OT: WI HAMBers Collector Plates??

No harm , no foul. Curt's not one to toot his own horn, so I just thought I'd speak for him. Now I'll owe him some Jack D. for speaking out of place.

 

let's get to basics. Wisconsin State Statute for "Collector" license plate reads

341.266(1)(c)2. 2. A motor vehicle of any age which has not been altered or modified from original manufacturers specifications and, because of its historic interest, is being preserved by hobbyists

at the bottom of the MV2323 Collector License Plate Application it states
I (we) certify that the Collector vehicle described above has not been
altered or modified from original manufacuter's specifications.
X____________________________________________
owner signature date

for all you guys with modified cars that signed the certification and received
your "COLLECTOR" license plate, you have BS'd your way to the $200.00
lifetime plate

BUT, you are now subject to this Wisconsin State Statute
341.04 341.04  Penalty for operating unregistered or improperly registered vehicle.

Same goes for you guys that, send photos of an original vehicle and then modify
the car after you receive your "COLLECTOR" plate.

If, you give up your "COLLECTOR" plate for a "HOBBYIST" plate, you will pay
another $200.00. It's not an even trade.

Then, for the "HOBBYIST" plate, you are back to WisDMV with photos of the
car, along with the $200.00 and waiting on DMV to approve your "HOBBYIST"
plate. No guarantee, there.

If, previous posts on this thread are any indication of Wisconsin State Patrol
enforcement of the "COLLECTOR" plate statute, watch your rear view mirror.

Curt R

 

I don't have to worry about watching my rear view mirror with my trucks, they're original and slow as hell. I've had cops pass me because I'm slowing them down.

One slightly related subject, I have Collector Special plates on my daily driver, an '04 Dodge Ram. I've been pulled over twice in this truck, both times for a burned out light. Each time when the officer, different one each time, ran my plate they came back and told me my truck didn't look like a '49 Ford truck. I explained to them that my CS plate had my collector number on it but it was registered to my Dodge. The first time the officer told me I had to get the matter straightened out with the DMV. I called to just make sure everything was OK and the DMV assured me my Dodge was properly registered and said many police officers aren't familiar with CS plates. The second time I just agreed with the officer and went on my way.

 

Curt,
As I had stated, this was a few years ago. I did not keep any paper work on the incident. After it was over, I just went on. I did go to court for this and the judge reaffirmed what the officer had stated. He said that any parts put on the vehicle that did not meet exact factory specs made the vehicle a modified vehicle and it was not legal to run standard plates. I was not going to argue at the point. If he was correct or not I do not know. He did ramble off a few numbers of the laws I broke, but I really don't remember. As for the question another post asked as to what I did to get syopped. I drove the car. I was not given any tickets for any thing other than the equipment and registration violations. I was not speeding or driving wrong. The officer never stated any thing I did wrong. This vehicle was a barn find I had started driving and was a survivor from the 70s. The typical car of that era, jacked up, mags, N50s, bolt on ladder bars, headers, header muffs; you know the look. It was stopped for the look, period.

 

Man, if the cops can stop you for having do dads added to your car, and they weren't obviously dangerous, it proves they really don't have much to do with their time. If this standard was uniformly applied they could be kept busy in the Milwaukee area giving tickets to every ricer with a park bench mounted on it's trunk and a coffee can muffler sticking out from under the rear bumper or ghetto bomber with 30" wheels and 4' road clearance. I suppose the law out in the more rural areas don't have to contend with this type of vehicle as much and have to look for something else to get their revenue from.

 

Funny, been dealing with this since the early 90's running collector special plates. I've forgotten it now, but i used to know the page number for the book the cops kept in the glove compartment to explain the special plate

 

So would one raise a bunch of red flags by re-registering the car with a standard annual or vanity plate to right this wrong? I wouldn't think so, right?

 

One would think so. If, any Wis resident re-registers from "COLLECTOR" plate to
annual, let us know, what happens.

