California DMV Car / Motorcycle Collector Information-Exempt From Back Fees

"I am a collector and this is a collector vehicle exempt from back fees as defined in VC 4604 paragraph (d) & (3)”

5051 collector is defined:

(a) "Collector" is the owner of one or more vehicles described in

Section 5004 or of one or more special interest vehicles, as defined

in this article, who collects, purchases, acquires, trades, or

disposes of the vehicle, or parts thereof, for his or her own use, in

order to preserve, restore, and maintain the vehicle for hobby or

historical purposes.

VC4604 

(d) A certification is not required to be filed pursuant to

subdivision (a) for one or more of the following:

(3) A vehicle described in Section 5004, 5004.5, or 5051, as

provided in Section 4604.2. However, the registered owner may file a

certificate of non-operation in lieu of the certification specified in

subdivision (a).

VC5004. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, any owner of a vehicle described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) which is operated or moved over the highway primarily for the purpose of historical exhibition or other similar purpose shall, upon application in the manner and at the time prescribed by the department, be issued special identification plates for the vehicle:

(1) A motor vehicle with an engine of 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965.

(2) A motor vehicle manufactured in the year 1922 or prior thereto.

(3) A vehicle which was manufactured after 1922, is at least 25 years old, and is of historic interest.

(b) The special identification plates assigned to motor vehicles with an engine of 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965 and to any motor vehicle manufactured in the year 1922 and prior thereto shall run in a separate numerical series, commencing with “Horseless Carriage No. 1”.

The special identification plates assigned to vehicles specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) shall run in a separate numerical series, commencing with “Historical Vehicle No. 1”.

Each series of plates shall have different and distinguishing colors.

(c) A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25) shall be charged for the initial issuance of the special identification plates. Such plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced. If such special identification plates become damaged or unserviceable in any manner, replacement for the plates may be obtained from the department upon proper application and upon payment of such fee as is provided for in Section 9265.

(d) All funds received by the department in payment for such identification plates or the replacement thereof shall be deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.

(e) These vehicles shall not be exempt from the equipment provisions of Sections 26709, 27150, and 27600.

(f) As used in this section, a vehicle is of historic interest if it is collected, restored, maintained, and operated by a collector or hobbyist principally for purposes of exhibition and historic vehicle club activities.

(Amended by Stats. 1984, Ch. 918, Sec. 1.)

ARTICLE 8.3. Historic and Special Interest Vehicles [5050 - 5052]  ( Article 8.3 added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 753. )

5050.

  The Legislature finds and declares that constructive leisure pursuits by California citizens is most important. This article is intended to encourage responsible participation in the hobby of collecting, preserving, restoring, and maintaining motor vehicles of historic and special interest, which hobby contributes to the enjoyment of the citizen and the preservation of California’s automotive memorabilia.

(Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 753.)

5051.

  As used in this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “Collector” is the owner of one or more vehicles described in Section 5004 or of one or more special interest vehicles, as defined in this article, who collects, purchases, acquires, trades, or disposes of the vehicle, or parts thereof, for his or her own use, in order to preserve, restore, and maintain the vehicle for hobby or historical purposes.

(b) “Special interest vehicle” is a vehicle of an age that is unaltered from the manufacturer’s original specifications and, because of its significance, including, but not limited to, an out-of-production vehicle or a model of less than 2,000 sold in California in a model-year, is collected, preserved, restored, or maintained by a hobbyist as a leisure pursuit.

(c) “Parts car” is a motor vehicle that is owned by a collector to furnish parts for restoration or maintenance of a special interest vehicle or a vehicle described in Section 5004, thus enabling a collector to preserve, restore, and maintain a special interest vehicle or a vehicle described in Section 5004.

(d) “Street rod vehicle” is a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, manufactured in, or prior to, 1948 that is individually modified in its body style or design, including through the use of nonoriginal or reproduction components, and may include additional modifications to other components, including, but not limited to, the engine, drivetrain, suspension, and brakes in a manner that does not adversely affect its safe performance as a motor vehicle or render it unlawful for highway use.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 574, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2007.)

5052.

