to this paragraph. 42
2. The provisions of subsection 1 do not apply with regard to 43
special license plates that are issued pursuant to NRS 482.3746, 44
482.3751, 482.3752, 482.3757, 482.3783, 482.3785, 482.3787, 45
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- *SB181_R1*
482.37901, 482.37902, 482.37906, 482.37907, 482.3791, 482.3794, 1
482.37941 or 482.3817 [.] or section 1 of this act. 2
Sec. 9. NRS 482.38276 is hereby amended to read as follows: 3
482.38276 “Special license plate” means: 4
1. A license plate that the Department has designed and 5
prepared pursuant to NRS 482.367002 in accordance with the 6
system of application and petition described in that section; 7
2. A license plate approved by the Legislature that the 8
Department has designed and prepared pursuant to NRS 482.3747, 9
482.37903, 482.37904, 482.37905, 482.37907, 482.37917, 10
482.379175, 482.37918, 482.37919, 482.3792, 482.3793, 11
482.37933, 482.37934, 482.37935, 482.379355, 482.379365, 12
482.37937, 482.379375, 482.37938, 482.37939, 482.37945 or 13
482.37947; and 14
3. Except for a license plate that is issued pursuant to NRS 15
482.3746, 482.3757, 482.3785, 482.3787, 482.37901, 482.37902, 16
482.37906, 482.3791, 482.3794 or 482.37941, or section 1 of this 17
act, a license plate that is approved by the Legislature after July 1, 18
2005. 19
Sec. 10. NRS 482.399 is hereby amended to read as follows: 20
482.399 1. Upon the transfer of the ownership of or interest 21
in any vehicle by any holder of a valid registration, or upon 22
destruction of the vehicle, the registration expires. 23
2. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 482.2155 and 24
subsection 3 of NRS 482.483, the holder of the original registration 25
may transfer the registration to another vehicle to be registered by 26
the holder and use the same regular license plate or plates or special 27
license plate or plates issued pursuant to NRS 482.3667 to 28
482.3823, inclusive, and section 1 of this act or 482.384, on the 29
vehicle from which the registration is being transferred, if the 30
license plate or plates are appropriate for the second vehicle, upon 31
filing an application for transfer of registration and upon paying the 32
transfer registration fee and the excess, if any, of the registration fee 33
and governmental services tax on the vehicle to which the 34
registration is transferred over the total registration fee and 35
governmental services tax paid on all vehicles from which he or she 36
is transferring ownership or interest. Except as otherwise provided 37
in NRS 482.294, an application for transfer of registration must be 38
made in person, if practicable, to any office or agent of the 39
Department or to a registered dealer, and the license plate or plates 40
may not be used upon a second vehicle until registration of that 41
vehicle is complete. 42
3. In computing the governmental services tax, the 43
Department, its agent or the registered dealer shall credit the portion 44
of the tax paid on the first vehicle attributable to the remainder of 45
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the current registration period or calendar year on a pro rata monthly 1
basis against the tax due on the second vehicle or on any other 2
vehicle of which the person is the registered owner. If any person 3
transfers ownership or interest in two or more vehicles, the 4
Department or the registered dealer shall credit the portion of the tax 5
paid on all of the vehicles attributable to the remainder of the 6
current registration period or calendar year on a pro rata monthly 7
basis against the tax due on the vehicle to which the registration is 8
transferred or on any other vehicle of which the person is the 9
registered owner. The certificates of registration and unused license 10
plates of the vehicles from which a person transfers ownership or 11
interest must be submitted before credit is given against the tax due 12
on the vehicle to which the registration is transferred or on any other 13
vehicle of which the person is the registered owner. 14
4. In computing the registration fee, the Department or its 15
agent or the registered dealer shall credit the portion of the 16
registration fee paid on each vehicle attributable to the remainder of 17
the current calendar year or registration period on a pro rata basis 18
against the registration fee due on the vehicle to which registration 19
is transferred. 20
5. If the amount owed on the registration fee or governmental 21
services tax on the vehicle to which registration is transferred is less 22
than the credit on the total registration fee or governmental services 23
tax paid on all vehicles from which a person transfers ownership or 24
interest, the person may apply the unused portion of the credit to the 25
registration of any other vehicle owned by the person. Any unused 26
portion of such a credit expires on the date the registration of the 27
vehicle from which the person transferred the registration was due 28
to expire. 29
6. If the license plate or plates are not appropriate for the 30
