(a)

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 55-17-125

  • Commission: means the motor vehicle commission created by this part. See Tennessee Code 55-17-102
  • Dealer: means every person engaged in the business of buying, selling or exchanging vehicles of a type required to be registered and who has an established place of business for that purpose in this state. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Department: means the department of revenue. See Tennessee Code 55-1-111
  • Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Motor vehicle: means any self-propelled motor-driven vehicle of the type and kind required to be registered and titled under chapter 1 of this title, and includes, but is not limited to, "motor vehicle" as defined in §. See Tennessee Code 55-17-102
  • Vehicle: means every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, excepting devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) On or before February 15 of each year, each motor vehicle dealer shall submit to the commission an annual sales report indicating the number of motor vehicles sold by the dealer during the preceding calendar year, the number of dealer registration plates issued to the dealer during the year and the county or counties in which the plates were issued.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, if a motor vehicle dealer:

(A) Fails to timely file the annual sales report, the dealer shall not be eligible for any dealer registration plates until the annual sales report is filed;
(B) Timely files the annual sales report and sells twenty-four (24) or more motor vehicles during a calendar year, then there is a rebuttable presumption that the dealer is eligible to receive, retain, and use dealer registration plates otherwise authorized by § 55-4-226; or
(C) Timely files the annual sales report, and sells fewer than twenty-four (24) motor vehicles during a calendar year or if a dealer engaged in business for only a portion of the calendar year but sold fewer than two (2) vehicles on average per month during this portion of the year, then the dealer is eligible to receive, retain, and use up to three (3) dealer registration plates. Upon written request by the dealer and with justification shown, the motor vehicle commission may approve the issuance of additional plates. The commission shall furnish to each county clerk a listing of eligible dealers.
(3) If pursuant to this section, a dealer is no longer eligible to receive, retain or use dealer registration plates, then the commission is authorized to undertake appropriate action to take possession of any plates issued to the dealer and shall promptly forward the plates to the department of revenue.
(b) Upon request of the commission, the department shall make available for the commission’s inspection departmental information concerning the number of dealer registration plates issued to each dealer.