{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-186.164","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 186.164","heading":"Collection and distribution of special license plate fees -- Design, printing,","body":"and replacement -- Application process -- Voluntary contribution for\ndesignated group -- Administrative regulations -- Audit of special license plate\nfunds -- Annual report.\n(1) The SF portion of the fee required under KRS 186.162 shall include the fee to\nreflectorize all license plates under KRS 186.240. All EF fees required under KRS\n186.162 shall be collected at the time of an initial or renewal application  by the\ncounty clerk who shall forward the EF fee to the cabinet. The cabinet shall remit EF\nfees to the fund, group, or organization identified in KRS 186.162 on a quarterly\nbasis. The cabinet may retain any investment income earned from holding EF fees\ndesignated to be remitted under this subsection to offset administrative costs\nincurred by the cabinet in the administration of EF fees.\n(2) A special license plate shall be the color and design selected by the group or\norganization identified in subsection  (13) of this section, contingent upon the\napproval of the Transportation Cabinet. In addition to the design selected for a\nspecial license plate, the name \"Kentucky,\" an annual renewal decal, and any\ncombination of letters or numerals required by the cabi net in the design shall also\nappear on the plate.\n(3) An actual metal special license plate shall be issued on the same schedule as regular\nlicense plates are issued under KRS 186.240. The cabinet shall have the discretion\nto extend the time period that wi ll exist between the date a metal special license\nplate is issued and the date that regular plates are issued under KRS 186.240. A\nrenewal registration decal shall be issued all other years during the owner's or\nlessee's birth month, except as provided in KRS 186.041(2) and 186.042(5). A\nperson seeking a special license plate for a vehicle provided as part of the person's\noccupation shall conform to the requirements of KRS 186.050(14).\n(4) (a) If a special license plate issued under this chapter deteriorate s to the point that\nthe lettering, numbering, or images on the face of the plate are not legible, the\nplate shall be replaced free of charge, if the owner or lessee has not\ntransferred the vehicle to which the plate was issued during the current\nlicensing period.\n(b) If a special license plate issued under this chapter is lost, stolen, or damaged\nin an accident, the county clerk shall issue a new plate upon payment of a\nthree dollar ($3) county clerk fee, if the owner or lessee has not transferred the\nvehicle to which the plate was issued during the current licensing period.\n(5) Upon the sale, transfer, or termination of a lease of a vehicle with any special\nlicense plate issued under this chapter, the owner or lessee shall remove the special\nplate and return it and the certificate of registration to the county clerk. The county\nclerk shall reissue the owner or lessee a regular license plate and a certificate of\nregistration upon payment of a three dollar ($3) county clerk fee. If the owner or\nlessee requests, the county clerk shall reissue the special plate upon payment of a\nthree dollar ($3) county clerk fee for use on any other vehicle of the same\nclassification and category owned, leased, or acquired by the person during the\ncurrent licensing period. If th e owner or lessee has the special plate reissued to a\nvehicle which has been previously registered in this state, the regular license plate\nthat is being replaced shall be returned to the county clerk who shall forward the\nplate to the Transportation Cabinet.\n(6) A special license plate may be issued to the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle that\nis required to be registered under KRS 186.050(1), (3)(a), or (4)(a), except a special\nlicense plate shall not be issued to a taxicab, limousine, or U-Drive-It registered and\nlicensed under this chapter or KRS Chapter 281. A person applying for a special\nlicense plate shall apply in the office of the county clerk in the county of the\nperson's residence, except as provided in KRS 186.168(3). All special license plate s\nissued under this chapter may be combined with a personalized license plate under\nthe provisions of KRS 186.174. The fee to combine a special license plate with a\npersonalized license plate shall be as established in KRS 186.162(3).\n(7) Within thirty (30 ) days of termination from election to, appointment to, or\nmembership with any group or organization, an applicant to whom a special license\nplate was issued under this chapter shall return the special license plate to the\ncounty clerk of the county of his  or her residence, unless the person is merely\nchanging his or her status with the group or organization to retired.