happers-ga:
Thank you for your question regarding the laws affecting stolen
license plates for the State of Washington.
I sympathize with your plight, replacing a license plate tends to be a
very bureaucratic process.
Unfortunately, it appears that the information you received from the
police officer in California, is only applicable to the State of
California and vehicles registered with their department of motor
vehicles.
Under the California Vehicle Code, section 4457 addresses the loss of
a single license plate:
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"4457. If any registration card or license plate is stolen, lost,
mutilated, or illegible, the owner of the vehicle for which the same
was issued, as shown by the records of the department, shall
immediately make application for and may, upon the applicant
furnishing information satisfactory to the department, obtain a
duplicate or a substitute or a new registration under a new
registration number, as determined to be most advisable by the
department. An application for a duplicate registration card is not
required in conjunction with any other application."
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=04608411227+2+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve
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There is no mention of the applicant needing to pay any fee for the
duplicate or substitute plate. However, again this is only applicable
to vehicles registered and licensed in the State of California.
From your question, it appears that you are a resident of the State of
Washington. The Revised Code of Washington, Chapter 46.16, covers
vehicle licensing for vehicles registered and licensed in Washington.
In particular, replacement of plates is covered by section 46.16.270,
which states in whole:
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"RCW 46.16.270
Replacement of plates -- Fee.
The total replacement plate fee shall be deposited in the motor vehicle fund.
Upon the loss, defacement, or destruction of one or both of the
vehicle license number plates issued for any vehicle where more than
one plate was originally issued or where one or both have become so
illegible or in such a condition as to be difficult to distinguish, or
upon the owner's option, the owner of the vehicle shall make
application for new vehicle license number plates upon a form
furnished by the director. The application shall be filed with the
director or the director's authorized agent, accompanied by the
certificate of license registration of the vehicle and a fee in the
amount of three dollars per plate, whereupon the director, or the
director's authorized agent, shall issue new vehicle license number
plates to the applicant. It shall be accompanied by a fee of two
dollars for a new motorcycle license number plate. In the event the
director has issued license period tabs or a windshield emblem instead
of vehicle license number plates, and upon the loss, defacement, or
destruction of the tabs or windshield emblem, application shall be
made on a form provided by the director and in the same manner as
above described, and shall be accompanied by a fee of one dollar for
each pair of tabs or for each windshield emblem, whereupon the
director shall issue to the applicant a duplicate pair of tabs, year
tabs, and when necessary month tabs or a windshield emblem to replace
those lost, defaced, or destroyed. For vehicles owned, rented, or
leased by the state of Washington or by any county, city, town, school
district, or other political subdivision of the state of Washington or
United States government, or owned or leased by the governing body of
an Indian tribe as defined in RCW 46.16.020, a fee shall be charged
for replacement of a vehicle license number plate only to the extent
required by the provisions of RCW 46.16.020, *46.16.061, 46.16.237,
and 46.01.140. For vehicles owned, rented, or leased by foreign
countries or international bodies to which the United States
government is a signatory by treaty, the payment of any fee for the
replacement of a vehicle license number plate shall not be required."
http://www.leg.wa.gov/RCW/index.cfm?fuseaction=section§ion=46.16.270
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Unfortunately, the law for your state clearly states that a fee of
three dollars per plate is required for issuing a replacement plate,
if the original plate is lost, defaced, or mutilated. The fact that
the loss in this case is the result of a theft is irrelevant to the
law.
The term 'void' that the police officer mentioned to you is not
applicable under the Revised Code of Washington. Each state is
responsible for establishing and enforcing motor vehicle regulations
for vehicles registered in that state. Even if the State of California
has recorded that your plate was stolen in their systems, so as to
excuse you temporarily from being fined for driving without proper
license plates displayed, this has no impact on the State of
Washington.
I know that this is not what you were hoping to hear, but
unfortunately it is, as you requested, "the law in WA state that would
cover" the replacement of a stolen license plate. Just for your
reference, in my own location, the cost to replace lost of stolen
plates is $18 (Canadian). I keep my license plates secured with
extremely-hard-to-remove security bolts and lock nuts.
Please let me know if you require any clarification to this Answer,
using the "Request Clarification" button above.
Thank you,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
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