Title 56, Motor Vehicles

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue special commemorative motor vehicle license plates commemorating the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the American Revolution to owners of private passenger carrying motor vehicles or motorcycles registered in their names. The bie…

(A) The department may issue the following special license plates reflective of valorous awards for private passenger vehicles and motorcycles to active or prior service members who received the following awards: (1) Medal of Honor- Army (2) Medal of Honor- Navy (3) Medal of Hono…

(A) The department may issue the following special license plates reflective of distinguished service awards for private passenger vehicles and motorcycles to active or prior service members who received the following awards: (1) Distinguished Service Medal- Army (2) Distinguishe…

(A) The department may issue the following special license plates reflective of exemplary service awards for private passenger vehicles and motorcycles to the individuals specified by the following license plate categories: (1) Gold Star Family: available to immediate family memb…

(A) The department may issue the following special license plates reflective of a service-connected disability for passenger vehicles and motorcycles registered to qualifying veterans: (1) Disabled Veteran—the applicant must be considered totally and permanently disabled due to a…

(A) The department may issue the following special license plates reflective of campaign medals for private passenger vehicles and motorcycles to active service members or prior service members who participated in the following military campaigns: (1) World War II Veteran (2) Pea…

(A) The department may issue the following special license plates reflective of meritorious service for private passenger vehicles and motorcycles to active or prior service members who received the following awards: (1) Air Medal (2) Bronze Star (service) (3) Meritorious Service…

(A) The department may issue the following special license plates reflective of military service for private passenger vehicles and motorcycles to active or prior service members associated with the following military components or designations: (1) Veteran or Veteran wheelchair …

(A) The department may issue the following types of special license plates showing support for military-related private organizations for private passenger vehicles and motorcycles to members of the general public that will financially benefit the following organizations: (1) Blu…

(A) Upon the death of an award recipient, a surviving spouse may apply to the department for a license plate issued under the provisions of Section 56-3-14910, 56-3-14920, or 56-3-14930(A)(3). The surviving spouse may apply to the department to transfer a license plate previously…

(A) A foreign privately owned and operated passenger vehicle of a nonresident, otherwise subject to registration and license as provided by this chapter, may be operated within this State without being registered and licensed pursuant to this chapter, subject to the conditions th…

License plates first issued to registrants under previous requirements are not subject to the revised requirements that a person must meet to apply for a plate specified in this article.

Additional military special license plates added to this article must be listed in the most fitting category based on the definition of the award, conflict, service, or private organization.

The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue special motor vehicle license plates to persons who hold unrevoked and unexpired amateur radio licenses of a renewable nature issued by the Federal Communications Commission for private passenger motor vehicles registered in the same nam…

Applications for special license plates, as authorized under this article, must be made on forms provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles, contain proof satisfactory to the department that the applicant holds an unrevoked and unexpired amateur radio license, and state the cal…

The special license plates must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates, upon which must be imprinted the official amateur radio call letters of the persons assigned by the Federal Communications Commission. The special plates are for bienni…

Special license plates issued pursuant to this article may be transferred to another vehicle of the same weight class owned by the same person upon application being made therefor and approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It shall be unlawful for any person to whom such s…

Any person violating any of the provisions of this article or any person who (a) fraudulently gives false or fictitious information in any application for a special license plate, as authorized in this article, (b) conceals a material fact or (c) otherwise commits a fraud in any …

The provisions of this article shall not affect the registration and licensing of motor vehicles as required by other provisions of this chapter, but shall be cumulative thereto.

Every foreign vehicle moved into this State the owner of which is a resident of this State immediately becomes liable for registration and license under the provisions of this chapter, and for the purpose of this section, the term "resident of this State" shall include every pers…

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "South Carolina Equine Industry" special license plates to owners of private passenger-carrying motor vehicles or motorcycles registered in their names. Each special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period t…

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "Catawba Nation" special license plates. Each special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period that expires twenty-four months from the month the special license plate is issued. (B) The Catawba Nation shall …

The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue special motor vehicle license plates to emergency medical technicians for private passenger motor vehicles registered in the name of the technicians. The biennial fee for the special license plates is thirty dollars in addition to the re…

