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New Michigan License Plate Law for MV's Passes

Flyingvan911

Well-known member
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Location
Kansas City, MO
Ditto the regular tag. Missouri's historic plates also have a bunch of restrictions. A 24K plate is $100 bucks a year and I can drive the truck as much as I want. Glad the officer was nice. Another example of how mutual respect wins the day.
 

74M35A2

Well-known member
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Location
Livonia, MI
There is a clause in the Michigan historical plate code that says you are permitted to drive the vehicle after any repair event performed to the vehicle. This is a pretty deliberate loop hole to allow daily driving of such vehicles.

I'm in MI and run a GVW plate on my 925A2. It costs $432/yr to do so, but then at least I am not at the varying discretion of each officer that I would interface with. In the 5,000 miles I have put on the truck in 2 years, I have not been pulled over in it, yet. The only single code I am knowingly breaking is a license plate light. I have it installed, but not yet connected. Have not had any legal issues with it, yet.

WildChild467 runs a historical MI plate which is not on his truck (in map box), M35A2. I believe he has been stopped, but only for not displaying the plate, of which he has the code printed out and shows them and they release him. Nobody has mentioned the historical plate issue to him that I know of, and he drives it more often than I drive mine.

I don't believe you can run a 24k plate and keep it in the glovebox, legally, in MI. Unless my understanding is not correct, that would only be for the historical plate on an MV of 25 years old or more.
 
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104
12
18
Location
Otisville/MI
last weekend my wife an I participated in escorting the traveling wall along with the MIMVPA and 400 motorcycles.(wich was pretty **** cool) the following Monday on my way to work I passed the same Michigan state trooper I see in the same spot twice a week. sometimes I have my plate on and sometimes not. This time I could see he was waiting faceing out car running foot on brake. he pulled out behind me lit me up. then when he got to my cucv he instantly turned into Gunnery sgt Hartman from Full metal jacket. He did the full drill sgt routine even calling me sergeant. but he Knew there was NO SUCH LAW. He would not even let me show him a copy of the NO SUCH LAW . finally after he yelled for no less than 10 minutes I told him to just write the ticket so I could get to work.
The next day 8:30 am I am at the courthouse. next I am at state police post talking to the post commander with a copy of the law that DOSE NOT EXIST he all but called me a liar then went to hic computer and printed out a copy exectly like mine of the law that DOSE NOT EXIST. then demanded to see pictures of the cucv witch I showed him. not good enough. I did not have a picture of the place where the plate can not mount(pintel hitch). The next day the trooper was parked in his spot so I HAD to roll up and make sure he got word the law DOSE EXIST. This time he was almost nice. but he said the paint job was not a known DOD camo pattern.(keep in mind the cucv is the one in my avatar) to wich I had to inform him it was in 1982 and to google DUAL TEX
Tomorrow I think I will bring him a Jelly Doughnut...
I swapped CUCVs with bigflew a few weeks ago and have already been stopped for no plates mounted on vehicle (the one in his avatar). Showed the local leo copy of law, he thanked me for the info said he liked the Blazer and have a good day. I imagine I will be stopped many times in the future.
 

Bob H

Well-known member
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Huron National Forest, Michigan USA
The only specific in the historical plate rules is
" A vehicle registered with a historical or authentic plate cannot be used for routine, day-to-day transportation."

The plate law this thread is about has nothing to do with the Historic Plate use regulations.

74M35A2
any type of registration not just historical registration.
"As used in this subsection, "historic military vehicle" means a vehicle, including a trailer, regardless of the vehicle's size, weight, or year of manufacture, that was manufactured for use in any country's military forces and is maintained to represent its military design and markings accurately."
 

bigflew

Member
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Location
alpena michigan
I swapped CUCVs with bigflew a few weeks ago and have already been stopped for no plates mounted on vehicle (the one in his avatar). Showed the local leo copy of law, he thanked me for the info said he liked the Blazer and have a good day. I imagine I will be stopped many times in the future.
Hows that 1009working out? The 1031 is going to work out well for me.
 
104
12
18
Location
Otisville/MI
Hows that 1009working out? The 1031 is going to work out well for me.
Great, it is now my daily drive as long as I am not chauffeuring the wife or brother-in-law. I think we have a win - win situation. I now need to repaint my M101a2 to match it. What paint and colors did you use on the Blazer? PM me if you have the data.
 

bigflew

Member
202
15
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Location
alpena michigan
thats funny I was just thinking of repainting my 101 to match the humvee and 1031.
1009 was an old carc paint. you would probably be better off using the Behr paint.
 

