Illinois Enacts SEMA Street Rod/Custom Vehicle Registration
Bill
WASHINGTON (July 2002) - Car hobbyists and related businesses scored a
major victory when SEMA model legislation to create titling and
registration classes for street rods and custom vehicles was signed
into law by Illinois Governor George Ryan. This new law provides for
special license plates and exempts rods and customs from periodic
inspections and emissions tests. It also allows for the use of non-
original materials and creates a titling criterion that assigns these
vehicles the same model year designation as the production vehicle it
most closely resembles.
The Illinois law stipulates that vehicles titled and registered as
street rods and custom vehicles may only be used for occasional
transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours, etc.,
and not for general daily transportation. The new law is the product
of months of consultation with the Street Rod Marketing Alliance
(SRMA), Illinois State Police, local police departments, the Office of
the Secretary of State and the local hobbyist community.
"We are extremely gratified that Illinois will join the list of states
that recognize street rods and customs as distinct classes of
vehicles," said SEMA Director of Government Affairs Steve McDonald.
"The Illinois law offers the added benefit of also including
qualifying replicas and kit cars in these specialty vehicle titling
and registration classifications."
The SRMA, a SEMA council, recently voted to expand its market scope to
include custom vehicles, also known as street-modified vehicles. This
action will allow this segment of the car hobby a strong united voice
and a SEMA council in which their specific needs can be addressed.
Street-modified vehicles are, by definition, at least 25-years-old but
manufactured after 1948 or vehicles built to resemble one from that
era. The SEMA model legislation was drafted to reflect SRMA's
expanded scope.
"The model bill will continue to be pushed by SEMA in states that
either don't have registration classifications for these vehicles or
have laws that are lacking in some way," said McDonald. "Efforts are
ongoing to work with the state legislatures in Rhode Island and New
York on this initiative and we hope to add others to that list in the
coming legislative sessions."
The Street Rod Marketing Alliance is a SEMA council dedicated to
protecting and developing the street rod and street-modified hobby.
Its members include manufacturers, fabricators, publishers, dealers
and car clubs.