An Act To Amend the Motor Vehicle Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0644
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: CHASE, NASS, AUSTIN, EBERLE, FISHER, HOTHAM, KNIGHT, MAZUREK, ROSEN, COURTNEY
Amends: 29-A MRSA §1901, 29-A MRSA §1912, 29-A MRSA §1916, 29-A MRSA §1917, 29-A MRSA §1920

Legislative Document 
No. 644 
H.P.493 
House of Representatives, February 8, 2007 
An Act To Amend the Motor Vehicle Laws 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative CHASE of Wells. 
Cosponsored by Senator NASS of York and 
'71'l~ 1I7.11ltU~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: AUSTIN of Gray, EBERLE of South Portland, FISHER of Brewer, 
HOTHAM of Dixfield, KNIGHT of Livermore Falls, MAZUREK of Rockland, ROSEN of 
Bucksport, Senator: COURTNEY of York. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §1901, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and as 
affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
§1901. General restriction 
A person may not use,-sel-l or equip a vehicle with a lens, muffler, refieetor, lighting 
deviee, ".>,indo"..' tinting material or other for use on a public way with aftermarket 
equipment contrary to this Title or eontrary to the rules ofthe Chiefofthe State Poliee. 
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §1912, sub-§l, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and 
as affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
1. Muffler required. A person may not operate a motor vehicle unless that vehicle 
is equipped with an adequate muffler properly maintained to prevent exeessive or unusual 
Heise. 
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §1912, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and 
as affected by Pt. B, §5, is repealed. 
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §1912, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2005, c. 314. § 11, IS 
further amended to read: 
6. Exception. Subseetions 1 and 3 do not apply to a A muffler or exhaust system 
tfl.at meets the requirements of this section if it does not emit noise in excess of 95 
decibels as measured in accordance with standards and specifications outlined in standard 
J-1169 adopted by the Society of Automotive Engineers in May 1998. A person served 
with a Violation Summons and Complaint charging a violation of subseetion I or 3 this 
section must provide satisfactory evidence that the muffler or exhaust system does not 
emit a noise in excess of 95 decibels as measured in accordance with standards and 
specifications outlined in standard J-1169 adopted by the Society of Automotive 
Engineers in May 1998. 
Measurements must be made by participating certified 
inspection stations. 
This subsection applies to motor vehicles as defined in section 101, subsection 42, except 
that it does not apply to motorcycles. 
Sec. 5. 29-A MRSA §1916, sub-§l, ~C, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 
and as affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
C. 
A side window or rear window is composed of, covered by or treated with a 
material that Itas allows a net light transmittance of glass and material of less than 
-W% 35%; or 
Sec. 6. 29-A MRSA §1916, sub-§2, ~A, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 
and as affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
A. 
The provisions of subsection 1 do not apply to: 
Page I - 123LRI633(01)-1 
(1) A certificate or other paper required or allowed by law to be displayed, which 
must be removable for safety reasons when the vehicle is being driven on a 
public way; 
(2) The label attached to a window showing the price, estimated miieage and 
other federally mandated information commonly known as the manufacturer's 
suggested retail price label, which must be removable for safety reasons when the 
vehicle is being driven on a public way; 
(3) Sun-screening or window-tinting material along a 4 inch strip at the AS I 
line. For purposes of this paragraph, "AS I line" means a parallel line 5 inches 
from the top of the windshield; or 
II 
(4) 
Motor vehicles for which the Chief of the State Police has granted an 
exception because the health of the owner or a person who usually occupies the 
vehicle is adversely affected by sunlight. The Chief of the State Police may, 
upon proper application, provide the owner of a motor vehicle with a certificate 
IS 
of exemption that must be displayed upon the request of a law enforcement 
officer. 
Sec. 7. 
29-A MRSA §1917, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 146, §I, IS 
amended to read: 
6. Wheels. If the rim size has been altered, the overall diameter of the wheel with 
the tire must be "vithin the vehicle manufacturer's specifications a properly sized tire must 
be used. Street rods, custom vehicles and trucks are exempt from this subsection. 
Sec. 8. 29-A MRSA §1920, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2005, c. 276, §2, IS 
further amended to read: 
3. Suspension. Except as provided in this subsection or in subsection 2, an original 
suspension system may not be disconnected to defeat the safe operation of the suspension 
system. 
This section does not prohibit the installation of heavy duty equipment, 
including shock absorbers and overload springs, or prohibit a person from operating on a 
public way a motor vehicle with normal wear of the suspension system if normal wear 
does not affect control of the vehicle. 
SUMMARY 
This bill makes several changes to the equipment requirements of the motor vehicle 
laws, including: 
I. Making the prohibition of aftermarket equipment more general by removing the 
list of specific equipment as well as the prohibition on the sale of aftermarket equipment; 
2. Removing the excessive or unusual noise prohibition on mufflers; 
3. Removing the prohibition on operating a motor vehicle with a modified exhaust 
system that amplifies or increases motor noise; 
t'age 2 - 123LRI633(OJ)-1 
I 
4. Reduces from 50% to 35% the amount of light transmittance a tinted window may 
allow; 
5. Requires that certificates and papers required by law and price and mileage labels 
that are displayed on windows be removable for safety reasons; 
6. Expands by I inch the sun-screening or tinting material allowed at the top of a 
windshield; 
7. 
Exempts street rods, custom vehicles and trucks from the requirement that the 
overall diameter of a wheel with altered rims be within the manufacturer's specifications; 
and 
8. Limits the prohibition against removing suspension systems to when the purpose 
II 
is to defeat the safe operation of the suspension system.