Untitled Document

Wisconsin

Disclaimer (a legal necessity)

The following information is intended for use only as a general guideline and we do not warrant the correctness of it. If you are intending to purchase a kit vehicle, assemble your own, build a hot rod or otherwise purchase a vehicle or vehicle components that are not already supplied with an official title, it is essential that you contact the appropriate authorities in your state or province.

Title

Hobby Vehicles Without A VIN

In the event your vehicle does not have a VIN you will need to have the state assign one. Unfortunately, there are no directions on the WDOT web site to do this and very little in the state regulations. However, Curt Rymkus, who sat on the state legislative committee which wrote the original Hobby Plate legislation, as well as all of the updates to those regulations, offers a solution. In a 2006 interview, he said that the process for obtaining a VIN for a street rod or hot rod is as follows:
a) Fill out and submit form MV2855 to the state DOT office. Include a written notation that the vehicle requires a new VIN.
b) The State office of DOT "should" respond with a request for copies of your receipts for all major components of the vehicle (engine, trans, body, frame etc.). This information is to insure that applicable sales taxes have been paid for all of your components. Copy and submit these receipts.
c) Once the receipts are submitted, the state DOT "should" respond by sending you a state assigned VIN already stamped on a metal plate.
d) The owner must attach the VIN to the vehicle as instructed by WDOT.
e) The owner must then schedule an appointment with a state or local police officer to inspect and certify the installation of the VIN. The officer will provide you with the form which he will complete.
f) Submit the inspection form to WDOT
g) Then continue the normal title/plate application process using form MV-1

Note the "shoulds" in the above description. Some local and state DOT employees as well as some State Police Officers have not been trained in this process and do NOT know how these applications are handled. So the applicant may need to make some follow up inquiries and/or phone calls if the state DOT does not seem to be responding properly.

Registration

Wisconsin offers lifetime, non-expiring, non-personalized hobbyist license plates to replicas, street-modified vehicles, and reconstructed vehicles, all of which must be at least 20 years old, or replicas of a vehicle that is at least 20 years old. These regulations are different from collector registrations, which are available for vehicles that haven't been altered or modified.

Emissions Testing

None for replicas or other hobbyist vehicles.

Contact

Website: www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/