West Virginia Code 17A-6-4 – Application for license certificate; insurance; bonds; investigation; information confidential
(a) Application for any license certificate required by section three of this article shall be made on a form prescribed by the commissioner. There shall be attached to the application a certificate of insurance certifying that the applicant has in force an insurance policy issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in this state insuring the applicant and any other person, as insured, using any vehicle or vehicles owned by the applicant with the express or implied permission of the named insured, against loss from the liability imposed by law for damages arising out of the ownership, operation, maintenance or use of the vehicle or vehicles, subject to minimum limits, exclusive of interest and costs, with respect to each vehicle, as follows: Twenty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident and, subject to the limit for one person, $40,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and $10,000 because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 17A-6-4
- Applicant: means any person making application for an original or renewal license certificate under the provisions of this article. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles of this state. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Division: means the Division of Motor Vehicles of this state acting directly or through its duly authorized officers and agents. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- Motor vehicle: means every vehicle which is self-propelled and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires, but not operated upon rails. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
- Motorcycle: means every motor vehicle, including motor-driven cycles and mopeds as defined in §. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
- New motor vehicle dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling five or more new motor vehicles or new and used motor vehicles in any fiscal year of a type required to be registered under the provisions of this chapter, except, for the purposes of this article only, motorcycles. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
- New motor vehicles: means all motor vehicles, except motorcycles and used motor vehicles, of a type required to be registered under the provisions of this chapter. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
- Person: means every natural person, firm, copartnership, association, or corporation. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
- Predecessor: means the former owner or owners or operator or operators of any new motor vehicle dealer business or used motor vehicle dealer business. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
- Recreational vehicle dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling new or used recreational vehicles, or both. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
- Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
- Trailer: means every vehicle with or without motive power designed for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and constructed so that no part of its weight rests upon the towing vehicle but excluding recreational vehicles. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
- Trailer dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling new or used trailers. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
- Used motor vehicle dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling 10 or more used motor vehicles, and projecting to sell 10 or more used motor vehicles, in any fiscal year of a type required to be registered under the provisions of this chapter, except, for the purposes of this article only, motorcycles. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
- Used motor vehicles: means all motor vehicles, except motorcycles, of a type required to be registered under the provisions of this chapter which have been sold and operated, or which have been registered or titled, in this or any other state or jurisdiction. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
- Used parts dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling any used appliance, accessory, member, portion, or other part of any vehicle. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
(b) In the case of an application for a license certificate to engage in the business of new motor vehicle dealer, used motor vehicle dealer or house trailer dealer, the application shall disclose, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) The type of business for which a license certificate is sought;
(2) If the applicant is an individual, the full name and address of the applicant and any trade name under which he or she will engage in the business;
(3) If the applicant is a copartnership, the full name and address of each partner in the copartnership, the name of the copartnership, its post office address and any trade name under which it will engage in the business;
(4) If the applicant is a corporation, its name, the state of its incorporation, its post office address and the full name and address of each officer and director of the corporation;
(5) The location of each place in this state at which the applicant will engage in the business and whether the business is owned or leased by the applicant;
(6) Whether the applicant, any partner, officer or director of the business has previously engaged in the business or any other business required to be licensed under the provisions of this article and if so, with or for whom, at what location and for what periods of time;
(7) Whether the applicant, any partner, officer, director or employer of the business has previously applied for a license certificate under the provisions of this article or a similar license certificate in this or any other state, and if so, whether the license certificate was issued or refused and, if issued, whether it was ever suspended or revoked;
(8) A statement of previous general business experience and the past history of the applicant; and
(9) Any other information that the commissioner may reasonably require which may include information relating to any contracts, agreements or understandings between the applicant and other persons respecting the transaction of the business, and any criminal record of the applicant if an individual, or of each partner if a copartnership, or of each officer and director, if a corporation.
(c) In the case of an application for a license certificate to engage in the business of new motor vehicle dealer, the application shall, in addition to the matters outlined in subsection (b) of this section disclose:
(1) The make or makes of new motor vehicles which the applicant will offer for sale in this state during the ensuing fiscal year; and
(2) The exact number of new and used motor vehicles, if any, sold at retail and wholesale by the applicant or his or her predecessor, if any, during the preceding fiscal year, and if no new and used motor vehicles were sold at retail and wholesale by the applicant or his or her predecessor, if any, during the preceding fiscal year, the number of new and used motor vehicles the applicant reasonably expects to sell at retail and wholesale during the ensuing fiscal year.
(d) In the case of an application for a license certificate to engage in the business of used motor vehicle dealer, the application shall in addition to the matters outlined in subsection (b) of this section, disclose the exact number of used motor vehicles, if any, sold at retail and wholesale by the applicant or his or her predecessor, if any, during the preceding fiscal year, and if no used motor vehicles were sold at retail and wholesale by the applicant or his or her predecessor, if any, during the preceding fiscal year, the number of used motor vehicles the applicant reasonably expects to sell at retail and wholesale during the ensuing fiscal year.
(e) In the case of an application for a license certificate to engage in the business of trailer dealer, recreational vehicle dealer, motorcycle dealer, used parts dealer or wrecker/ dismantler/rebuilder, the application shall disclose any information that the commissioner may reasonably require.
(f) The application shall be verified by the oath or affirmation of the applicant, if an individual, or if the applicant is a copartnership or corporation, by a partner or officer thereof, as the case may be. Except as provided in section two-a of this article, the application shall be accompanied by a bond of the applicant in the penal sum of $25,000, in the form prescribed by the commissioner, conditioned that the applicant will not in the conduct of his or her business practice any fraud which, or make any fraudulent representation which, shall cause a financial loss to any purchaser, seller or financial institution or agency, or the State of West Virginia, with a corporate surety thereon authorized to do business in this state. The bond shall be effective as of the date on which the license certificate sought is issued.
(g) Upon receipt of any fully completed application, together with any bond required under subsection (f) of this section, the certificate of insurance as required in subsection (a) of this section and the appropriate fee provided in section ten of this article, the commissioner may conduct any investigation he or she considers necessary to determine the accuracy of any statements contained in the application and the existence of any other facts which he or she considers relevant in considering the application. To facilitate the investigation, the commissioner may withhold issuance or refusal of the license certificate for a period not to exceed twenty days.
(h) Any application for a license certificate under the provisions of this article and any information submitted with the application is confidential for the use of the division. No person shall divulge any information contained in any application or any information submitted with the application except in response to a valid subpoena or subpoena duces tecum issued pursuant to law.