CHAPTER 7403 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY DRIVER AND

6567

PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES 7403.0400

CHAPTER 7403

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

DRIVER AND VEHICLE SERVICES DIVISION

PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES

7403.0100

DEFINITIONS.

7403.0200 PURPOSE.

7403.0300 SCOPE.

7403.0400 PLATES; FORMAT AND

CONTENT.

7403.0500 APPLICATION: CONTENTS AND

REVIEW.

7403.0600 REPLACEMENT PLATES.

7403.0700 FEES.

7403.0800 REFUNDS.

7403.0900 ASSIGNMENT OF PLATES.

7403.1000

INITIAL ISSUE.

7403.1100

RESERVATION DATE.

7403.1200

DAILY SEQUENCING OF

APPLICATIONS.

7403.0100 DEFINITIONS.

Subpart

Scope. For the purpose of this chapter the following terms shall

have the meanings ascribed to them:

Subp.

2. Division. "Division" means the Driver and Vehicle Services Divi-

sion of the Department of Public Safety of the state of Minnesota.

Subp.

3. Plate year. "Plate year" means the first registration year of a

multiyear issue plate.

Subp.

4. Registrar. "Registrar" means the registrar of motor vehicles of the

state of Minnesota.

Subp.

5. Reserved. "Reserved" means the owner right to prior claim of a

personalized plate.

Statutory Authority: MS s 168.12 subd 2a

7403.0200 PURPOSE.

The purpose of this chapter is to implement and provide effective adminis-

tration for the issuance and transfer of personalized plates as provided by

Minnesota Statutes, section 168.12, subdivision 2a.

Statutory Authority: MS s

168.12

subd 2a

7403.0300 SCOPE.

The scope of this chapter is intended to be consistent with the provisions of

Minnesota Statutes, section 168.12, subdivision 2a.

Statutory Authority: MS s

168.12

subd 2a

7403.0400 PLATES; FORMAT AND CONTENT.

Subpart 1. Characters. The characters displayed upon a personalized plate

may be only:

A. the following uppercase letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J,

L, M,

P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z; and

the following numbers: 0, 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Subp.

2. Statutory

specifications.

The plates shall be manufactured with the

paint color, character size, character type style, reflective material, and other

specifications used by the division for vehicles registered pursuant to Minnesota

Statutes, section

168.017,

for the appropriate plate year.

Subp.

3. Minimum number of characters. All plates shall have at least one

character.

Subp.

4. Characters limited. No characters other than those specified in

subpart 1, items A and B, will be permitted.

Subp.

5. Duplication. No plate shall be a duplicate of any current personal-

MINNESOTA RULES 1987

7403.0400 PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES 6568

ized plate or a duplicate of any plate in a numbering system used by the division.

The specific numbering systems prohibited on personalized plates shall be indi-

cated on applications for personalized plates.

Subp.

6. Division plate combinations. No plate used by the division for other

types of vehicles will be recalled from storage and destroyed in order that the

combination may be issued as a personalized plate.

Subp.

7. Spacing and hyphenation. An applicant may elect to group charac-

ters by spacing

and/or

hyphenation. A space or hyphen is not a character. The

maximum number of characters is six. Combinations of characters, spaces,

and/or hyphens totaling more than seven will be rejected. No more than one

space or hyphen is permitted between adjoining characters. If the total of charac-

ters,

spaces, and/or hyphens is less than seven, the division shall have the right

to center the characters, spaces, and/or hyphens on the plate.

Statutory Authority: MS s 168.12 subd 2a

7403.0500 APPLICATION; CONTENTS AND REVIEW.

Subpart 1. Combination choices. An applicant may submit up to three

character combinations to be designated as a personalized plate. The division will

determine if the first combination of characters has not been issued and is not

of an obscene, indecent, or immoral nature or such as would offend public morals

or decency. If the applicant's first choice cannot be issued, the division will

review, in the same manner, the other choices listed. If no plate can be issued,

the application will be canceled and all appropriate fees will be refunded to the

applicant.

Subp.

2. Multiple owners. If the application is for a vehicle owned by more

than one person, all owners must sign.

Subp.

3. Reserved combinations. Only those combinations of characters

approved for manufacture and paid for will be considered reserved.

Statutory Authority: MS s

168.12

subd 2a

7403.0600 REPLACEMENT PLATES.

Subpart

Loss or theft. In the event of the loss or theft of the personalized

plate issued, the registrar, upon receiving a written statement from the owner

setting forth the circumstances, may issue a new set of personalized plates with

a different combination of characters. The new combination of characters shall

be reviewed pursuant to subparts 4 and 5. The fee required by Minnesota

Statutes, section 168.29 shall be paid. If no new combination of characters

suitable to the applicant can be issued, a refund as calculated in part 7403.0800

shall be made. If a new combination of characters is issued, the applicant shall

indicate to the registrar which combination of characters (original or replace-

ment) shall be reserved.

