Did a 1929 Ford station wagon in California use passenger or commercial license plate

[Neil Mylar LakewoodCA]

I'd like to use YOM (year of manufacturer) 1929 California license plates on my 1929 Ford station wagon. Should they be passenger or commercial plates?

[ronn]

I believe they could be either.

Some were used commercially for hotels and such and some were bought privately.

so it should be your preference.

[JayJay]

In the late 1960s I had a 29 station wagon with passenger car plates. It had been used by a campground in the Sierra Nevada mountains, presumably from when new. I suspect that had it had commercial plates then it would have been very difficult to re-register with passenger plates.

[ModelA29]

Originally Posted by ronn

I believe they could be either.

Some were used commercially for hotels and such and some were bought privately.

so it should be your preference.

It didn't matter if the owner was a company it was by type. The wagon was a car not a truck. My 54 Sedan Delivery was classified as a truck since it wasn't designed to carry passengers like a station wagon - it boiled down to no rear side windows.


http://www.oldplateguy.com/YOM-Infor...-Vehicles.html

***Please note: Plates pictured below are passenger car plates. Truck / commercial vehicle plates have "PC" or "SC" stacked on the left side of the plate. These plates are very hard to find and we've heard the DMV will "generally" allow passenger car plates on trucks / commerical vehicles for YOM registration of model-years 1946 and prior. However, each office appears to do things differently so be prepared that you may be turned down when attempting to register a truck / commerical vehicle with passenger car plates for 1946 and earlier.

[ronn]

so a hotel being a business would list their wagons as passenger?

that doesnt pass the smell test for me........? Ive been wrong many times in life.

governments love to tax the h out of businesses.

[Charlie Stephens]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

The good news is that California will allow you to run passenger plates even if it originally required commercial plates due to the age of the vehicle.

Charlie Stephens

[ModelA29]

Originally Posted by ronn

so a hotel being a business would list their wagons as passenger?

that doesnt pass the smell test for me........? Ive been wrong many times in life.

governments love to tax the h out of businesses.

Station Wagons are "multipurpose" vehicles



A hotel that was not using the vehicle to carry passengers for hire like a taxi would not need a commercial license. It was a shuttle service to guests. Many companies provide "company cars" to employees and since they are not carrying passengers for hire those are registered at regular car rates in the company name.

But even privately owned pickups and windowless vans need commercial licenses today in CA - all part of the continual blood sucking this state engages in. A couple ways to beat them is a camper permanently mounted to your PU or your van converted to a camper, or registered to a handicapped person for 1/2 or 3/4 ton van/truck. The "commercial" part of a truck/van license is a weight fee based on the actual vehicle empty weight.


13.090 Passenger-Type Vehicles With Commercial Registration (VC §260)

A passenger-type vehicle that transports passengers “for hire” is required to be registered as a commercial vehicle and display commercial license plates. This includes a taxi, rental limousine, or ambulance that transport persons for compensation or profit.


Or you could do this to allow you to use loading zones?
13.085 Multipurpose Vehicles

Multipurpose vehicles are designed primarily as passenger vehicles, but also have a limited cargo carrying capability. For example, a Jeep, Bronco, Blazer, Scout, and Jimmy. Any of these vehicles with a permanently attached top may be issued auto or commercial license plates.

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by ModelA29

Station Wagons are "multipurpose" vehicles



A hotel that was not using the vehicle to carry passengers for hire like a taxi would not need a commercial license. It was a shuttle service to guests. Many companies provide "company cars" to employees and since they are not carrying passengers for hire those are registered at regular car rates in the company name.

But even privately owned pickups and windowless vans need commercial licenses today in CA - all part of the continual blood sucking this state engages in. A couple ways to beat them is a camper permanently mounted to your PU or your van converted to a camper, or registered to a handicapped person for 1/2 or 3/4 ton van/truck. The "commercial" part of a truck/van license is a weight fee based on the actual vehicle empty weight.


13.090 Passenger-Type Vehicles With Commercial Registration (VC §260)

A passenger-type vehicle that transports passengers “for hire” is required to be registered as a commercial vehicle and display commercial license plates. This includes a taxi, rental limousine, or ambulance that transport persons for compensation or profit.


