Maine Revised Statutes
Article 3: REGISTRATION PLATES
29-A §468. Specialty plate

§468. Specialty plate
The Secretary of State may not issue a specialty license plate until the sponsor has met all of the requirements of this section and the proposed specialty license plate legislation as required in subsection 7 is reviewed by the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters and approved by the Legislature. For the purposes of this subchapter, "specialty license plate" means a specially designed registration plate that may be used in place of the regular plate and registration for fundraising purposes. The Secretary of State shall administer a specialty license plate in accordance with the following provisions. [PL 2017, c. 327, §13 (AMD).]
1. Sponsor. A person must register with the Secretary of State as the sponsor of a specialty license plate.
[PL 1997, c. 776, §12 (NEW).]
2. Names, signatures and payment. The Secretary of State may not manufacture an authorized specialty plate unless the sponsor:
A. Provides to the Secretary of State a list with 2,000 names, dated signatures and current plate numbers of supporters who have signed a statement declaring they intend to purchase and display the specialty license plate; and [PL 2007, c. 383, §5 (NEW).]
B. Collects from each supporter who signs the statement an amount of $25 for each set of plates and provides to the Secretary of State the sum of these contributions in the amount of $50,000, which is nonrefundable. [PL 2007, c. 383, §5 (NEW).]
The Secretary of State shall deposit the $50,000 provided under paragraph B in the Specialty License Plate Fund established under section 469.
[PL 2007, c. 383, §5 (AMD).]
3. Fee.
[PL 2007, c. 383, §5 (RP).]
3-A. Credit receipts. The Secretary of State shall provide 2,000 credit receipts to the sponsor to provide to each supporter that contributed $25. The credit receipt may be used only to obtain one set of specialty plates.
[PL 2007, c. 383, §5 (NEW).]
3-B. Registration fee. The fee for the specialty license plate is in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee required by section 501 and the excise tax required by Title 36, section 1482.
[PL 2007, c. 383, §5 (NEW).]
4. Minimum number manufactured. The Secretary of State shall manufacture a minimum of 2,000 specialty license plates for each specialty plate authorized under this section.
[PL 1997, c. 776, §12 (NEW).]
5. Design approval. A sponsor must submit a proposed design for a specialty license plate for approval or modification by the Secretary of State. The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters shall review the final design for a specialty license plate prior to manufacture of the plate.
[PL 2001, c. 623, §5 (AMD).]
6. Numbering, lettering and duplicate plates. Except as provided in section 456‑C, the Secretary of State shall issue a specialty license plate in a 3-number and 3-letter combination sequence. Vanity plates may not duplicate vanity plates issued in another class of plate.
[PL 2007, c. 695, Pt. A, §33 (AMD).]
7. Deadline for Secretary of State approval. The sponsor must submit to the Secretary of State the names, signatures, payment and proposed design for the specialty license plate by September 1st. The signatures must have been collected within 2 years of submission to the Secretary of State. If the design is approved pursuant to subsection 5, the Secretary of State shall submit proposed legislation seeking authorization of the specialty license plate to the following regular session of the Legislature.
[PL 2007, c. 383, §5 (AMD).]
8. Weight limit. Except as provided under section 456‑F, subsection 7, paragraph B, a specialty license plate under this subchapter may be issued for an automobile or truck that does not exceed 26,000 pounds registered weight.
[PL 2017, c. 327, §14 (AMD).]
9. Limit on authorization. The Secretary of State shall retire and cease to issue any plate authorized after January 1, 2007 if the number of registrations falls below 4,000 for more than one year.
A. [PL 2017, c. 327, §15 (RP).]
B. [PL 2017, c. 327, §15 (RP).]
[PL 2017, c. 327, §15 (AMD).]
10. Additional versions or classes of the specialty plate. The Secretary of State may issue a specialty plate in a motorcycle, trailer or commercial vehicle class if:
A. At least 10,000 sets of the specialty plate have been issued for automobiles and pickup trucks; [PL 2011, c. 356, §5 (NEW).]
B. The sponsor of the specialty plate under this subsection provides a list of 500 names for each class requested, dated signatures and current plate numbers of supporters who have signed a statement declaring they intend to purchase and display the motorcycle, trailer or commercial vehicle class of specialty license plate; and [PL 2021, c. 216, §12 (AMD).]
C. The sponsor collects from each supporter who signs the statement under paragraph B a contribution of $25 for each set of plates and provides to the Secretary of State the sum of these contributions in the amount of $12,500, which is nonrefundable. [PL 2011, c. 356, §5 (NEW).]
Upon receipt of the $12,500 provided under paragraph C, the Secretary of State shall prepare enabling legislation and a proposed plate design for submission to the Legislature and shall deposit the $12,500 in the Specialty License Plate Fund established under section 469.
[PL 2021, c. 216, §12 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1997, c. 776, §12 (NEW). PL 2001, c. 623, §5 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 652, §B1 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 652, §B8 (AFF). PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. LLLL, §3 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 383, §5 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 695, Pt. A, §33 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 356, §5 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 66, §1 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 327, §§13-15 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 216, §12 (AMD).