ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0226
ENROLLED ACT NO. 30, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
1
AN ACT relating to motor vehicle license plates;
authorizing specially designed license plates to be issued
to benefit search and rescue efforts; specifying
requirements; authorizing fees; making conforming
amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an
effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1. W.S. 31-2-234 is created to read:
31-2-234. Search and rescue license plates.
(a) Any person required to register a vehicle in
Wyoming pursuant to this article may apply to the
department or county treasurer for a statement of
eligibility for search and rescue license plates for any
motor vehicle that is not a commercial vehicle owned or
leased by that person upon registration of the vehicle. The
department or county treasurer may include as part of the
application the option for the applicant to donate an
additional amount in support of search and rescue
activities. Upon payment by the applicant of a fee of one
hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to the department or county
treasurer, plus any additional voluntary amount, the
department or county treasurer shall issue a written
statement of eligibility for search and rescue license
plates. The department or county treasurer shall assess an
annual fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) for a person to retain
eligibility for search and rescue license plates, but this
annual fee shall not be charged in the year the person pays
the one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) eligibility fee.
The person may submit an additional voluntary amount in
support of search and rescue activities when remitting the
annual fee. ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0226
ENROLLED ACT NO. 30, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
2
(b) The fees collected under subsection (a) of this
section shall be payable to the department or county
treasurer and shall be accounted for separately. Except as
otherwise provided by law, the fees collected under
subsection (a) of this section shall be distributed to the
search and rescue account within the office of homeland
security as created in W.S. 19-13-301. Funds distributed to
the search and rescue account under this section shall be
administered in accordance with the following:
(i) The funds deposited in the search and rescue
account under this section are continuously appropriated to
the office of homeland security and shall only be used for
the purposes provided in W.S. 19-13-301(b) and
19-13-301(c);
(ii) The office of homeland security may
establish methods to accept voluntary contributions in
support of search and rescue activities for deposit into
the search and rescue account. The office of homeland
security may suggest and solicit specific contribution
amounts;
(iii) The department, in consultation with the
Wyoming office of homeland security, is authorized to
receive and credit to the search and rescue account, any
money or property of any kind or character donated, granted
or bequeathed to Wyoming search and rescue activities. The
office of homeland security shall have the authority to
carry out the terms, if any, of the grant, donation or
bequest, or in the absence of any terms or limitations, to
expend the money or the proceeds of the property as it may
deem advisable for search and rescue activities under the
provisions of this section and W.S. 19-13-301. ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0226
ENROLLED ACT NO. 30, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
3
(c) Applicants shall apply at least thirty (30) days
before registration is required for the vehicle for which
the plates are intended. Except as provided in this
section, application for, issuance and renewal of the
search and rescue license plates under this section shall
be subject to the same requirements and fees as provided in
this article in addition to the fee collected under
subsection (a) of this section. The license plate fees
required under W.S. 31-3-102(a)(viii) shall accompany each
application. The license plates under this section shall be
issued by the county treasurer of each county and shall be
displayed only upon the vehicle for which they are issued.
(d) The department shall prescribe the design of the
search and rescue license plates authorized by this section
in consultation with the public and other interested
parties, which shall include an image of the bucking horse
and rider described in W.S. 8-3-117. License plates
authorized by this section need not include Arabic numerals
designating the county. The department shall arrange for
production of the license plates. Following initial
approval, search and rescue license plates shall be subject
to redesign on the same schedule as all license plates
beginning with the year 2033 reissuance.
(e) The department may prepare any special forms and
promulgate any rules necessary to carry out this section.
(f) Unless one thousand (1,000) sets of license
plates are issued under this section before December 31,
2032, the plates authorized under this section shall be
eliminated from production and the department shall report
the cessation of production to the legislature not later
than January 15, 2033. ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0226
ENROLLED ACT NO. 30, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
4
Section 2. W.S. 19-13-301(a) and by creating a new
subsection (d), 31-2-212, 31-2-225(a) by creating a new
paragraph (vii) and 31-3-101 by creating a new subsection
(k) are amended to read:
19-13-301. Search and rescue account; created;
expenditures.
(a) The search and rescue account is created. Fees
identified in W.S. 23-2-101, 23-2-201, 31-2-404,
31-2-409, 31-2-703, 41-13-109 and 41-13-110 shall be
deposited in the state treasury to the credit of this
account.
(d) The state treasurer is hereby authorized and
directed to receive and credit to the search and rescue
account any grant, donation or bequest that is made to the
search and rescue account for the purposes provided by W.S.
31-2-234. The state treasurer shall invest any money
received under this subsection in accordance with law and
the investment earnings received thereon shall be deposited
into the search and rescue account.
31-2-212. Loss, mutilation or destruction of
registration, plates or validation stickers.
Upon loss, mutilation or destruction of a certificate of
registration, license plate, or validation sticker the
owner of a vehicle may obtain a duplicate certificate of
registration, new license plates or validation stickers
from any county treasurer or the department if the vehicle
was registered or plates or stickers were issued by the
department upon application showing the loss, mutilation or
destruction, return of mutilated plates or stickers and ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0226
ENROLLED ACT NO. 30, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
5
payment of the duplicate registration, plate or sticker
fee. For those vehicles registered under the provisions of
W.S. 31-2-213(h), 31-2-215 through 31-2-223, 31-2-226,
31-2-227 or 31-2-229 through replacement
duplicate license plates may be obtained upon application
with the county treasurer from which the original plates
were purchased or the department if applicable, accompanied
by fees as provided by W.S. 31-3-102(a)(vi)(C). Duplicate
license plates obtained under this section to replace lost
or stolen plates shall not be displayed on the vehicle
until the validation stickers on the lost or stolen plates
have expired. Upon loss, mutilation or destruction of a
dealer plate or validation sticker the dealer may obtain a
replacement dealer plate or validation sticker from the
county treasurer from which he purchased the original plate
in the same manner as the owner of a vehicle and upon
payment of the appropriate fee under W.S. 31-3-102(a)(vi).
Obtaining a replacement plate is not the purchase of an
additional plate under W.S. 31-16-125(b)(i). Upon
application for new license plates or stickers the county
treasurer shall notify the department and the county
sheriff as soon as possible of the loss, mutilation or
destruction. The department shall notify the appropriate
law enforcement agencies of any loss, mutilation or
destruction of license plates or stickers.
31-2-225. Application requirements; contents; weight
certificate; title requirement; liability.
(a) Applications for registration of vehicles shall
be filed in the office of the county treasurer in person,
by regular mail, or if available, electronically, in the
county in which the owner of the vehicle resides or in any
county in any other case and contain: ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0226
ENROLLED ACT NO. 30, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
6(vii) The option for the owner to donate an
additional amount to support search and rescue operations
under W.S. 31-2-234.
31-3-101. Registration fees; exemptions.
(k) Any owner of a vehicle who wishes to donate money
to provide for search and rescue efforts under W.S.
31-2-234 shall be provided space on the registration form
to do so pursuant to W.S. 31-2-225(a)(vii). Revenues
collected under this subsection shall be forwarded by the
county treasurer to the state treasurer to be deposited
into the search and rescue account created by W.S.
19-13-301.
Section 3. The department of transportation shall
make search and rescue account license plates available
beginning on January 1, 2026. ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0226
ENROLLED ACT NO. 30, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
7Section 4. This act is effective July 1, 2025.
(END)
Speaker of the HousePresident of the SenateGovernorTIME APPROVED: _________DATE APPROVED: _________
I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.
Chief Clerk