Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 4503 | Licensing of Motor Vehicles
Section 4503.181 | Historical Motor Vehicles.

Effective: September 29, 2015
Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly
(A) As used in this section, "historical motor vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is more than twenty-five years old and that is owned solely as a collector's item and for participation in club activities, exhibitions, tours, parades, and similar uses. A historical motor vehicle shall not be used for general transportation, but may be operated on the public roads and highways to and from a location where maintenance is performed on the vehicle.
(B) In lieu of the annual license tax levied in sections 4503.02 and 4503.04 of the Revised Code, a license fee of ten dollars is levied on the operation of a historical motor vehicle.
(C) A person who owns a historical motor vehicle and applies for a historical license plate under this section shall execute an affidavit that the vehicle for which the plate is requested is owned and operated solely for the purposes enumerated in division (A) of this section. The affidavit also shall set forth that the vehicle has been inspected and found safe to operate on the public roads and highways in the state. A person who owns a historical motor vehicle and desires to display a model year license plate on the vehicle as permitted by this section shall execute at the time of registration an affidavit setting forth that the model year license plate the person desires to display on the person's historical motor vehicle is a legible and serviceable license plate that originally was issued by this state. No registration issued pursuant to this section need specify the weight of the vehicle.
(D) A vehicle registered under this section may display either a historical vehicle license plate issued by the registrar of motor vehicles or a model year license plate procured by the applicant. A historical vehicle license plate shall not bear a date, but shall bear the inscription "Historical Vehicle--Ohio" and the registration number, which shall be shown thereon. A model year license plate shall be a legible and serviceable license plate issued by this state and inscribed with the date of the year corresponding to the model year when the vehicle was manufactured. Two model year license plates, duplicates of each other, may be displayed on the historical motor vehicle at any time, one plate on the front and one plate on the rear of the vehicle. The registration certificate and the historical vehicle license plate issued by the registrar shall be kept in the vehicle at all times the vehicle is operated on the public roads and highways in this state.
Notwithstanding section 4503.21 of the Revised Code, the owner of a historical motor vehicle that was manufactured for military purposes and that is registered under this section may display the assigned registration number of the vehicle by painting the number on the front and rear of the vehicle. The number shall be painted, in accordance with the size and style specifications established for numerals and letters shown on license plates in section 4503.22 of the Revised Code, in a color that contrasts clearly with the color of the vehicle, and shall be legible and visible at all times. Upon application for registration under this section and payment of the license fee prescribed in division (B) of this section, the owner of such a historical motor vehicle shall be issued a historical vehicle license plate. The registration certificate and the license plate shall be kept in the vehicle at all times the vehicle is operated on the public roads and highways in this state. If ownership of such a vehicle is transferred, the transferor shall surrender the historical vehicle license plate or transfer it to another historical motor vehicle the transferor owns, and remove or obliterate the registration numbers painted on the vehicle.
(E) Historical vehicle and model year license plates are valid without renewal as long as the vehicle for which they were issued or procured is in existence. A historical vehicle plate is issued for the owner's use only for such vehicle unless later transferred to another historical motor vehicle owned by that person. In order to effect such a transfer, the owner of the historical motor vehicle that originally displayed the historical vehicle plate shall comply with division (C) of this section. In the event of a transfer of title, the transferor shall surrender the historical vehicle license plate or transfer it to another historical motor vehicle owned by the transferor, but a model year license plate or plates may be retained by the transferor. The registrar may revoke license plates issued under this section, for cause shown and after hearing, for failure of the applicant to comply with this section. Upon revocation, a historical vehicle license plate shall be surrendered; a model year license plate or plates may be retained, but the plate or plates are no longer valid for display on the vehicle.
(F) The owner of a historical motor vehicle bearing a historical vehicle license plate may replace it with a model year license plate by surrendering the historical vehicle license plate and motor vehicle certificate of registration to the registrar. The owner, at the time of registration, shall execute an affidavit setting forth that the model year plate is a legible and serviceable license plate that originally was issued by this state. Such an owner is required to pay the license fee prescribed by division (B) of this section, but the owner is not required to have the historical motor vehicle reinspected under division (C) of this section.
A person who owns a historical motor vehicle bearing a model year license plate may replace it with a historical vehicle license plate by surrendering the motor vehicle certificate of registration and applying for issuance of a historical vehicle license plate. Such a person is required to pay the license fee prescribed by division (B) of this section, but the person is not required to have the historical motor vehicle reinspected under division (C) of this section.

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