La. R.S. 47:463.8 — Antique license plates and license plates for antique motor vehicles and motorcycles

A.(1) The secretary shall establish and issue special license plates for antique motor
vehicles, including both pickup trucks and trucks with a gross weight in excess of six
thousand pounds, and motorcycles, which are thirty-five years old or older, and shall
establish and issue symbols for antique license plates. To obtain such plates and symbols, an
applicant shall provide to the secretary a notarized affidavit that the vehicle or motorcycle
has not been and will not be materially altered or modified from the original manufacturer's
specifications. In addition, such vehicle or motorcycle shall be used primarily for special
occasions such as exhibitions, club activities, parades, or other functions of the public
interest, or for necessary testing, maintenance, and storage purposes. The plates shall be
available upon application through the applicant's local licensing bureau.
(2) These license plates for antique motor vehicles shall be used in lieu of the regular
motor vehicle registration license plates and shall be issued for the life of the vehicle. Such
plates may be issued as antique personalized prestige plates for motor vehicles only in the
style for personalized prestige plates authorized by R.S. 47:463.2, and such plates shall be
used in lieu of the regular motor vehicle registration license plates and shall be issued for the
life of the vehicle. The plates shall become permanent to the vehicle on which the plates are
issued and shall be transferred with the vehicle if it is sold upon payment of established
transfer fees. Alternatively, the secretary may allow antique license plates to be used on an
antique motor vehicle if the owner of the vehicle presents the antique license plates to the
secretary for approval and the antique license plates were issued by this state in the same year
as the model year of the motor vehicle. The license plates issued for antique motorcycles
shall be used in lieu of the regular registration license plates and shall be issued for the life
of the motorcycle.
B.(1)(a) Beginning January 1, 2025, and thereafter, except as provided in
Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph, the fee for issuing special plates for antique motor
vehicles or motorcycles shall be a one-time fee of twenty-five dollars and a one-time fee of
fifty dollars for the personalized prestige plates.
(b) Beginning July 1, 2025, and thereafter, the fee for issuing special plates for
antique motor vehicles which qualify for the sales and use tax exemption in R.S. 47:305.25
shall be one thousand dollars.
(2) The fee for issuing the license plates provided for in this Section to trucks with
a gross vehicle weight in excess of six thousand pounds shall be the same as for other antique
motor vehicles.
(3) The fee for transferring a special license plate for an antique motor vehicle or an
antique license plate to a subsequent owner of the vehicle shall be three dollars.
(4) Vehicles shall be registered as antique, classic, or vintage, upon application for
registration and payment of the one-time fee. When the applicant provides a notarized
statement that the vehicle being registered has not been used on a public highway during a
period of non-registration, fees and penalties for that period shall not be assessed.
C.(1) In addition to the plates issued as provided in Subsections A and B of this
Section, the secretary shall establish and issue collector plates for special interest vehicles.
The vehicles shall be used primarily for special occasions such as exhibitions, club activities,
parades, and other functions of public interest, or for necessary testing, maintenance, and
storage purposes.
(2) As used in this Subsection, "special interest vehicle" means a motor vehicle
which is twenty-five years old or older, has not been materially modified or altered from the
original manufacturer's specifications, and is being preserved by hobbyists because of its
historic interest.
(3) The secretary shall determine the color and design of the plates in conjunction
with the Louisiana Region Antique Auto Club of America.
(4) The fee for issuing such collector plates shall be five dollars a year, and such
plates are to be renewed every five years.
D. Beginning July 1, 2001, all license plates issued for antique motor vehicles shall
be issued upon payment of a one-time fee. No additional payment of the regular motor
vehicle registration license fee shall be necessary for any owner to permanently retain such
plate after that date.
E. The secretary shall provide by rules and regulations for the implementation of this
Section. Oversight review of the rules and regulations shall be conducted by the Joint
Legislative Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 168, §2. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 271, §1; Acts 1984,
No. 684, §1; Acts 1987, No. 179, §1; Acts 1989, No. 674, §2; Acts 1995, No. 728, §1; Acts
1997, No. 681, §1; Acts 1997, No. 971, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1131, §2, eff. July 14, 1997; Acts
1999, No. 632, §1; Acts 2001, No. 497, §1, eff. July 1, 2001; Acts 2019, No. 364, §1, eff.
July 1, 2019; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 11, §2, eff. Dec. 4, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 506, §1,
eff. July 1, 2025.
NOTE: See Acts 2019, No. 364, re: applicability.