Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024
(1)
Authority, Purpose and
Scope.
540
CMR 2.07 is issued by the Registrar of Motor
Vehicles pursuant to M.G.L. c. 6C, § 56 and c. 90, §§ 6A and 31,
to allow the display of Year of Manufacture registration plates on antique
motor cars under certain circumstances and conditions, as determined by the
Registrar.
(2)
Definitions. In
540
CMR 2.07, the following definitions apply:
Antique Motor Car. A motor vehicle
that meets the definition of antique motor car in M.G.L. c. 90, §
1.
Year of Manufacture Registration
Plate. A registration plate originally issued by the Commonwealth
in the exact year as the model year designated by the manufacture of the
antique motor car to which it is proposed to be attached under
540
CMR 2.07. If no registration plates were
issued in a particular year, Year of Manufacture Registration Plate shall mean
a registration plate originally issued in a prior year and originally approved
by the Commonwealth for use in the model year of the antique motor car to which
it is proposed to be attached under
540
CMR 2.07.
(3)
Use of Year of Manufacture
Registration Plates. In the discretion of the Registrar, a Year of
Manufacture registration plate may be issued for display on an antique motor
car in place of an Antique registration plate, in the following circumstances:
(a) The owner of the antique motor car shall
submit to the Registry a request for issuance of a Year of Manufacture
registration plate on a form prescribed by the Registrar.
(b) The owner shall physically present the
Year of Manufacture registration plate to the Registrar or his or her designee
for approval, and, the Registrar or the designee shall find, in his or her
judgment, that the plate:
1. contains a
combination of alphanumeric characters that is compatible with the data system
in use by the Registry during the specific year or period as applicable;
and;
2. is recognizable by the
Registrar as being consistent with the format and style originally issued
during that specific year or period as a Massachusetts registration plate and
is in good condition, reasonable wear and tear excepted, with its numbers and
markings clearly legible; and except further, that the Registrar may refuse to
authorize the use of a plate as a current registration plate if it has been
repaired, refurbished, repainted, refinished or otherwise altered;
and
3. is of sufficiently
distinctive appearance that it would not likely be confused with any currently
issued registration plate. A plate bearing a combination of alphanumeric
characters that has already been approved as a Year of Manufacture registration
plate shall not be deemed to be sufficiently distinctive in
appearance.
(c) The
Registrar may, but need not, approve a Year of Manufacture registration plate
for display on an antique motor car of a different type than that for which the
registration plate was originally issued (e.g., a truck plate
approved for display on an automobile).
(d) Notwithstanding the fact that during a
particular year of manufacture it was the practice to issue two registration
plates, the Registrar may in his or her discretion authorize the display of
only one Year of Manufacture registration plate, if only one such plate is
available and found to meet the standards set forth in
540
CMR 2.07(3)(b). Such plate
or plates, as the case may be, shall be displayed in accordance with the
provisions of M.G.L. c. 90, § 6.
(4)
Registration Number and
Decal.
(a) If the Registrar
approves a request for issuance of a Year of Manufacture registration plate,
then the registration number assigned to the subject antique motor car shall
comprise the combination of numbers and letters shown on the Year of
Manufacture registration plate, together with a unique identifier, to be
determined by the Registrar, which will distinguish the letter and number
combination as a Y ear of Manufacture registration number. The issued
registration plate for the antique motor car shall be the Year of Manufacture
registration plate.
(b) The
registration decal issued in connection with an approved Year of Manufacture
registration plate need not be affixed to the Year of Manufacture registration
plate for which it is issued, provided the decal is at all times carried in the
antique motor car in a readily accessible place, for display upon
request.
(5)
Surrender of Registration Plate. Pursuant to the
provisions of M.G.L. c. 90 and
540
CMR 2.05(4)(q), in the event
of revocation or suspension of the registration assigned to an antique motor
car bearing a Year of Manufacture registration plate, the Year of Manufacture
registration plate shall be surrendered to the Registrar in like manner as any
other issued registration plate. If the registration is terminated under
circumstances other than suspension or revocation, the Registrar in his or her
discretion may elect not to require the return of the Year of Manufacture
registration plate.
(6)
Procedures. The Registrar may adopt such further
policies and procedures as in the Registrar's judgment are necessary or
desirable to implement
540
CMR 2.07.