The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "Cherokee Indian Nation" special license plates to owners of private passenger motor vehicles or motorcycles registered in their names. Only members of the Cherokee Indian Nation are eligible to receive a license plate produced pursuant …

Applications for special license plates, as authorized under this article, shall be made on forms provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles and shall contain proof satisfactory to the Department that the applicant has been trained as an emergency medical technician by a hospit…

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "South Carolina Beekeepers Association" special license plates to owners of private passenger-carrying motor vehicles, as defined in Section 56-3-630, or motorcycles registered in their names. Each special license plate must be issue…

The special license plates must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates upon which must be imprinted the letters "EMT" and numbers the Department of Motor Vehicles may determine. The special plates are for biennial periods which expire twent…

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "South Carolina Association for Pupil Transportation" special license plates. Each special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period that expires twenty-four months from the month the special license plate is …

A special license plate issued pursuant to this article may be transferred to another vehicle of the same weight class owned by the same person upon application being made therefor and approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It shall be unlawful for any person to whom such …

The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "Hearing Impaired" special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger-carrying motor vehicles or motorcycles registered in their names who are hearing impaired. The application for this special motor vehicle license plat…

Any person violating any of the provisions of this article or who fraudulently gives false or fictitious information in any application for special license plates, as authorized in this article, conceals a material fact or otherwise commits a fraud in any such application or in t…

The provisions of this article shall not affect the registration and licensing of motor vehicles as required by other provisions of this chapter but shall be cumulative thereto.

Notwithstanding any provisions of this chapter, the Department of Motor Vehicles may grant to any other state, country, territory or district reciprocity with respect to the operation of any vehicles in this State without being registered and licensed under the provisions of this…

The Department of Motor Vehicles shall design and supply, at an appropriate fee, a special license plate, or supplemental plate or attachment, for use on all publicly-owned motor vehicles operated by any department or institution of the State of South Carolina, or any of its poli…

(A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may register and license vehicles as required by this chapter upon application being made therefor by the owner and the required fees paid as provided in this chapter. (B) If a commercial motor vehicle is registered through the International R…

(A) As used in this article, "handicapped" means a person who has one or more of the following conditions: (1) an inability to ordinarily walk one hundred feet nonstop without aggravating an existing medical condition, including the increase of pain; (2) an inability to ordinaril…

(A) An identification placard must be issued to a hearing impaired licensed driver upon application. The application is to be on a form prescribed by the department and may be made in person or by mail. The application must include an original certificate from a licensed physicia…

(A) Each county shall mail motor vehicle registration and licensing renewal notices to the owners of vehicles in the county as determined by the Department of Motor Vehicles no later than forty-five days before expiration of the registration. The renewal notices, including the fe…

As used in this article: (1) "Handicapped" means a person as defined in Section 56-3-1910. (2) "Access aisle" means a designated space for maneuvering a wheelchair or other mobility device when entering or exiting a vehicle, and that is immediately adjacent to a properly designat…

(A) A person who is "handicapped" as defined in Section 56-3-1910 may apply to the department for issuance of a temporary or permanent placard. A person may be issued a temporary placard if the condition causing his handicap is expected to last for at least four months. No applic…

Those municipalities having marked parking spaces shall provide appropriately designated space or spaces reserved for the parking of handicapped persons. A person who is handicapped as defined in this article must be allowed to park in metered or timed parking places without bein…

(A) It is unlawful to park any vehicle in a parking place clearly designated for handicapped persons unless the vehicle bears the distinguishing license plate or placard provided in Section 56-3-1960. (B) It is unlawful for any person who is not handicapped or who is not transpor…

All law enforcement officers issuing tickets on public and private property and state law enforcement division licensed security officers of shopping centers and business and commercial establishments, which provide parking spaces designated for handicapped persons, are authorize…

The Department of Motor Vehicles shall have the uniform parking violations ticket printed. The department may authorize a law enforcement agency to automate the issuance of uniform parking violations tickets. Law enforcement and security agencies shall order tickets from the depa…

A person who wilfully and intentionally violates the provisions of Section 56-3-1973 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than two hundred fifty dollars nor more than fifteen hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, for e…

Each handicapped parking place must be clearly identified as a handicapped parking place. The handicapped parking place includes all access aisles. If the handicapped parking place is on public property, the marker must be maintained by the political subdivision having jurisdicti…