(a) Beginning July 1, 1992, it shall be unlawful for any county to and no county shall register any responsible motor vehicle subject to any requirement under Code Section 12-9-45 pursuant to or subject to the requirements of Chapter 2 of Title 40 without proof of a valid certificate of emission inspection issued pursuant to Code Section 12-9-48 indicating that such responsible motor vehicle satisfied all applicable requirements of Code Section 12-9-45 and Code Section 12-9-48. In applying for a motor vehicle registration for a responsible motor vehicle subject to any requirement under Code Section 12-9-45, the application shall be accompanied by proof of the issuance of a certificate of emission inspection issued pursuant to Code Section 12-9-48. Any county which registers any responsible motor vehicle without proof of a certificate of emission inspection shall be in violation of this article.

(b) It shall be unlawful to and no person shall operate a responsible motor vehicle subject to any requirement under Code Section 12-9-45 on the roadways of this state without a valid registration issued in compliance with this article. Any person who operates a responsible motor vehicle subject to any requirement under Code Section 12-9-45 on the roadways of this state without a valid registration issued in compliance with this article shall be considered to be operating an unregistered motor vehicle.

(c) The board may provide for a procedure to be implemented by each county to ensure that certificates of emission inspection are not improperly reused.