Distinctive license plates or tags cannot be transferred between motor vehicle owners, and they must be returned to the county official when the vehicle is sold or otherwise disposed of.
The distinctive license plates or tags issued pursuant to this division shall not be transferable between motor vehicle owners, and in the event the owner of a vehicle bearing the distinctive plates sells, trades, exchanges, or otherwise disposes of the motor vehicle, the tags or plates shall be retained by the owner to whom issued and returned to the judge of probate or license commissioner of the county, who shall receive and account for the tags or plates as provided in this section. In the event the owner acquires by purchase, trade, exchange, or otherwise a vehicle for which no standard tags or plates have been issued during the current license period, the judge of probate or license commissioner of the county shall, upon being furnished by the owner proper certification of the acquisition of the vehicle and the payment of the motor vehicle license tax due upon the vehicle, authorize the transfer of the distinctive license tags or plates previously purchased by the owner to the vehicle, which tags or plates shall authorize the operation of the vehicle for the remainder of the then current license period. In the event the owner of the distinctive license tags or plates acquires by purchase, trade, exchange, or otherwise a vehicle for which standard plates have been issued during the current license year, the judge of probate or license commissioner shall, upon proper certification of the owner and upon delivery to the official of the standard plates previously issued for the vehicle, authorize the owner of the newly-acquired vehicle to place the distinctive license tags or plates previously purchased for the vehicle and use the tags or plates for the remainder of the then current license period. The notice of transfer of ownership shall be recorded by the judge of probate or the license commissioner. Any person acquiring by purchase, trade, exchange, or otherwise any vehicle formerly bearing the distinctive tags or plates may, upon certification of the fact to the judge of probate or license commissioner of the county and the payment of the fee now required by law, purchase standard replacement plates for the vehicle which shall authorize the operation of the vehicle by the new owner for the remainder of the license period.