I wll be in contact with WisDMV about this situation and other matters in the
near future.

Curt R

 

Were there were some local city or municipal laws that your car violated ?
I don't find anything in Wisconsin State Statute to support the judge's decisions
about your car.

Curt R

 

its been a bit, but all the local guys go to the dmv in beaver damn. Usually, no questions asked. Sounds like it may be different now.

 

If you look at Wisconsin State Statute 341.268(2)(e)(3) it says as follows:

3. Except as provided in s. 341.09 (7), no reconstructed, replica,
street modified or homemade vehicle may be operated upon
any highway of this state during the month of January unless the
owner of the vehicle reregisters the vehicle under s. 341.25 and
replaces the distinctive registration plates issued under par. (c)
with regular registration plates or transfers regular registration
plates to the vehicle.

So therefore one can see that the statute itself (hobbyist plates) states that if you want to drive the car in January you must put regular registration plates on it so doesn't it make sense that you can always use regular registration.


On one other note referenced above about year of manufacture (YOM) plates. I believe WI does not allow those at this time.

Curt R., Do you know if there is any talk of allowing any YOM registrations instead of regular plates? I would love to see this and would pay the yearly $75 fee for it.

Also I vote that the current collector and hobbyist plates are very ugly.

 

After seeing one vehicle at Jefferson yesterday that had hobbyist plates on it I don't think getting hobbyist plates is all that hard. I wish I would have thought to take a picture of this monstrosity. It had remnants of a '30s Chevy truck sheet metal, with the hood crudely extended, mounted on some kind of dually frame, looked like an Isuzu with small 15" wheels, and a horrid hand painted mural paint job. It sat proudly across from the car corral with hobbyist places. Sorry if this piece belonged to a HAMB member, if it does I think you should be excomunicated from the HAMB.

I sent in my registration for my Buick about a week and a half ago, along with the required pictures. I had a cleared signed titled from Illinois, I bought the car in Peoria, but not receipt. I hope that doesn't cause a problem. So far, cross my fingers, I haven't heard back from them yet about any problems but the message on there phone system says it take about eight weeks to process registrations for specialty plates. I'm reusing an plate I had on a vehicle I sold some time ago, I'm hoping that might speed the process along a little faster since they don't have to wait for a new plate to be made.

 

i sent in for a hobbyist plate about 3 weeks ago... the check was cashed this week and my title came yesterday... plate to be delivered separate...
Tom

 

That's good news, hopefully my collector plates will come sooner than expected.

 

It took about a month and a half for my registration to be processed. I sent it first class mail with no tracking and was getting worried that they lost it. Plates should be here in 4-6 weeks.

 

I should said, "New registration and title", I have the old set of plates. I'm hoping that might help speed the process along but being government, I doubt it.

 

SteppinOut

you are correct. Wis does not have a YOM (year of manufacture) license plate for
anything other than "ANTIQUE"

341.265 341.265  Antique motor vehicles; registration, plates, use.
341.265(1)(1) Any person who is a resident of this state and the owner or subsequent transferee of a motor vehicle which has a model year of 1945 or earlier and which has not been altered or modified from the original manufacturer's specifications may upon application register the same as an antique vehicle upon payment of a fee of $5, and be furnished registration plates of a distinctive design, in lieu of the usual registration plates, which shall show in addition to the registration number that the vehicle is an antique. The registration shall be valid while the vehicle is owned by the applicant without the payment of any additional fee. The vehicle shall only be used for special occasions such as display and parade purposes or for necessary testing, maintenance and storage purposes. A motorcycle may be registered as an antique vehicle if all of the requirements for registration specified in this subsection are satisfied.
341.265(1m) (1m) A person who registers an antique motor vehicle under sub. (1) may furnish and display on the vehicle a historical plate from or representing the model year of the vehicle if the registration and plates issued by the department are simultaneously carried in or, with respect to an antique motorcycle, with the vehicle and are available for inspection.
341.265(2) (2) Unless inconsistent with this section, the provisions applicable to other motor vehicles apply to antique motor vehicles.
341.265 History History: 1979 c. 146; 1985 a. 96, 105, 332; 1987 a. 210, 349, 403; 1997 a. 27.


a few years back, there was a rumor about YOM plates for vehicles other than
"ANTIQUE" license plate vehicles. I heard that, the proposal made it into a Wis
legislators office. After that, I heard nothing.

