                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

FURNISHING NUMBER AND DESIGN OF PLATES; DISPLAYING ON VEHICLES REQUIRED (§
46.2-711)

A. The Department shall furnish one license plate for every registered moped,
motorcycle, autocycle, tractor truck, semitrailer, or trailer, and two license
plates for every other registered motor vehicle, except to licensed motor
vehicle dealers and persons delivering unladen vehicles who shall be furnished
one license plate. The license plates for trailers, semitrailers, commercial
vehicles, and trucks, other than license plates for dealers, may be of such
design as to prevent removal without mutilating some part of the indicia forming
a part of the license plate, when secured to the bracket.

B. The Department shall issue appropriately designated license plates for:

   1. Passenger-carrying vehicles for rent or hire for the transportation of
   passengers for private trips, other than TNC partner vehicles as defined in
   &#xA7; 46.2-2000 and emergency medical services vehicles pursuant to clause
   (iii) of &#xA7; 46.2-649.1:1;

   2. Taxicabs;

   3. Passenger-carrying vehicles operated by common carriers or restricted
   common carriers;

   4. Property-carrying motor vehicles registered pursuant to &#xA7; 46.2-697
   except pickup or panel trucks as defined in &#xA7; 46.2-100;

   5. Applicants, other than TNC partners as defined in &#xA7; 46.2-2000 and
   emergency medical services vehicles pursuant to clause (iii) of &#xA7;
   46.2-649.1:1, who operate motor vehicles as passenger carriers for rent or
   hire;

   6. Vehicles operated by nonemergency medical transportation carriers as
   defined in &#xA7; 46.2-2000; and

   7. Trailers and semitrailers.

C. The Department shall issue appropriately designated license plates for motor
vehicles held for rental as defined in &#xA7; 58.1-1735.

D. The Department shall issue appropriately designated license plates for
low-speed vehicles.

E. The Department shall issue appropriately designated license plates for
military surplus motor vehicles registered pursuant to &#xA7; 46.2-730.1.

F. No vehicles shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth without
displaying the license plates required by this chapter. The provisions of this
subsection shall not apply to vehicles used to collect and deliver the United
States mail to the extent that their rear license plates may be covered by the
&#8220;CAUTION, FREQUENT STOPS, U.S. MAIL&#8221; sign when the vehicle is
engaged in the collection and delivery of the United States mail.

G. For any summons issued for a violation of this section, the court may, in its
discretion, dismiss the summons, where proof of compliance with this section is
provided to the court on or before the court date.

HISTORY: Code 1950, §§ 46-96, 46-160; 1950, p. 625; 1954, c. 211; 1958, c.
541, § 46.1-99; 1974, cc. 150, 477; 1989, c. 727; 1993, c. 290; 1995, c. 46;
1997, cc. 774, 816; 2001, c. 596; 2005, c. 140; 2011, cc. 405, 639, 881, 889;
2013, c. 783; 2014, cc. 53, 256; 2015, cc. 2, 3; 2016, cc. 125, 133; 2017, cc.
670, 790, 815; 2018, c. 555.