Title 46.2, Motor Vehicles

The provisions of §§ 46.2-1158 and 46.2-1539 requiring inspection of any motor vehicle prior to sale at retail shall not apply to any person conducting a public auction for the sale of motor vehicles at retail, provided that the individual, firm, or business conducting the auctio…

A. Notwithstanding §§ 46.2-617 and 46.2-628, whenever a dealer licensed by the Board sells or conditionally sells and delivers to a purchaser a motor vehicle, the dealer may issue temporary license plates and a certificate of temporary registration. The temporary license plates a…

An owner who sells or transfers a registered motor vehicle may have the license plates and the registration number transferred to another vehicle titled in the owner's name according to the provisions of Chapter 6 (§ 46.2-600 et seq.), which is in a like vehicle category as speci…

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, every dealer shall obtain, on the purchase of each vehicle, a certificate of title issued to the dealer or shall obtain an assignment or reassignment of a certificate of title for each vehicle purchased, except that a certificate of t…

No dealer, unless his license has been suspended, revoked, or canceled, shall cease business without a 30-day prior notification to the Department and the Board. On cessation of the business, the dealer shall immediately surrender to the Board the dealer's certificate of license,…

For the purposes of this article: "Dealer" and "trailer dealer" includes watercraft trailer dealers. "Trailer" includes watercraft trailers.

Nothing in this article shall apply to transit buses as defined in subsection F of § 46.2-1508, all-terrain vehicles, or off-road motorcycles.

Every manufacturer, distributor, or dealer, before he commences to operate vehicles in his inventory for sale or resale, shall apply to the Commissioner for a dealer's certificate of vehicle registration and license plates. For the purposes of this article, a vehicle is in invent…

No motor vehicle manufacturer, distributor, or dealer, unless licensed under this chapter, shall be entitled to receive or maintain any dealer's license plates. It shall be unlawful to use or permit the use of any dealer's license plates for which there is no automobile liability…

In lieu of registering each vehicle of a type described in this section, a manufacturer, distributor, or dealer owning and operating any motor vehicle on any highway may obtain a license plate bearing the legend provided in § 46.2-1549 from the Department, on application therefor…

The Commissioner shall provide for the issuance of appropriate franchised or independent dealer's license plates. License plates for manufacturers shall bear the appropriate legend.

In addition to any other license plate authorized by this article, the Commissioner may issue permanent or temporary dealer's promotional license plates to a dealer for use on vehicles held for sale or resale in the dealer's inventory. The design of these license plates shall be …

A. The Commissioner may issue, upon request of a licensed dealer and when the Commissioner determines that such issuance is feasible, a license plate that is a combination of (i) one series of special license plate authorized pursuant to Article 10 (§ 46.2-725 et seq.) of Chapter…

A. Dealer's license plates may be used on vehicles in the inventory of licensed motor vehicle manufacturers, distributors, and dealers in the Commonwealth when operated on the highways of Virginia by dealers or dealer-operators, their spouses, or employees of manufacturers, distr…

Notwithstanding the provisions of § 46.2-1550, dealer's license plates or dealer's temporary transport plates may be used on vehicles being transported (i) from a motor vehicle auction or other point of purchase or sale, (ii) between properties owned or controlled by the same dea…

The Department, subject to the limitations and conditions set forth in this section and the insurance requirements contained in § 46.2-1547, may provide for the issuance of temporary transport plates designed by the Department to any dealer licensed under this chapter who applies…

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 46.2-1550.2, the Department may develop and implement procedures and requirements necessary for delivery of temporary transport license plates to dealers and issuance of temporary transport license plates by dealers to vehicle owners, using …

Notwithstanding the provisions of § 46.2-1550, dealer's license plates or temporary transport plates may be used on tractor trucks or trucks for the purpose of delivering these vehicles to another establishment for the purpose of having a fifth wheel, body, or any special permane…

Notwithstanding the provisions of § 46.2-1550, any dealer who sells and delivers to a purchaser a motor vehicle at a time when the main offices of the Department, its branch offices, or offices of its local agents, are not open for business and the purchaser is therefore unable t…

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, dealer's license plates issued under § 46.2-1548 and temporary transport plates issued under § 46.2-1550.2 may be used on trucks or tractor trucks in the inventory of licensed motor vehicle dealers for the purpose of demonstrat…

No manufacturer or distributor of or dealer in motor vehicles shall cause or permit any motor vehicle owned by him to be operated or moved on a public highway without there being displayed on the motor vehicle a license plate or plates issued to him, either under § 46.2-711 or un…

Any manufacturer of motor vehicles may operate or move or cause to be moved or operated on the highways for a distance of no more than twenty-five miles motor vehicles from the factory where manufactured or assembled to a railway depot, vessel, or place of shipment or delivery, w…

