With FD's finally hitting 25 years recently I have been considering getting VA antique plates for my car. However, I am worried about any repercussions if I happen to drive the 7 to work occasionally or get a ticket while having a little fun. The benefits of the plate are no safety inspection (I perform this myself anyways) and no annual registration fees.

Here is the VA code for reference: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/46.2-730/

VA code is vague to me on what constitutes misuse:

D. Antique motor vehicles and antique trailers registered with license plates issued or authorized for use under this section shall not be used for general transportation purposes, including, but not limited to, daily travel to and from the owner's place of employment, but shall only be used:

1. For participation in club activities, exhibits, tours, parades, and similar events;

2. On the highways of the Commonwealth for the purpose of testing their operation or selling the vehicle or trailer, obtaining repairs or maintenance, transportation to and from events as described in subdivision 1, and for occasional pleasure driving not exceeding 250 miles from the residence of the owner; and

3. To carry or transport (i) passengers in the antique motor vehicles, (ii) personal effects in the antique motor vehicles and antique trailers, or (iii) other antique motor vehicles being transported for show purposes.

VA code reads to me that if you misuse the palte, they will revoke your privilige to get antique plates for 5 years

H. Any owner of an antique motor vehicle or antique trailer registered with license plates pursuant to this section who is convicted of a violation of this section is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. Upon receiving a record of conviction of a violation of this section, the Department shall revoke and not reinstate the owner's privilege to register the vehicle operated in violation of this section with license plates issued or authorized for use pursuant to this section for a period of five years from the date of conviction.

"This section" is the antique plate section as far as I can tell. No other plates are mentioned in the section.

What has me questioning that is this excerpt from the application form (only on the form, couldn't find this in VA code):

"Any owner of an antique vehicle, trailer, motorcycle or autocycle registered with license plates pursuant to Virginia Code, Section 46.2-730, will be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor if convicted of a violation of antique plate usage. The conviction will cause the owner's registration for the vehicle involved in the violation to be revoked for a five-year period from the date of conviction."

^Here they are saying the registration is revoked. Period. But that's not the law, right? Because the law they reference doesn't say that.

In my mind I would at worst be operating it in a grey area because every time I drive I end up testing function of some just-installed part or playing with boost settings regardless of where I'm driving to.

 

Just don't drive 250 miles from your house. There's no law that states you can't combine a drive to work with a drive for pleasure :P

 

I think they are just trying to say those plates are for rarely-used cars not daily drivers. I guess they are trying to close a loophole of people getting out of doing inspections and whatnot by buying an old beater.

Big thing here is how it would be enforced. I guess they could monitor the car's mileage or something. I know Virginia doesn't fool around with road laws so they may have some way of checking up on this.

If you use an FD for a secondary car I'd be fine with it. If it is your only daily driver that's where the problem comes in. If you occasionally drive to work or something, no big deal.

Dale

 

Definitely a secondary car. I've put less than 30k on it since rebuilding it in 2006. The only time mileage is recorded by the state that I know of is when transferring titles. Northern Virginia is intense about inspections and emissions similar to California but down here near Richmond most shops don't even do a visual.

Thanks for the input. I was thinking the same but wanted a sanity check before turning in the forms.

-Alex

 

The statute doesn’t prohibit driving it to work ‘ever’, just daily. And if you can show you have another vehicle traditionally registered and insured you won’t have any issue. If you have a specialty insurance policy on the car it might limit you more than State statute. I chuckled a little on the distance limitation. If you’re 250 miles away from home in VA, it’s likely you’re in another state. They won’t care how VA statutes read.

 

I had my fd and fc plated with antique in va. Easy to do and no one will bother you unless you use it daily.

 

You don't have to get Antigue plates

 

Cool story, Hansel.

 

Picked up the plates yesterday. They look good on the car and I believe there's even an out for no front plate because of this:

C. Notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 46.2-711 and 46.2-715, antique motor vehicles may display single license plates if the original manufacturer's design of the antique motor vehicles allows for the use of only single license plates or if the license plate was originally issued in one of the following years and is displayed in accordance with the provisions of subsection B: 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1945, or 1946.

If you look at the front bumper... there is no front plate mount built in. Aren't the plate brackets a dealer add on in states where necessary?

 

I haven't run a front plate in VA in 20 years.

 

Man, I'm behind the times aren't I?

 

Run the front plate if you have the bracket. I've been pulled over several times for no front plate. Even if there's an out they likely don't know about it until after they've pulled you over and you explain it. Not worth the hassle.

Very cool that we can now run classic plates

 

Agreed that it's not worth the hassle... it looks so good with a naked front bumper though! Need to straighten and paint the dealer front bracket I have and then I'll put it back on.

 

i bet that if you have a rear antique plate, they wouldn't care about the front plate, especially if there's no clear provision for a front plate

 

I'm on the fence about the antique plate, mostly because I drive my FD to work at least once a week, usually on the same day of the week.

Maybe I'll switch on my next reg renewal.

Peter, you're running antique tags now, right?

 

I am running antique plates now, though I didn't specify on the form and got the ugly-*** yellow kind.

 

Probably right although I'm not going to risk it. I hate getting pulled over. Next they'll ask where I'm driving from etc.... where I'm headed etc....

 

Nooooo! In my case I guess there is an upside to waiting 1.5 hours at crowded DMV full of crying babies - They asked me if I wanted black or yellow.

 

I didn't get the antique tags. For me, the pros didn't outweigh the cons. Pros being cheaper and i believe less (or no) safety reqs. After 25 yrs, emissions is not a requirement regardless of what tag you have.

 

Fritz, think it's you, not the car

 

Wait, really? Emissions inspections are not done on *any* vehicle older than 25 years regardless of registration type?

 

Yep. From https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles/#emissions.asp ...

"Vehicles 25 years old or older qualify as antique motor vehicles but are not required to display antique license plates to qualify for the emissions exemption"

 

Awesome!!! That is good to know! Getting out of emissions was a big reason for why I was thinking of getting antique plates once I got my car back. I'm glad to know it isn't necessary though

 

You don't need safety inspection either, with antique tags.