MGB & GT Forum

Anyone have any experience running non-North Carolina year of manufacture tags?

Several B's in the area run vintage British license plates and I was wondering if there are any issues with doing the same on mine. North Carolina has a year of manufacture clause that allows for YOM tags on cars 35 years old or older. The numbers do not have to be registered with DMV, but the current, valid, North Carolina plate must be kept in the vehicle and shown upon request. The law does not specify that the YOM tag must be a NC tag, but it does not explicitly state is can be something else either. Anyone have any experience or anecdotes on the subject? I have a very nice tag from Scotland that would love to find a home on the rear bumper, and if you've seen NC's "new" red-lettered license plates, you may agree with me that they are particularly unattractive!

Don't have an answer to running "other than NC tag"; but I do run a 1970 NC tag on my '70B and have passed many police thinking I would be pulled and it has yet to happen....

I run a 66 on my 66 and have never had any problems.

You may want to call the SHP and the DMV to get this cleared up before you decide to put it on the car. By the way, you know you will get 2 different answers for both departments.

<<You may want to call the SHP and the DMV to get this cleared up before you decide to put it on the car. By the way, you know you will get 2 different answers for both departments.>>

Yeah, I figured the answers I got there would probably be less accurate than the ones I got from here! Plus, I don't really want them to think about it too much. I suspect that YOM will go away, or at least be revamped, around here in the not so distant future. We are on the verge of getting our first toll road, and it will be "toll booth less" from the perspective that tolls will be either EZPASS or cameras that take a photo of the license plate and mail a bill. Since those unregistered YOM plates do not allow for billing... well you see the problem. Plus there is this proliferation of red light cameras...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-09 10:42 AM by Tahitiblue.

I was wondering how you were running with that UK tag on your GT, Steve! I dunno the answer either, but I would love to find out. My Mini has its original UK front tag but its running the standard NC plate (well, a vanity plate: "'71 Mini" in the back. It would be cool to get a copy of its front tag to put on the back and only run with that.

Cheers!

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-Desmond Mullen

I forgot about the redlight cameras!!! Guess I can speed right through those now....

I have always ran YOM tags on all my cars. It is perfectly legal, but expect to get pulled over and delayed. I have been pulled over for the tag more times than I can count in 3 different MGBs. I was never pulled over for it in my Karmann Ghia or in my Metropolitan though. Not all law enforcement officers know the law, so expect to have to deal with that issue if you do get pulled. Only twice has the officer known the law and was just doublechecking to make sure I was legal. After all the times I've been pulled for it, I'm convinced it has something to do with me being a longhaired teenager driving a small LBC. You may never get pulled for it, but know that it is something to take into consideration.

I have never been issued a ticket or even a warning, but it has delayed me for up to 30 minutes while they check it all out.

I made a copy of the NC statute and keep it in my MG notebook that stays in the car...

Here you go......


North Carolina Year of Manufacture Tag Law

One of the little known facts about displaying a license plate in North Carolina is that if your vehicle is old enough, you can display the tag that was issued the year the vehicle was made instead of the one assigned to the current vehicle registration. In general, you have to have the current tag available to show to somebody when they ask for it (put the tag in the glovebox, trunk, or under the seat), your vehicle has to be at least thirty-five years old, and the tag that you use has to have the year stamped into the metal and this year has to be the same as the year the vehicle was manufactured.

The complete text of G.S. 20-63(d) reads:

"Registration plates issued for a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle, trailer, or semitrailer shall be attached thereto, one in the front and the other in the rear: Provided, that when only one registration plate is issued for a motor vehicle other than a truck-tractor, said registration plate shall be attached to the rear of the motor vehicle. The registration plate issued for a truck-tractor shall be attached to the front thereof. Provided further, that when only one registration plate is issued for a motor vehicle and this motor vehicle is transporting a substance that may adhere to the plate so as to cover or discolor the plate or if the motor vehicle has a mechanical loading device that may damage the plate, the registration plate may be attached to the front of the motor vehicle.

Any motor vehicle of the age of 35 years or more from the date of manufacture may bear the license plates of the year of manufacture instead of the current registration plates, if the current registration plates are maintained within the vehicle and produced upon the request of any person.

The Division shall provide registered owners of motorcycles and motorcycle trailers with suitably reduced size registration plates."

It is a good idea to keep a copy of this paragraph of the general stature handy in your vehicle along with the tag of current registration just in case somebody isn't up to date and tries to give you a hard time about the one that you have bolted onto the vehicle. Having the year of manufacture tag not only can help provide the correct "look" for an antique, it can serve as a subtle way to answer that question of "what year is it?".

The complete text of all of the North Carolina General Statutes (including the motor vehicle chapter 20) may be found at: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Statutes/Statutes.html

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LOL! NOT! :-)

I'm laughing because the vanity plate on my '71 Mini says (pay attention here), " '71 Mini ". And what do you think is one of the most common questions I get (usually when people are looking at the back of the car)? Yep, you guessed it! "What year is that?"

Moral of the story: Even a not-so-subtle answer to "what year is it" doesn't seem to work very well. LOL!

:-)

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-Desmond Mullen

I was stopped at a light in my 1940 Ford Coupe with a rear specialty tag that reads "4T Ford" when someone pulled up beside me and said "neat, what year is it?". I guess the moral of this story is, if you can't read, just ask!

Bill

Rocky Mount

Here is a picture of Danny Jacob's plate. He lives in North Wilkesboro,NC

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Gary

Murphy's law

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe, and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it, and he'll have to touch it to be sure.

We run NC YOM tags on all our classic cars and have never been pulled over.

I agree that it is a good idea to have a copy of the DMV statute in the car with you, as well as the registration and "legal" plate.

I have a 1970 NC plate on my car. I keep the issued plate and copy of the NC law under the seat.