§286-53  Dealers in new motorvehicles.  (a)  A manufacturer of or dealer in new motor vehicles having anestablished place of business, owning any such new vehicles and operating themupon the public highways, in lieu of registering each such new vehicle, maymake application upon an official form provided for that purpose to thedirector of finance for a permanent number plate.

(b)  Every new vehicle owned or controlled bythe manufacturer or dealer, and permitted to be registered under a permanentnumber plate shall be regarded as registered thereunder until the vehicle issold and the sale has been recorded by the director of finance.

(c)  The director of finance shall, uponreceipt of the application, or thereafter, furnish to the manufacturer or dealer:

(1)  Permanent number plates which shall be attachedto new motor vehicles which are used by the applicant only for demonstration ofthe new motor vehicles to customers upon the public highways if requested bythe applicant.  The price of each permanent number plate shall be establishedby the director of finance under chapter 91.  Each permanent number plate shalldisplay upon it the number which is assigned to the applicant and a differentletter or number to differentiate it from other plates furnished to theapplicant.  Permanent number plates which are detached from a new motor vehiclewhich has been sold may be used on another new motor vehicle; and

(2)  Temporary motor vehicle plates, if the applicantis a new motor vehicle dealer, which plates shall be blank except for an areaon the lower right corner which shall be utilized for validation of thetemporary plates.  The validation shall not be reproducible by any person otherthan the director of finance, or director of finance of another county if anagreement is made to utilize a uniform validation, shall signify the officialstatus of the temporary number plate, and be designed to be visible from adistance of two feet.

The directors of finance of any two or morecounties may agree to utilize a uniform designation to be placed upon thetemporary number plate.  The director of finance shall establish the materialused for the temporary number plate and a charge by rule under chapter 91 foreach temporary number plate.

(d)  Whenever the design of the number platesissued under chapter 249 is changed, the new motor vehicle dealer shall applyto the director of finance for the most current permanent number plates. Before issuing the current permanent number plates, the director of financeshall require each applicant to return the permanent number plates issuedpreviously.  If any permanent number plates issued previously have been lost ordestroyed, the manufacturer or dealer who applies for the permanent numberplates shall certify in writing to the director of finance that the permanentnumber plates have been lost or destroyed and that if any lost permanent numberplates are found, they shall be returned forthwith to the director of finance. Upon receipt of the certificate, the director of finance shall issue an equalnumber of the most current permanent number plates as have been certified to belost or destroyed.

(e)  Whenever a new motor vehicle dealer sellsa new motor vehicle to a person, the new motor vehicle dealer shall detach thepermanent number plate issued under subsection (c) from that new motor vehicleand replace it with one temporary number plate.  The temporary number plateshall be attached to the rear of the vehicle in the same location as requiredfor number plates under section 249-7.  The new motor vehicle dealer shallprint only the following upon the temporary number plate:

(1)  The date that is thirty working days after thedate the new owner takes possession of the motor vehicle, which date shall beplaced in the middle of the temporary number plate in numbers not less thanfour inches in height;

(2)  The name and address of the new owner;

(3)  The name and address of the new motor vehicledealer;

(4)  The serial number of the new motor vehicle; and

(5)  The date the new motor vehicle owner tookpossession of the motor vehicle.

Any temporary number plate upon which is placed anydrawings, pictures, or words other than what is required by paragraphs (1)through (5), shall be invalid.

The information required by paragraphs (3)through (5) shall be printed in the upper left corner of the temporary numberplate.

The temporary number plate shall be validthrough the date listed in paragraph (1).

Any person who operates a motor vehicle with anexpired temporary number plate shall be fined not more than $500.  Any newmotor vehicle dealer who prepares an invalid temporary number plate shall befined not more than $500.

(f)  No manufacturer or dealer shall permit theoperation of any motor vehicle owned or controlled by the manufacturer ordealer upon any public highway, unless permanent number plates assigned to themanufacturer or dealer are attached thereto, in the manner specified in thispart; provided that the new vehicles may be operated without permanent numberplates attached thereto on the initial continuous movement from the place ofentry of the vehicle into this State to the warehouse, storeroom, salesroom, orother place of business selected by the manufacturer or dealer.

(g)  Every manufacturer or dealer, upon thesale, lease, or other transfer by the manufacturer or dealer of a new vehicleregistered under a general distinguishing number, as herein provided, shallforthwith give notice of the transfer to the director of finance upon theappropriate official form, stating the date of the transfer, a description ofthe vehicle, the name and post office address of the transferee, and certifyingthat temporary number plates have been provided for the motor vehicle of thetransferee.

Following the transfer, if application forregistration has been made by or on behalf of the transferee, the vehicle maybe operated until duly registered by the director of finance under chapter 249and this chapter or until the expiration of the temporary number plateswhichever occurs sooner.

(h)  The director of finance may, at thedirector's discretion, grant a temporary permit to operate a vehicle, aregistration for which has been applied for.

(i)  For the purposes of this section:

(1)  "New motor vehicles" means motorvehicles of the current model year, immediate past model year, or the nextmodel year which have not been sold or registered by the manufacturer ordealer;

(2)  "New motor vehicle dealer" means adealer licensed under chapter 437 to engage in the business of selling atwholesale or retail or both, new motor vehicles or used motor vehicles;

(3)  "Permanent number plate" means a numberplate furnished to a manufacturer or dealer under subsection (c)(1) for a motorvehicle which is similar to the number plate issued under section 249-7 andwhich allows the motor vehicle to be operated on the public highways; and

(4)  "Temporary number plate" means thenumber plate furnished to a new motor vehicle dealer under subsection (c)(2).[L 1929, c 197, §9; RL 1935, §2672; am L 1941, c 211, §1; RL 1945, §7343; am L1949, c 162, §2; am L 1953, c 131, §1(f); RL 1955, §160-11; am L 1967, c 92,§1; HRS §286-53; am L 1980, c 133, §4; gen ch 1985; am L 1987, c 319, §1; am L1990, c 131, §2; am L 1995, c 24, §1]