46.2-719 - Permit for emergency use of license plates.
§ 46.2-719. Permit for emergency use of license plates.
A. The Commissioner may, in his discretion, grant a special permit for theuse of license plates on a vehicle other than the vehicle for which thelicense plates were issued, when the vehicle for which the license plateswere issued is undergoing repairs in a licensed motor vehicle dealer's repairshop and when the license plates are being used on a vehicle owned by thedealer in whose repair shop the vehicle is being repaired.
B. Application for the permit shall be made jointly by the dealer and theperson whose vehicle is being repaired, on forms provided by the Departmentand shall show, in addition to whatever other information may be required bythe Commissioner, that an emergency exists which would warrant the issuanceof the permit.
C. The permit shall be evidenced by a certificate, issued by theCommissioner, which shall show the date of issuance, the person to whomissued, the motor number, serial number or identification number of thevehicle on which the license plates are to be used, and shall be in theimmediate possession of the person operating the vehicle at all times whileoperating it. The certificate shall be valid for a period of five days fromits issuance. On its expiration, application may be made for a renewal permitin the manner provided for the original permit, but only one renewal permitshall be issued to cover any one emergency.
D. The Commissioner may, subject to the limitations and conditions set forthin this section, authorize a motor vehicle dealer licensed in theCommonwealth to issue such permit on behalf of the Commissioner in accordancewith the provisions of subsections A, B, and C of this section provided suchpermits are issued only with regard to the transfer in an emergency situationof license plates from a vehicle undergoing repairs in that dealer's repairshop. Any dealer to whom the authority is delegated by the Commissioner shalluse the forms provided by the Commissioner and shall maintain in permanentform a record of all permits issued by him and any other relevant informationthat may be required by the Commissioner. Each record shall be kept by thedealer for not less than three years from the date of entry. The dealershall allow full access to these records, during regular business hours, toduly authorized representatives of the Department and to law-enforcementofficers. One copy of any permit of this kind issued by a dealer and theapplication form submitted for the permit shall be filed promptly by thedealer with the Department. The Commissioner, on determining that theprovisions of this section or the directions of the Department are not beingcomplied with by a dealer, may suspend the right of such dealer to issuelicense plate transfer permits.
(Code 1950, § 46-104.1; 1952, c. 537; 1958, c. 541, § 46.1-110; 1978, c. 289;1989, c. 727.)