A member or former member of the armed forces who was a prisoner of war (POW) in World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, or the Vietnam Conflict and who is a legal resident of this State may make application for registration and licensing of his private passenger motor vehicle to the Department of Motor Vehicles without paying the usual fee for registration and licensing of a vehicle of similar type. The department shall issue the license plate or the revalidation sticker upon receipt of the application in a form required by the department. The provisions of this section do not apply if the former POW applies for a special personalized motor vehicle license plate under the provisions of Section 56-3-2010. The department may issue or transfer a special POW motor vehicle license plate to a vehicle owned or leased by a former POW or his surviving spouse. A former POW who is issued a license plate under the provisions of this section or surviving spouse is not required to reapply so long as the former POW or surviving spouse owns the vehicle for which the plate is issued. The plate shall bear the words "South Carolina", the number, and prefix "POW".
The surviving spouse of a former POW after notice to the department may retain the plate and is entitled to all the privileges of the POW for the lifetime or until remarriage of the surviving spouse.
HISTORY: 1978 Act No. 446 Section 1; 1979 Act No. 163 Section 1; 1981 Act No. 176; 1987 Act No. 129 Section 1; 1992 Act No. 485, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1367; 1996 Act No. 459, Section 145.