The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Texas year of manufacture plates law changes 2011

I didn't make the connection between the new law and his lower prices until later. He didn't mention the law.

I already have them on the burb. These today were for a friend.

Cletis, that guy you bought your plates from is Jesse and he's from San Antonio.

Also, have you gone to the DMV yet to register them, and what was your experience? Any news?

Spot

I bought them for a friend. I haven't heard if he registered them yet.

Guys

I have a 49 Burb which I have truck plates for and will run to get them approved. I have a what I was told was a 46 Dodge also with no title that I am looking for plates. Seems 46 plates are hen's teeth and expensive. Since body style was same from 41-47 can I use a plate from those years and title as such ? Second question is question is did the use 2 plates during those years so a single plate does me no good? Thanks this thread is very helpful.

Texas only issued one plate per vehicle in 1945 and 1946.

Registering a title and then running the plates on a different vehicle is illegal. I don't think the judge will accept 'the bodies are the same' as an excuse.

My car club news letter says the change is September 1, 2011. I have been trying to find something official on the internet with no luck.

Some seem to think this only applies to 'Classic' registration and not 'Antique' registration. I found this at http://www.texasyom.com/. However on their main page they say they are closing the site AUG. 20, 2011. Seems strange they would shut down if they could still sell for 'Antique' registration.

I'm still digging for more info.

Thanks Cletis. Any info will help. Need it before it's too late.

Spot

Any more news on this subject?

I plan on taking my Title, Bill of Sale, YOM Tags, Pictures and insurance information to the county courthouse before or after Labor Day. I hope they don't hassle me too much.

Speaking specifically to Texas' laws, I'm wondering if there is some urban legend going on here. Maybe not definitive, but searching for the actual law (not just the DMV website or other commercial sites) turns up the text below. One paragraph expires Sep 1, 2011, leading to the legend. But right below it is a paragraph that appears be just a slight modification in wording that becomes effective beginning Sep 1, 2011 and still mentions allowing YOM plates.

While it appears you will have to have them approved prior to Sep 1, I don't see anything about them expiring or being disallowed.

Anyone have better information or a differing opinion?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBCHAPTER F. SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES FOR CERTAIN VEHICLES


Text of section effective until September 01, 2011

Sec. 504.501.  CLASSIC MOTOR VEHICLES. (a) The department shall issue specialty license plates for a motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old. The license plates must include the words "Classic Auto," "Classic Motorcycle," or "Classic Truck" or a similar designation, as appropriate.
(b)  A person eligible for the license plates may instead use license plates that were issued by this state in the same year as the model year of the vehicle and are approved by the department. The department may require the attachment of a registration insignia to the license plate in a manner that does not affect the display of information originally on the license plate.
(c)  The fee for issuance or approval of license plates under this section is $15.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1320, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.


Amended by:
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1136, Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2011.


Text of section effective on September 01, 2011

Sec. 504.501.  CLASSIC MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAVEL TRAILERS. (a) The department shall issue specialty license plates for a motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old.  The license plates must include the word "Classic" or a similar designation, as appropriate.
(b)  A person eligible for the license plates may instead use license plates that were issued by this state in the same year as the model year of the vehicle and are approved by the department if the plates are approved for the vehicle before January 1, 2011.  The department may require the attachment of a registration insignia to the license plate in a manner that does not affect the display of information originally on the license plate.
(c)  There is no fee for issuance or approval of license plates under this section.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1320, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1136, Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2011.

Link to text above:

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/TN/htm/TN.504.htm

Looks like they added "...and are approved by the department if the plates are approved for the vehicle before January 1, 2011."

Now this is another can of worms.

I understood it to mean there were two different classes of plates besides the "antique plates",one for general use and one for only special day use like parades.
Does this mean they retroactively shut off the YOM plates back to Jan 1 of this year? Any laywers here?

I went by the county tax office and was told that this was a law, and that it had been reversed. I was also told that I would not have a problem registering them to my truck after Sept. 1, 2011. From This Link...

