HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3932 FILED ON: 1/16/2009
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3199
|
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the Year Two Thousand Nine
_______________
An Act relative to the registration and inspection of street rods and custom vehicles..
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, after section 2F, the following section:-
Section 2G. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the issuance of certificates of registration and number plates for street rods and custom vehicles shall be in accordance with this section.
(b) For purposes of this section, and sections 7DD and 33 of this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings:
“Custom vehicle”, a motor vehicle (1) for which the year of manufacture is after 1948 and (a) for which the model year is at least 25 years old, or (b) which was manufactured to resemble a motor vehicle for which the model year is at least 25 years old, and which (2) (a) had been altered from the manufacturer’s original design, or (b) has a body constructed from non-original materials.
“Model year”, the model year indicated on a motor vehicle’s certificate of origin or, if there is no such certificate, the model year the body of such vehicle resembles.
“Street rod”, a motor vehicle (1) (a) for which the year of manufacture is prior to 1949, or (b) for which the year of manufacture is later than 1948 and which was manufactured to resemble a vehicle manufactured prior to 1949, and which (2) (a) has been altered from the manufacturer’s original design, or (b) has a body constructed from non-original materials.
“Year of manufacture”, the model year indicated on a motor vehicle’s certificate of origin or, if there is no such certificate, the model year the body of such vehicle resembles.
(c) Applications for the registration of a street rod or custom vehicle shall be made by the owner thereof. The application shall contain, in addition to such other particulars as may be required by the registrar, a statement of the name, place of residence and address, date of birth of the applicant and the number of the applicant’s license to operate, if one has been issued. The application shall also contain the apartment number of unit number if the applicant’s address is in an apartment house, or family hotel, or a condominium, or a residential flat, or in a combined business and residential property. The application shall also contain a brief description of the street rod or custom vehicle, including the name of the maker, such number or numbers as may be required by the registrar to properly identify the vehicle, the character of the motor power and the type of transmission. The application also shall contain a statement by the applicant under the penalties of perjury that (1) there are no outstanding excise tax liabilities on said motor vehicle which have been incurred by the applicant, any member of his immediate family who is a member of the applicant’s household, or any business partner of the applicant, (2) the motor vehicle shall be maintained for occasional transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours and similar uses, and (3) the motor vehicle will be used for general daily transportation. The application shall be accompanied by a certificate, in such form as might be acceptable to the registrar, that the street rod or custom vehicle has passed a safety inspection approved by the registrar. Applicants for registration shall also comply with the provisions of chapter 90D. The registrar or his duly authorized agent shall register in a book or upon suitable index cards to be kept for the purpose the motor vehicle described in the application, giving to the vehicle a distinguishing mark or number to be known as the register number for that vehicle, and shall thereupon issue to the applicant a certificate of registration. The certificate shall contain the name, place of residence and address of the applicant and the register number or mark, and shall be in such form and contain such further information as the registrar may determine.
(d) Street rods and custom vehicles registered pursuant to this section shall be exempt from section 142M of chapter 111 or the rules and regulations made pursuant thereto.
(e) The presence of any specific equipment is not required for the operation of a street rod or custom vehicle registered under this section, unless the presence of such equipment was specifically required by another provision of the General Laws as a condition of sale in the year of manufacture.
SECTION 2. Said chapter 90 is hereby further amended by inserting, after section 7CC, the following section:-
Section 7DD. Notwithstanding sections 7 and 7E of this chapter and any other general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, street rods and custom vehicles may use blue dot tail lights for stop lamps, rear turning indicator lamps, rear hazard lamps and rear reflectors. For the purposes of this section, a “blue dot tail lamp” shall mean a red lamp installed in the rear of a motor vehicle containing a blue or purple insert that is not more than 1 inch in diameter.
SECTION 3. Section 33 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:
(37) For the registration of every street rod or custom vehicle, as defined in section 2G of this chapter.