Subp.

2. Defacement. In the event of defacement of the personalized

plates,

the registrar, upon receiving a written statement of the owner setting forth the

circumstances, may reissue the same combination of characters to the owner. The

fee required by Minnesota Statutes, section 168.29 shall be paid. To be reissued

the same combination of characters, both of the personalized plates must be

surrendered.

Statutory Authority: MS s 168.12 subd 2a

7403.0700 FEES.

The fee for personalized plates, as provided by Minnesota Statutes, section

168.12,

subdivision 2a shall be prorated at $10 per registration year or fraction

thereof,

of remaining plate life.

Statutory Authority: MS s 168.12 subd 2a

MINNESOTA RULES 1987

6569 PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES 7403.1000

7403.0800 REFUNDS.

Subpart

Conditions. Refunds prorated at

$ 10

for each full unused registra-

tion year may be made in the following cases:

A. under the condition stated in part 7403.0600, subpart

if the owner of the personalized plates surrenders both personalized

plates and applies for a refund.

Subp.

2. Reserved combinations. When a refund is made, the combination

of characters is no longer reserved.

Subp.

3. Nonuse. No refund shall be made solely for nonuse for a registration

year of the vehicle assigned personalized plates.

Statutory Authority: MS s 168.12 subd 2a

7403.0900 ASSIGNMENT OF PLATES.

Subpart

In general. Personalized plates are assigned by the division to an

owner for the exclusive use on the passenger vehicle described in the application.

Subp.

2. Transfer. The personalized plates may be transferred to another

vehicle owned by the applicant upon written notification of the registrar and:

A. payment of the prescribed fee as provided by Minnesota Statutes,

section

168.12,

subdivision 2a;

registration of the vehicle in Minnesota; and

C. surrender (if any) of the existing Minnesota registration plates assigned

to the vehicle.

Subp.

3. Election to transfer plates. If an owner sells a vehicle to which

personalized plates have been assigned and elects to transfer the personalized

plates with the vehicle, the owner shall automatically assign to the new owner the

right to reserve that combination of characters and the right to any refund of the

personalized plate fees.

Subp.

4. Election to retain plates. If an owner sells a vehicle to which

personalized plates have been assigned and elects to retain the personalized

plates,

it shall be the responsibility of the owner or his agent to make application

for regular passenger car plates before the vehicle is sold. However, the owner

would not need to obtain regular passenger car plates before the vehicle is sold

in the following situations:

A. vehicle sold to a junk yard, scrap yard, insurance company, or salvage

pool because the vehicle was severely damaged due to accident, fire, submission

in water, or by natural causes such as wind or lightning;

vehicle sold for junk or salvage because of the need for extensive

mechanical repair;

C. vehicle sold to an out-of-state buyer and plates will be secured in

buyer's home state; or

vehicle sold to a buyer who holds personalized plates, amateur radio

plates,

or citizen band plates for his or her own use.

Subp.

5. Surrender of other plates. The applicant must surrender any valid

license plates assigned to the vehicle on which the personalized plates will be

displayed at such time he or she is issued personalized plates.

Statutory Authority: MS s

168.12

subd 2a

7403.1000 INITIAL ISSUE.

Subpart

Before November 15,1976. No application received before Novem-

ber

15,

1976, will be accepted.

Subp.

2. After November 15,1976. Applications received on or after Novem-

ber

15,

1976,

shall be reviewed and approved for manufacture pursuant to parts

7403.0400 and 7403.0500. Combinations approved for manufacture will be

MINNESOTA RULES 1987

7403.1000 PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES 6570

issued a plate with a 1978 expiration. In the event the expiration month of the

applicant's vehicle does not permit the immediate issuance of the personalized

plate, the application shall be held by the division until the applicant's 1978

vehicle registration can be renewed. All applications held by the division shall be

reserved.

Subp.

3. 1974 specifications. No personalized plate shall be manufactured

using the 1974 license plate specifications.

Statutory Authority: MS s

168.12

subd 2a

7403.1100 RESERVATION DATE.

For the next plate year, the owner of a vehicle assigned personalized plates

shall notify the registrar, in writing, that he is reserving the combination of

characters assigned to him. The notification shall be received by the registrar no

earlier than 60 days before nor later than the

15th

day of the month preceding

the month in which the renewal notice for the vehicle is mailed.

Statutory Authority: MS s

168.12

subd 2a

7403.1200 DAILY SEQUENCING OF APPLICATIONS.

Each application for personalized plates will be date-stamped by the receiv-

ing office. In the central office, applications bearing the same stamped date will

be selected at random and numbered in ascending order. Applications with the

same date will then be reviewed and character combinations approved for

manufacture pursuant to parts 7403.0400 and 7403.0500 in ascending numerical

sequence.

Statutory Authority: MS s 168.12 subd 2a

MINNESOTA RULES 1987