Legislation passed during the 82nd Legislative Session reversed a 2009 statute that would have prohibited the use of old license plates on a classic vehicle beginning in September 1, 2011.

House Bill 2357, 82nd Legislative Session (2011), removes the prohibition of the use of old plates in Transportation Code Section 504.501(b) and will continue to allow new approvals of old license plates to be used on classic vehicles, as is currently allowed.

The provision of the 2009 statute that eliminates the $15 fee for use of the old plates on classic vehicles remains and will be effective September 1, 2011.

Thanks, David. I don't understand why this was top secret until now. I even emailed my state reprsentive and got no response.

No problem - it took some digging around just to find the bulletin.
It looks like the only difference after Sept. 1st is an additional $15 fee.

I am sorry but I tried, really hard to follow this post. I have a 53 1/2 ton in work. probably 2-3 years from being on the road. I like the Idea of YOM plates but what are all my options for plates, i couldn't follow all the different types, the restrictions of use and requirements for registration, inspection renewal etc. so if I want to use YOM plates how do i do that, i have my truck in a million pieces so use a picture from before, bring the title and bill of sale and proof of insurance (which would require me to temporarily insure my mess) and the plates I want to use and cross my fingers? also do they all expire in 2013 if so when would i renew them so not to lose them....again made no sense. this thread was all over the place anyone want to re-cap and summarize it?

There is no need for a recap. It is spelled out in Sec. 504.502 and Sec. 504.501 of the motor vehicle code. Besides the pertinent paragraphs being copied and pasted to the first page of this thread, there is also a link there to the state site where you can find it.

always a stickler cletis. ha I need someone to dumb it down

For classic use - every day driving, inspected, insured - YOM is and, I assume, will be fine.

For antique use - driving for maintenance, parades, shows - YOM is being phased out, unless you are already using one.

...at least that's my take on the situation.

so should I get one now, get it registered and put it on the shelf?

That's where I'm a little sketchy - The bulletin dated July 28th makes it sound like the only difference after Sept. 1 is the additional $15 charge. The wording in it uses "Classic" and not "Antique". My tax office said there would be no problem, but I'm still leery about the wording in the bulletin. Your best bet would be to call your local office in the morning to get their version. If there is a major change in the antique use, my office didn't alert me. All they said was "it was repealed." There you go - clear as milk, right?

I drove all the way from Dallas to Johnson City to register before the deadline only to be told no sweat.

I was told that YOM was not phased out; this law was resented.

well there is a guy a few towns over that has a few sets of 53 texas plates for cheap, I think i will just pick one up and get the truck (in all its pieces) registered and stick em on the shelf.

Guys need some help. I have a set of 49 "Farm Truck" plates but Denton county will not allow me to use. I also have another pair of plates but they will need to be repainted to be acceptable. Can anyone tell me where to get the "orange" paint that was used as the background so I can refurbish the plate? Thanks

The state is picky about the "Farm" designation. It will allow you to buy red diesel and Ag. tax exemptions among other advantages. I hope the other pair of plates have the designation "Truck" on them otherwise they will turn you down on those as well.

Guys
We had a discussion a month or so back on Texas YOM plates. Good news is I was able to get a set of 49 truck plates for my suburban that the county approved so with a couple more tweaks I will be ready to get it inspected!!

Now comes the next question. I also have a 46 Dodge truck lurking in the back. Texas 1946 plates are non existent or outrageously priced. I only have a bill of sale and motor etc was missing when i bought it.Since body style is same 41-47 could I use those plates. If so did texas always use a pair of plates as all I am finding are singles. Any help would be appreciated.

My understanding was that '45 and '46 were the only years that Texas only issued one plate. It took some mild arm twisting to convince the county office that this was the case.

I also had a hard time finding a reasonable deal on a plate. I was very close to buying a pair of '48's that have the same color scheme and doing some hammering to turn the 8 into a 6. Got lucky though and found a pristine truck plate for $50 on eBay, so keep looking.

