Relating to antique vehicle special registration plates

Under current law, a motor vehicle that is model years old or older may be registered as an antique vehicle. The registration fee for an antique vehicle is generally $50 per year, though it may be higher for certain motor homes and vehicles weighing more than three tons, or lower for vehicles owned by the same person since before January 1, 2009. Alternatively, a motor truck, truck tractor, road tractor, or motor home may register as a “limited use” antique vehicle for purposes of operating to and from state and county fairs or other places of entertainment or education for exhibition or educational purposes. The registration fee for “limited use” antique vehicles is $35 per year plus $20 per year per special “limited use” plate. An antique vehicle may display authentic Iowa registration plates from the model year of the motor vehicle, furnished by the person and approved by the department of transportation (DOT), in lieu of the current and valid Iowa registration plates issued for the vehicle, provided that the current and valid Iowa registration plates and the registration card issued for the vehicle are simultaneously carried within the vehicle and are available for inspection upon a peace officer’s request. This bill allows the owner of an antique vehicle to display special registration plates that are designed by the DOT to mirror plates from the model year of the motor vehicle and that are furnished by the DOT. The bill requires the DOT to issue antique vehicle special registration plates upon proper application and payment of fees. The bill further requires that the antique vehicle plate be designed to be as identical as practicable to the regular registration plate issued for the model year of the antique vehicle. The bill provides that the special antique vehicle fee for letter-number designated antique vehicle plates is $50 and that an applicant may obtain personalized antique vehicle plates upon the payment of the $25 fee for personalized plates set forth under current law, which is in addition to the special antique vehicle fee. The annual special antique vehicle fee for letter-number designated plates is $10, which is in addition to the regular annual registration fee. The annual fee for personalized antique vehicle plates is $5, which is in addition to the annual special antique vehicle fee and the regular annual registration fee. The bill requires the fees collected by the DOT for antique vehicle plates to be paid monthly to the treasurer of state and deposited in the road use tax fund. The treasurer of state must then credit monthly from the statutory allocations fund to the department of cultural affairs (DCA) the amount of special fees for antique vehicle plates collected in the previous month. The moneys received by the DCA under the bill are appropriated to the DCA to support to the state of Iowa historical society to preserve and promote automotive history within the state. Finally, the bill provides that the owner of a “limited use” antique vehicle displaying antique vehicle plates need not also purchase “limited use” plates.