Or you could do this to allow you to use loading zones?
13.085 Multipurpose Vehicles

Multipurpose vehicles are designed primarily as passenger vehicles, but also have a limited cargo carrying capability. For example, a Jeep, Bronco, Blazer, Scout, and Jimmy. Any of these vehicles with a permanently attached top may be issued auto or commercial license plates.

I live in Southern California and have a 1931 RDPU with passenger car plates. There is an exemption somewhere in the vehicle code that allows pre 1937 (I believe that is the correct cutoff year, but check me) commercial vehicles to be registered as passenger vehicles. Most local DMV offices don't know about it but you will find it is you call the DMV in Sacramento.

Charlie Stephens

[Y-Blockhead]

I don't know how it works nowadays but I had a Ford E-100 (½ ton) Econoline Van that had car plates. Car plates/registration was (are??) much cheaper than Commercial Plates.

[lrf]

I have a 2019 15 passenger van that had commercial plate on it. I went to DMV and said it was not going to be used commercially so they gave me the regular plates, saved on yearly registration AND my car insurance went down. LRF

[ronn]

29 thank you for that lengthy bit of info. Very detailed and informative.

so as I said from the start, this could go both ways, depending what you prefer and how much you want to spend.
government regulation is a wonderful thing, about 10% of the time. lol

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by ModelA29

But even privately owned pickups and windowless vans need commercial licenses today in CA - all part of the continual blood sucking this state engages in. A couple ways to beat them is a camper permanently mounted to your PU or your van converted to a camper, or registered to a handicapped person for 1/2 or 3/4 ton van/truck. The "commercial" part of a truck/van license is a weight fee based on the actual vehicle empty weight.

Used to be that you could put a shell on a pickup and then it could be classified as a “house car” and get passenger plates. My understanding is that to do that now the “house car” must include a permanently mounted toilet. Again, this is California, YMMV.

[CarlG]

Back in the mid '50s, I, as a 14 year old newsboy, bought a '31 Model A Ambulance (280A). I (& my dad) had to jump thru all kinds of hoops in order to get it titled in Arizona as anything other than a commercial truck. They wanted to charge me more than 3 times what I paid for the vehicle EVERY YEAR just for the tags. Installation of seats in the rear finally convinced the the county assessor to title it as a passenger vehicle. Body style on the new title stated "Country Squire".

[31 Woody]

I put passenger car plates on my late ‘31. No issues with registration and if it was supposed to be commercial…who is going to point that out to me? Nobody has as yet! Most people don’t even know what it is.

[51504bat]

My current '39 p/u has YOM passenger car plates. Just pay the YOM fee and the weight fees and everything is fine. Also had two '40 Ford big trucks with passenger car YOM plates same thing no issues.

[ModelA29]

CURRENT CA DMV LAW:
Note: the weight fee is the difference between regular and commercial plates.

9401.

(a) Motor vehicles manufactured in or prior to 1936, are exempted from the payment of the weight fees provided for in Section 9400.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), any person who owns and operates a commercial vehicle manufactured in or prior to 1936 which is registered to such person, may pay the appropriate weight fees, and the department shall issue license plates of the same type as are issued to vehicles which are required to pay weight fees for such vehicles.

(Added by Stats. 1980, Ch. 622, Sec. 3.)



9404.

(a) Station wagons, except those used in the transportation of passengers for hire, are exempted from the payment of weight fees provided for in Section 9400.

Any provision of this code notwithstanding, any person (1) who is bona fide engaged in a business and who owns and operates a station wagon which is registered in the name of such business, or (2) who is bona fide engaged in a business as an employee and who is required by such employment to own and operate a station wagon, which is registered to such person, may pay the appropriate weight fees, and the department shall issue license plates of the same type as are issued to vehicles which are required to pay weight fees.

(b) For purposes of this section, “engaged in a business” means engaged in a bona fide trade, business,, commerce, or in a profession in which the measurement of land, construction quantities, or the dimension of structures, is a function authorized to be performed by the license issued for such profession, but does not include being engaged in any other type of profession.

(Amended by Stats. 1975, Ch. 531.)