Although originally introduced as a separate bill (SB 900), which sought to exempt vehicles 26 years old and older from the state’s mandatory emissions inspection and maintenance program, was combined with another Missouri Senate Bill (SB 1233) during the legislative session. Governor Holden signed SB 1233 including the emissions inspection exemption for older cars into law by on July 9, 2004.
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 Missouri measure also exempts all vehicles 26-years old and older from emissions inspections. The 26-year rolling emissions test exemption will replace current law which only exempts vehicles manufactured prior to the 1971 model year.
These new laws are the product of months of consultation with the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA), local police departments, regulators and the local hobbyist community.