New Virginia Law into effect....

on July 1, 2007

A message from Tom Cox;

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New DMV form for antique registration

I thought all of you would like to see the finished form that we will be seeing in the near future from DMV. Remember that registration fee increases are not retroactive, so if your car is currently registered you will not have to pay anything additional.

Also, please note that under the vehicle safety certification it states that "your certification is to the best of your knowledge" which gives you the benefit of the doubt. You are certifying as to your vehicles compliance as of the date of your signature only. As previously stated, this is a self certification. No one else will be required to certify your car.

I will try to answer any questions.

Thanks,

Tom Cox</span>

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<span style="color: #FF0000">The certification Tom spoke of is listed under the "Vehicle Safety Requirements Certification" block on the form above.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FF0000">Ok guys, that's not very big. Try this link for easier reading!</span></span></span>

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http://local.aaca.org/junior/VSA10BAntiquePlates%28finalcorrected%29VSA10B7-01-07.pdf

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The link below is the actual law as written in Virginia law books.

Thanks to Judy Edwards for helping with the web code of this material.

Wayne

http://local.aaca.org/junior/AntiquePlateSatute070107.pdf

So this means my current plates are still good and I don't have to fork up $50 per car? I went to register a Ford truck on the 21st, and Danville DMV didn't have a clue about the new antique plate laws. Will DMV send us this form, or do I have to take yet another vacation day to handle this?

Lot of good this is going to do to get the clunkers out of the antique plate program, which as I understood it, was the impetus behind this legislation. I still say that like most legislation passed in Richmond this year, it was more about revenue than anything else.

Seems to me that with ALL car registration info in DMV's computers, they already have proof of an applicant's ownership of another normally licensed vehicle. DMV got the Ford truck into Danville's property tax rolls before I was able to call them the next morning.

God help anyone who gets a ticket in VA after 7/1/7, with those new fees that went into effect.

I'll stop short of an outright solicitation, but y'all remember Adam Tomer in his bid to unseat Danny Marshall for 14th District House seat.

Glenn, I can see where the money thing is a burr, but the new registration form has you signing your name signifying that your statements (other car ownership, insurance, safety equipment) are true to the "best of your knowledge". That way, if you lie to them they can burn you. Just the form change itself should help get these clunkers off the road. As far as the DMV people, they're "slow learners" nowadays, similar to some other workers of the day. "Just give me the check, and I'll be happy"!

Wayne

So, am I responsible for obtaining the form, or will DMV send me a notice for each car about it? As I read it, I still have to submit this form whether or not it is a new application. In which case I expect I will have to fork up $50 per car, which in my case translates to $250, plus whatever I have to pay a notary for their services, plus the time I will have to devote to this project. At local DMV, <span style="font-style: italic">they didn't know</span>.

Another case of should have left well enough alone, and charged the DMV and LE with enforcing existing laws that addressed the "problems" Mr. Marshall saw. Since he sits on Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee, I expect local Commissioners of Revenue had a lot of influence in this legislation and were subversively trying to get the antique plates back into the personal property system. Guarantee had they been successful, every old car in the state would have been assessed by Barrett-Jackson pricing.

Glenn, in the meeting that I attended, the antique vehicles already titled and in use are grandfathered until a later date. At the time that I attended, they were talking about having everything grandfathered and not going into effect until January, 2008 plus one year, which in effect would mean, you don't have to do anything until 2009. As with most new laws, things are still a little cloudy.

If you already have vehicles registered, you shouldn't have to worry about it. I'm sure they'll send notices out to everyone involved when the time comes.

All new registrations are effected by the form listed above which should be in any DMV office. If they give you an old one for a fee of $10.00, walk out smiling.

Wayne

Hi- I have a few cars registered as antiques, but have recieved no notice as of this date. It seems that the "pleasure driving" clause, with a 250 mile limit, is more lenient than some antique plate restrictions have been. I was driving my 1931 Chevrolet with antique plates one time, and a policeman stopped me saying it was illegal for the car to be driven on the road, period. I ended up winning the "argument", but he went away convinced I was breaking the law. I have a 1969 Cutlass convertible that I bought to drive a lot (as in to work at least a couple of times a week); that one is registered and inspected as a regular car. The only good thing out of this is that it may end some of the abuse of antique plates; I see numerous cars, trucks, and restorods (remember, we are up to 1982 for eligibility) obviously being driven daily as transportation, the antique plate keeping them off the roles for inspection and personal property tax. Happy motoring, and keep getting bugs on the front of you car no matter what the legislators do! David

I recently spent 2 days in Virginia Beach for a funeral. While I was there I was appalled at the number of cars I saw abusing antique tags. There was virtually someone on every block running an old '80s or '70s clunker with antique plates obviously as a daily driver.

You guys really do have a problem there worse than anywhere else I've been.

We're working on it, Dave. The mailouts have been stopped to correct some glaring errors, but will start again by the fall. The certifications should weed out the abusers.

Va. Beach can be fun. I know you enjoyed the beach beauties!

Wayne

PS, the new (reckless driver) abuser fee is not far from being killed. Our state representatives screwed up when they tried to put this over on us during an election year. Makes one wonder how they were smart enough to get elected the first time around.