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) inches 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, autocycles, and motorscooters shall be displayed on
the rear of such vehicles either horizontally or vertically, with
the letters and numbers plainly visible. 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) inches 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, or no more than ninety (90) days if the dealer is selling
the motor vehicle under the provisions of Section 301.213, 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.
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, or no more than ninety (90) days if issued by a dealer
selling the motor vehicle under the provisions of Section 301.213,
RSMo., 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 and 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, or
no more than ninety (90) days if issued by a dealer selling the motor
vehicle under the provisions of Section 301.213, 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.