Title And Registration

How to Apply for Title and Registration for a Custom Vehicle and Street Rod

Public Act 92-668 added the following definitions of custom vehicle and street rod to the Motor Vehicle Code:

Sec. 1-113.1. Custom vehicle. A motor vehicle that is at least 25 years of age and of a model year after 1948 or a vehicle that has been certified by an inspector of the National Street Rod Association, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, to be a custom vehicle manufactured to resemble a vehicle at least 25 years of age and of a model year after 1948 and has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from non-original materials and which is maintained for occasional transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours, and similar uses and which is not used for general daily transportation. (625 ILCS 5/1-113.1.)

Sec. 1-202.1. Street rod. A motor vehicle that is a 1948 or older vehicle or a vehicle that has been certified by an inspector of the National Street Rod Association, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, to be a street rod that was manufactured after 1948 to resemble a vehicle that was manufactured before 1949 and has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from non-original materials and which is maintained for occasional transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours, and similar uses and which is not used for general daily transportation. (625 ILCS 5/1-202.1.)

Set forth below are the procedures to be utilized when obtaining a title and/or registration for a custom vehicle or street rod. Either of the procedures may be utilized. These procedures can not be utilized when obtaining a title and/or registration for a motorcycle.

Procedure 1

For any vehicle which meets the definition of custom vehicle or street rod, an application may be submitted for a title only or for both a title and registration. The application must include:

• Source documentation for the body of the vehicle, including a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This documentation must be one of the following:
  1. A certificate of origin from the manufacturer of the body, if a new body is being utilized (e.g., as in a kit car); or
  2. A title for the vehicle from which the body was obtained for the custom vehicle or street rod; or
  3. The applicant may apply for title without ownership documentation with bills of sales utilizing the bonding procedures set forth at section 3-109 of the Vehicle Code. 625 ILCS 5/3-109.
• All applications must include a completed certification by a NSRA inspector.
• Applicants must pay all applicable fees and sales taxes.
• The "make" of the vehicle on the title and registration will be the same as the manufacturer of the body (e.g., "Ford" if the custom vehicle or street rod is built from a Ford body, or "Superformance" if the custom vehicle or street rod is built from a kit with a body from that manufacturer).
• The "model" listed on the title/registration will be "replica" if the vehicle is constructed from a kit. If the vehicle is constructed from an original equipment manufacturer's body, the model will be the model designation given by the manufacturer (e.g., the model listed on the title for a customized 1960 Buick LeSabre will be "LeSabre").
• The "year" listed on the title/registration will be the year the vehicle is designed to resemble (e.g., a custom vehicle or street rod built from a 1932 Ford will have the year "1932"; a kit car built to resemble a 1965 Cobra will have the year "1965" rather than the year the body kit was manufactured).
• The VIN listed on the title/registration will be the VIN shown on the body. (If this VIN does not conform to the layout of current manufacturer's VINs, the Secretary of State computer program will be overridden and the VIN that appears on the body will be entered.)
• The body style listed on the title/registration will be the actual body style of the completed custom vehicle or street rod (e.g., coupe, sedan, convertible).
• At the time of the initial application for the title, the applicant must provide source documentation for the engine and chassis, including VINs. All above documentation must be forwarded to the Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, 501 S. 2nd. Street, Room 609, Springfield, IL 62756. The owner of a vehicle titled or registered as a custom vehicle or street rod may be required to present the vehicle at a Secretary of State Police Department facility for inspection. At the time of the inspection the owner must present all bills of sale or other ownership documents for essential parts of the vehicle, including the engine and chassis (if source documentation is different from documentation for the body). If an inspection is required, the Secretary of State Police will contact the owner about scheduling an inspection appointment.

Procedure 2

Custom vehicles or street rods may be titled and/or registered using the procedures for specially constructed vehicles. Specially constructed vehicles are defined as:

Sec. 1-192. Specially constructed vehicle. Every vehicle of a type required to be registered hereunder that: (a) has been materially altered from its original construction by the removal, addition or substitution of essential parts; or (b) was not originally constructed under a distinctive name by a generally recognized manufacturer of vehicles. (625 ILCS 5/1-192.)

To use this process, the applicant must forward 3 photos of the completed vehicle-front, side and rear views-along with the title for the chassis and all bills of sale or other ownership documents for any essential parts of the vehicles, or a certificate of origin from the manufacturer if the vehicle was assembled entirely from a kit. Accompanying this material must be a completed title application with a check made out to the Secretary of State for $65 (if only a title is being requested) or completed title and registration applications along with a check for $143, and the appropriate sales tax form with a check made out to the Illinois Department of Revenue for the amount of sales tax due. Forward all of the above to: Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, 501 S. 2nd. Street, Room 609, Springfield, IL 62756. After the paperwork has been approved the Secretary of State Police will contact the applicant about scheduling an inspection appointment.