(a) Except for fees for duplicate license plates, duplicate certificates, or duplicate cards, the fees specified in this code need not be paid for a vehicle that is of a type subject to registration under this code, and that is not used for transportation for hire, compensation, or profit, when owned by any of the following:
(1) A disabled veteran.
(2) A former American prisoner of war.
(3) The surviving spouse of a former American prisoner of war who has elected to retain the special license plates issued under Section 5101.5.
(4) A Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
(5) The surviving spouse of a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who has elected to retain the special license plates issued under Section 5101.6.
(b) The exemption granted by subdivision (a) shall not extend to more than one vehicle owned by a former American prisoner of war, a disabled veteran, or a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, or a surviving spouse, and is applicable to the same vehicle as described in subdivision (b) of Section 10783, or subdivision (b) of Section 10783.2, of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(c) (1) The department may require a disabled veteran applying for an exemption under this section to submit a certificate signed by a physician and surgeon, or to the extent that it does not cause a reduction in the receipt of federal aid highway funds, by a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, physician assistant, chiropractor, or optometrist, substantiating the disability.
(2) The department may require a person applying for an exemption under this section for either of the following reasons to do any of the following:
(A) By reason of the person’s status as a former prisoner of war, to show, by satisfactory proof, his or her former prisoner-of-war status.
(B) By reason of the person’s status of receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor, to show, by satisfactory proof, that he or she is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
(d) For the purposes of this section, the term “vehicle” means any of the following:
(1) A passenger motor vehicle.
(2) A motorcycle.
(3) A commercial motor vehicle of less than 8,001 pounds unladen weight.
(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 357, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2008.)