An owner who sells or transfers a registered motor vehicle may have the license plates and the registration number transferred to another vehicle titled in the owner's name according to the provisions of Chapter 6 (§ 46.2-600 et seq.), which is in a like vehicle category as specified in § 46.2-694 and requires an identical registration fee, on application to the Department accompanied by a fee of $2 or, if the other vehicle requires a greater registration fee than that for which the license plates were assigned, on the payment of a fee of $2 and the amount of the difference in registration fees between the two vehicles, all such transfers to be in accordance with the regulations of the Department. All fees collected under this section shall be paid by the Commissioner into the state treasury and shall be set aside as a special fund to be used to meet the expenses of the Department. For purposes of this section, a motor vehicle dealer licensed by the Board may be authorized to act as an agent of the Department for the purpose of receiving, processing, and approving applications from its customers for assignment of license plates and registration numbers pursuant to this section, using the forms and following the procedures prescribed by the Department. The Commissioner, on determining that the provisions of this section or the directions of the Department are not being complied with by a dealer, may suspend, after a hearing, the authority of the dealer to receive, process, and approve the assignment of license plates and registration numbers pursuant to this section.

The provisions of this section shall also apply to watercraft trailers and watercraft trailer dealers.

1988, c. 865, § 46.1-550.5:1.1; 1989, c. 727; 1995, cc. 767, 816; 2015, c. 615.