{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/46.2-1546.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/46.2-1546.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/46.2-1546.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/46.2-1546.html"}],"law_id":75245,"edition_id":1,"section_id":75245,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1546","catch_line":"Registration of dealers; fees","history":"1988, c. 865, \u00a7 46.1-550.5:4; 1989, c. 727; 1990, c. 197; 1991, c. 712; 1995, cc. 767, 816; 2020, cc. 1230, 1275.","full_text":"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 inventory when it is owned by or assigned to a dealer and is offered and available for sale or resale. All dealer’s certificates of vehicle registration and license plates issued under this section may, at the discretion of the Commissioner, be placed in a system of staggered issue to distribute the work of issuing vehicle registration certificates and license plates as uniformly as practicable throughout the year. Dealerships which sold fewer than 25 vehicles during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive no more than two dealer’s license plates; dealerships which sold at least 25 but fewer than 50 vehicles during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive no more than four dealer’s license plates. However, dealerships that sold 50 or more vehicles during their current license year may apply for additional license plates not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons employed by that dealership. Dealerships that sold 50 or more vehicles during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive a number of dealer’s license plates not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons employed by that dealership. A new applicant for a dealership shall be eligible to receive a number of dealer’s license plates not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons employed by that dealership. For the purposes of this article, a salesperson or employee shall be considered to be employed only if he (i) works for the dealership at least 25 hours each week on a regular basis and (ii) is compensated for this work. All salespersons’ or employees’ employment records shall be retained in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 46.2-1529. A salesperson shall not be considered employed, within the meaning of this section, if he is an independent contractor as defined by the United States Internal Revenue Code. The fee for the issuance of dealer’s license plates shall be determined by the Board, but not more than $30 per license plate; however, the fee for the first two dealer’s plates shall not be less than $24 and the fee for additional dealer’s license plates shall not be less than $10.40 each. For the first two dealer’s license plates issued by the Department to a dealer, $24 shall be deposited into the Commonwealth Transportation Fund established pursuant to \u00a7 33.2-1524 and the remainder shall be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Dealer Fund. For each additional dealer’s license plate issued to a dealer, $10.40 shall be deposited into the Transportation Trust Fund and the remainder shall be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Dealer Fund.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":270212,"text":"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 inventory when it is owned by or assigned to a dealer and is offered and available for sale or resale. All dealer’s certificates of vehicle registration and license plates issued under this section may, at the discretion of the Commissioner, be placed in a system of staggered issue to distribute the work of issuing vehicle registration certificates and license plates as uniformly as practicable throughout the year. Dealerships which sold fewer than 25 vehicles during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive no more than two dealer’s license plates; dealerships which sold at least 25 but fewer than 50 vehicles during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive no more than four dealer’s license plates. However, dealerships that sold 50 or more vehicles during their current license year may apply for additional license plates not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons employed by that dealership. Dealerships that sold 50 or more vehicles during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive a number of dealer’s license plates not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons employed by that dealership. A new applicant for a dealership shall be eligible to receive a number of dealer’s license plates not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons employed by that dealership. For the purposes of this article, a salesperson or employee shall be considered to be employed only if he (i) works for the dealership at least 25 hours each week on a regular basis and (ii) is compensated for this work. All salespersons’ or employees’ employment records shall be retained in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 46.2-1529. A salesperson shall not be considered employed, within the meaning of this section, if he is an independent contractor as defined by the United States Internal Revenue Code. The fee for the issuance of dealer’s license plates shall be determined by the Board, but not more than $30 per license plate; however, the fee for the first two dealer’s plates shall not be less than $24 and the fee for additional dealer’s license plates shall not be less than $10.40 each. For the first two dealer’s license plates issued by the Department to a dealer, $24 shall be deposited into the Commonwealth Transportation Fund established pursuant to \u00a7 33.2-1524 and the remainder shall be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Dealer Fund. For each additional dealer’s license plate issued to a dealer, $10.40 shall be deposited into the Transportation Trust Fund and the remainder shall be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Dealer Fund.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14806,"edition_id":1,"name":"Dealer's License Plates","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13356,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:50:03","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:50:03","permalink":{"id":231379,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14806,"identifier":"5","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5","url":"\/46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13356,"edition_id":1,"name":"Motor Vehicle Dealers","identifier":"15","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13355,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:42","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:42","permalink":{"id":231067,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13356,"identifier":"15","token":"46.2\/IV\/15","url":"\/46.2\/IV\/15\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13355,"edition_id":1,"name":"Dealers and Driver Training Schools","identifier":"IV","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12770,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:42","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:42","permalink":{"id":231065,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13355,"identifier":"IV","token":"46.2\/IV","url":"\/46.2\/IV\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12770,"edition_id":1,"name":"Motor Vehicles","identifier":"46.