\n(8) A group wanting to create a special license plate that is not authorized under this\nchapter on June 27, 2019, shall comply with the following conditions before being\neligible to apply for a special license plate:\n(a) The group shall be nonprofit and based,  headquartered, or have a chapter in\nKentucky;\n(b) The group may be organized for, but shall not be restricted to, social, civic, or\nentertainment purposes;\n(c) The message to be placed on the license plate, if created, shall not\ndiscriminate against any race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and shall\nnot be construed, as determined by the cabinet, as an attempt to victimize or\nintimidate any person due to the person's race, color, religion, sex, or national\norigin;\n(d) The plate shall not represe nt a political party and shall not have been created\nprimarily to promote a specific political belief;\n(e) The plate shall not have as its primary purpose the promotion of any specific\nfaith, religion, or antireligion;\n(f) The plate shall not be the name o f a special product or brand name, and shall\nnot be construed, as determined by the cabinet, as promoting a product or\nbrand name; and\n(g) The plate's lettering, logo, image, or message to be placed on the license plate,\nif created, shall not be obscene, as determined by the cabinet.\n(9) If the cabinet denies to issue a group a special license plate based upon the\nconditions specified in subsection (8) of this section, the cabinet shall, immediately\nupon denying to issue a group a special license plate, not ify in writing the\nchairperson of both the House and Senate standing committees on transportation of\nthe denial and the reasons upon which the cabinet based the denial.\n(10) If the cabinet approves a request for a special license plate, the cabinet shall b egin\ndesigning and printing the plate after:\n(a) The group collects a minimum of nine hundred (900) applications with each\napplication being accompanied by a fee as set forth in KRS 186.162. The\napplications and accompanying fee shall be submitted to the cabinet at one (1)\ntime as a whole and shall not be submitted individually or intermittently; and\n(b) The group submits to the cabinet the programming and production costs for\nthe plate.\n(11) A group that is approved for a special license plate shall mainta in a minimum\nnumber of five hundred (500) registrations annually for the cabinet to continue\nproduction of the plate.\n(12) An initial applicant for, or an applicant renewing, his or her registration for a\nspecial license plate shall, at the time of applica tion, make a contribution that the\ncounty clerk shall forward to the cabinet as set forth in KRS 186.162. The cabinet\nshall, on an annual basis, remit the contributions to the appropriate group identified\nto be used for the declared purpose stated under su bsection (13) of this section. The\ncabinet may retain any investment income earned from holding contributions\ndesignated to be remitted under this subsection to offset administrative costs\nincurred by the cabinet in the administration of the contributions.  Any group or\norganization that receives a mandatory EF fee under KRS 186.162 shall maintain\nthe information required under subsection (13)(a) and (c) of this section with the\nTransportation Cabinet.\n(13) The group shall, at the time the nine hundred (900) applications are submitted to the\nTransportation Cabinet, also submit a notarized affidavit to the cabinet attesting to:\n(a) The name, address, and telephone number for the group or organization. If the\ngroup or organization does not have its headquarters  in the Commonwealth,\nthen the name, address, and telephone number for the group or organization's\nKentucky state chapter shall be required. The names of the officers of the\ngroup or organization shall also be required. If the entity receiving funds\nunder subsection (12) of this section is not a state governmental agency, a\nprogram unit within a state governmental agency, or is a group or\norganization that does not have a statewide chapter, then a donation for use by\nthe group or organization shall be prohibited;\n(b) The amount of the monetary donation the group wants to receive when a\nperson purchases the group or organization's special license plate; and\n(c) The purpose for which the donated funds will be used by the group or\norganization. Donated funds sh all not be limited for use by members of the\ngroup or organization, and shall not be used for administrative or personnel\ncosts of the group or organization.\n(14) (a) All funds received by a group or organization under subsection (12) of this\nsection shall be deposited into an account separate from all other accounts the\ngroup or organization may have.