(A) The department may issue the following special license plates reflective of exemplary service awards for private passenger vehicles and motorcycles to the individuals specified by the following license plate categories:

(1) Gold Star Family: available to immediate family members (spouse, parent, children, or siblings)

(2) Gold Star Family Personalized: available to immediate family members (spouse, parent, children, or siblings)

(3) Prisoner of War: available to the award recipient and spouse

(4) Purple Heart: available to the award recipient

(5) Purple Heart Wheelchair: available to the award recipient.

(B) The qualifying registrants are specified above in subsection (A). No more than three license plates per award type may be issued to the award recipient or qualifying family members. License plates for awards specified in subsection (A) are exempt from the regular motor vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of Title 56. These special license plates must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month they are issued.

(C) The application for a special license plate must include official military documentation (a DD-214, NGB Form 22, or official orders) demonstrating the applicant is the recipient of an award specified in subsection (A).

(D) A person issued a license plate under the provisions of subsection (A) may park in metered or timed parking places without being subject to parking fees or fines. This section has no application to those areas or during those times in which the stopping, parking, or standing of all vehicles is prohibited or which are reserved for special types of vehicles. As a condition to this privilege, a vehicle must display a distinguishing license plate issued by the department for vehicles registered to recipients of an award specified in subsection (A).

(E) License plates authorized under subsection (A) are exempt from the provisions contained in § 56-3-8100.