Hot Rods UNFENDERED LAWS IN MINNESOTA

Yesterday I was spoken to by a MN State Trooper while parked at a tire store in Mankato, he informed me that my hot rod (avatar) was not legal without fenders. I've read the threads on this that were posted some years ago, has Minnesota Laws been changed? I need the correct DMV Statute so I can keep a printed copy with my documents for this car. My car is registered as a 31 Model A with MN Street Rod Plates.

 

If it has regular license plates, then yes, tires need to be covered (usually cops just get on the Jeep guys about this one). But, if you have collector/historical/street rod plates, those laws don't apply... I'll dig up the statute for ya if I have few minutes today...

 

Try going to their dmv website instead of asking the so called experts here. The results are guaranteed to be correct that way.

 

I didn't know that, but here's a link.
2015 Minnesota Statutes
169.734 AUTOMOBILE FENDERS.
Every passenger automobile shall have fenders, or other devices, that are designed to prevent, as far as practicable, water, dirt, or other material being thrown up and to the rear by the wheels of the vehicle.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=169.734

 

The street rod plates muddy the water a bit , but like all laws and statutes things are written loosely for interpretation ... I seem to remember something about not to be used in bad weather

Cops like to write tickets and let the judge figure out if its legal or not I argued with a cop about having one taillight on my 36 ford after an hour I won , but he found 2 other things... They don't like to be wrong

 

The way that law reads, if it's a passenger vehicle, it has to have fenders and doesn't appears to allow any grandfather clauses. It's been in effect since 1975.

 

Hi. Just my thoughts without looking up any regulations (vary greatly from state to state) but usually any exemptions with antique or classic car plate are made around facts if the vehicle left the factory with stuff like fenders there is no exemption for not having them now. The exemptions usually are only for things that would not have been original equipment or covered under federal or state laws when the vehicle was new. But I have been wrong before.
Jimmie

 

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes?id=168.10&year=2015&keyword_type=all&keyword=Collector+vehicle

168.10

Subd. 1f.Equipment.
Any pioneer, classic, collector vehicle, collector military vehicle, or street rod shall have all equipment, in operating condition, which was specifically required by law as a condition for its first sale after manufacture.

No law requiring any particular equipment or specifying any standards to be met by motor vehicles shall apply to pioneer, classic, collector vehicles, collector military vehicles, or street rods unless it specifically so states.

 

Also, 169.73 specifically exempts collector, street rod, classic car, and pioneer plates from the bumper height laws.

169.79 allows single plate usage for pre-1972 vehicles with the same type plates

 

My Deuce roadster has 55K on the clock and been to 19 states so far. The only state I have ever had an issue with is Rhode Island. Lights, siren all the bells and whistles. This cop read me the riot act and I guess he thought having no fenders was the crime of the century. Since I had out of state plates he could only give me a warning, he was pissed! Can't wait to get to Minnesota.

 

Most states have fender laws , most police don't enforce it ... They like the cars.. unless you're driving like an ass , making excessive noise , doing burn outs , street racing , then they throw the book at you..
dave

 

There are two reasons I moved from Pennsylvania to Florida:

1) Snow

2) And their stupid fender laws. ( I hear they have since then loosened up a bit on the fenders, but I ain't goin' back until they do something about that white stuff. )

I really feel for you guys who live in prohibitive States.

Don

 

Also from that link;
An affidavit shall be executed stating the name and address of the person from whom purchased and of the new owner, the make of the motor Previous vehicle Next , year number of model, and the manufacturer's identification number. The affidavit shall further state that the Previous vehicle Next is owned and operated solely as a street rod and not for general transportation purposes. The owner must also prove that the owner has one or more vehicles with regular license plates.

Looks like it can only be operated as a street rod not for general transportation purposes whatever that means.

 

Basically you are allowed something like 5,000 miles a year ,how you would enforce it I'm not sure, i have heard of cases where a guy was commuting all summer with his car and got pinched at the end state patrol saw him everyday for months his 80 mile a day commute put him way over the limit

And they don't let you haul anything in your pickup if you have collector plates

 

In Il. you can haul parts for the vehicle you're hauling parts for...see how those politicians word things LOL
dave

 

PA. no longer has a fender law. If you have the street rod plate, you are not required to have fenders, hood or bumpers. Fender law was abolished years ago for street rod plate wearing cars, after a long fight by us hot rodders.

 

Yep, Street Rod, Collector, and Pioneer plates pretty much eliminate the need to fender, bumper, etc laws. Keep driving it!

 

Thanks Russ, that's what I thought, this stuff just goes on year after year.

 

That's what I thought, you go to the BTT50's show in St.Paul and how many rods do you see without fenders and Minn plates!

 

There were thousands there, at that show!! It's good now that I have the documentation with my other documents in my car, the next time an officer decides to call me out, I'll have the proof, though I might, in fact, need to read it to him so he would understand. Just makes me mad, I'm 70 years old and have put up with this shit for many of those years.

 

Give some people a badge and they turn into a big......... well, you know.

 

In my '32 Hi-boy, I carried the Washington and Oregon Fender Law in a baggie with a copy of my drivers License AND insurance papers, Handed it TO THE MAN, who pulled me out of a line of cars, started screaming at me, I waited for the rant to stop, and said write the ticket, Let's let a judge decide, I am retired and have some time to kill. He said get out of here. I was still pissed, but didn't let him know it.

 

I wasn't driving, the car was parked at a tire store, I was inside visiting with the owner who is a friend of mine. The store was putting on tires for the MN State Trooper, I should have just taken off with the tires smoking, he would have had to borrow a car to chase me, how funny would that have been, and oh, he only had 1 bullet!!

 

I'd like to believe, if you act respectfully, & maybe play dumb, tell them "what a great job they're doin' for public safety", most officers would rather check out hot rods, as a spectator, give you thumbs up & say "see ya later".
But if you want to get into a pissin' match, try to show them all your legal justification roadside & then do a burnout, well, good luck to you?

 

About 85% are just an average joe doing his job ... Sometimes the good parent has to punish the child acting out...

15% are just DICKS from birth... There is nothing you can do about it .... When they get a position of athority... Steer clear..

. They don't like what they see , they will make you comply one way or another , fenders legal... How about a horn, wipers? Scrub? ... Exhaust sounds a little loud doesnt it? License plate light?

 

But, Why are there more Horse's Asses than there are horses?


Lotta Richards in the world, But to many Dicks.

 

I don't know how MN defines "fender", but there are several threads over the years where guys have discussed removable cycle style fenders. Didn't find a tech thread on how to build them though. Might be interesting. Drive with fenders, display fenderless.

 

I think that is true on both sides of the fence ... But your right seems to be more Barney fifes running around with less Andy

 

I agree that most are OK and I'm not about messing with them, I'm not going to argue, but what upsets me is they should know the MN Statutes, that's their job, when they say, "I see your car outside this store but I won't go look at it because if I did, I'd have to write you up because it doesn't have fenders," knowing the statutes would eliminate the problem!!

 

Having been In your Same position more than once... I agree .. Know the law or just shut the hell up...

Some how they feel its ok to write I ticket if they THINK its illegal maybe that policeman should have to pay your lost wages and time if you win in court... After all he gets paid to be there ... Sometimes OT even!