(a) Any person, except a commissioner, officer, or employee of the department, may submit an application to the department to be a license agent to issue licenses, permits, reservations, tags, or other entitlements.

(b) A person shall only be authorized to be a license agent to issue licenses, permits, reservations, tags, and other entitlements, upon the written approval of the department.

(c) The department may provide licenses, permits, reservations, tags, or other entitlements to authorized license agents and shall collect, prior to delivery, an amount equal to the fees for all licenses, permits, reservations, tags and other entitlements provided. Any license agent who pays the fees prior to delivery for licenses, permits, reservations, tags, or other entitlements is exempt from Sections 1056, 1057, and 1059. Any licenses, permits, reservations, tags, or other entitlements provided pursuant to this subdivision that remain unissued at the end of the license year may be returned to the department for refund or credit, or a combination thereof, within six months of the item expiration date. No credit may be allowed after six months following the last day of the license year.

(d) Authorized license agents shall add a handling charge to the fees prescribed in this code or in regulations adopted pursuant to this code for any license, permit, reservation, tag, and other entitlement issued by the license agent in an amount that is 5 percent of the face value of the item rounded to the nearest five cents ($0.05).

(e) The handling charge added pursuant to subdivision (d) shall be incorporated into the total amount collected for issuing the license, permit, reservation, tag, and other entitlement, but the handling charge shall not be included when determining license fees in accordance with Section 713. A license agent may issue any license, permit, reservation, tag, or other entitlement for any amount up to 10 percent less than the fee prescribed in this code or in regulations adopted pursuant to this code. The license agent shall remit to the department the full amount of the fees as prescribed in this code or in regulations adopted pursuant to this code for all licenses, permits, reservations, tags, and other entitlements issued.

(f) The handling charge required by subdivision (d) is the license agent’s only compensation for services. The license agent shall not be entitled to any other additional fee or charge for issuing any license, permit, reservation, tag, or other entitlement authorized pursuant to this section.

(g) The department may designate a nonprofit organization, organized pursuant to the laws of this state, or the California chapter of a nonprofit organization, organized pursuant to the laws of another state, as a license agent for the sale of lifetime licenses issued pursuant to Sections 3031.2 and 7149.2. These licenses may be sold by auction or by other methods and are not subject to the fee limitations prescribed in this code. An agent authorized to issue lifetime sport fishing licenses and lifetime hunting licenses under this subdivision is exempt from subdivisions (d) and (f). The license agent shall remit to the department the fees from the sale of lifetime licenses as defined in Sections 3031.2 and 7149.2.

(h) This section applies only to licenses, permits, reservations, tags, and other entitlements issued through the Automated License Data System.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 26, Sec. 5. (SB 92) Effective June 27, 2017.)