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Personalized Number Plates Regulations made under Sections 10 and 38 of the
Motor Vehicle Act
R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 293
O.I.C. 2005-248 (June 9, 2005), N.S. Reg. 124/2005
Citation
1 These regulations may be cited as the Personalized Number Plates Regulations.Definitions
2 In these regulations,(a) "Act" means the Motor Vehicle Act;
(b) "bus" means a bus as defined in clause 2(d) of the Act;
(c) "camper" means a Class 1, 2, 3 or 4 camper as defined in subsection 3(1) of the Registration Fees for Campers Regulations made under the Act;
(d) "commercial motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle as defined in clause 2(g) of the Act;
(e) "motorcycle" means a motor vehicle as defined in clause 2(ac) of the Act;
(f) "passenger vehicle" means a Passenger Class 1, 2 or 3 passenger motor vehicle as defined in Section 1 of the regulations respecting registration fees for passenger motor vehicles;
(g) "personalized number plate" means a number plate as described in Section 7.
Types of motor vehicles
3 Personalized plates may be used for all of the following types of motor vehicles:(a) a bus with a registered weight of 5000 kg or less;
(b) a camper;
(c) a motorcycle;
(d) a commercial motor vehicle with a registered weight of 5000 kg or less, other than an ambulance or a hearse;
(e) a passenger vehicle.
Application for personalized number plates
4 (1) An application for personalized number plates must be made on the form prescribed by the Registrar and must be submitted to the Registrar with the application fee prescribed for personalized number plates in the regulations respecting documents and services fees made under the Act.(2) A person may apply for personalized number plates without registering a motor vehicle, but personalized number plates that are not used for vehicle registration must not be attached to a motor vehicle.
Refusal to issue personalized number plates
5 The Registrar may refuse to issue personalized number plates to an applicant in any of the following circumstances:(a) the application is not in accordance with Section 4;
(b) the application contains a false statement or false information;
(c) the plate designation selected by the applicant
(i) has been previously issued,
(ii) contains characters other than numerals, letters and spaces,
(iii) contains a combination of characters assigned to other types of number plates,
(iv) in the opinion of the Registrar, contains a combination of characters that expresses or implies a word, phrase or idea that is or may be considered offensive or not in good taste, or
(v) in the opinion of the Registrar, contains a combination of characters that states or suggests an official authority or is otherwise potentially misleading;
(d) the plate designation selected by the applicant is composed of a sequence that contains more or less numerals, letters and spaces than required by
(i) for a motorcycle, subclause 7(1)(d), or
(ii) for a bus, camper, commercial motor vehicle or passenger vehicle, subclause 7(2)(e);
(e) the Registrar is not satisfied that the personalized number plates as applied for should be issued to the applicant.
Issuance of personalized number plates
6 If the Registrar does not refuse to issue personalized number plates to an applicant under Section 5, the Registrar must issue to the applicant personalized number plates that bear the plate designation selected by the applicant.Description of personalized number plates
7 (1) A personalized number plate for a motorcycle must meet all of the following requirements:(a) measure 10.16 cm in width by 17.78 cm in length;
(b) bear a silver-white field;
(c) bear the words "NOVA SCOTIA" at the top, in blue lettering;
(d) bear a plate designation, selected by the applicant and approved by the Registrar, composed of a sequence of at least 2 and no more than 6 numerals and letters, in blue lettering, with or without spaces between the numerals and letters.
(2) A personalized number plate for a bus, camper, commercial motor vehicle or passenger vehicle must meet all of the following requirements:
(a) measure 15.24 cm in width by 30.48 cm in length;
(b) bear a depiction of the Bluenose on a silver-white field;
(c) bear the words "NOVA SCOTIA" at the top, in blue lettering;
(d) bear the words "CANADA’S OCEAN PLAYGROUND" at the bottom, in blue lettering;
(e) bear a plate designation, selected by the applicant and approved by the Registrar, composed of a sequence of at least 2 and no more than 7 numerals and letters, in blue lettering, with or without spaces between the numerals and letters.
Recalling personalized number plate
8 The Registrar may recall a personalized number plate for any reason set out in clause 5(c).Registration expiry dates for vehicles bearing personalized number plates
9 (1) The registration for a motor cycle that is registered with a personalized number plate expires(a) if the initial registration is made with a personalized number plate,
(i) at 11:59 p.m. on December 31 of the calendar year in which the registration is made, if payment for the initial registration occurs between January 1 and October 1 of that calendar year, or
(ii) at 11:59 p.m. on December 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the registration is made, if payment for the initial registration occurs between November 1 and December 31 of the year in which registration is made;
(b) if an existing number plate is replaced with a personalized number plate, at 11:59 p.m. on the date on which the current validation sticker attached to the existing number plate expires.
(2) The registration for a bus, camper, commercial motor vehicle or passenger vehicle that is registered with a personalized number plate expires
(a) if the initial registration is made with a personalized number plate, in the following calendar year at 11:59 p.m. on the last day of the month in which payment for the initial registration occurred;
(b) if an existing number plate is replaced with a personalized number plate, at 11:59 p.m. on the date on which the current validation sticker attached to the existing number plate expires.