Photograph by J.A. Ackley
California has some of the strictest restrictions on car emissions. It does not matter if the car’s a clunker or a million-dollar collector car–you had to pass that smog check if it’s 1976 and newer. That’s changing, however, with Leno’s Law (SB 712), which aims to reduce that age to 35 years old.
As the proposed bill made its way through California’s Senate Appropriations Committee, it’s picked up three amendments. Vehicles falling under this provision must have collector car insurance and display historical vehicle license plates. The bill would go into effect January 1, 2027.
The Senate Transportation Committee expressed concerns that the bill could provide a loophole for high-polluting vehicles that are not true collector cars. Hence, the reason for requiring collector car insurance and displaying historic plates. The 2027 date was added because the California DMV is currently upgrading its technology. With a budget deficit, too, the DMV needed more time to be able to handle the upgrades in their systems to accommodate Leno’s Law.
The bill continues to be reviewed by state legislators and more amendments are possible. Here are some key dates to pay attention to:
July 18: Must be out of all Assembly policy committee(s).
August 29: Must be out of the Assembly Appropriations (fiscal) committee.
September 12: Final day for the legislature to pass the bill and send it to the Governor.
If you’re a California resident, you can urge your legislators to pass the bill with this prepared message, courtesy of SEMA.
“Leno’s Law, as it stands today, is the most progress we’ve made in over 20 years,” SEMA said in a prepared statement. “Right now, even a perfectly preserved 1988 car with collector plates and insurance still has to get smogged. SB 712 fixes that. It creates a path to an exemption for vehicles that deserve it.”
Vehicles falling under this provision must have collector car insurance and display historical vehicle license plates. The bill would go into effect January 1, 2027.
*****************
I get it. I really do. Something else that needs added is, must have one (1) regular tagged vehicle. Car people might bash me for this, but in Maryland people abuse the Historic tags we have here. The Historic tags have been abused so much that Maryland is changing the law.
In reply to Noddaz :
I hear you. There's always going to be those few who want to take advantage of the situation.
At any rate, I'm not complaining about any progress made.
Last I heard, they got rid of the requirement for classic car insurance. I think this was primarily because it generally requires the car to be garaged. Of course, most truly "collector" cars are garaged.
I am still VERY suspicious this will go into effect. If CARB has anything to say on it (?) I cannot imagine it would go into effect.
CA already has collector plates, but I don't think they provide any benefits, you almost never see them on cars here. For a true collectors car, I suspect most highly prefer not to use collectors plates (they are not nearly as cool as, for example, the 60's black and yellow plates).
In reply to Noddaz :
Same rule in Minnesota, you have to have one regular tagged vehicle in order to get collector plates. Years ago I had a neighbor who tried to get around the rules; she put collector plates on a rusty old Oldsmobile and got stopped and ticketed on a snowy, slushy day in January as the police rightly surmised it wasn't a collector car. 
In reply to stuart in mn :
Here in Tennessee, the rules are: "Per Tennessee Code Ann. § 55-4-111, a person may register a vehicle as an “antique motor vehicle” providing that certain requirements are satisfied. The vehicle must be over twenty-five (25) years old and with a non-modified engine and body and can only be used for general transportation on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays."
Displaying 1-5 of 5 commentsView all comments on the CMS forums
You'll need to log in to post.
