(a)(1) Motor vehicle owners who are retired veterans of the armed forces of the United States or persons who served during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or Operation Desert Storm shall be eligible to receive special and distinctive vehicle license plates for private passenger cars, trucks, or recreational vehicles used for personal transportation. Such license plates shall be issued in compliance with the state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles as prescribed in Article 2 of this chapter.

(2)(A) Motor vehicle owners who retired from active duty with the armed forces of the United States shall be issued upon application for and upon compliance with the state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles a retired veteran's license plate. One such retired veteran's license plate shall be issued without the requisite registration fee, manufacturing fee, or annual registration fee.

(B) Each retired member of the armed forces shall be entitled to no more than one such free license plate at a time; provided, however, that upon payment of a manufacturing fee of $25.00, a member shall be entitled to one additional such license plate. For each additional license plate for which a $25.00 manufacturing fee is required, there shall be an additional annual registration fee of $25.00 which fee shall be collected by the county tag agent at the time of collection of other registration fees and shall be remitted to the state as provided in Code Section 40-2-34.

(b) The commissioner shall design a retired veteran's license plate or a distinctive license plate to commemorate service by the United States armed forces in wars listed in subsection (a) of this Code section. The commissioner shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to enforce compliance with all state license laws relating to the use and operation of private passenger cars and trucks before issuing these license plates in lieu of the regular Georgia license plates. The manufacturing fee for such special and distinctive license plates shall be $25.00. The commissioner is specifically authorized to promulgate all rules and regulations necessary to ensure compliance in instances where such vehicles have been transferred or sold. Except as provided in subsection (d) of this Code section, such plates shall be nontransferable.

(c) The special and distinctive vehicle license plates shall be as prescribed in Article 2 of this chapter for private passenger cars or trucks used for personal transportation. Such plates shall contain such words or symbols, in addition to the numbers and letters prescribed by law, so as to identify distinctively the owners as retired veterans of the armed forces of the United States or persons who served during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or Operation Desert Storm and shall additionally, for such plates manufactured after July 1, 2001, identify distinctly the owner as a veteran of one of the following branches of the armed forces: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard.

(d) The license plate issued pursuant to this Code section shall be transferred between vehicles as provided in Code Section 40-2-80. The spouse of a deceased retired veteran of the armed forces of the United States or of a deceased person who served during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or Operation Desert Storm shall continue to be eligible to be issued a distinctive personalized license plate as provided in this Code section for any vehicle owned by such veteran ownership of which is transferred to the surviving spouse or for any other vehicle owned by such surviving spouse either at the time of the qualifying veteran's death or acquired thereafter, so long as such person does not remarry.

(e) Special license plates issued under this Code section, except as provided in subparagraph (a)(2)(A) of this Code section, shall be renewed annually with a revalidation decal as provided in Code Section 40-2-31 upon payment of an additional $25.00 annual registration fee which fee shall be collected by the county tag agent at the time of collection of other registration fees and remitted to the state as provided in Code Section 40-2-34. It shall be a requirement that a county name decal shall be affixed and displayed on license plates issued under this Code section.