SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1809        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1834

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Anne M. Gobi

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to street rods and custom vehicles.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1809        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1834

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act relative to 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 is hereby amended by striking out section 2H and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 2H. (a) For purposes of this section, and sections 7DD and 33, the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, 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 (2) (a) which had been altered from the manufacturer’s original design, or (b) which has a body constructed from non-original materials.

“Model year”, the model year indicated on a motor vehicle’s certificate of origin or title, 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 1949 and which was manufactured to resemble a vehicle manufactured prior to 1949, and (2) (a) which has been altered from the manufacturer’s original design, or (b) which has a body constructed from non-original materials.

“Year of manufacture”, the model year indicated on a motor vehicle’s certificate of origin or title or, if there is no such certificate, the model year the body of such vehicle resembles.

(b) The issuance of certificates of registration and number plates for street rods and custom vehicles shall be in accordance with this section.

(c) Applications for the registration of a street rod or custom vehicle shall be made by the owner thereof. The application shall contain, without limitation:, the name, address, and date of birth of the applicant; the number of the applicant’s license to operate, if one has been issued; 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 a statement by the applicant, under the pains and 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 shall not be used for general daily transportation.

The application shall be accompanied by a certificate that the street rod or custom vehicle has passed a safety inspection approved by the registrar. The registrar 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 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. The original Vehicle Identification Number of the vehicle shall remain the same.

(d) Street rods and custom vehicles registered pursuant to this section shall be exempt from section 142M of chapter 111.

(e) The presence of any specific equipment shall not be 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 of the General Laws 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 said chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following clause:-

(38) For the registration of every street rod or custom vehicle, as defined in section 2H.