PETITION OF:

Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, after section 2F thereof, the following section:-

Section 2G. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the issuance of certificates of registration and license plates for street rods and custom vehicles shall be in accordance with this section.

(b) For purposes of this section and section 7DD of this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings:

“Custom vehicle”, a motor vehicle (1) for which the year of manufacture is after 1948 and (a) for which the model year is at least 25 years old, or (b) which was manufactured to resemble a motor vehicle for which the model year is at least 25 years old, and which (2) (a) has been altered from the manufacturer’s original design, or (b) has a body constructed from non-original materials.

“Model year”, the model year indicated on a motor vehicle’s certificate of origin or, if there is no such certificate, the model year the body of such vehicle resembles.

“Street rod”, a motor vehicle (1)(a) for which the year of manufacture is prior to 1949, or (b) for which the year of manufacture is later than 1948 and which was manufactured to resemble a vehicle manufactured prior to 1949, and which (2) (a) has been altered from the manufacturer’s original design, or (b) has a body constructed from non-original materials.

“Year of manufacture”, the model year indicated on a motor vehicle’s certificate of origin or, if there is no such certificate, the model year the body of such vehicle resembles.

(c) Applications for the registration of a street rod or custom vehicle shall be made by the owner thereof. The application shall contain, in addition to such other particulars as may be required by the registrar, a statement of the name, place of residence and address, date of birth of the applicant and the number of the applicant's license to operate, if one has been issued. The application shall also contain the apartment number or unit number if the applicant's address is in an apartment house, or family hotel, or a condominium, or a residential flat, or in a combined business and residential property. The application shall also contain a brief description of the street rod or custom vehicle, including the name of the maker, such number or numbers as may be required by the registrar to properly identify the vehicle, the character of the motor power and the type of transmission. The application also shall contain a statement by the applicant under the penalties of perjury that (1) there are no outstanding excise tax liabilities on said motor vehicle which have been incurred by the applicant, any member of his immediate family who is a member of the applicant's household, or any business partner of the applicant, (2) the motor vehicle shall be maintained for occasional transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours and similar uses, and (3) the motor vehicle will not be used for general daily transportation. The application shall be accompanied by a certificate, in such form as might be acceptable to the registrar, that the street rod or custom vehicle has passed a safety inspection approved by the registrar after consultation with the National Street Rod Association. A one-time registration fee of $25 shall accompany such application. Applicants for registration shall also comply with the provisions of chapter ninety D.

The registrar or his duly authorized agents shall register in a book or upon suitable index cards to be kept for the purpose the motor vehicle described in the application, giving to the vehicle a distinguishing mark or number to be known as the register number for that vehicle, and shall thereupon issue to the applicant a certificate of registration. The certificate shall contain the name, place of residence and address of the applicant and the register number or mark, and shall be in such form and contain such further information as the registrar may determine.

The registrar shall further issue a special street rod or custom vehicle registration plate, of a size and design to be determined by regulations promulgated by the registrar after consultation with the National Street Rod Association.

(d) Street rods and custom vehicles registered according to this section shall be exempt from any stature that requires periodic vehicle inspections or the use and inspection of emission controls.

(e) The presence of any specific equipment is not required for the operation of a street rod or custom vehicle registered under this section, unless the presence of such equipment was specifically required by another provision of the general laws as a condition of sale in the year of manufacture.

SECTION 2. Said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting, after section 7CC the following section:-

Section 7DD. Notwithstanding sections 7 and 7E of this chapter and any other general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, street rods and custom vehicles may use blue dot tail lights for stop lamps, rear turning indicator lamps, rear hazard lamps and rear reflectors. For the purposes of this section, a “blue dot tail light” shall mean a red lamp installed in the rear of a motor vehicle containing a blue or purple insert that is not more than one inch in diameter.