(1) A person who requests a replacement license plate for a license plate that is defective may receive a replacement set of license plates:
(a) Completely free of charge without being subject to the following fees, if the request is made on or before the last day of the 24th month from the date of issuance of the defective plate:
(i) The license plate and other fees in accordance with RCW 46.17.200;
(ii) The filing fee in accordance with RCW 46.17.005;
(iii) The license service fee in accordance with RCW 46.17.025;
(iv) The service fee in accordance with RCW 46.17.040(1)(b);
(v) The special license plate fee in accordance with RCW 46.17.220;
(vi) The personalized license plate fee in accordance with RCW 46.17.210;
(b) Completely free of charge without being subject to the fees specified (a) of this subsection, if the request is made after the last day of the 24th month and on or before the last day of the 60th month from the date of issuance of the defective plate, and if the defective plate meets the criteria as established by the department in rule. Based on the criteria as established by the department in rule, any of the fees specified in (a) of this subsection may be imposed, at the department's discretion, depending on the specific circumstances of the need for license plate replacement.
(2) A license plate is considered defective for the purposes of this section if the plate is no longer functional. Lack of functionality is indicated when the numbers are no longer legible, the paint is peeling or bubbling, or when the plate materials have otherwise degraded.
(3) The department may require the defective plate to be submitted with the request for replacement license plates in order for the person to qualify for reduced charges under subsection (1) of this section.
(4) The department is not required to provide a replacement license plate at reduced charges in accordance with subsection (1) of this section if:
(a) The license plate has been tampered with by manual means or was damaged in a vehicle collision with another vehicle, building, or object;
(b) The defective license plate is associated with a vehicle registered as stolen and the person requesting the plate is not the owner or registered person of the vehicle;
(c) The person has already received a replacement plate within the preceding five years;
(d) The person has applied for or is submitting an application to transfer the license plate to a different vehicle; or
(e) The department determines the license plate is not associated with a valid registration for the specific vehicle.
(5) A person with one defective license plate is eligible to receive a replacement set of license plates under the terms of this section unless only one license plate is required by law.
[ 2026 c 172 s 2.]
Notes:
Application—2026 c 172 s 2: "Section 2 of this act is exempt from the rule of strict construction, and shall be liberally construed to give full effect to the objective and purpose of replacing defective license plates in a manner that is consistent with fairness to the person that purchased the license plates." [ 2026 c 172 s 4.]
Intent—2026 c 172: "The department of licensing sells license plates, and sometimes those license plates weather quickly and become illegible. The manufacturer has indicated the license plates will be useable for a number of years, so when the plates delaminate, purchasers are justifiably upset when the replacement for the defective license plate requires payment of fees and taxes. The department of licensing cannot ignore statutory requirements to collect fees and taxes associated with replacement plates. The legislature intends to improve the department of licensing's ability to provide customer service when a license plate fails to last the expected life span by making clear that fees and taxes that were collected when a license plate is initially purchased do not apply when a defective license plate is being replaced." [ 2026 c 172 s 1.]
Effective date—2026 c 172: "This act takes effect January 1, 2027." [ 2026 c 172 s 5.]