Minnesota Session Laws - 1986, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1986 

                        CHAPTER 336-S.F.No. 2035 
           An act relating to motor vehicles; designating 
          category of collector military vehicle for 
          registration purposes; exempting certain collector 
          military vehicles and trailers from requirement to 
          display license plates under certain conditions; 
          amending Minnesota Statutes 1984, sections 168.012, 
          subdivision 1; 168.10, subdivisions 1, 1e, 1f, and by 
          adding a subdivision; and 169.73, subdivision 1. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1985 Supplement, section 
168.012, subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
    Subdivision 1.  Vehicles owned and used solely in the 
transaction of official business by representatives of foreign 
powers, by the federal government, the state, or any political 
subdivision thereof, or vehicles owned and used exclusively by 
educational institutions and used solely in the transportation 
of pupils to and from such institutions, or vehicles owned and 
used by honorary consul or consul general of foreign governments 
shall be exempt from the provision of this chapter requiring 
payment of tax or registration fees, except as provided in 
subdivision 1c.  
    Vehicles owned by the federal government, municipal fire 
apparatus, police patrols and ambulances, the general appearance 
of which is unmistakable, shall not be required to register or 
display number plates.  
    Unmarked vehicles used in general police work, arson 
investigations, and passenger vehicles, station wagons, and 
buses owned or operated by the department of corrections shall 
be registered and shall display passenger vehicle classification 
license number plates which shall be furnished by the registrar 
at cost.  Original and renewal applications for these passenger 
vehicle license plates authorized for use in general police work 
and for use by the department of corrections must be accompanied 
by a certification signed by the appropriate chief of police if 
issued to a police vehicle, the appropriate sheriff if issued to 
a sheriff's vehicle, the commissioner of corrections if issued 
to a department of corrections vehicle, or the appropriate 
officer in charge if issued to a vehicle of any other law 
enforcement agency.  The certification must be on a form 
prescribed by the commissioner and state that the vehicle will 
be used exclusively for a purpose authorized by this section.  
    All other motor vehicles shall be registered and display 
tax exempt number plates which shall be furnished by the 
registrar at cost, except as provided in subdivision 1c. 
    All vehicles required to display tax exempt number plates 
shall have the name of the state department or public 
subdivision on the vehicle plainly printed on both sides thereof 
in letters not less than 2-1/2 inches high, one inch wide and of 
a three-eighths inch stroke; except that each state hospital and 
institution for the mentally ill and mentally retarded may have 
one vehicle without the required printing on the sides of the 
vehicle.  Such printing shall be in a color giving a marked 
contrast with that of the part of the vehicle on which it is 
placed and shall be done with a good quality of paint that will 
endure throughout the term of the registration.  The printing 
must be on a part of the vehicle itself and not on a removable 
plate or placard of any kind and shall be kept clean and visible 
at all times; except that a removable plate or placard may be 
utilized on vehicles leased or loaned to a political subdivision.
    Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1984, section 168.10, 
subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
    Subdivision 1.  [APPLICATION.] Except as provided in 
subdivisions 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d and, 1g, and 1h, every owner of any 
motor vehicle in this state, not exempted by section 168.012 or 
168.26, shall as soon as ownership of a motor vehicle is 
acquired and annually thereafter during the period provided in 
section 168.31, file with the commissioner of public safety on a 
blank provided by him a listing for taxation and application for 
the registration of such vehicle, stating the first, middle and 
last names, the dates of birth, and addresses of all owners 
thereof who are natural persons, the full names and addresses of 
all other owners, the name and address of the person from whom 
purchased, make of motor vehicle, year and number of the model, 
manufacturer's identification number or serial number, type of 
body, the weight of the vehicle in pounds, for trailers only, 
its rated load carrying capacity and for buses only, its seating 
capacity, and such other information as the commissioner may 
require.  Any false statement wilfully and knowingly made in 
regard thereto shall be deemed perjury and punished 
accordingly.  The listing and application for registration by 
dealers or manufacturers' agents within the state, of motor 
vehicles received for sale or use within the state shall be 
accepted as compliance with the requirements of this chapter, 
imposed upon the manufacturer. 
    Registration shall be refused a motor vehicle if the 
original identification or serial number has been destroyed, 
removed, altered, covered or defaced.  However, if the 
commissioner is satisfied on the sworn statements of the owner 
or owners or such other persons as he may deem advisable that 
the applicant is the legal owner, a special identification 
number in the form prescribed by the commissioner shall be 
assigned to the motor vehicle.  When it has been determined that 
the number had been affixed to such vehicle in a manner 
prescribed by the commissioner, the vehicle may thereafter be 
registered in the same manner as other motor vehicles.  In the 
case of a new or rebuilt motor vehicle manufactured or assembled 
without an identification or serial number, the commissioner may 
assign an identification number to the motor vehicle in the same 
manner as prescribed heretofore. 
    Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1984, section 168.10, 
subdivision 1e, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 1e.  [OUTDOOR STORAGE.] Pioneer, classic, collector 
vehicles, collector military vehicles, or street rods, licensed 
or unlicensed, operable or inoperable, may be stored in 
compliance with local government zoning and ordinances on their 
owners' property, provided that the vehicles and any outdoor 
storage areas they may require are maintained in such a manner 
that they do not constitute a health or environmental hazard and 
are screened from ordinary public view by means of a fence, 
shrubbery, rapidly growing trees or other appropriate means.  
The appropriate local agency or authority may inform an owner of 
his failure to comply with these requirements, and may order the 
vehicles removed from the outdoor storage area if the owner 
fails to comply with these requirements within 20 days after the 
warning. 
    Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1984, section 168.10, 
subdivision 1f, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 1f.  [EQUIPMENT.] Any pioneer, classic, collector 
vehicle, collector military vehicle, or street rod shall have 
all equipment, in operating condition, which was specifically 
required by law as a condition for its first sale after 
manufacture. 
    No law requiring any particular equipment or specifying any 
standards to be met by motor vehicles shall apply to pioneer, 
classic, collector vehicles, collector military vehicles, or 
street rods unless it specifically so states. 
    Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1984, section 168.10, is 
amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
    Subd. 1h.  [COLLECTOR MILITARY VEHICLES.] (a) A motor 
vehicle, including a truck, shall be listed and registered under 
this section if it meets the following conditions: 
    (1) it is at least 20 years old; 
    (2) its first owner following its manufacture was a branch 
of the armed forces of the United States and it presently 
conforms to the vehicle specifications required during the time 
of military ownership, or it has been restored and presently 
conforms to the specifications required by a branch of the armed 
forces for the model year that the restored vehicle could have 
been owned by that branch of the armed forces; and 
    (3) it is owned by a nonprofit organization and operated 
solely as a collector's vehicle.  For purposes of this 
subdivision, "nonprofit organization" means a corporation, 
society, association, foundation, or institution organized and 
operated exclusively for historical or educational purposes, no 
part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of a 
private individual.  
    (b) The owner of the vehicle shall execute an affidavit 
stating the name and address of the person from whom purchased 
and of the new owner; the make, year, and model number of the 
motor vehicle; the manufacturer's identification number; and the 
collector military vehicle identification number, if any, 
located on the exterior of the vehicle.  The affidavit must 
affirm that the vehicle is owned by a nonprofit organization and 
is operated solely as a collector's item and not for general 
transportation purposes.  If the registrar is satisfied that the 
affidavit is true and correct and the owner pays a $25 tax, the 
registrar shall list the vehicle for taxation and registration 
and shall issue number plates.  The number plates shall bear the 
inscriptions "Collector" and "Minnesota" and the registration 
number, but no date.  The number plates are valid without 
renewal as long as the vehicle is in existence and may not be 
transferred to another vehicle.  The registrar may revoke the 
plates for failure to comply with this subdivision. 
    (c) Notwithstanding section 168.09, 168.12, or other law to 
the contrary, the owner of a registered collector military 
vehicle is not required to display registration plates on the 
exterior of the vehicle if the vehicle has an exterior number 
identification that conforms to the identifying system for 
military vehicles in effect when the vehicle was last owned by 
the branch of the armed forces of the United States or in effect 
in the year to which the collector military vehicle has been 
restored.  However, the state registration plates must be 
carried in or on the collector military vehicle at all times. 
    (d) The owner of a registered collector military vehicle 
that is not required to display registration plates under 
paragraph (c) may tow a registered trailer behind it.  The 
trailer is not required to display registration plates if the 
trailer: 
    (1) does not exceed a gross weight of 15,000 pounds; 
    (2) otherwise conforms to registration, licensing, and 
safety laws and specifications; 
    (3) conforms to military specifications for appearance and 
identification; 
    (4) is intended to represent and does represent a military 
trailer; and 
    (5) carries registration plates on or in the trailer or the 
collector military vehicle towing the trailer. 
    Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1984, section 169.73, 
subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
    Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] As used in this section 
"private passenger vehicle" means a four wheeled passenger 
automobile as defined in section 168.011, but does not include a 
collector vehicle or collector military vehicle as defined in 
section 168.10, a station wagon or other multipurpose vehicle or 
a truck with a manufacturer's rated capacity of 2,000 pounds or 
less.  "Suspension system" includes both the front and rear 
wheels and tires of a vehicle as specified in subdivision 3. 
    Approved March 19, 1986