Vehicle Licensing Guide

Permanent License Plates
VLIC-310

PURPOSE:

To provide DMV personnel with information and instructions on eligibility, requirements, and procedures for issuing permanent license plates.

BACKGROUND:

Customers have the option to purchase permanent plates for private, business, for-hire, rental and farm use and be billed either annually or bi-annually for their renewal registration fees. The following vehicles are eligible for permanent plates:

1. Trucks, tractor trucks, and tow trucks
   • with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 pounds or more, or
   • with a GVWR or GCWR 7,501 pounds but not more than 26,000 pounds, provided that such vehicles are for business use only;
2. Farm vehicles with a gross weight (GW) of 7,500 pounds or more when used exclusively for farm use as defined in § 46.2-698.
3. Taxicabs or other vehicles operating as a taxicab with a taxicab permit issued by motor carrier services.
4. Vehicles operating For-Hire holding Regular Route or Irregular Route Common Carrier Authority and
   
   NOTE: For apportioned buses refer to the IRP training manual.
5. Trailers
   • Permanent registration is available, regardless of their weight, for a one-time fee (Refer to VLIC-243.)

<<<<<REVISION
6. Emergency Vehicles (Refer to VLIC-200D)   END REVISION>>>>>

NOTE 1: To prevent a billing notice from being mailed to a customer who discontinues the use of a vehicle with permanent plates, the customer must notify DMV that the vehicle is no longer in use on the highways and/or surrender the license plates to DMV. Once DMV is notified the automated record is updated to show the plates as surrendered and this will cancel any further activity.

NOTE 2: Original issue, reissue, exchange, transfer or refund of permanent plates are processed like non-permanent plates, if your permanent plates are lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed a replacement can be issued for $10.00.

Permanent Truck, Tractor Truck, Tow Truck and Farm Vehicle plates:

1. The availability plate types are listed below:
   • TK - Truck
   • TR - Tractor Truck
   • TW - Tow Truck
   • F - Farm Vehicle
   • Apportioned Permanent
2. The permanent plate registration fee is based on the vehicle type and weight (plus an additional $10.00 annual fee for a personalized plate).
3. Permanent IRP license plates are limited to 1 year registrations.
4. Rental permanent plates for trucks, tractor trucks, tow trucks, and farm vehicles will have an orange decal with a white letter R attached to designate the plate as a rental plate. The decal is not issued through the automated system. It is not numbered and is not subject to regular decal inventory procedures.

Taxicabs

1. The plate type available for this vehicle is TAXPM- taxi permanent.
2. The fee for this plate is the same as a standard passenger plate (plus an additional $10.00 annual fee for a personalized plate).

Regular or Irregular Route Common Carrier

1. The available plate types are listed below:
   • Regular Route:
     • E Permanent
   • Irregular Route:
     • Passenger for Hire Permanent
     • Scenic for Hire Permanent
     • Great Seal for Hire Permanent
2. The permanent plate registration fee is based on the vehicle weight (plus an additional $10.00 annual fee for a personalized plate).
3. Permanent IRP license plates are limited to 1 year registrations.