PRINTER'S NO. 877
No. 774 Session of 1975
INTRODUCED BY D. S. HAYES, GREEN, SALVATORE, ZELLER, SIRIANNI,
NOYE, BELLOMINI, BURNS, TURNER, PERRY, DOMBROWSKI AND POLITE,
MARCH 18, 1975
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, MARCH 19, 1975
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of April 29, 1959 (P.L.58, No.32), entitled "An
2 act consolidating and revising the Vehicle Code, the Tractor
3 Code, the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Act and
4 other acts relating to the ownership, possession and use of
5 vehicles and tractors," requiring registration plates to have
6 numbers indicating the registered owner's county.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 501, act of April 29,
10 1959 (P.L.58, No.32), known as "The Vehicle Code," amended
11 December 1, 1970 (P.L.821, No.268), is amended to read:
12 Section 501. Registration Plates to be Furnished by
13 Department.--
14 * * *
15 (b) Such registration plates may be made of metal or other
16 suitable material, and each plate shall have displayed upon it
17 the registration number assigned to the vehicle or tractor for
18 the current year, the name of the Commonwealth, which may be
19 abbreviated, [and any other identification the department may
1 deem necessary] a number which shall designate the county of the
2 registered owner, these numbers to be in sequence, first with
3 Philadelphia, second with Allegheny, third with Erie, fourth
4 with Crawford, and the remainder as the secretary shall
5 designate. The department may require any other identification
6 that it deems necessary. When the owner of a vehicle changes his
7 address to another county, the department shall issue a new
8 registration number and plate for the vehicle when the vehicle
9 is registered or the registration is renewed. The registration
10 list arranged by counties shall be distributed to all State
11 Police officers, sheriffs and local law enforcement officers.
12 The required letters and numerals on such plate or plates shall
13 be not more than five (5) inches in height, to be plainly
14 legible from a distance of one hundred (100) feet during
15 daylight, except that the required letters and figures on
16 motorcycle, motorcycle dealer, and bicycle with motor attached,
17 plates shall be not more than three and one-half (3 1/2) inches
18 in height. To promote safety and to facilitate the
19 identification of plate letters and numerals at night, the
20 department shall require that all registration plates, beginning
21 with the first general issuance subsequent to 1971, shall be
22 treated with special materials so as to make the background
23 fully reflective and the letters and numerals thereon readable
24 at night for a minimum distance of one hundred (100) feet with
25 other illumination, and upon issuance of such reflectorized
26 registration plates the department may charge a fee not to
27 exceed five cents (5¢) above actual cost in addition to all
28 other fees which may be required.
29 * * *
30 Section 2. This act shall take effect March 15, 1976.
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