You guys that want to change the '"COLLECTOR" license plate requirements, get
together and list your suggested changes. I can get you in contact with the right
people in WisDMV and you can discuss your proposed changes.

Curt R

 

Sorry to be chiming in here late, but better late than never.

The proposal to change the Equipment requirements for Collector (NOT HOBBYIST) plates is already advancing. Two high-up DOT guys were at the March Senate hearing, and agreed in principal to support whatever equipment changes "Collector guys" wanted to have allowed. We got Wis. Act 235 passed, and we're working toward an agreement on things which DMV will overlook when reviewing Collector plate applications.

Preliminary talks with DOT have already covered some of these items, including color, radios, tires/wheels, trailer hitches, safety items, etc. We will continue these talks over the coming months. But nothing will happen legislatively until next year, so there is time to compile a comprehensive list of items. Please feel free to offer suggestions.

It is understood that there are a few folks who oppose allowing minor modifications for Collector vehicles, but the overwhelming majority of Collector owners support these changes, so long as they retain the historical relevance of the vehicle and don't allow blatant things (like blowers through the hood or wheelie bars).

At this time, we are not pursuing the YOM plate, only amending the existing Collector plate equipment requirements. One thing at a time, but this could be addressed in the future.

 

I just sent in my "collector" plate app today and saw this. I'm hoping I don't need 8 pictures. I sent them six, as there is no mention of the number of pics needed on the DOT website.

This will be my 2nd collector car and I have the collector number already. 15 years ago I walked into the Madison DMV paid my fee and walked out with my plate. What I don't like now is I can't drive my car until my plate arrives in the mail. They won't issue a temp plate so I can drive my car on the road. Once they inspect my application and review my photos, they will send me a registration card that I can keep in the car, however I can't drive it until the plates arrive.

I called the DMV and spoke to a nice younger sounding kid. He told me that the law have changed, but if you follow the rules you'll have no problem. My car is 100% stock. It shows better than it really is in photos, so I worry about the tax issue. I got a good deal on the car and the seller wrote the price on the title. I'm worried my title is from 1983. the previous owner had the car 30 years. I hope they know what an old title looks like.

Bottomline, since I followed the rules, I hope it works out.

 

imo try to avoid settling for an "antique" or "collector" or "hobbyist" plate and hold out for an original plate that a Wisconsin car wore on your year of car when it was new, i.e. YOM, I don't like plates that say Kansas Antique.. the make and model already says that..

 

I registered a new to me dually, dual purpose camper hauler. Took 7 weeks to get the title, had bill of sale so tax number was a non-issue. I changed the plate over I had from old truck that is for sale. Glad I had a good plate as the DMV is really slow with every thing these days. I really appreciate the information on this thread as it will save me huge bullshit in the future related to my 65 Coronet.

 

Boy Howdy, you guys sure make it sound less than desirable for a car guy of any sort to live in Wisconsin.

About the only restrictions on YOM or Collector or Antique plates in this state are the year the vehicle was built (I think that is too new) and somewhat in how you can use the vehicle. Mainly you use it in hobby or fun mode and not as a drive to work or work out of rig. And no dump runs in your pickup with yom plates. And yes It still gets abused a bunch by guys who have those plates on their daily drivers.

 

Just an update on my '37 Buick.

