1. (a) Exempt plate registration.

   1. (1) Issuance. Pursuant to Transportation Code, §502.453, a vehicle owned by and used exclusively in the service of a governmental agency, used exclusively for public school transportation services, used for fire-fighting or by a volunteer fire department, or used in volunteer county marine law enforcement is exempt from payment of a registration fee and is eligible for exempt plates.

   2. (2) Application for exempt registration.

      1. (A) Application. An application for exempt plates shall be made to the county tax assessor-collector, shall be made on a form prescribed by the department, and shall contain the following information:

         1. (i) vehicle description;
         2. (ii) name of the exempt agency;
         3. (iii) an affidavit executed by an authorized person stating that the vehicle is owned or under the control of and will be operated by the exempt agency; and
         4. (iv) a certification that each vehicle listed on the application has the name of the exempt agency printed on each side of the vehicle in letters that are at least two inches high or in an emblem that is at least 100 square inches in size and of a color sufficiently different from the body of the vehicle as to be clearly legible from a distance of 100 feet.

      2. (B) Emergency medical service vehicle.

         1. (i) Exempt registration may be issued for a vehicle that is owned or leased by a non-profit emergency medical service provider; a municipality or county; or a non-profit emergency medical service provider chief or supervisor in accordance with Transportation Code, §502.456.
         2. (ii) The application for exempt registration must contain the vehicle description, the name of the emergency medical service provider, and a statement signed by an officer of the emergency medical service provider stating that the vehicle is used exclusively as an emergency response vehicle and qualifies for registration under Transportation Code, §502.456.
         3. (iii) A copy of an emergency medical service provider license issued by the Department of State Health Services must accompany the application.

      3. (C) Fire-fighting vehicle. The application for exempt registration of a fire-fighting vehicle owned privately or by a volunteer fire department must contain the vehicle description. The affidavit must be executed by the person who has the proper authority and shall state that:

         1. (i) the vehicle is privately owned and is designed and used exclusively for fire-fighting; or
         2. (ii) the vehicle is owned by a volunteer fire department and is used exclusively in the conduct of its business.

   3. (3) Exception. A vehicle may be exempt from payment of a registration fee, but display license plates other than exempt plates if the vehicle is not registered under subsection (b) of this section.

      1. (A) If the applicant is a law enforcement office, the applicant must present a certification that each vehicle listed on the application will be dedicated to law enforcement activities.
      2. (B) If the applicant is exempt from the inscription requirements under Transportation Code, §721.003, the applicant must present a certification that each vehicle listed on the application is exempt from inscription requirements under Transportation Code, §721.003. The applicant must also provide a citation to the section that exempts the vehicle.
      3. (C) If the applicant is exempt from the inscription requirements under Transportation Code, §721.005 the applicant must present a certification that each vehicle listed on the application is exempt from inscription requirements under Transportation Code, §721.005. The applicant must also provide a copy of the order or ordinance that exempts the vehicle.
      4. (D) If the applicant is exempt from the inscription requirements under Education Code, §51.932, the applicant must present a certification that each vehicle listed on the application is exempt from the inscription requirements under Education Code, §51.932. Exempt plates will be marked with the replacement year.

2. (b) Affidavit for issuance of exempt registration under an alias.

   1. (1) On receipt of an affidavit for alias exempt registration, approved by the executive administrator of an exempt law enforcement agency, the department will issue alias exempt license plates for a vehicle and register the vehicle under an alias for the law enforcement agency's use in covert criminal investigations.
   2. (2) The affidavit for alias exempt registration must be in a form prescribed by the director and must include the vehicle description, a sworn statement that the vehicle will be used in covert criminal investigations, and the signature of the executive administrator or the executive administrator's designee as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection. The vehicle registration insignia of any vehicles no longer used in covert criminal investigations shall be surrendered immediately to the department.
   3. (3) The executive administrator, by annually filing an authorization with the director, may appoint a staff designee to execute the affidavit. A new authorization must be filed when a new executive administrator takes office.
   4. (4) The letter of authorization must contain a sworn statement delegating the authority to sign the affidavit to a designee, the name of the designee, and the name and the signature of the executive administrator.
   5. (5) The affidavit for alias exempt registration must be accompanied by a title application under §217.103 of this title (relating to Restitution Liens). The application must contain the information required by the department to create the alias record of vehicle registration and title.

3. (c) Replacement of exempt registration.

   1. (1) If an exempt plate is lost, stolen, or mutilated, a properly executed application for exempt plates must be submitted to the county tax assessor-collector.
   2. (2) An application for replacement exempt plates must contain the vehicle description, original license number, and the sworn statement that the license plates furnished for the vehicle have been lost, stolen, or mutilated and will not be used on any other vehicle.
4. (d) Title requirements. Unless exempted by statute, a vehicle must be titled at the time the exempt registration is issued.

Source Note:The provisions of this §217.55 adopted to be effective March 12, 2015, 40 TexReg 1096.