Any dealer in motor vehicles may operate or move, or cause to be operated or moved, any motor vehicle on the highways for a distance of no more than twenty-five miles from a vessel, railway depot, warehouse, or any place of shipment or from a factory where manufactured or assembl…

It shall be unlawful, except as provided for by reciprocal agreement, for any person to operate a motor vehicle or for the owner thereof to permit a motor vehicle to be operated in the Commonwealth on a foreign dealer's license, unless the operation of the motor vehicle on the li…

Dealer's license plates may be displayed on motor vehicles used by Virginia school systems in connection with driver education programs approved by the State Board of Education. In the event of such use of a motor vehicle or vehicles by a school system, any dealer, his employees …

If any Department of Motor Vehicles investigator finds that a vehicle bearing license plates or temporary transport plates issued under this article is being operated in a manner inconsistent with (i) the requirements of this article or (ii) the Commissioner's authorization provi…

Notwithstanding § 46.2-1507, any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. Any summons issued for any violation of any provision of this article relating to use or misuse of dealer's license plates shall be served upon the de…

Nothing in this article shall apply to transit buses as defined in subsection F of § 46.2-1508, all-terrain vehicles, or off-road motorcycles.

For the purposes of this article: "Dealer" and "trailer dealer" includes watercraft trailer dealers. "Trailer" includes watercraft trailers.

The Department may, subject to the limitations and conditions set forth in this article, deliver temporary license plates designed by the Department to any dealer licensed under this chapter who applies for at least 10 sets of plates and who encloses with his application a fee of…

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 46.2-1558, the Department may develop and implement procedures and requirements necessary for delivery of temporary license plates to dealers and issuance of temporary license plates by dealers to vehicle owners, using print-on-demand techno…

Every dealer who has applied for temporary license plates shall maintain a permanent record of (i) all temporary license plates delivered to him, (ii) all temporary license plates issued by him, and (iii) any other information pertaining to the receipt or the issuance of temporar…

No dealer shall issue a temporary license plate except on written application by the person entitled to receive the license plate, which application shall be forwarded by the dealer to the Department as provided in § 46.2-1542.

No dealer shall issue, assign, transfer, or deliver temporary license plates to other than the bona fide purchaser or owner of a vehicle, whether or not the vehicle is to be registered in the Commonwealth. If the vehicle is to be registered in the Commonwealth, the dealer shall s…

Every dealer who issues temporary license plates shall insert clearly and indelibly on the face of each temporary license plate the name of the issuing dealer, the date of issuance and expiration, and the make and identification number of the vehicle for which issued.

The Commissioner, on determining that the provisions of this chapter or the directions of the Department are not being complied with by any dealer, may suspend, after a hearing, the right of a dealer to issue temporary license plates.

Every person to whom temporary license plates have been issued shall destroy them on the thirtieth day after issue or immediately on receipt of the permanent license plates from the Department, whichever occurs first.

Temporary license plates shall expire on the receipt of the permanent license plates from the Department, or on the rescission of a contract to purchase a motor vehicle, or on the expiration of thirty days from the date of issuance, whichever occurs first. No refund or credit of …

Any person violating any of the provisions of this article is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any summons issued for any violation of any provision of this article relating to use or misuse of temporary license plates shall be served upon the dealership to whom the plates were i…

A. It shall be the responsibility of each motor vehicle manufacturer, factory branch, distributor, distributor branch, or subsidiary thereof to file with the Commissioner by certified mail a true copy of each new, amended, modified, or different form or addendum offered to more t…

Franchises subject to the provisions of this chapter shall not be subject to any requirement contained in Chapter 8 (§ 13.1-557 et seq.) of Title 13.1.

A. It shall be unlawful for any manufacturer or distributor, or any officer, agent, representative, or affiliate of either to coerce or attempt to coerce any retail motor vehicle dealer or prospective retail motor vehicle dealer in the Commonwealth to (i) offer to sell or sell an…

No manufacturer or distributor, or any officer, agent, or representative of either, shall discriminate against a dealer holding a franchise of the manufacturer or distributor in favor of another dealer or other dealers of the same line-make in the Commonwealth by: 1. Selling or o…

Notwithstanding the terms of any franchise agreement, it shall be unlawful for any manufacturer, factory branch, distributor, distributor branch, or affiliate, or any field representative, officer, agent, or their representatives to do any of the following. It shall further be un…

A. Notwithstanding the terms of any franchise agreement, in the event of a proposed sale or transfer of a dealership, the manufacturer or distributor shall be permitted to exercise a right of first refusal to acquire the new vehicle dealer's assets or ownership, if such sale or t…

A. If the contract between a distributor and a manufacturer or importer is terminated or otherwise discontinued, all franchises granted to motor vehicle dealers in Virginia by that distributor shall continue in full force and shall not be affected by the discontinuance, except th…