Tex. Transp. Code § 504.501 · Subchapter F. SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES WITH RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION AND REGULAR LICENSE PLATE FEES
CLASSIC MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAVEL TRAILERS; CUSTOM VEHICLES; STREET RODS.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) The department shall issue specialty license plates for a motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old or is a custom vehicle or street rod. The license plates must include the word or words "Classic," "Custom Vehicle," or "Street Rod," or a similar designation, as appropriate.
(b) A person eligible for the license plates may instead use license plates that are:
(1) embossed with an alphanumeric pattern;
(2) of a plate design that was issued by this state in the same year as the model year of the vehicle; and
(3) approved for use by the department.
(b-1) The department may require the attachment of a registration insignia to a license plate described by Subsection (b) in a manner that does not affect the display of information originally on the license plate.
(c) There is no fee for issuance or approval of license plates under this section.
(d) Notwithstanding Chapter 547, a custom vehicle or street rod eligible to receive license plates under this section is not required to be equipped with a specific piece of equipment unless the specific piece of equipment was required by statute as a condition of sale during the year listed as the model year on the certificate of title.
(e) On initial registration of a custom vehicle or street rod, the owner must provide proof, acceptable to the department, that the custom vehicle or street rod passed a safety inspection that has been approved by the department. The department shall create a safety inspection process for inspecting custom vehicles and street rods.
(f) In this section:
(1) "Custom vehicle" means a vehicle:
(A) that is:
(i) at least 25 years old and of a model year after 1948; or
(ii) manufactured to resemble a vehicle that is at least 25 years old and of a model year after 1948; and
(B) that:
(i) has been altered from the manufacturer's original design; or
(ii) has a body constructed from materials not original to the vehicle.
(2) "Street rod" means a vehicle:
(A) that was manufactured:
(i) before 1949; or
(ii) after 1948 to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949; and
(B) that:
(i) has been altered from the manufacturer's original design; or
(ii) has a body constructed from materials not original to the vehicle.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1320, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1136 (H.B. 2553), Sec. 32, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 729 (H.B. 890), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 729 (H.B. 890), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1296 (H.B. 2357), Sec. 195(a), eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 876 (H.B. 3068), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.504.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 405a18bc5353dfb601eddc3f9a19e101657c37b0ef1aa001e60b8e174f1f02bd
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Transportation Code
Cited by 10 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Transp. Code § 504.501. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 382.209LOW-INCOME VEHICLE REPAIR ASSISTANCE, RETROFIT, AND ACCELERATED VEHICLE RETIREMENT PROGRAM.Printed as Section 504.501 or 504.502, Transportation Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 382.213DISPOSITION OF RETIRED VEHICLE.Printed as Section 504.501 or 504.502, Transportation Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 773.017USE OF CERTAIN EXTERNAL MOTOR VEHICLE MARKINGS OR FEATURES PROHIBITED; CRIMINAL OFFENSE.Printed as Section 504.501 or 504.502, Transportation Code
Transportation Code
- Tex. Transp. Code § 501.038CERTIFICATE OF TITLE FOR CUSTOM VEHICLE OR STREET ROD.Printed as Section 504.501
- Tex. Transp. Code § 501.146TITLE TRANSFER; LATE FEE.Printed as Section 504.501
- Tex. Transp. Code § 502.001DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 504.501
- Tex. Transp. Code § 504.202VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES.Printed as Section 504.501 or 504.502
- Tex. Transp. Code § 504.2025PEACE OFFICERS WITH DISABILITIES.Printed as Section 504.501 or 504.502
- Tex. Transp. Code § 731.001DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 504.501
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.