AB 580

Under current law, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must refuse

registration of a vehicle under specified circumstances, including all of the following:

1) the applicant for registration has not paid the applicable registration fees; 2) with

an exception for leased vehicles, the applicant has not been issued, and is not entitled

to, a valid certificate of title for the vehicle; 3) the vehicle is exempt from registration

and is not eligible for optional registration; 4) with an exception for former military

vehicles eligible for a specific type of registration, the vehicle is originally designed

and manufactured for off-highway operation unless the vehicle meets the provisions

of a certain section of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, as

amended; 5) with an exception for former military vehicles eligible for a specific type

of registration, the vehicle was manufactured for use in any country's military forces

and does not meet federal motor vehicle safety standards; and 6) the applicant has

failed to furnish information or documents required by law or by DOT under

authority of law.

Under current law, as created by

2009 Wisconsin Act 135

, there is a special

category of vehicle registration for former military vehicles, which may be registered

but are subject to operating restrictions. Under this registration category, a "former

military vehicle" is a vehicle that was manufactured for use in any country's military

forces and is maintained to accurately represent its military design and markings,

regardless of the vehicle's size or weight. A former military vehicle may be registered

as a "historic military vehicle" if it is at least 25 years old and has been imported into

the United States from another country or if it has not been imported and is of any

age. DOT must issue for the vehicle special plates showing it is registered as a

historic military vehicle. It is the applicant's burden to show that a vehicle is eligible

for registration as a historic military vehicle. A vehicle may be registered as a

historic military vehicle even if the vehicle was originally designed and

manufactured for off-highway operation and does not meet federal motor vehicle

safety standards. A vehicle registered as a historic military vehicle may only be used

for special occasions such as display and parade purposes, including traveling to and

from such events, and for necessary testing, maintenance, and storage purposes.

Also under current law, as created by

2009 Wisconsin Act 225

, DOT may

register specific types of former military vehicles as special interest ("collector")

vehicles, which are subject to only very limited operating restrictions, most notably

that they cannot be operated on the highways in January. For purposes of collector

vehicle registration, the term "former military vehicle" has a different definition, and

means all of the following: 1) a Pinzgauer that is at least 25 years old; 2) a Kaiser