49-417. IDAHO WILDLIFE SPECIAL PLATES. (1) Any person who is the owner of a vehicle registered under the provisions of section 49-402 or 49-434(1), Idaho Code, may apply for any one (1) of three (3) Idaho wildlife special license plates. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any vehicle with a registered maximum gross weight over twenty-six thousand (26,000) pounds.

(2) In addition to the regular operating fee, the applicant shall be charged a fee of thirty-five dollars ($35.00) for the initial issuance of the plates, and twenty-five dollars ($25.00) upon each succeeding annual registration. Ten dollars ($10.00) of the initial fee and ten dollars ($10.00) of the renewal fee shall be deposited in the state highway account and shall be used to fund the cost of administration of this special license plate program. Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) of each initial fee and fifteen dollars ($15.00) of each renewal fee shall be deposited by the state treasurer in the fish and game set-aside account pursuant to section 36-111, Idaho Code, for use in the nongame wildlife program. This fee shall be treated as a contribution to the nongame wildlife program, and shall not be considered a motor vehicle registration fee as described in section 17, article VII, of the constitution of the state of Idaho.

(a) The fish and game commission shall designate one dollar and twenty-five cents ($1.25) of each initial fee and seventy-five cents (75¢) of each renewal fee from the elk wildlife special plate to the department of fish and game’s wildlife disease laboratory program to be used for testing, surveillance and detection of diseases that may affect wildlife including, but not limited to, chronic wasting disease.

(b) The state controller shall annually, by August 1 of each year, transfer an amount equivalent to one dollar and twenty-five cents ($1.25) of each initial elk wildlife special plate and seventy-five cents (75¢) of each renewal elk wildlife special plate sold in the prior fiscal year from the fish and game set-aside account to the department of agriculture’s livestock disease control fund to be used for testing, surveillance and detection of wildlife diseases and domestic livestock diseases that may affect wildlife including, but not limited to, brucellosis and chronic wasting disease.

(c) The state controller shall annually, by August 1 of each year, transfer an amount equivalent to two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) of each initial cutthroat wildlife special plate and one dollar and twenty-five cents ($1.25) of each renewal cutthroat wildlife plate sold in the prior fiscal year from the fish and game set-aside account to the department of parks and recreation fund established in section 67-4225, Idaho Code, for the construction and maintenance of nonmotorized boating access facilities for anglers.

Whenever title or interest in a vehicle registered under the provisions of this section is transferred or assigned, the owner may transfer the special plates to another vehicle upon payment of the required transfer fees. He may only display the plates after receipt of new registration from the department.

(3) Each Idaho wildlife license plate shall be of a color and design acceptable to the board of directors of the Idaho fish and wildlife foundation and approved by the department, utilizing a numbering system as determined by the department. The Idaho fish and wildlife foundation is authorized to design more than one (1) wildlife plate, but the department may not allow more than three (3) different designs to be in use at any one (1) time. Initial costs of the plate program including costs of plate design shall be paid by the Idaho fish and wildlife foundation.

(4) Sample Idaho wildlife plates may be purchased for a fee of thirty dollars ($30.00), ten dollars ($10.00) of which shall be deposited in the state highway account to be used to fund the cost of administration of this special license plate program. Twenty dollars ($20.00) of the purchase fee shall be deposited in the fish and game set-aside account pursuant to section 36-111, Idaho Code, for use in the nongame wildlife program.

History:

[49-417, added 1992, ch. 190, sec. 1, p. 593; am. 1998, ch. 113, sec. 13, p. 426; am. 1998, ch. 336, sec. 1, p. 1081; am. 1999, ch. 315, sec. 2, p. 784; am. 2000, ch. 87, sec. 17, p. 201; am. 2002, ch. 362, sec. 1, p. 1021.]