PRINTER'S NO. 3625
No. 2617 Session of 1988
INTRODUCED BY MAYERNIK, CIVERA, MICOZZIE AND SAURMAN, JULY 5,
1988
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JULY 5, 1988
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, further providing for the issuance of registration
3 plates.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Sections 1331, 1332 and 1333 of Title 75 of the
7 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended to read:
8 § 1331. Issuance of registration plates.
9 (a) Department to provide plates.--[Registration] Two
10 registration plates shall be provided by the department for each
11 registered vehicle, other than a trailer, semitrailer,
12 motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or motorized pedalcycle, for
13 which one registration plate shall be provided.
14 (b) Information on plate.--Every registration plate shall
15 have displayed upon it the identifying numbers or letters
16 assigned to the vehicle, the name of the Commonwealth, which may
17 be abbreviated, and any other data the department may deem
18 necessary.
1 (c) Temporary registration plates.--The department shall
2 provide temporary registration plates for use on vehicles which
3 are to be removed from this Commonwealth or for use as necessary
4 pending issuance of permanent registration plates.
5 (d) Reflectorizing material on plate.--All registration
6 plates, except temporary plates, shall [be treated with
7 reflectorizing material] bear 100% reflective identifying
8 numbers and letters on a reflective background and shall be made
9 from steel manufactured in Pennsylvania, in accordance with
10 standards approved by the department.
11 (e) Issuance of plates by agents.--The department may
12 deliver registration plates, other than special plates, to
13 designated agents who shall have the authority to issue them in
14 conjunction with the issuance of temporary registration cards.
15 (f) Reference to plate.--The terms "registration plate" or
16 "plate," when used in this title, include registration plates or
17 plates.
18 § 1332. Display of registration [plate] plates.
19 (a) General rule.--Every registration plate shall, at all
20 times, be securely fastened to the vehicle to which it is
21 assigned or on which its use is authorized, one on the front,
22 the other on the rear, in accordance with regulations
23 promulgated by the department.
24 (b) Obscuring plate.--It is unlawful to display on any
25 vehicle a registration plate which is so dirty as to prevent the
26 reading of the number or letters thereon at a reasonable
27 distance or is otherwise illegible at a reasonable distance or
28 is obscured in any manner.
29 § 1333. Lost, stolen, damaged or illegible registration plate.
30 (a) Application for new plate.--The registrant of the
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1 vehicle shall within 48 hours of discovering the loss, theft or
2 defacement of one or both registration plates apply to the
3 department for [a new plate] new plates and report the loss or
4 theft of a plate or plates to the police.
5 (b) Substitute registration.--Where the registration plate
6 [has] or plates have been lost or stolen and in any other case
7 in which the department may deem it advisable, the original
8 registration shall be cancelled and substitute registration
9 issued under a new registration number other than that
10 originally issued. Upon receipt of substitute registration, it
11 shall be the duty of the registrant to return the old
12 registration plates and card to the department, unless lost or
13 destroyed.
14 (c) Affidavit to avoid penalty.--No owner or operator of a
15 vehicle shall be subject to a fine for the reason that [the
16 registration plate is] one or both registration plates are
17 missing if they have in their possession an affidavit that the
18 plate [was] or plates were lost or stolen and that application
19 for new [plate or] plates was made within 48 hours as required
20 in this section.
21 Section 3. No previously issued registration plates shall be
22 renewed after December 31, 1988. All registration plates issued
23 on or after January 1, 1989, shall comply with the provisions of
24 this act.
25 Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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