Section 40-2-36. Commissioner to furnish license plates to tag agents; inventories and affidavits of missing plates; sale of plates for vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds

   (a) The commissioner shall furnish to each tag agent such number of motor vehicle license plates, revalidation decals, and decals as he may deem necessary for issuance by such agent, together with such forms and other supplies as are necessary to enable such agent to perform the duties required of him by this chapter.

(b) The county tag agent shall, immediately upon receipt of the motor vehicle license plates from the commissioner, take a full and complete inventory of the arriving shipment of license plates for motor vehicles over 26,000 pounds. The affidavit of lost or missing plates which the county tag agents are required to file with the commissioner shall be filed within ten days of the county tag agents' receipt of the license plates for motor vehicles over 26,000 pounds in weight. Failure to submit the required affidavit within ten days shall result in a denial of credit for any lost or missing license plates and the receiving county shall be responsible for full payment of said license plates.

(c) The county is responsible for providing a secure storage area for all license plates and revalidation decals.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, should a county desire to maintain an inventory of license plates for vehicles weighing in excess of 26,000 pounds and sell said license plates for vehicles weighing in excess of 26,000 pounds, the county shall first request permission in writing from the commissioner. Permission shall be granted at the discretion of the commissioner and, once granted, the permission may be revoked should the county fail to file tag and title reports with the commissioner in a timely and proper manner and fail to remit to the commissioner in a timely manner sums of money collected.

(e) The commissioner shall prescribe such reasonable rules and regulations as in his discretion may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Code section.

Ga. L. 1955, p. 659, § 2; Ga. L. 1966, p. 508, § 2; Ga. L. 1980, p. 1050, § 1; Code 1981, § 40-2-33; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1883, § 1; Code 1981, § 40-2-36, as redesignated by Ga. L. 1990, p. 2048, § 2.