WSR 13-23-056
PERMANENT RULES
DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING
[Filed November 15, 2013, 3:12 p.m., effective December 16, 2013]
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
Purpose: Update department rule relating to eligibility for Gold Star special license plates to conform to recent legislation.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 308-96A-545.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 46.01.110.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 13-20-139 on October 2, 2013.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: November 15, 2013.
Damon Monroe
Rules Coordinator
AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending WSR 08-22-066, filed 11/4/08, effective 12/5/08)
WAC 308-96A-545 Gold Star ((Parent)) license plate.
(1) What is a Gold Star ((Parent)) license plate? The Gold Star ((Parent)) license plate ((was created by the legislature to)) recognizes the ((parents)) eligible family members of United States armed forces members who have died while in service to their country or as a result of such service.
(2) Who qualifies as ((a parent)) an eligible family member of a member of the United States armed forces? ((The term "parent," as defined by the Washington state department of veterans affairs, (WDVA) includes:
(a) Birth mother;
(b) Birth father;
(c) Stepmother;
(d) Stepfather;
(e) Mother through adoption;
(f) Father through adoption; and
(g) Adults who fulfilled the parental role including foster parents and kinship care providers or caretaker relative. (Documentation required.)
(3) Who can purchase a Gold Star Parent plate? A resident of this state and a registered owner of a motorized vehicle who is a parent of a member of the United States armed forces who has died while in service to their country or as a result of such service. The parent must be certified by the WDVA.
(4))) Eligible family members are listed in RCW 46.18.245. For purposes of this section, a widow or widower includes the surviving member of a registered domestic partnership.
(3) What is required to purchase a Gold Star ((Parent)) plate? A copy of the certification letter to a qualifying widow, widower, parent, or child provided by the Washington state department of veterans affairs (WDVA) is required. The letter will be used in ((lieu of)) addition to a special plate application to purchase the plate. No other documentation is required.
(((5))) (4) Can a Gold Star ((Parent)) plate be transferred to a new owner? No. The plate may only be transferred to a vehicle owned by the same registered owner who was certified as a qualifying widow, widower, parent, or child by WDVA. The plate cannot be transferred to a different registered owner. If the widow, widower, parent, or child transfers the plate to a new car registered to them, they are required to pay the plate transfer fee.
(((6) What vehicles qualify to display a Gold Star Parent plate? Motorized vehicles required to display one or two license plates.
(7))) (5) What fees are required to purchase the plate? There is no special plate fee or special plate renewal fee for the Gold Star ((Parent)) plate. The registered owner must pay all licensing and filing fees.
(((8))) (6) Is the plate subject to the mandatory plate replacement? Yes, the plate must be replaced every seven years due to mandatory plate replacement requirements. Customers will not be charged the plate replacement fees, or the fee to keep their same number.
(((9))) (7) Can a Gold Star ((Parent)) plate background be personalized? Yes. A Gold Star ((Parent)) plate background can be personalized; however, the customer is required to pay all fees associated with a personalized plate original purchase or renewal.
(((10))) (8) Is a commercial vehicle eligible for a Gold Star ((Parent)) plate as long as it is in the name of the qualifying widow, widower, parent, or child and not a business name? Yes.
(((11))) (9) Can a prorated vehicle display a Gold Star ((Parent)) plate if the vehicle is under the name of the widow, widower, parent, or child that is eligible for this plate? No per chapter 46.87 RCW.