Tribal Governments Special License Plates

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Tom Hartnett and 2 co-sponsors

SC creates a permanent license plate option for tribal government vehicles with a TG prefix and $2 fee, designable six months after approval.

Act No. 159

Purpose and Intent

H 5131 seeks to create a permanent license plate specifically for tribal governments located in South Carolina. The bill amends current statute governing permanent plates issued to state and local government entities to include tribal governments, thereby recognizing tribal government vehicles with a dedicated plate option.

Key Provisions

Extension of permanent plates to tribal governments

Amends Section 56-3-780(A) to allow the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue permanent license plates for vehicles operated by tribal governments located within the state.

Plate design and designation

Permanent plates must display:
The words "South Carolina,"
The plate number
A government-type prefix: SG (state government), RG (regional government), CG (county government), MG (municipal government), or TG (tribal government) to designate the entity type.

Fees

The standard permanent plate fee, including registration, remains $2.
A separate fee may be charged for a law enforcement decal, if applicable, to designate a specific law enforcement agency.

Law enforcement designation

DMV may issue a decal for vehicles used by state or local law enforcement agencies; the department may charge a reasonable fee to cover decal costs.

Timetable for tribal plates

DMV may issue tribal government license plates six months after approval of their design.

Effective date

The act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Who Could Be Affected

** Tribal governments** within South Carolina, whose vehicle fleets could obtain dedicated permanent plates.

Other government entities (state, regional, county, and municipal governments) remain eligible for permanent plates under existing prefixes (SG, RG, CG, MG), with the potential to add TG for tribal governments.

Vehicle owners who operate tribal government vehicles and wish to display a tribal government designation on their permanent plates.

Law enforcement agencies may have decals indicating the specific agency, with the associated fee structure.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

Introduction and committee path

Introduced: February 10, 2026
Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works; later moved to Committee on Transportation
Committee reports: Favorable in Education and Public Works (Feb 25, 2026) and Favorable in Transportation (Apr 15, 2026)

Legislative action

Passed the House with a unanimous vote on March 26, 2026 (Yeas 107, Nays 0)
Senate passage shown in transfer on March 27, 2026

Effective timing

Theory: Takes effect upon approval by the Governor; tribal plates become available six months after the design is approved.

Practical Impact

Creates formal recognition and a dedicated permanent plate option for tribal governments in SC.

Establishes a uniform prefix system allowing quick identification of tribal government vehicles.

Keeps the existing low permanent plate fee of $2, maintaining cost consistency for all government vehicles.

Adds a potential decal mechanism for law enforcement designation, with related cost recovery.

Overall, H 5131 is a relatively focused measure to extend the existing permanent-plate framework to tribal governments, with minimal impact on fees and a clear implementation timeline once the Governor signs it into law.

Bill