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.
No motor vehicle or trailer shall be operated on any highway of this City unless it shall have displayed thereon 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. Each such plate shall be securely fastened to the 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. License plates shall be fastened to all motor vehicles except trucks, tractors, truck tractors or truck-tractors licensed in excess of twelve thousand (12,000) pounds 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. The license plates on trailers, motorcycles, motortricycles 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 or truck-tractors 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.
No person shall operate a motor vehicle or trailer 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 the placard herein authorized and the official license tag of any municipality of this State, 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 or such placard.
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.
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 applied for as provided in Section 301.190, RSMo.
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.
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. 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.
Upon the sale of a motor vehicle or trailer by a dealer, a buyer who has made application for registration, by mail or otherwise, may operate the same for a period of thirty (30) days after taking possession thereof if during such period the motor vehicle or trailer shall have attached thereto, in the manner required by Section 301.130, RSMo., number plates issued to the dealer. Upon application and presentation of proof of financial responsibility as required under Subsection (5) of Section 301.140, RSMo., and satisfactory evidence that the buyer has applied for registration, a dealer may furnish such number plates to the buyer for such temporary use. In such event, the dealer shall require the buyer to deposit the sum of ten dollars fifty cents ($10.50), to be returned to the buyer upon return of the number plates, as a guarantee that said buyer will return to the dealer such number plates within thirty (30) days.
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.