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DMV proposes limited registrations for specialty vehicles under exhibition rules
Summary
The DMV told the House Transportation committee it supports a pathway for specialty kit and exhibition vehicles to register under existing exhibition/antique plates, with limited-use rules, emission exemptions for certain engines and a small cap intended to balance federal certification costs and local demand.
Lieutenant Jeremy Shurns of Vermont DMV Enforcement and Safety told the House Transportation Committee on April 15 that the department supports a proposed definition and registration pathway to allow certain specialty vehicles—kit cars, homemade builds and other limited-use vehicles—to register under existing exhibition or antique-plate categories rather than requiring a new specialty plate.
Shurns said the draft language leans toward using exhibition plates and existing limited-use rules to avoid creating a new plate type, which would keep administrative costs down. “I believe we don't need to create a specialty vehicle plate. It fits based on this language with the requirements for antique vehicle plates and exhibitions very limited in scope,” he said.
The proposal would impose use limits (members discussed a one-day-a-week restriction) and includes provisions that would exempt some vehicles from standard emissions requirements because engine configurations can require costly federal recertification. Shurns told the committee that the department advised a conservative cap drawn from a population-scaled comparison to a California model; the draft references a starting point of 12 limited-use certificates. Committee members asked whether those certificates are annual, renewable or a multi-year cap; testimony included a reference that the limitation is “12 years” in the current draft.
Committee members pressed practical concerns: how officers would enforce one-day-a-week restrictions, how the exhibition rule would apply if a vehicle travels across long distances to shows, and whether the limited pathway would invite manufacturers to register vehicles in Vermont. Shurns said enforcement would be resource-intensive—requiring research into trips, events and corroborating materials such as event brochures—and that federal compliance (especially emissions and engine certification) constrains what the state can authorize.
The hearing also addressed tax and fee treatment: the DMV said purchase-tax treatment would follow normal personal-vehicle calculations (6% was stated for personal vehicle tax) and that the registration pathway is intended to allow limited in-state registration while recognizing broader federal processes for VIN verification and manufacturing certification.
Next steps: The DMV said it is comfortable with the current language and will work with legislative counsel on drafting clarifications; the committee did not move or vote on an amendment during the session.
