Section 39-04-44 - Credits on destroyed vehicle1. Any owner of a motor vehicle licensed in this state, if such vehicle is permanently and involuntarily destroyed, may during the same year or following year claim a refund in an amount equal to the unused portion of the fee paid, less five dollars, upon the vehicle so destroyed, computed pro rata by the month, one-twelfth of the annual fee paid for each month of the year remaining after the month in which such vehicle was so destroyed, provided the number plates, registration card, and certificate of title are returned to the department. If the number plates or registration card assigned to the vehicle are destroyed, a refund may be obtained upon furnishing information of such fact satisfactory to the department. Upon receiving the certificate of title, the department shall issue a salvage certificate of title.2. If a vehicle is withdrawn from a proportionally registered fleet during the period for which it is registered, the registrant of the fleet shall notify the department. The department may require surrender of cab cards and other identification devices with respect to the vehicle. If a vehicle is permanently withdrawn from a proportionally registered fleet because it has been destroyed, sold, or otherwise completely removed from the service of the fleet operator, the unused portion of the fees paid with respect to the vehicle must be applied against liability of the fleet operator for subsequent additions to the fleet during the registration year or for additional fees upon audit. If at the end of the registration year there remains an unused portion of fees paid with respect to the permanently withdrawn vehicles, the unused fees must be applied against registration fees for the registration year immediately following the year during which the vehicles were permanently withdrawn. The used portion of fees of a vehicle permanently withdrawn from a fleet is a sum equal to the amount paid with respect to the vehicle when it was first proportionally registered in the registration year, reduced by one-twelfth of the total annual proportional registration fee applicable to the vehicle for each calendar month of the registration year including the month the notice of withdrawal is received by the department, except that no unused portion of fees of less than five dollars may be considered or applied. If an unused portion of fees cannot be applied against registration fees for the registration year immediately following, an application for refund of the unused portion may be made to the department, which shall adopt rules as may be required for payment of the refund.