Washington State Bills to Restrict Eligibility for Hobby Vehicle Registration Introduced

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• H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 requires owners applying for collector vehicle registration to submit a completed certification form, which will be created by the Department of Licensing. The bills offer no details about the information collected on the certification form. 
   
• H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 raises the age of vehicles eligible for horseless carriage license plates to vehicles manufactured prior to 1916, removing the current rolling age requirement of 40 years old or older for these plates. 
   
• H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 limits the display of DMV-approved year of manufacture (YOM) plates on "collector" vehicles to 1988 and earlier model years, removing the current rolling age requirement of 30 years old or older for these plates.
   
• H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 makes it more difficult to register legitimate collector vehicles and horseless carriages, which are already limited to club activities, exhibitions, auto shows and occasional pleasure driving.
   
• H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156 ignores the fact that existing collector vehicles and horseless carriages in Washington constitute a small portion of the vehicle fleet, infrequently operated and are deserving of these accommodations.
   

Overview: Legislation (H.B. 2373/S.B. 6156) has been introduced in Washington to restrict eligibility of “horseless carriages.” Currently, a collector vehicle must be at least 30 years old, while a horseless carriage must be at least 40 years old. Vehicles registered as "collector" or "horseless carriage" may currently display year of manufacture (YOM) plates with DMV approval. The bills currently await consideration in the House and Senate Transportation Committees.