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","permalink":{"id":225289,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12770,"identifier":"46.2","token":"46.2","url":"\/46.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":60822,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1545.1","catch_line":"Watercraft trailer dealers and watercraft trailers","url":"\/46.2-1545.1\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1545.1","metadata":false},{"id":82643,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1545.2","catch_line":"Exclusion of transit buses, all-terrain vehicles, and off-road motorcycles","url":"\/46.2-1545.2\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1545.2","metadata":false},{"id":75245,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1546","catch_line":"Registration of dealers; fees","url":"\/46.2-1546\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1546","metadata":false},{"id":70428,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1547","catch_line":"License under this chapter prerequisite to receiving dealer's license plates; insurance required; Commissioner may revoke plates","url":"\/46.2-1547\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1547","metadata":false},{"id":73069,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1548","catch_line":"Transferable license plates","url":"\/46.2-1548\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1548","metadata":false},{"id":65556,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1549","catch_line":"Dealer's, manufacturer's, and distributor's license plates to distinguish between various types of dealers","url":"\/46.2-1549\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1549","metadata":false},{"id":59461,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1549.1","catch_line":"Dealer's promotional license plates","url":"\/46.2-1549.1\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1549.1","metadata":false},{"id":66981,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1549.2","catch_line":"Special license plate combination","url":"\/46.2-1549.2\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1549.2","metadata":false},{"id":72295,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1550","catch_line":"Use of dealer's and manufacturer's license plates, generally","url":"\/46.2-1550\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1550","metadata":false},{"id":75442,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1550.1","catch_line":"Use of dealer's license plates and temporary transport plates on certain vehicles","url":"\/46.2-1550.1\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1550.1","metadata":false},{"id":61332,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1550.2","catch_line":"Issuance and use of temporary transport plates, generally","url":"\/46.2-1550.2\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1550.2","metadata":false},{"id":72427,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1550.3","catch_line":"Alternative print-on-demand program for issuance of temporary transport license plates to dealers and vehicle owners","url":"\/46.2-1550.3\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1550.3","metadata":false},{"id":59153,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1551","catch_line":"Use of dealer's license plates or temporary transport plates on certain vehicles traveling from one establishment to another for purpose of having special equipment installed","url":"\/46.2-1551\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1551","metadata":false},{"id":65898,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1552","catch_line":"Use of dealer's license plates on newly purchased vehicles","url":"\/46.2-1552\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1552","metadata":false},{"id":68641,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1552.1","catch_line":"Use of dealer's license plates or temporary transport plates for demonstrating trucks or tractor trucks","url":"\/46.2-1552.1\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1552.1","metadata":false},{"id":56634,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1553","catch_line":"Operation without license plate prohibited","url":"\/46.2-1553\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1553","metadata":false},{"id":74422,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1554","catch_line":"Movement by manufacturer to place of shipment or delivery","url":"\/46.2-1554\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1554","metadata":false},{"id":87244,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1555","catch_line":"Movement by dealers to salesrooms","url":"\/46.2-1555\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1555","metadata":false},{"id":72569,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1556","catch_line":"Operation under foreign dealer's license","url":"\/46.2-1556\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1556","metadata":false},{"id":70871,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1557","catch_line":"Use of certain foreign-registered motor vehicles in driver education programs","url":"\/46.2-1557\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1557","metadata":false},{"id":80274,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1557.1","catch_line":"Removal of plates by Department of Motor Vehicles investigators; cancellation; reissuance","url":"\/46.2-1557.1\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1557.1","metadata":false},{"id":65801,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1557.2","catch_line":"Penalties for violations of article; service of summons","url":"\/46.2-1557.2\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1557.2","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":82643,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1545.2","catch_line":"Exclusion of transit buses, all-terrain vehicles, and off-road motorcycles","url":"\/46.2-1545.2\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1545.2","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":70428,"structure_id":14806,"section_number":"46.2-1547","catch_line":"License under this chapter prerequisite to receiving dealer's license plates; insurance required; Commissioner may revoke plates","url":"\/46.2-1547\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1547","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/46.2-1546\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1988. