4503.07 Church bus registration fee.

In lieu of the schedule of rates for commercial cars fixed in section 4503.04 of the Revised Code, the fee shall be ten dollars for each church bus used exclusively to transport members of a church congregation to and from church services or church functions or to transport children and their authorized supervisors to and from any camping function sponsored by a nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable or philanthropic organization. A church within the meaning of this section is an organized religious group, duly constituted with officers and a board of trustees, regularly holding religious services, and presided over or administered to by a properly accredited ecclesiastical officer, whose name and standing is published in the official publication of the officer’s religious group.

The application for registration of such bus shall be accompanied by the following, as applicable:

(A) An affidavit, prescribed by the registrar of motor vehicles and signed by either the senior pastor, minister, priest, or rabbi of the church making application or by the head of the governing body of the church making application, stating that the bus is to be used exclusively to transport members of a church congregation to and from church services or church functions or to transport children and their authorized supervisors to and from any camping function sponsored by a nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable, or philanthropic organization;

(B) A certificate from the state highway patrol stating that the bus involved is safe for operation in accordance with such standards as are prescribed by the state highway patrol if the bus meets either of the following:

(1) It originally was designed by the manufacturer to transport sixteen or more passengers, including the driver;

(2) It has a gross vehicle weight rating of ten thousand one pounds or more.

The form of the license plate and the manner of its attachment to the vehicle shall be prescribed by the registrar.

Effective Date: 09-01-2000