31-2-231. Wildlife conservation license plates; wildlife conservation account.

(a) Any person required to register a vehicle in Wyoming pursuant to this article may apply to the department for a statement of eligibility for wildlife conservation license plates for any motor vehicle that is not a commercial vehicle or multipurpose vehicle owned or leased by that person upon registration of the vehicle. Upon payment by the applicant of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to the department, the department shall issue a written statement of eligibility for wildlife conservation license plates. The department shall assess an annual fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) for a person to retain eligibility for wildlife conservation plates, but this annual fee shall not be charged in the year the person pays the one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) eligibility fee.

(b) The fees collected under subsection (a) of this section shall be payable to the department and shall be accounted for separately. The fees collected shall be distributed to the wildlife conservation account within the state highway fund, which is hereby created. Funds in the wildlife conservation account shall only be used to provide for wildlife conservation efforts related to the transportation system, including signage, wildlife corridors, wildlife crossings and game fences.

(c) Applicants shall apply at least thirty (30) days before registration is required for the vehicle for which the plates are intended. Except as provided in this section, application for, issuance and renewal of the wildlife conservation license plates under this section shall be subject to the same requirements and fees as provided in this article in addition to the fee collected under subsection (a) of this section. The license plate fees required under W.S. 31-3-102(a)(viii) shall accompany each application. The license plates under this section shall be issued by the county treasurer of each county and shall be displayed only upon the vehicle for which they are issued.

(d) The department shall prescribe the design of the wildlife conservation license plates authorized by this section in consultation with the public and other interested parties, which shall include an image of the bucking horse and rider described in W.S. 8-3-117. License plates authorized by this section need not include Arabic numerals designating the county. The department shall arrange for production of the license plates. Following initial approval, wildlife conservation license plates shall be subject to redesign on the same schedule as all license plates beginning with the year 2025 reissuance.

(e) The department may prepare any special forms and promulgate any rules necessary to carry out this section.

(f) Unless one thousand (1,000) sets of license plates are issued under this section before December 31, 2023, the plates authorized under this section shall be eliminated from production and the department shall report the cessation of production to the legislature not later than January 15, 2025.