If you are running year of manufacture plates, you do not need to get a State Inspection in Texas. The plates renew once every four years and the fee, I believe, is $40.00. They issue a little renewal sticker.

[quote

If you are running year of manufacture plates, you do not need to get a State Inspection in Texas. The plates renew once every four years and the fee, I believe, is $40.00. They issue a little renewal sticker. [/quote]

My understanding is it depends on how you register the vehicle as to whether you have to get an inspection. I think if it's registered "antique", no inspection is required, but the vehicle is supposed to be limited in use, like parades, etc. Registered as "classic" I think requires inspection, and I'm pretty sure any daily driver is supposed to be inspected. Check with local authorities, even though that information seems to vary by location.
Good luck.

Here is some info

That is correct, the "Antique" designation does not require an inspection sticker. That is what I actually meant.
I have been running "Antique" plates on my truck for years with out an inspection sticker. I've never been questioned, stopped or even eyeballed by anyone regarding the issue. "Antique" is the cheapest and best way to go.
If the vehicle is going to be a daily driver, that maybe another story, but there are several of us around here running "antique" and we drive the cars everywhere with NO questions.
I've driven my truck out to lunch, the hardware store, the Post Office, the bank, etc.

Any vehicle over 20 yrs old does not require emissions testing. Any other safety inspection points required will be good for all our safety.

From Sema SAN *

tag and title tool box for all 50 states.


Everything You Need to Register and Title Your Hobby Car in All 50 States

Each state is organized as follows:


Definitions: Applicable specialty vehicle definitions for each state are listed separately at the beginning of each state’s document to clarify the language in the statutes and regulations.

DMV Guidance: Information from state titling agencies providing guidance on titling and registering unique vehicles.

The Law: The state's statutes and regulations concerning specialty vehicles.

Equipment and Emissions Exemptions: Information on specific equipment and emissions exemptions for different types of specialty vehicles.

Forms: Printable forms and publications necessary to register and title your vehicle.



* Specialty Equipment Market Association - special action network

This is really nice website. Thanks for sharing it with us. I've saved it to my favorites list.

Guys
I went ahead and got an inspection and passed with no issues. I just saw not having an inspection sticker as a reason for local barney fifes to pull me over to go over my burb with a fine tooth comb and find some excuse for a ticket. With a sticker at least I can say it is safe as far as state is concerned.

Are you antique or classic. I'm antique and plan on printing out the state law and carrying it in my glove box. That way Officer Fife will back down.

In looking for "year of manufacture" plates for my 37 Chevy 1/2 ton, I see that in Texas they started issuing "commercial" plates around 1925, and "farm" truck plates around 1934. I assume commercial plates would have been for a truck belonging to a business, and farm plates were for trucks used primarily on private farms. Anyone know for sure or have a website that explains further?

Correct, Mike.
But, I have a friend here locally that tried to use some "Farm" plates as year of manufactured plates on his 37 truck and was told that "Farm" plates are not accepted, only "Commercial" plates are accepted. I have no idea why, but he told me that about two weeks ago.
Might need to check it out to be sure.

Thanks Joe. I don't have a TX set yet; I'm in the Army and my truck is registered/plated for Alaska (even though I bought it in Maryland). I like the look of the farm plate a little better than the CM plates but I will call the DMV to make sure before I go and purchase anything.

Good luck.

Roughly 3 years ago, I took my '58 Tx Farm Truck plates to my local tax office and successfully registered my truck. When I talked to the same office a couple of months ago, they told me they would NEVER allow someone to register an antique with Farm Truck plates because it isn't for ag use...

My point is: not only do different tax offices interpret the law differently, it is possible for the SAME office to offer different interpretations depending on when/who you talk to them.

My recommendation is if you find an office giving an interpretation satisfactory to you, pounce on it. If they don't give you a satisfactory interpretation, keep trying at different times and locations.

We tend to think "the law is the law", but I assure you, it isn't. (That's why there are lawyers. )

Bill