Montana Code 61-3-213. Certificate of title — custom vehicle, street rod, kit vehicle, or specially constructed vehicle
61-3-213. Certificate of title — custom vehicle, street rod, kit vehicle, or specially constructed vehicle. (1) When a person applies for a certificate of title for a custom vehicle or street rod and a certificate of title is issued or an electronic record of title is created pursuant to this chapter, the certificate of title or electronic record of title must provide:
Terms Used In Montana Code 61-3-213
- Certificate of title: means the paper record issued by the department or by the appropriate agency of another jurisdiction that establishes a verifiable record of ownership between an identified person or persons and the motor vehicle specifically described in the record and that provides notice of a perfected security interest in the motor vehicle. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Custom vehicle: means a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle that:
(a)(i) was manufactured with a model year after 1948 and that is at least 25 years old; or
(ii)was built to resemble a vehicle manufactured after 1948 and at least 25 years before the current calendar year, including a kit vehicle intended to resemble a vehicle manufactured after 1948 and that is at least 25 years old; and
(b)has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from nonoriginal materials. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Department: means the department of justice acting directly or through its duly authorized officers or agents. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Donor: The person who makes a gift.
- Frame: means the structure that supports the automobile body and other external component parts. See Montana Code 61-3-210
- Kit vehicle: is a motor vehicle assembled from a manufactured kit either as:
(a)a complete kit, consisting of a prefabricated body and chassis, to construct a new motor vehicle; or
(b)a kit with a prefabricated body to be mounted to an existing motor vehicle chassis and drivetrain, commonly referred to as a donor vehicle. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Manufacturer: includes any person engaged in the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, pole trailers, travel trailers, motorboats, sailboats, snowmobiles, or off-highway vehicles as a regular business. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, state agency, local government unit, another state government, the United States, a political subdivision of this or another state, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Specially constructed vehicle: means a motor vehicle, including a motorcycle, that:
(i)was not originally constructed under a distinctive make, model, or type by a generally recognized manufacturer of motor vehicles;
(ii)has been structurally modified so that it does not have the same appearance as similar vehicles from a generally recognized manufacturer of motor vehicles;
(iii)has been constructed or assembled entirely from custom-built parts and materials not obtained from other vehicles;
(iv)has been constructed or assembled by using major component parts from one or more manufactured vehicles and that cannot be identified as a specific make or model; or
(v)has been constructed by the use of a kit that cannot be visually identified as a specific make or model. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Street: means the entire width between the boundary lines of every publicly maintained way when any part of the publicly maintained way is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Street rod: means a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, that:
(a)was manufactured prior to 1949 or was built to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949, including a kit vehicle intended to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949; and
(b)has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from nonoriginal materials. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Vehicle: means a device in, on, or by which any person or property may be transported or drawn on a public highway, except devices moved by animal power or used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Vehicle identification number: means the number, letters, or combination of numbers and letters assigned by the manufacturer, by the department, or in accordance with the laws of another state or country for the purpose of identifying the motor vehicle or a component part of the motor vehicle. See Montana Code 61-1-101
(a)the model year and year of manufacture of the body of the vehicle that the custom vehicle or street rod resembles as the model year and year of manufacture for the custom vehicle or street rod;
(b)a vehicle description of the custom vehicle or street rod if the vehicle is a custom vehicle built to resemble a vehicle manufactured after 1948 and at least 25 years before the current calendar year or a street rod built to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949; and
(c)if there is no manufacturer‘s certificate of origin for the custom vehicle or street rod, the vehicle identification number from the chassis or frame of the custom vehicle or street rod or a state-assigned vehicle identification number.
(2)When a person applies for a certificate of title for a kit vehicle, excluding a kit vehicle that qualifies as a custom vehicle or street rod, and a certificate of title is issued or an electronic record of title is created pursuant to this chapter, the certificate of title or electronic record of title must list:
(a)the model year and year of manufacture as contained on the manufacturer’s certificate of origin for the kit vehicle or, if a manufacturer’s certificate of origin does not exist, the calendar year in which application for title was made;
(b)a vehicle description of the kit vehicle; and
(c)in the absence of a manufacturer’s certificate of origin for the kit vehicle, the vehicle identification number from the chassis or frame of the donor vehicle or a state-assigned vehicle identification number.
(3)When a person applies for a certificate of title for a specially constructed vehicle and a certificate of title is issued or an electronic record of title is created pursuant to this chapter, the certificate of title or electronic record of title must list:
(a)the model year and year of manufacture as the calendar year in which application for title was made;
(b)a vehicle description, as determined by the department, of the assembled or custom-built vehicle; and
(c)the vehicle identification number, if any, from the chassis or frame of the vehicle or a state-assigned vehicle identification number.
(4)Prior to assignment of a state-assigned vehicle identification number or to confirm a vehicle identification number from the chassis or frame of a custom vehicle, street rod, or specially constructed vehicle, the department may require a vehicle inspection.