(a) In case of the loss of a number plate, the owner of the motor vehicle to which it was assigned shall forthwith notify the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles of such loss, and he or she shall furnish such owner with a new plate. The fees charged shall be $12.00 for each plate. The owner of a motor vehicle who has lost one number plate may operate his or her vehicle with one number plate attached thereto, until a new plate is furnished him or her, provided he or she has notified the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles as required in this section.

(b) Any replacement number plate shall be issued at a fee of $12.00. However, if the Commissioner, in his or her discretion, determines that a plate has become illegible as a result of deficiencies in the manufacturing process or by use of faulty materials, the replacement fee shall be waived. (Amended 1969, No. 276 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; 1981, No. 81, § 1, eff. May 5, 1981; 1989, No. 51, § 33; 2001, No. 102 (Adj. Sess.), § 20, eff. May 15, 2002; 2005, No. 72, § 12; 2011, No. 46, § 4; 2015, No. 159 (Adj. Sess.), § 31.)