§ 403 — Number plates continued

§ 403. Number plates continued. 1. Notwithstanding any other\nprovision of this chapter, the commissioner, upon registration or\nreregistration of any vehicle required to be registered under this\nchapter, may continue the use of number plates for an additional period\nas may be determined by him, in which event he shall issue and deliver a\ntag or other evidence of registration, which shall be attached or\naffixed in such manner as he may prescribe by regulation. The failure to\naffix or display such tag or other evidence of registration, in the\nmanner prescribed by the commissioner, shall constitute a violation of\nthis section. The removal from any vehicle, other than by the owner of\nthe vehicle or person authorized by such owner or by a police officer in\nthe performance of his duties, of such tag or other evidence of\nregistration shall constitute a class B misdemeanor.\n 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this section,\nthe commissioner, upon registration or reregistration of any vehicle\nrequired to be registered under this chapter between July first,\nnineteen hundred eighty-six and June thirtieth, nineteen hundred\neighty-eight, shall issue a new number plate or plates to each\nregistrant or reregistrant, and provided further an emblem bearing the\nlikeness of the Statue of Liberty shall appear on the number plate or\nplates except that such emblem, in the discretion of the commissioner,\nneed not appear on a number plate or plates less than ten inches long.\nThe commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations for plate\nreissuance including which plates will be required to be replaced in\nwhich year. The commissioner is authorized to take whatever actions are\nnecessary to ensure that the transaction necessary for the reissuance of\nsuch number plate or plates shall be accomplished by mail so as to\nminimize the need for the reregistrant to process the transaction in\nperson.\n 3. a. Upon the request of an applicant and payment by the applicant of\na one-time fee not to exceed twenty dollars, and subject to regulations\npromulgated by the commissioner, the commissioner shall provide a number\nplate or plates bearing the same distinctive numerals and/or letters as\nthe number plate being replaced. Such one-time fee shall be in addition\nto the regular fee prescribed by section four hundred one of this\narticle.\n b. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph a of this subdivision,\nno such one-time fee shall be charged for any plate subject to the\nprovisions of section four hundred four or four hundred four-l of this\narticle, for which an annual service charge is paid in addition to the\nregular fee prescribed by section four hundred one of this article.\n c. Nothing contained in paragraph a of this subdivision shall be\ndeemed to authorize the imposition of a fee for a number plate or plates\nwhich is higher than any fee otherwise authorized by this chapter.\n