(a) The commission shall reverse an order of revocation, order the permit renewed, or order the approval of a permit transfer only if it finds one of the following grounds:
(1) The permittee failed to submit an application and pay the fees for renewal on or before April 30 pursuant to Section 8235 and the failure to renew a permit until after the expiration date was due to death, physical illness, mental incapacity, or being called to active military duty, and the person was not reasonably able to have an agent renew the permit.
(2) A lienholder of a permitted vessel, if the vessel is the property of the lienholder as a result of foreclosure, surrender, or litigation, can show loss due to the nonrenewal of a permit by the permittee, and the nonrenewal occurred without the knowledge of the lienholder.
(3) If, in the case of permit revocation because of fraud, evidence is provided to the commission disputing the charges of fraud. If the commission finds there was no fraud after consideration of all of the evidence, the commission may order the revocation annulled, and, if the permit expiration date has passed during the pendency of the hearing on the appeal, the commission may order the department to renew the permit upon payment of the fees.
(4) The denial of the permit transfer was arbitrary or capricious.
(b) Each appeal shall be heard and considered separately on its own merits.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 472, Sec. 18. (SB 262) Effective January 1, 2020.)