Changes to Cherished Numbers Law

The Law: S.C. Code of Laws Section 56-3-210, as amended, indicates the following: Any person who newly acquires a vehicle or the owner of a foreign vehicle (from another state) being moved into this state and required to be registered under this chapter, before operating the vehicle during the 45-day period must:

  • Transfer a license plate from another vehicle
  • Purchase a new license plate and registration
  • Purchase a temporary license plate from the division of motor vehicles
  • Purchase a temporary license plate from the county auditors office (in the county where the owner resides)
  • Obtain a temporary license plate from a dealer of new or used vehicles
  • Obtain a temporary license plate from the casual seller of the vehicle

The Penalty: A $100 fine.

Since it has been awhile since I last addressed this law and because we still have periodic contact with an occasional violator, I thought it would be a good time to take another look at it. This bill was signed into law back on Jan. 1, 2003, and it indicates a motor vehicle dealer must issue a temporary license plate to every vehicle purchased or sold. The law also requires a buyer, who obtains a motor vehicle from a person other than a dealer, to acquire a Department of Motor Vehicles temporary license plate and registration prior to operating that vehicle. People who trade in a vehicle and wish to transfer tags from their old car to the new one are allowed to immediately place the license tag on the new car as long as they are in possession of a valid bill of sale and proof of insurance. Prior to these changes, police officers needed to have other types of probable cause to stop a vehicle with paper tags, even when they knew the vehicle had been in operation longer than the 45 days allowed. Many times it was only when these vehicles were involved in a crash that it was determined the owner not only failed to register the vehicle, but also failed to have it insured.