Illinois Enacts SEMA Street Rod/Custom Vehicle Registration Bill

WASHINGTON (July 2002) - Car hobbyists and related businesses scored a 
major victory when SEMA model legislation to create titling and 
registration classes for street rods and custom vehicles was signed 
into law by Illinois Governor George Ryan. 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 Illinois law stipulates that vehicles titled and registered as 
street rods and custom vehicles may only be used for occasional 
transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours, etc., 
and not for general daily transportation.  The new law is the product 
of months of consultation with the Street Rod Marketing Alliance 
(SRMA), Illinois State Police, local police departments, the Office of 
the Secretary of State and the local hobbyist community.

"We are extremely gratified that Illinois will join the list of states 
that recognize street rods and customs as distinct classes of 
vehicles," said SEMA Director of Government Affairs Steve McDonald.  
"The Illinois law offers the added benefit of also including 
qualifying replicas and kit cars in these specialty vehicle titling 
and registration classifications."

The SRMA, a SEMA council, recently voted to expand its market scope to 
include custom vehicles, also known as street-modified vehicles.  This 
action will allow this segment of the car hobby a strong united voice 
and a SEMA council in which their specific needs can be addressed.  
Street-modified vehicles are, by definition, at least 25-years-old but 
manufactured after 1948 or vehicles built to resemble one from that 
era.  The SEMA model legislation was drafted to reflect SRMA's 
expanded scope.

"The model bill will continue to be pushed by SEMA in states that 
either don't have registration classifications for these vehicles or 
have laws that are lacking in some way," said McDonald.  "Efforts are 
ongoing to work with the state legislatures in Rhode Island and New 
York on this initiative and we hope to add others to that list in the 
coming legislative sessions."

The Street Rod Marketing Alliance is a SEMA council dedicated to 
protecting and developing the street rod and street-modified hobby.  
Its members include manufacturers, fabricators, publishers, dealers 
and car clubs.