(1) Whenever the owner of a registered vehicle transfers or assigns the owner's title or interest to the vehicle, the registration of the vehicle shall expire.
(2) The owner shall remove the registration plate or plates from the vehicle and may have the plates assigned to another vehicle, as provided in § 55-4-101, except upon the death of the owner of a registered vehicle, the registration shall remain in effect until the end of the license year unless the ownership passes or is transferred to a person other than the surviving spouse before the end of that year.