Chapter 29. Rejection of Registration Plates
Regulation .01 Scope and Applicability.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The owner of a vehicle in a class eligible for registration plates consisting of letters, numbers, emblems, terms, symbols, logos, or a combination of them may apply for a special registration plate from the Administration.
B.
This chapter applies to all registration plates issued under COMAR 11.15.07 and 11.15.19 regardless of the date of issuance.
Regulation .02 Refusal to Issue Registration Plates.LinkCopy Citation
The Administration may refuse to issue or rescind issuance of a registration plate containing letters, numbers, emblems, terms, symbols, logos, or a combination of them which:
A.
Is identical to one already issued by the Administration;
B.
Is being requested for a fraudulent or deceptive purpose;
C.
Has a scatological or sexual meaning or connotation;
D.
Contains profanities, epithets, or obscenities;
E.
Communicates a message of any kind about any of the following characteristics of a group of people:
(1)
Race,
(2)
Ethnic or national origin,
(3)
Color,
(4)
Religion,
(5)
Disability, or
(6)
Sexual orientation;
F.
Makes reference to the commission of illegal acts; or
G.
Contains any other combination that the Administrator finds unacceptable within the law.
Regulation .03 Compliance.LinkCopy Citation
The Administration shall determine compliance with the conditions set forth in Regulation .02 of this chapter by reference to current and historical usage.
Regulation .04 Complaints.LinkCopy Citation
A complaint that a plate violates the conditions of Regulation .02 of this chapter may cause the Administration to review the matter, but may not by itself serve as a basis for a determination that the conditions of Regulation .02 of this chapter have been violated.
Regulation .05 Administrative Appeals.LinkCopy Citation
An organization or individual whose preferred letters, numbers, emblems, terms, symbols, logos, or a combination of them are disapproved by the Administration under this chapter is entitled to a hearing before the Office of Administrative Hearings pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act.
Chapter annotations
Authority: Transportation Article, §§12-104(b) and 13-619, Annotated Code of Maryland
History: Effective date: October 18, 1999 (26:21 Md. R. 1630)
History: Regulation .01 amended as an emergency provision effective August 12, 2015 (42:18 Md. R. 1173); amended permanently effective November 23, 2015 (42:23 Md. R. 1434)