The Washington state vehicle hobbyist community and SEMA are celebrating a new law redefining a “street rod” to include a broader range of vehicles. This bill was signed into law on April 21 by Washington Governor Gary Locke and will go into effect after 90 days.
The new law allows vehicles manufactured after 1949 resembling those manufactured before 1949 to be titled as street rods. The new definition also encompasses street rods constructed of non-original material or those altered dimensionally or in shape and appearance from the original manufactured body. In addition, the law exempts street rods that are owned and operated primarily as collector cars from the fender requirement when the vehicle is used during fair weather on suitable roads.
Scott Cedergreen, president of the Washington Car Club Council, commented, “Today is a [great] day for Washington state street rodders. This bill allows reproduction-bodied street rods to finally be titled as street rods, as is allowed in many other states. The National Street Rod Association does not acknowledge any difference in reproduction or original bodies, and now Washington state doesn’t either! I would like to thank the many thousands of WCCC members who helped push this idea into law. A special thanks to Representative Jack Cairnes (R-District 47) who believed Washington state law needed an adjustment and introduced this bill on WCCC’s behalf.”