HB 1266-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2000 SESSION
HOUSE BILL 1266-FN
AN ACT relative to classification of and standards for custom vehicles manufactured during or after 1949, and establishing special plates for such vehicles.
SPONSORS: Rep. F. Davis, Merr 12; Rep. Daneault, Merr 12; Rep. Lavoie, Merr 12; Rep. Fortnam, Merr 12
This bill provides for a new classification of customized vehicles manufactured after 1949, and requires them to meet the same inspection standards as "street rods." The bill also creates an exception from the requirements for the height of a motor vehicle body and chassis for street rods and customized vehicles, and establishes a special license plates for custom vehicles.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
00-2265
05/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand
AN ACT relative to classification of and standards for custom vehicles manufactured during or after 1949, and establishing special plates for such vehicles.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; New Classification of Customized Vehicles. Amend RSA 259 by inserting after section 106-a the following new section:
259:106-b Customized Vehicles. "Customized vehicle" shall mean any vehicle meeting the specifications detailed in RSA 259:106-a, but manufactured during or after the year 1949 and modified for safe road use.
2 New Section; Special License Plates for Customized Vehicles. Amend RSA 261 by inserting after section 89-c the following new section:
261:89-d Number Plates for Vehicles Registered as Customized.
I. The director is hereby authorized to design and to issue under such rules, as the director shall deem appropriate, distinctive number plates to be used on customized registered vehicles. Such plates shall be in lieu of other number plates and shall be issued only upon receipt of a duly executed certificate verifying that the subject vehicle is in fact a customized vehicle as defined in RSA 259:106-b. The director is hereby authorized to issue a customized vehicle vanity plate as provided by RSA 261:89.
II. A special fee in the amount of $25 shall be paid for the certificate of verification. This special fee shall be in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee as prescribed by law for the particular vehicle being registered, and any number plate manufacturing fee or fees otherwise required by law for the particular vehicle. All special fees collected shall be paid to the state treasurer and credited to the highway fund. A vehicle which is registered as a customized vehicle, regardless of the year of manufacture of said vehicle, shall be assessed an annual municipal permit fee in the amount of $50, which fee shall not be prorated regardless of the number of months in actual road use. This fee shall be in lieu of any other municipal permit fee. For purposes of this section and that of vehicle registration, the year of manufacture of a customized vehicle is deemed to be the year of manufacture of the body.
III. The certificate of verification required by this section shall be documented by an instrument designed and issued by the director. Any authorized highway enforcement officer or any individual who is authorized by the director to perform motor vehicle inspections provided by RSA 266:1, V is hereby authorized to perform the verification and certification required by this section. A certificate of verification issued under this section shall be transferable in the event the vehicle described by such certificate is sold or the ownership is otherwise transferred or conveyed.
IV. Pursuant to RSA 261:75, a vehicle duly registered as a customized vehicle shall be issued one number plate of the design as set forth in this section. Such plate shall be attached in a conspicuous place on the rear of the vehicle.
3 New Exception for Vehicles Manufactured after 1949. Amend RSA 266:9 to read as follows:
266:9 Height of Motor Vehicle Body and Chassis. Except for street rods and customized vehicles meeting the inspection requirements of RSA 266:113, no person shall change the height of, or alter a bumper of, a private passenger vehicle so that the height of any horizontal bumper falls below the minimum distance of 16 inches or above the maximum distance of 20 inches. No person shall change the height of, or alter a bumper of, any vehicle other than a private passenger vehicle so that the height of any horizontal bumper falls below the minimum distance of 16 inches or above the maximum distance of 30 inches. Measurement shall be made from the level ground to the bottom of the bumper with tires inflated to manufacturer's maximum air pressure. If a vehicle is not commonly manufactured with a rear bumper, measurement shall be made to the bottom edge of the chassis frame siderails. No motor vehicle that has been changed or altered so as to exceed the limitations of this section shall be driven on any way without the prior approval of the director. For the purpose of this section, in addition to the definition contained in RSA 259:81, the term "private passenger vehicle" shall mean a vehicle that has no provision for carrying a load other than a conventional trunk or the cargo area of a station wagon or similar type of vehicle.
4 Customized Vehicles Manufactured After 1949. Amend the section heading and paragraphs of RSA 266:113, I and II to read as follows:
266:113 Equipment Required of Street Rods and Other Customized Vehicles.
I. A vehicle registered as a street rod or customized vehicle shall be equipped as prescribed by RSA 266 and state of New Hampshire official inspection station rules adopted pursuant to RSA 541-A[, as they may be applicable to vehicles whose model year is prior to the year 1949].
II. Notwithstanding paragraph I, street rods and other customized vehicles shall be equipped with the following:
(a) Hydraulic service brakes on all wheels.
(b) Sealed beam or halogen headlamps.
(c) Seat belts for all passengers.
(d) Turn signal lamps and switch.
(e) Safety glass or Lexan.
(f) Electric or vacuum windshield wiper located in front of the driver.
(g) Parking brake operating on at least 2 wheels on the same axle.
5 Ground Clearance for Customized Vehicles. Amend RSA 266:113, IV to read as follows:
IV. The ground clearance for a street rod or customized vehicle shall be such that the vehicle shall be able to be in motion and functional while on its 4 rims on a flat surface, and no part of the suspension, steering or chassis shall touch that surface. The director may adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, as are necessary to implement the provisions of this subdivision.
6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.
LBAO
00-2265
12/6/99
HB 1266-FN - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to classification of and standards for custom vehicles manufactured during or after 1949, and establishing special plates for such vehicles.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Safety has determined this bill will increase state highway fund revenue and expenditures and local revenue in FY 2001 and each year thereafter, by an indeterminable amount. There will be no fiscal impact on county revenue or county and local expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department cannot estimate how many vehicles may qualify as a "customized vehicle" as defined in this bill. Therefor, the Department cannot estimate the revenue and expenses related to special number plates for those vehicles, and the number of vehicles subject to the special $25 state fee for a certificate of verification and the $50 annual municipal permit fee. The Department stated minimum startup costs of any new plate issue are $25,000 for various items, including computer time, planning time, artist fees, special printing, handling and accounting, In addition, assuming the minimum number of plates for any new issue would be 5,000 pairs, the up-front costs to manufacture these plates is approximately $67,500, for a total minimum cost of $92,500 before any plates are sold.