second vehicle, the plate or plates must be surrendered to the 31
Department or registered dealer and an appropriate plate or plates 32
must be issued by the Department. The Department shall not reissue 33
the surrendered plate or plates until the next succeeding licensing 34
period. 35
7. If application for transfer of registration is not made within 36
60 days after the destruction or transfer of ownership of or interest 37
in any vehicle, the license plate or plates must be surrendered to the 38
Department on or before the 60th day for cancellation of the 39
registration. 40
8. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 of NRS 41
371.040, NRS 482.2155, subsections 8 and 9 of NRS 482.260 and 42
subsection 3 of NRS 482.483, if a person cancels his or her 43
registration and surrenders to the Department the license plates for a 44
vehicle, the Department shall: 45
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- *SB181_R1*
(a) In accordance with the provisions of subsection 9, issue to 1
the person a refund of the portion of the registration fee and 2
governmental services tax paid on the vehicle attributable to the 3
remainder of the current calendar year or registration period on a pro 4
rata basis; or 5
(b) If the person does not qualify for a refund in accordance with 6
the provisions of subsection 9, issue to the person a credit in the 7
amount of the portion of the registration fee and governmental 8
services tax paid on the vehicle attributable to the remainder of the 9
current calendar year or registration period on a pro rata basis. Such 10
a credit may be applied by the person to the registration of any other 11
vehicle owned by the person. Any unused portion of the credit 12
expires on the date the registration of the vehicle from which the 13
person obtained a refund was due to expire. 14
9. The Department shall issue a refund pursuant to subsection 8 15
only if the request for a refund is made at the time the registration is 16
cancelled and the license plates are surrendered, the person 17
requesting the refund is a resident of Nevada, the amount eligible 18
for refund exceeds $100, and evidence satisfactory to the 19
Department is submitted that reasonably proves the existence of 20
extenuating circumstances. For the purposes of this subsection, the 21
term “extenuating circumstances” means circumstances wherein: 22
(a) The person has recently relinquished his or her driver’s 23
license and has sold or otherwise disposed of his or her vehicle. 24
(b) The vehicle has been determined to be inoperable and the 25
person does not transfer the registration to a different vehicle. 26
(c) The owner of the vehicle is seriously ill or has died and the 27
guardians or survivors have sold or otherwise disposed of the 28
vehicle. 29
(d) Any other event occurs which the Department, by regulation, 30
has defined to constitute an “extenuating circumstance” for the 31
purposes of this subsection. 32
Sec. 11. NRS 482.500 is hereby amended to read as follows: 33
482.500 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 or 3 34
or specifically provided by statute, whenever upon application any 35
duplicate or substitute certificate of registration, indicator, decal or 36
number plate is issued, the following fees must be paid: 37
38
For a certificate of registration ........................................ $5.00 39
For every substitute number plate or set of plates ............. 5.00 40
For every duplicate number plate or set of plates ............ 10.00 41
For every decal displaying a county name ........................ .50 42
For every other indicator, decal, license plate 43
sticker or tab ................................................................. 5.00 44
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- *SB181_R1*
2. The following fees must be paid for any replacement 1
number plate or set of plates issued for the following special license 2
plates: 3
(a) For any special plate issued pursuant to NRS 482.3667, 4
482.367002, 482.3672, 482.370 to 482.3755, inclusive, and section 5
1 of this act, 482.376 or 482.379 to 482.3818, inclusive, a fee of 6
$10. 7
(b) For any special plate issued pursuant to NRS 482.368, 8
482.3765, 482.377 or 482.378, a fee of $5. 9
(c) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a) of subsection 10
1 of NRS 482.3824, for any souvenir license plate issued pursuant 11
to NRS 482.3825 or sample license plate issued pursuant to NRS 12
482.2703, a fee equal to that established by the Director for the 13
issuance of those plates. 14
3. A fee must not be charged for a duplicate or substitute of a 15
decal issued pursuant to NRS 482.37635. 16
4. The fees which are paid for replacement number plates, 17
duplicate number plates and decals displaying county names must 18
be deposited with the State Treasurer for credit to the Motor Vehicle 19
Fund and allocated to the Department to defray the costs of 20
replacing or duplicating the plates and manufacturing the decals. 21
Sec. 12. (Deleted by amendment.) 22
Sec. 13. (Deleted by amendment.) 23
Sec. 14. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2025. 24
H