What's happening
The bill allows certain historical motor vehicles without front plate display areas to only display a license plate on the rear.
Why it matters
Supports preservation and authenticity for historical vehicles. By allowing vintage cars that originally lacked a front plate area to forgo a front plate, the bill helps owners maintain the vehicle’s original appearance, which is important for collectors and enthusiasts.
Reduces potential damage or modification to rare vehicles. Owners would not have to drill holes or use awkward mounting solutions on classic vehicles, preventing possible devaluation or irreversible changes to the car’s body.
Clarifies compliance for a specific group. The bill specifically defines which vehicles qualify (historical vehicles registered under a certain provision and not manufactured with a front plate area), reducing ambiguity and ensuring that only truly eligible vehicles benefit from the exemption.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Rear Plates Only
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to transportation
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1037
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2019
Introduced by Sen. YOUNG -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing certain historical motor vehicles to display a number plate only on the rear of the vehicle
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 402 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 109 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
(a) No person shall operate, drive or park a motor vehicle on the public highways of this state unless such vehicle shall have a distinctive number assigned to it by the commissioner and a set of number plates issued by the commissioner with a number and other identification matter if any, corresponding to that of the certificate of registration conspicuously displayed, one on the front and one on the rear of such vehicle, each securely fastened so as to prevent the same from swinging and placed, whenever reasonably possible, not higher than forty-eight inches and not lower than twelve inches from the ground; provided, however, that in any registration year for which only one number plate is issued, such number plate shall constitute a set of number plates for the time in which such use is authorized, shall be displayed on the rear of the vehicle and none shall be displayed on its front, except in case of a tractor, when such number plate shall be displayed on the front of the vehicle and none shall be displayed on its rear. Provided, further, that for a historical motor vehicle, registered pursuant to paragraph G of subdivision seven of section four hundred one of this article, which was not manufactured with a number plate display area on the front of the vehicle, the number plate shall only be displayed on the rear of such vehicle and none shall be displayed on its front.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03940-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to authorizing certain historical motor vehicles to display a number plate only on the rear of the vehicle
Purpose
To allow for historical motor vehicles not manufactured with a number plate display area on the front of the vehicle to display such number plate on the back of the vehicle only.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 402 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 109 of the laws of 2005.
Section 2 sets forth the effective date.
Justification
Requiring owners of historical motor vehicles to affix number plates to the front of their vehicles, where the manufacturer included no such number plate display area, damages the vehicle and decreases the vehi- cle's market value.
Classic and historical cars are collected by many New Yorkers for, in some instances, nostalgic reasons, as well as for the vehicle's aesthet- ics, rarity, and historical significance. These vehicles often increase in value as they age, serving as an investment for the vehicle's owner. These vehicles which were manufactured without a front number plate area should not be required to have front license plates that will cause damage to the vehicle such that the vehicle's value would be decreased.
This bill would help eliminate the devaluing of classic and historical cars that were manufactured more than 25 years before the current calen- dar year by preventing damage to the vehicle by allowing them to be affixed with a single rear number plate.
Legislative history
2018: S.832 Committed to Rules
2017: S.832 Passed Senate
2015,2016: S.5319 Referred to Transportation
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the 1st of January.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.