  Except as otherwise provided by local ordinance, a collector may maintain one or more vehicles described in Section 5051, whether currently licensed or unlicensed, or whether operable or inoperable, in outdoor storage on private property, if every such vehicle and outdoor storage area is maintained in such manner as not to constitute a health hazard and is located away from public view, or screened from ordinary public view, by means of a suitable fence, trees, shrubbery, opaque covering, or other appropriate means.

(Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 753.)

4604.

  (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (d), prior to the expiration of the registration of a vehicle, if that registration is not to be renewed prior to its expiration, the owner of the vehicle shall file, under penalty of perjury, a certification that the vehicle will not be operated, moved, or left standing upon a highway without first making an application for registration of the vehicle, including full payment of all fees. The certification is valid until the vehicle’s registration is renewed pursuant to subdivision (c).

(b) Each certification filed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be accompanied by a filing fee of fifteen dollars ($15).

(c) (1) An application for renewal of registration, except when accompanied by an application for transfer of title to, or an interest in, the vehicle, shall be submitted to the department with payment of the required fees for the current registration year and without penalty for delinquent payment of fees imposed under this code or under Part 5 (commencing with Section 10701) of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code if the department receives the application prior to or on the date the vehicle is first operated, moved, or left standing upon a highway during the current registration year and the certification required pursuant to subdivision (a) was timely filed with the department.

(2) If an application for renewal of registration is accompanied by an application for transfer of title, that application may be made without incurring a penalty for delinquent payment of fees not later than 20 days after the date the vehicle is first operated, moved, or left standing on a highway if a certification pursuant to subdivision (a) was timely filed with the department.

(d) A certification is not required to be filed pursuant to subdivision (a) for one or more of the following:

(1) A vehicle on which the registration expires while being held as inventory by a dealer or lessor-retailer or while being held pending a lien sale by the keeper of a garage or operator of a towing service.

(2) A vehicle registered pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 8050) of Chapter 4 of Division 3.

(3) A vehicle described in Section 5004, 5004.5, or 5051, as provided in Section 4604.2. However, the registered owner may file a certificate of non operation in lieu of the certification specified in subdivision (a).

(4) A vehicle registered pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 9700) of Chapter 6 if the registered owner has complied with subdivision (c) of Section 9706.

(e) Notwithstanding Section 670, for purposes of this section, a “vehicle” is a device by which a person or property may be propelled, moved, or driven upon a highway having intact and assembled its major component parts including, but not limited to, the frame or chassis, cowl, and floor pan or, in the case of a trailer, the frame and wheels or, in the case of a motorcycle, the frame, front fork, and engine. For purposes of this section, “vehicle” does not include a device moved exclusively by human power, a device used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks, or a motorized wheelchair.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 574, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2007.)

VEHICLE CODE - VEH

DIVISION 1. WORDS AND PHRASES DEFINED [100 - 681]  ( Division 1 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )

259.  

“Collector motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle owned by a collector, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 5051, and the motor vehicle is used primarily in shows, parades, charitable functions, and historical exhibitions for display, maintenance, and preservation, and is not used primarily for transportation.

(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 107, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)

4000.1.  

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), (c), or (d) of this section, or subdivision (b) of Section 43654 of the Health and Safety Code, the department shall require upon initial registration, and upon transfer of ownership and registration, of any motor vehicle subject to Part 5 (commencing with Section 43000) of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code, a valid certificate of compliance or a certificate of noncompliance, as appropriate, issued in accordance with Section 44015 of the Health and Safety Code. 

(g) For purposes of subdivision (a), any collector motor vehicle, as defined in Section 259, is exempt from those portions of the test required by subdivision (f) of Section 44012 of the Health and Safety Code, if the collector motor vehicle meets all of the following criteria:

(1) Submission of proof that the motor vehicle is insured as a collector motor vehicle, as shall be required by regulation of the bureau.

(2) The motor vehicle is at least 35 model-years old.

(3) The motor vehicle complies with the exhaust emissions standards for that motor vehicles' class and model year as prescribed by the department, and the motor vehicle passes a functional inspection of the fuel cap and a visual inspection for liquid fuel leaks.