Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish electronic branch offices consisting of an Internet website or software application through which the Department may conduct transactions that have been designated by the Director of the Department as suitable to be conducted through electronic means. (NRS 481.055) If the Department provides the ability to register or renew the registration of a vehicle through such an electronic branch office, section 1 of this bill requires the Department to contract with a person who is licensed in this State to make installment loans to allow the person, through the electronic branch office, to offer installment loans to vehicle owners to pay the applicable fees and taxes that are due for the initial or renewal registration of a vehicle.
Existing law requires the Department to furnish license plates to every owner whose vehicle is registered and sets forth the manner in which such license plates must be displayed on a vehicle. (NRS 482.265) Section 2 of this bill authorizes the Director to permit the use of digital license plates by a person who otherwise complies with the requirements for registration and licensing. Section 2 requires a digital license plate to: (1) display the license plate code assigned to the vehicle and evidence of valid registration at all times; (2) meet certain requirements for visibility; (3) be displayed on a digital license plate device that has been approved by the Department and purchased from a vendor approved by the Department; and (4) display only information and images required or authorized by the Department. Section 2 requires the Department to adopt regulations relating to the issuance and use of digital license plates, including the personally identifiable information that may be stored on a digital license plate or digital license plate device. Section 2 authorizes the Department to take certain additional actions with respect to digital license plates, including: (1) approving banner messages to appear on the bottom of a digital license plate; (2) restricting the types or classes of vehicles for which a digital license plate may be used; (3) authorizing the sale or resale of digital license plate devices; and (4) authorizing digital license plates to replicate the appearance of certain special license plates or personalized prestige license plates. Section 3 of this bill provides that the Department is not required to furnish license plates to a person who applies to use a digital license plate and authorizes the Department to require the return of license plates which were previously issued for the vehicle.
Existing law requires the Director to utilize the facility for the production of license plates which is located at the Department of Corrections to produce all license plates required by the Department. (NRS 482.267) Section 4 of this bill creates an exception from this requirement for the use of digital license plates.
Section 5 of this bill requires a digital license plate device, which is an electronic device capable of displaying a digital license plate, to be attached to the rear of a motor vehicle. If a digital license plate has been authorized for use, section 5 also excuses the requirement to attach a license plate to the front of the vehicle.
Existing law requires the Department to conduct a pilot program to gather data on the annual vehicle miles traveled by certain vehicles registered in this State. (NRS 482.2175) As part of the pilot program, existing law requires the owners of certain motor vehicles to report the mileage shown on the odometer of the motor vehicle and certain other information required by the Department at the time of initial registration, renewal of registration and transfer of registration, if applicable. (NRS 482.2177) Under existing law, the provisions providing for the pilot program expire by limitation on December 31, 2026. (Section 7 of chapter 498, Statutes of Nevada 2019, at page 3006) Section 6 of this bill eliminates the provision of law providing for the expiration of the pilot program, thereby requiring the continuation of the pilot program beyond December 31, 2026.