Chairbornrangerx

New member
25
1
0
Location
Michigan
Just did some thread searching about plate locations because I just got my MV M35 about 4 weeks ago now, and I was thinking to myself "I wonder where people are mounting their plates".

I only read through page 1 of this thread so far, so I'll go read the other 7, but good to know! I'll just keep the plate up in the cab for now.
 

Chairbornrangerx

New member
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Location
Michigan
Okay after reading through now I'm even more confused. I didn't really question the title when I got the truck, but now it makes me wonder if I should try to get it changed. My Deuce is titled as a station wagon... so I just have a regular blue/white plate. Do I need to mount my plate on the back, or can I keep it in the glove box? I'm thinking of just doing a magnet setup
 

porkysplace

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Steel Soldiers Supporter
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mid- michigan
Okay after reading through now I'm even more confused. I didn't really question the title when I got the truck, but now it makes me wonder if I should try to get it changed. My Deuce is titled as a station wagon... so I just have a regular blue/white plate. Do I need to mount my plate on the back, or can I keep it in the glove box? I'm thinking of just doing a magnet setup
How did you get it titled as a station wagon ?
It should either have a GVW plate or historic plate since it weighs over 10,000 pounds . The MPSC out of the Tri-City post will confiscate a improper plate and impound the truck until you get the correct plates . They got my brother with a 1 ton dually pick-up that the box rusted out on and we installed a flatbed .
 

Chairbornrangerx

New member
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Location
Michigan
Guy I got the deuce from already had it titled as a station wagon, I simply went to the SoS and changed it to my name...

I was debating at the time on having that conversation at the SoS with someone about changing it. I guess I was worried about it being a huge PITA and costing a ton of money up front to get it correct so I just got the title changed to me. Has anyone here in MI had to change their title? Maybe on one of my next days off work I'll go over to the local SoS when it isn't so busy and talk to them about it. I'm all for having the correct title/plate, I just hope it wont' cost me an arm and a leg.
 

porkysplace

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mid- michigan
Guy I got the deuce from already had it titled as a station wagon, I simply went to the SoS and changed it to my name...

I was debating at the time on having that conversation at the SoS with someone about changing it. I guess I was worried about it being a huge PITA and costing a ton of money up front to get it correct so I just got the title changed to me. Has anyone here in MI had to change their title? Maybe on one of my next days off work I'll go over to the local SoS when it isn't so busy and talk to them about it. I'm all for having the correct title/plate, I just hope it wont' cost me an arm and a leg.
$500 a year for a 24,000# gvw plate for unrestricted use , it's all about money .
 

74M35A2

Well-known member
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Location
Livonia, MI
I am finally starting to understand this, maybe, please check my thinking:Historic military vehicle: ex-military vehicle which is now in civilian hands, regardless of year of manufacture (does or does not have to be 25 years old?). Historic registration: historic license plate. Historic plate or GVW plate can both be kept in vehicle while operating if vehicle had no original provisions for plate mount? I run a GVW plate now for $500 a year because I don't want it to be up to the discretion of a police officer of whether I can be driving my 925A2 or not. I would love to be saving that $, but I have heard and seen vehicles being towed away from what an officer believes is a non-official event, including Woodward Dream Cruise. Sure, he may be wrong, but he just spoiled your day/evening, and now you need to recover your vehicle, towing fees (for a 5 ton, ouch), court date to explain your way out of it, etc.... I do believe there is a provision in the historic plate usage that includes a "test drive" after repair work was done. I'll probably stay with my mud flap mounted $500 GVW plate, because I have put 7,000 miles on it in Michigan in the past 3 years, and never been pulled over even once yet. Would be cool to keep plate in truck only, but then I envision myself in a roadside disagreement with an officer of the difference between a historic military vehicle, and a historic registration (plate). I really need to fix my paragraph formatting. It is fine in draft, then jambs it all together when I hit "reply", sorry.
 
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MatthewH

Member
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Location
Boyne City Mi
Keep a copy of the law in the glove box with the plate. If/when asked about no plate, present the copy of the law and kindly inform them, since its a newer law, alot of officers dont know about it. I've run into this a few times last year, pulled over for no plate on both trucks and trailers. Explained the law, as well as present a copy, they double check, good to go.
In terms of a title for a M35, I just picked up one last fall, its titled as a stake truck, has been for years, and the previous owner ran a historical plate on it. I may run a gvw plate since I plan to use it for more than just parades and show.
 
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