I just got a call from the DMV about my collector plate registration. I think I sent the paper work in about 4-5 weeks ago. I made a small mistake, I was honest. The woman asked if the car was drivable and I told her "No", I should have said "Yes". She then said they couldn't give me a collector plate for a non operative car, only one that was road worthy. She did say however, that they were sending me a title for the car in my name and I should get it in a day or two. I wish I could have gotten the plates registered at the same time but the most important thing to me was to have the title in my name before I stuck any more time or money into this project. I've heard and read too many stories about people who have put a lot of time and money into a project only not to be able to title it because the title was bogus or wasn't sold to them by the legal owner. I've even read stories about the legitimate owner getting the car back after it's been worked on.

The DMV woman told me when I had the car road worthy I will have to send in pictures of the completed car, just like I did when I originally sent in the first application. They just want to make sure the car wasn't altered from factory specs with a modified engine, wheels and new dashboard. Since I plan to drive the car in primer for a while after I do get it running I asked if the car had to be painted or was primer OK. She said paint doesn't matter but whatever color it is in when I send the new pictures will be listed on the registration.

I also asked how long it would take to get the collector plates once I did have the car ready for the road. Their web site said about eight weeks. Since I have collector plates from a car I have sold that I using on this car I asked if the process could be sped up because I do not need a new set made. She said I could pay an additional $4 for their Fast Service and have the registration processed in 48 hours. I asked if they listed this service on their web site because I didn't see it being offered. She said they didn't. I just thought I'd add this information for others in a similar situation.

So far so good.

 

I found this thread via google, and now that i have my hobbyist plates i thought i would add my experience. (even though the vehicle is a 78 280z)

I knew the difference between hobbyist and collector, and because i have modified (loud) exhaust, i knew i wanted hobbyist. I've been hassled by cops before for having loud exhaust on newer cars - pointing out that it's illegal to modify the exhaust from factory specs.

Now the whole point of a Hobbyist plate is that the car is modified - thus giving me a defense if a cop gives me crap about the modified exhaust.

I printed off the forms from the dmv, the normal form for tax, title and registration, plus the form for the hobbyist plates.

I took pictures (in my narrow garage with my cell phone) of each side, front, back, interior, and motor. Printed them off - 2 pictures per 8.5x11 page.

I mailed the cali title, check, the completed forms, and the printed pictures around 8/22
I noticed from my online banking that the check posted on 9/14
The plates came in the mail on 9/18
the new wi title and registration arrived in the mail on 9/20

So about a month turn around for title, registration, and plates, and no calls or issues from the DMV

 

Regular license plates for me.

I dont need all this nonsense.

 

you are correct, the "HOBBYIST" plate is for a modified car, in other words "not original" as
in the "COLLECTOR" license plate.

The "HOBBYIST" license plate DOES NOT EXEMPT THE VEHICLE FROM ANY STATE, COUNTY, CITY,TOWN, VILLAGE OR MUNICIPALITY VEHICLE EQUIPMENT LAWS, REGULATIONS OR NOISE REGULATIONS.

Modifying the vehicle's exhaust system is one situation, making it louder is a different situation.

A cop may give you crap about a loud exhaust system, followed by a ticket. Your next step is to prove that the "HOBBYIST" plate allows loud exhaust system.

Your "HOBBYIST" license plate is not a valid defense for any loud exhaust violation.

I suggest that you do a thorough review of Wisconsin vehicle equipment laws and the "HOBBYIST" license plate statute.

There is and has been the misconception that, the Wisconsin "HOBBYIST" plate allows for any vehicle modification regardless of Wisconsin's Vehicle Equpment Statutes and Administrative Rules. That idea is all wrong.

This subject came up on another HAMB thread. I asked that someone post the Wisconsin Statute or Administrative Rule that states that the "HOBBYIST" license plate exempts any vehicle from Wisconsin Vehicle Equipment Statutes or Administrative Rules. As of today, no one has posted a reply.

If, you find yourself getting crap from some cop, know the Wisconsin Statutes or Rules that are in your favor. Tread lightly, some LEO's have been known to have vehicles impounded or confiscated, not only in Wisconsin but in many other states, also.

Curt R