Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 560-10-15-.02 - Application for and Issuance of Digital License Plates

(1) At the time of initial application for registration or at any time during the registration period, a vehicle owner may file an application on the forms prescribed by the Department to use a digital license plate provided by a digital license plate provider.

(a) Until such time as the digital license plate is installed on the vehicle and is correctly displaying the Department-assigned plate image, the vehicle owner must use the metal plate issued by the Department or its tag agent as the license plate on the vehicle. If a motor vehicle dealer or county tag office has issued a temporary operating permit for the vehicle and the temporary operating permit is still valid, the vehicle owner may use the temporary operating permit until a metal license plate has been issued.

(b) The Department will provide additional guidance regarding an online application process for vehicle owners to use to apply for use of a digital license plate when such online process becomes available.

(2) If the application for a digital license plate is approved,

(a) the Department shall transmit to the digital license plate provider the license plate information necessary to duplicate the plate image on the digital license plate; and

(b) the Department or the county tag agent shall issue to the vehicle owner a metal license plate.

(3) A digital license plate provider shall not cause or allow to be shown on any digital license plate installed on a motor vehicle anywhere in the world a Georgia plate image unless such digital license plate has been issued in accordance with this Rule.

(4) The vehicle owner shall keep the metal license plate in the vehicle at all times that the vehicle owner is using a digital license plate to serve as the operational license plate on the rear of the vehicle.

(5) If a licensed motor vehicle dealer or its agent installs a digital license plate on a motor vehicle sold by the dealer to a Georgia customer and the dealer issues a temporary operating permit to the Georgia customer, then the digital license plate provider may apply to the Department through an electronic process approved by the Department for such transactions for permission to display the temporary operating permit image on the digital license plate. If the Department approves the digital license plate provider's application, then the digital license plate provider shall cause to be displayed on the installed digital license plate the temporary operating permit plate image.

(6) If a county tag agent approves a vehicle owner's application for a temporary operating permit for a motor vehicle which is recorded in the Department's records as having a digital license plate installed, the Department shall electronically transmit to the digital license plate provider the temporary operating permit information necessary to duplicate the temporary operating permit plate image on the digital license plate. The digital license plate provider shall immediately update the digital license plate in real time and cause to be displayed on the installed digital license plate the temporary operating permit plate image.

(7) In no case shall a digital license plate provider cause or allow to be displayed on any digital license plate the image of a temporary operating permit other than a temporary operating permit assigned by the Department, a county tag office, or a licensed motor vehicle dealer to that vehicle. Once the Department has notified the digital license plate provider that a temporary operating permit has expired, the digital license plate provider shall not cause or allow the expired temporary operating permit to be displayed on any digital license plate.

Notes

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 560-10-15-.02

O.C.G.A. §§ 40-2-26, 40-2-31, 40-2-33, 40-2-57, 40-2-59.1, 40-2-59.3.

Original Rule entitled "Where an Owner Destroys or Retires a Vehicle and Desires to Transfer the Tag Assigned to That Vehicle to a Replacement Vehicle" adopted. F. and eff. June 30, 1965. Repealed: F. Jan. 24, 2005; eff. Feb. 13, 2005. Adopted: New Rule entitled "Application for and Issuance of Digital License Plates." F. June 1, 2022; eff. June 21, 2022.