(a) Any person otherwise eligible under this article who is a Purple Heart recipient may apply for special license plates for vehicles that are not used for transportation for hire, compensation, or profit, under this article. The special plates assigned to the vehicle shall run in a separate numerical series, shall have inscribed on the plate the Purple Heart insignia, and shall contain the words “Combat Wounded” and “Purple Heart” or at least the letters “PH” as part of the numerical series. The department shall reserve and issue the special plates to all applicants providing the proof required by subdivision (b).
(b) The applicant, by satisfactory proof, shall show that the applicant is a Purple Heart recipient.
(c) Special plates may be issued pursuant to subdivision (a) only for a vehicle owned or coowned by a Purple Heart recipient.
(d) Upon the death of a person issued special license plates pursuant to this section, his or her surviving spouse may retain the special license plates subject to the conditions set forth in this section. If there is no surviving spouse, the special license plates shall be returned to the department either (1) within 60 days following that death or (2) upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs first. However, in the absence of a surviving spouse, another surviving member of the deceased Purple Heart recipient’s family may retain one of the special license plates as a family heirloom, subject to the conditions set forth in subdivision (h).
(e) If a surviving spouse who has elected to retain the special license plates as authorized under subdivision (d) dies while in possession of the special license plates, the special license plates shall be returned to the department either within 60 days following that death, or upon the expiration date of the vehicle registration, whichever date occurs first. However, another surviving member of the deceased Purple Heart recipient’s family may retain one of the special license plates as a family heirloom, subject to the conditions set forth in subdivision (h).
(f) When an applicant for the Purple Heart license plate qualifies as a disabled veteran, as specified in subdivision (b) of Section 22511.55, the applicant may also apply for a distinguishing placard described in subdivision (a) of Section 22511.55 to be used in conjunction with the Purple Heart license plate for the purpose of allowing special parking privileges pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 22511.5.
(g) Sections 5106 and 5108 do not apply to this section.
(h) The special license plates issued under this section are not valid for use for vehicle registration purposes or for the purposes of Section 9105, or Section 10783 or 10783.2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, by a person other than the person issued the special license plates under subdivision (a) and the surviving spouse of that person.
(i) For purposes of this section, “family” means grandparents, stepgrandparents, parents, stepparents, siblings, stepsiblings, children, and stepchildren of the person issued the special license plates under subdivision (a).
(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 181, Sec. 2. (SB 1295) Effective January 1, 2011.)