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An Act To Create a Vintage Car Category in the Motor Vehicle Laws
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§3, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read:
 
A. More than 2550 years old;
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §101, sub-§91-A  is enacted to read:
 
91-A.  Vintage auto.     "Vintage auto" means an automobile or truck manufactured in or after model year 1916 that is:
 
A.  More than 25 years old but less than 51 years old;
 
B.  Equipped with an engine manufactured either at the same time as the vehicle or to the specifications of the original engine;
 
C.  Substantially maintained in original or restored condition primarily for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades or other functions of public interest;
 
D.  Not used as its owner's primary mode of transportation of passengers or goods;
 
E.  Not a reconstructed vehicle; and
 
F.  Not an altered vehicle.
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §457, as amended by PL 2005, c. 34, §§1 and 2 and c. 321, §§2 and 3 and affected by §6, is further amended to read:
§ 457.Antique and vintage vehicle registration plates
 
1. Antique and vintage vehicle registration plates authorized.   The Secretary of State may issue registration plates for antique autos, vintage autos, custom vehicles, horseless carriages, street rods or antique motorcycles. These plates must bear the inscription "Maine" and the inscription "Antique Auto," "Vintage Auto," "Custom Vehicle," "Horseless Carriage" or "Street Rod" or, for antique motorcycles, the inscription "Antique."
 
3. Contemporary plates.   An owner of an antique auto, vintage auto, horseless carriage, street rod or antique motorcycle may use registration plates that were issued in the same year the antique or vintage vehicle was manufactured, as long as the motor vehicle:
 
A. Is over 25 years old;
 
B. Is registered as an antique or vintage vehicle; and
 
C. Carries a valid antique or vintage motor vehicle registration certificate and plates.
 
4. Display of contemporary plates.   Contemporary registration plates must have matching plate numbers, be affixed to both the front and rear and conspicuously bear the year of manufacture.
 
5. Street rod standards.   The Chief of the State Police shall establish standards to qualify vehicles as street rods. These standards include:
 
A. The age of the vehicle;
 
B. The equipment and its condition; and
 
C. Permissible modifications.
 
6. Application.   An application for registration of a vehicle under this section must be accompanied by an affidavit that includes a statement indicating the year and make of the motor vehicle and that the vehicle is garaged or maintained in the State.
 
7. Registration fee.   The fee for registration of an antique auto, vintage auto, horseless carriage or antique motorcycle is $15. The fee for registration of a street rod is $30.
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §651, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2011, c. 356, §15, is further amended to read:
 
3. Warranty title; antique auto; vintage auto; horseless carriage; antique motorcycle; classic vehicle.   The Secretary of State may, on documented and notarized evidence of ownership and payment of a $40 fee, issue a warranty title to a Maine resident owner of an antique auto, vintage auto, horseless carriage, antique motorcycle or classic vehicle. A warranty title denotes that there are no known liens or encumbrances against the vehicle.
Sec. 5. 29-A MRSA §1252, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 2011, c. 165, §1, is further amended to read:
 
C. A Class C license may be issued for the operation of a single vehicle or a combination of vehicles that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B license.
 
A holder of a Class C license may, with an appropriate endorsement, operate all vehicles in that class.
 
A Class C license authorizes:
 
(1) A full-time or volunteer member of an organized municipal, state or federal fire department and a law enforcement officer who is a member of an organized municipal, state or federal law enforcement department to operate fire apparatus as described in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 383.3 (2005) and to operate a commercial motor vehicle as a mobile command unit. For purposes of this subparagraph, "mobile command unit" means a motor vehicle designed and used by a law enforcement agency primarily as a command and control platform for emergency response;
 
(2) A person to operate recreational vehicles for personal use;
 
(3) A person to operate commercial motor vehicles for military purposes as required in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 383.3 (2005);
 
(4) A person to operate registered farm motor trucks bearing the letter "F" on the registration plate when the vehicle is:
 
(a) Controlled and operated by a farmer, including operation by the farmer's employees or family members;
 
(b) Used to transport agricultural products, farm machinery or farm supplies to or from a farm;
 
(c) Not used in the operation of a common or contract motor carrier; and
 
(d) Used within 150 miles of the registered owner's farm;
 
