No person shall operate or park any motor vehicle or trailer
upon any street or highway of this City unless such motor vehicle
or trailer has properly displayed a valid license plate or plates
or temporary permit issued to the lawful owner of the vehicle by the
Department of Revenue of the State of Missouri, except that any person
who is a non-resident of the State of Missouri may operate or park
any motor vehicle or trailer upon any street or highway of this City,
provided the motor vehicle or trailer has been duly registered for
the current year in the State, country or other place of which the
owner is a resident, provided that at all times such motor vehicle
or trailer is being operated or parked upon the streets or highways
of this City, the valid license plate or plates or temporary permit
is properly displayed on such vehicle or trailer.
Application for registration of a motor vehicle not previously
registered in Missouri, operated for the first time on the public
highways of this State, and previously registered in another State
shall be made within thirty (30) days after the owner of such motor
vehicle has become a resident of this State.
[Ord. No. 5270 §1, 9-24-2012; Ord. No. 5617, 11-26-2018]
The license plate or set of license plates issued by the Director
of Revenue or the State Highways and Transportation Commission and
authorized by Section 301.140, RSMo., shall be securely fastened to
the assigned motor vehicle or trailer in a manner so that all parts
thereof shall be plainly visible and reasonably clean so that the
reflective qualities thereof are not impaired and the plates do not
swing. Except as otherwise provided herein, license plates shall be
fastened to all motor vehicles on the front and rear of such vehicles
not less than eight (8) nor more than forty-eight (48) inches above
the ground, with the letters and numbers thereon right side up. Each
such plate may be encased in a transparent cover so long as the plate
is plainly visible and its reflective qualities are not impaired.
The license plates on trailers, motorcycles, motortricycles, autocycles,
and motor scooters shall be displayed on the rear of such vehicles,
with the letters and numbers thereon right side up. The license plate
on buses, other than school buses, and on trucks, tractors, truck-tractors,
including those licensed in excess of twelve thousand (12,000) pounds
shall be displayed on the front of such vehicles not less than eight
(8) nor more than forty-eight (48) inches above the ground with the
letters and numbers thereon right side up, or if two (2) plates are
issued for the vehicle pursuant to Subsection (3) of Section 301.130,
RSMo., displayed in the same manner on the front and rear of such
vehicles. The license plate or plates authorized by Section 301.140,
RSMo., when properly attached, shall be prima facie evidence that
the required fees have been paid. At nighttime, the rear plate shall
be illuminated with a white light so as to be clearly visible from
a distance of fifty (50) feet to the rear. In addition, motor vehicles
and trailers may have displayed an additional temporary license plate,
obtained from the Department of Revenue, in the interior of the vehicle's
rear window such that the driver's view out of the rear window is
not obstructed and the plate configuration is clearly visible from
the outside of the vehicle to serve as the visible plate when a bicycle
rack or other item obstructs the view of the actual plate. Such temporary
plate is only authorized for use when the matching existing plate
(or plates), issued by the Department of Revenue, is affixed to the
vehicle in the manner required by law.
[1]
State Law References — §§301.130, 301.140,
304.050.8 and 307.075, RSMo.
[Ord. No. 5293 §2, 1-28-2013]
No person shall operate a motor vehicle or trailer, or park
it upon any public property or private property open to public use,
on which there is displayed on the front or rear thereof any other
plate, tag or placard bearing any number except the plate furnished
by the Director of Revenue or other plate as may be authorized by
law or regulation of any other duly authorized governmental agency
issuing such license plates, nor shall there be displayed on any motor
vehicle or trailer a placard, sign or tag bearing the words "license
lost", "license applied for" or words of similar import as a substitute
for such number plates.
No person shall show, exhibit, display or have in possession
for the purpose of sale any motor vehicle bearing or displaying thereon
any number or license plates except those of the dealer or owner so
displaying said motor vehicle; provided however, that where the motor
vehicle is placed on consignment with a dealer by the owner thereof,
there may be displayed a number or license plate issued to the owner
thereof.
[Ord. No. 5855, 9-14-2023]
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate in this City
a motor vehicle or trailer required to be registered as provided by
law unless a certificate of ownership has been obtained or applied
for as provided in Section 301.190, RSMo., and such registration is
not suspended.
It shall be unlawful for any person to buy or sell in this City
any motor vehicle or trailer registered under the laws of this State
unless at the time of delivery thereof there shall pass between the
parties a certificate of ownership with an assignment thereof as provided
in Section 301.210, RSMo., as amended, and the sale of any motor vehicle
or trailer registered under the laws of this State, without the assignment
of such certificate of ownership, shall be fraudulent and void.
[Ord. No. 5729, 1-25-2021]
Upon the transfer of ownership of any motor vehicle or trailer,
the certificate of registration and the right to use the number plates
shall expire and the number plates shall be removed by the owner at
the time of the transfer of possession, and it shall be unlawful for
any person other than the person to whom such number plates were originally
issued to have the same in his/her possession whether in use or not,
unless such possession is solely for charitable purposes; except that
the buyer of a motor vehicle or trailer who trades in a motor vehicle
or trailer may attach the license plates from the trade-in motor vehicle
or trailer to the newly purchased motor vehicle or trailer. The operation
of a motor vehicle with such transferred plates shall be lawful for
no more than thirty (30) days, or no more than sixty (60) days if
the dealer is selling the motor vehicle under the provisions of Subsection
5 of Section 301.210, RSMo. As used in this Section, the term "trade-in motor vehicle or trailer" shall include any single
motor vehicle or trailer sold by the buyer of the newly purchased
vehicle or trailer, as long as the license plates for the trade-in
motor vehicle or trailer are still valid.
[Ord. No. 5729, 1-25-2021; Ord.
No. 5729, 1-25-2021]
It shall be unlawful to operate a motor vehicle with temporary
permits issued by the Department of Revenue for more than thirty (30)
days, or more than sixty (60) days if the dealer that provided the
temporary permit to the buyer is selling the motor vehicle under the
provisions of Subsection 5 of Section 301.210, RSMo.
No dealer shall advise any purchaser of a motor vehicle or trailer
that such purchaser may drive such a motor vehicle or trailer without
compliance with the foregoing license requirements.