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 865 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1988 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 5 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1989, chapter 727; in 1990, chapter 197; in 1991, chapter 712; in 1995, chapters 767<\/a> and 816<\/a>; in 2020, chapters 1230<\/a> and 1275<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":59461,"section_number":"46.2-1549.1","catch_line":"Dealer's promotional license plates","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-1549.1\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":72795,"section_number":"33.2-1524","catch_line":"Commonwealth Transportation Fund","order_by":null,"url":"\/33.2-1524\/"},{"id":74169,"section_number":"46.2-1529","catch_line":"Dealer records","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-1529\/"}],"permalink":{"id":231389,"object_type":"law","relational_id":75245,"identifier":"46.2-1546","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1546","url":"\/46.2-1546\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/46.2-1546\/","token":"46.2\/IV\/15\/5\/46.2-1546","dublin_core":{"Title":"Registration of dealers; fees","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 46.2-1546","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Every manufacturer<\/span>, distributor<\/span>, or dealer, before he commences to operate vehicles<\/span> in his inventory for sale or resale, shall apply to the Commissioner<\/span> for a dealer’s certificate of vehicle registration and license plates<\/span>. For the purposes of this article, a vehicle is in inventory when it is owned by or assigned to a dealer and is offered and available for sale or resale. All dealer’s certificates of vehicle registration and license plates<\/span> issued under this section may, at the discretion of the Commissioner<\/span>, be placed in a system of staggered issue<\/span> to distribute the work of issuing vehicle registration certificates and license plates<\/span> as uniformly as practicable throughout the year. Dealerships which sold fewer than 25 vehicles<\/span> during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive no more than two dealer’s license plates<\/span>; dealerships which sold at least 25 but fewer than 50 vehicles<\/span> during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive no more than four dealer’s license plates<\/span>. However, dealerships that sold 50 or more vehicles<\/span> during their current license year may apply for additional license plates<\/span> not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons<\/span> employed by that dealership. Dealerships that sold 50 or more vehicles<\/span> during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be eligible to receive a number of dealer’s license plates<\/span> not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons<\/span> employed by that dealership. A new<\/span> applicant for a dealership shall be eligible to receive a number of dealer’s license plates<\/span> not to exceed four times the number of licensed salespersons<\/span> employed by that dealership. For the purposes of this article, a salesperson<\/span> or employee shall be considered to be employed only if he (i) works for the dealership at least 25 hours each week on a regular basis and (ii) is compensated for this work. All salespersons<\/span>’ or employees’ employment records shall be retained in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 46.2-1529<\/a>. A salesperson<\/span> shall not be considered employed, within the meaning of this section, if he is an independent contractor as defined by the United States Internal Revenue Code. The fee for the issuance of dealer’s license plates<\/span> shall be determined by the Board<\/span>, but not more than $30 per license plate<\/span>; however, the fee for the first two dealer’s plates shall not be less than $24 and the fee for additional dealer’s license plates<\/span> shall not be less than $10.40 each. For the first two dealer’s license plates<\/span> issued by the Department<\/span> to a dealer, $24 shall be deposited into the Commonwealth Transportation Fund<\/span> established pursuant to \u00a7 33.2-1524<\/a> and the remainder shall be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Dealer<\/span> Fund<\/span>. For each additional dealer’s license plate<\/span> issued to a dealer, $10.40 shall be deposited into the Transportation Trust Fund<\/span> and the remainder shall be deposited into the Motor Vehicle Dealer<\/span> Fund<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nREGISTRATION OF DEALERS; FEES (\u00a7 46.2-1546)\n\nEvery manufacturer, distributor, or dealer, before he commences to operate\nvehicles in his inventory for sale or resale, shall apply to the Commissioner\nfor a dealer’s certificate of vehicle registration and license plates. For\nthe purposes of this article, a vehicle is in inventory when it is owned by or\nassigned to a dealer and is offered and available for sale or resale. All\ndealer’s certificates of vehicle registration and license plates issued\nunder this section may, at the discretion of the Commissioner, be placed in a\nsystem of staggered issue to distribute the work of issuing vehicle registration\ncertificates and license plates as uniformly as practicable throughout the year.\nDealerships which sold fewer than 25 vehicles during the last 12 months of the\npreceding license year shall be eligible to receive no more than two\ndealer’s license plates; dealerships which sold at least 25 but fewer than\n50 vehicles during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be\neligible to receive no more than four dealer’s license plates. However,\ndealerships that sold 50 or more vehicles during their current license year may\napply for additional license plates not to exceed four times the number of\nlicensed salespersons employed by that dealership. Dealerships that sold 50 or\nmore vehicles during the last 12 months of the preceding license year shall be\neligible to receive a number of dealer’s license plates not to exceed four\ntimes the number of licensed salespersons employed by that dealership. A new\napplicant for a dealership shall be eligible to receive a number of\ndealer’s license plates not to exceed four times the number of licensed\nsalespersons employed by that dealership. For the purposes of this article, a\nsalesperson or employee shall be considered to be employed only if he (i) works\nfor the dealership at least 25 hours each week on a regular basis and (ii) is\ncompensated for this work. All salespersons’ or employees’\nemployment records shall be retained in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7\n46.2-1529. A salesperson shall not be considered employed, within the meaning of\nthis section, if he is an independent contractor as defined by the United States\nInternal Revenue Code. The fee for the issuance of dealer’s license plates\nshall be determined by the Board, but not more than $30 per license plate;\nhowever, the fee for the first two dealer’s plates shall not be less than\n$24 and the fee for additional dealer’s license plates shall not be less\nthan $10.40 each. For the first two dealer’s license plates issued by the\nDepartment to a dealer, $24 shall be deposited into the Commonwealth\nTransportation Fund established pursuant to \u00a7 33.2-1524 and the remainder shall\nbe deposited into the Motor Vehicle Dealer Fund. For each additional\ndealer’s license plate issued to a dealer, $10.40 shall be deposited into\nthe Transportation Trust Fund and the remainder shall be deposited into the\nMotor Vehicle Dealer Fund.\n\nHISTORY: 1988, c. 865, \u00a7 46.1-550.5:4; 1989, c. 727; 1990, c. 197; 1991, c.\n712; 1995, cc. 767, 816; 2020, cc. 1230, 1275.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}