(5) A person, employed by a city, town, county, district or other unit of local government created by or pursuant to law that has a total population of 3,000 individuals or less, to operate a commercial motor vehicle within the boundaries of that unit of local government for the purpose of removing snow or ice from a roadway by plowing, sanding or salting, if:
 
(a) The properly licensed employee who ordinarily operates a commercial motor vehicle for those purposes is unable to operate the vehicle; or
 
(b) The employing governmental entity determines that a snow or ice emergency exists that requires additional assistance; or
 
(6) A person to operate a truck registered as an antique automobileauto or vintage auto, regardless of weight or combination weight, provided the vehicle is used for noncommercial recreational purposes or purposes pursuant to section 101, subsection 3.
Sec. 6.  29-A MRSA §1751, sub-§5  is enacted to read:
 
5.  Vintage autos.     A vintage auto registered under section 457 must receive a biennial inspection based upon standards determined by the Chief of the State Police.
Sec. 7. 29-A MRSA §2111, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read:
 
2. Prohibition.   A person commits a Class E crime if that person operates a motor vehicle, except for an antique auto, vintage auto, a motor vehicle using liquefied petroleum gas as engine fuel or a farm tractor, on a public way if any operational element of the air pollution control system of that vehicle has been removed, dismantled or otherwise rendered inoperative.
Sec. 8. 30-A MRSA §3752, sub-§1, ¶A, as amended by PL 2005, c. 424, §1, is further amended to read:
 
A.  "Automobile graveyard" does not include:
 
(1) An area used for temporary storage of vehicles or vehicle parts by an establishment or place of business that is primarily engaged in doing vehicle repair work to make repairs to render a motor vehicle serviceable. In order for a vehicle's storage to be considered temporary, it must be removed from the site within 180 calendar days of its receipt;
 
(2) An area used by an automobile hobbyist to store, organize, restore or display antique autos, vintage autos, antique motorcycles, classic vehicles, horseless carriages, reconstructed vehicles, street rods or parts of these vehicles as these vehicles are defined in Title 29-A, section 101 as long as the hobbyist's activities comply with all applicable federal and state statutes and rules and municipal ordinances, other than ordinances that are more restrictive than this subsection regarding the storage of vehicles or vehicle parts that are collected by a hobbyist, except that a municipal ordinance may require areas used by an automobile hobbyist to comply with the screening requirements in section 3754-A, subsection 1, paragraph A and the standards in section 3754-A, subsection 5, paragraph A, paragraph B, subparagraph (1) and paragraph C. For the purposes of this subparagraph, an automobile hobbyist is a person who is not primarily engaged in the business of selling any of those vehicles or parts from those vehicles;
 
(3) An area used for the parking or storage of vehicles, vehicle parts or equipment intended for use by a municipality, quasi-municipal entity or state or federal agency;
 
(4) An area used for the storage of operational farm tractors and related farm equipment, log skidders, logging tractors or other vehicles exempted from registration under Title 29-A, chapter 5;
 
(5) An area used for the parking or storage of vehicles or equipment being offered for sale by a dealer, equipment dealer, trailer dealer or vehicle auction business as defined in Title 29-A, section 851;
 
(6) An area used for the storage of vehicles by an establishment or place of business that is primarily engaged in business as a new vehicle dealer as defined in Title 29-A, section 851;
 
(7) An area used for temporary storage of vehicles by an establishment or place of business that is primarily engaged in business as an insurance salvage pool. In order for a vehicle's storage to be considered temporary under this subparagraph, the vehicle must be removed from the site within 180 days of receipt of title by the business; or
 
(8) An area used for the parking or storage of operational commercial motor vehicles, special equipment or special mobile equipment as defined in Title 29-A, section 101 that is temporarily out of service but is expected to be used by the vehicle or equipment owner or by an operator designated by the owner. This subsection does not exempt an area used for the parking or storage of equipment or vehicles that are not operational while stored or parked in the area.
 
SUMMARY
This bill creates a new vehicle registration category called "vintage auto" for a motor vehicle more than 25 years old but less than 51 years old. The vintage auto must be inspected biennially.