\n(b) If the amount of money received in any fiscal year by a group or organization\nunder subsection (12) of this section is:\n1. Equal to or greater than two h undred thousand dollars ($200,000), the\naccount shall be audited yearly at the expense of the group or\norganization and the completed audit shall be forwarded to the\nTransportation Cabinet; or\n2. Less than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000), the group  or\norganization shall submit a form to the cabinet attesting to its\ncompliance with this section.\n(c) One hundred percent (100%) of the funds received by a group or organization\nunder subsection (12) of this section shall be used for the express purpose\nidentified by the group in subsection (13) of this section.\n(d) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this subsection, any agency, group, or\norganization that receives a mandatory EF fee under KRS 186.162 shall\ncomply with this subsection.\n(e) If a mandatory EF fee under KRS 186.162 is directed into a fund established\nin statute, the agency controlling the fund shall not be required to keep the EF\nfee proceeds in a separate account.\n(15) (a) No later than October 1, 2026, and each October 1 thereafter, any group or\norganization that receives funds under this section or EF fees under KRS\n186.162, or any agency that administers a fund established in statute that\nreceives funds under this section  or EF fees under KRS 186.162, shall submit\na report on the use of these funds in the previous fiscal year to the:\n1. Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint\nCommittee on Appropriations and Revenue; and\n2. Auditor of Public Accounts.\n(b) The report required under paragraph (a) of this subsection shall include:\n1. The total receipts of the fund;\n2. The sources of those receipts;\n3. An accounting of all expenditures from the fund;\n4. A detailed summary of the activities supported b y EF fee proceeds,\nincluding the amount of money spent on each activity;\n5. The identification of any unexpended funds and the reason why the\nfunds were not expended; and\n6. An explanation of how all expenditures align with program objectives.\n(16) The sec retary of the Transportation Cabinet shall promulgate administrative\nregulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to establish additional rules to\nimplement the issuance of special license plates issued under this chapter, including\nbut not limited to:\n(a) Documentation that will be required to accompany an application for a special\nlicense plate to provide proof of:\n1. Election to the United States Congress or the Kentucky General\nAssembly;\n2. Election or appointment to the Kentucky Court of Justice;\n3. Membership in a Masonic Order, Fraternal Order of Police, or\nemergency management organization;\n4. Eligibility for membership in the Gold Star Mothers of America;\n5. Eligibility as a father for associate membership in the Gold Star Mothers\nof America;\n6. Eligibility for membership in the Gold Star Wives of America;\n7. Ownership of an amateur radio operator license;\n8. Receipt of the Silver Star Medal;\n9. Receipt of the Bronze Star Medal;\n10. Receipt of the Air Medal;\n11. Receipt of the Distinguished Flying Cross;\n12. Receipt of the Combat Action Badge;\n13. Receipt of the Combat Infantry Badge;\n14. Eligibility for a Gold Star Siblings license plate for a person whose\nsibling died while serving the country in the United States Armed\nForces. As used in this subparagraph, \"sibling\" means a sibling by\nblood, a sibling by half-blood, a sibling by adoption, or a stepsibling; or\n15. Eligibility for a Gold Star Sons or Gold Star Daughters license plate for\na person whose parent or stepparent died while serving the country in\nthe United States Armed Forces;\n(b) The time schedule permissible for a group or orga nization to request a design\nchange for the special license plate; and\n(c) The procedures for review of proposed license plates and the standards by\nwhich proposed special license plates are approved or rejected in accordance\nwith subsection (10) of this section.\n(17) Any individual, group, or organization that fails to audit any funds as required\nunder this section, or that intentionally uses any funds received in any way other\nthan attested to under subsection (13) of this section or for administrative or\npersonnel costs in violation of subsection (13) of this section, shall be guilty of a\nClass D felony and upon conviction shall, in addition to being subject to criminal\npenalties, be assessed a mandatory five thousand dollar ($5,000) fine.","path":["KRS Chapter 186"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57952","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:37Z","sha256":"f66f8c69497d13ff02fd030d983dcd9c8209d85eae401ad8211077b6fdf68f9d","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-186.163","next":"us-ky/krs-186.165"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}