Section 4503.181 | Historical motor vehicles.
(A) As used in this section, "historical motor vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is more than twenty-five years old and that is owned solely as a collector's item and for participation in club activities, exhibitions, tours, parades, and similar uses. A historical motor vehicle shall not be used for general transportation, but may be operated on the public roads and highways to and from a location where maintenance is performed on the vehicle.
(B) In lieu of the annual license tax levied in sections 4503.02 and 4503.04 of the Revised Code, a license fee of ten dollars is levied on the operation of a historical motor vehicle.
(C) A person who owns a historical motor vehicle and applies for license plates under this section shall execute an affidavit that the vehicle for which plates are requested is owned and operated solely for the purposes enumerated in division (A) of this section, and also setting forth in the affidavit that the vehicle has been inspected and found safe to operate on the public roads and highways in the state. A person who owns a historical motor vehicle and desires to display model year license plates on the vehicle as permitted by this section shall execute at the time of registration an affidavit setting forth that the model year license plates the person desires to display on the person's historical motor vehicle are legible and serviceable license plates that originally were issued by this state. No registration issued pursuant to this section need specify the weight of the vehicle.
(D) A vehicle registered under this section may display historical vehicle license plates issued by the registrar of motor vehicles or model year license plates procured by the applicant. Historical vehicle license plates shall not bear a date, but shall bear the inscription "Historical Vehicle--Ohio" and the registration number, which shall be shown thereon. Model year license plates shall be legible and serviceable license plates issued by this state and inscribed with the date of the year corresponding to the model year when the vehicle was manufactured. Notwithstanding section 4503.21 of the Revised Code, only one model year license plate is required to be displayed on the rear of the historical motor vehicle at all times. The registration certificate and the historical vehicle license plates issued by the registrar shall be kept in the vehicle at all times the vehicle is operated on the public roads and highways in this state.
Notwithstanding section 4503.21 of the Revised Code, the owner of a historical motor vehicle that was manufactured for military purposes and that is registered under this section may display the assigned registration number of the vehicle by painting the number on the front and rear of the vehicle. The number shall be painted, in accordance with the size and style specifications established for numerals and letters shown on license plates in section 4503.22 of the Revised Code, in a color that contrasts clearly with the color of the vehicle, and shall be legible and visible at all times. Upon application for registration under this section and payment of the license fee prescribed in division (B) of this section, the owner of such a historical motor vehicle shall be issued historical vehicle license plates. The registration certificate and at least one such license plate shall be kept in the vehicle at all times the vehicle is operated on the public roads and highways in this state. If ownership of such a vehicle is transferred, the transferor shall surrender the historical vehicle license plates or transfer them to another historical motor vehicle the transferor owns, and remove or obliterate the registration numbers painted on the vehicle.
(E) Historical vehicle and model year license plates are valid without renewal as long as the vehicle for which they were issued or procured is in existence. Historical vehicle plates are issued for the owner's use only for such vehicle unless later transferred to another historical motor vehicle owned by that person. In order to effect such a transfer, the owner of the historical motor vehicle that originally displayed the historical vehicle plates shall comply with division (C) of this section. In the event of a transfer of title, the transferor shall surrender historical vehicle license plates or transfer them to another historical motor vehicle owned by the transferor, but model year license plates may be retained by the transferor. The registrar may revoke license plates issued under this section, for cause shown and after hearing, for failure of the applicant to comply with this section. Upon revocation, historical vehicle license plates shall be surrendered; model year license plates may be retained, but no longer are valid for display on the vehicle.
(F) The owner of a historical motor vehicle bearing historical vehicle license plates may replace them with model year license plates by surrendering the historical vehicle license plates and motor vehicle certificate of registration to the registrar. The owner, at the time of registration, shall execute an affidavit setting forth that the model year plates are legible and serviceable license plates that originally were issued by this state. Such an owner is required to pay the license fee prescribed by division (B) of this section, but the owner is not required to have the historical motor vehicle reinspected under division (C) of this section.
A person who owns a historical motor vehicle bearing model year license plates may replace them with historical vehicle license plates by surrendering the motor vehicle certificate of registration and applying for issuance of historical vehicle license plates. Such a person is required to pay the license fee prescribed by division (B) of this section, but the person is not required to have the historical motor vehicle reinspected under division (C) of this section.
Available Versions of this Section
- June 2, 2014 – Senate Bill 194 - 130th General Assembly [ View June 2, 2014 Version ]
- September 29, 2015 – House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly [ View September 29, 2015 Version ]