MissouriSB14082026 Regular SessionSenateWALLET

Increases the maximum speed limit from 70 to 75 miles per hour on rural interstates and freeways

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

36 provisions identified: 9 benefits, 11 costs, 16 mixed.

Unresolved traffic charges risk license suspension

Courts may report residents who leave covered minor traffic charges unresolved after two missed court dates or unpaid fines without good cause. If the charge remains unresolved and unpaid 30 days after court-mailed notice, the Revenue Director must send a suspension notice. Driving privileges are suspended 33 days after that second notice is mailed. Suspension lasts until the court requests relief pending disposition or the driver proves disposition and payment. Parking and other nonmoving violations are excluded, and the procedure does not apply retroactively.

Commercial drivers face English proficiency penalties

Commercial drivers must demonstrate enough English to speak with the public, understand road signs, answer officials, and complete records. Violations bring a class D misdemeanor first, a class B misdemeanor for later offenses, and a $1,000 driver fine. Drivers cannot operate until compliant, and carriers face a $3,000 fine per violation. A carrier can reclaim the vehicle after paying and presenting a qualified driver. If it does neither within 12 hours after notification, the cargo owner may arrange a cargo transfer.

Some commercial drivers need citizenship documents

Drivers holding nondomiciled commercial licenses or instruction permits must carry a valid work visa or provide citizenship proof while operating. Citizenship proof can include a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or valid passport. Violators cannot drive until compliant; carriers face $3,000 per violation, and driving while barred is a class B misdemeanor. That offense carries up to $1,000 in fines, 90 days in jail, or both. Carriers can reclaim vehicles after paying and presenting qualified drivers; if they do neither within 12 hours after notice, cargo owners may arrange transfers.

Nonresident dealer buyers pay Missouri tax

Nonresidents pay Missouri state and local sales tax on covered property picked up or delivered at a Missouri dealership. This includes vehicles, trailers, boats, and other titled personal property. The dealer collects and remits tax at its business location's rate, even when the buyer plans to register elsewhere.

Penalties for shell-company vehicle tax evasion

Residents with Missouri residence addresses cannot use out-of-state shell partnerships, companies, or corporations to evade Missouri vehicle requirements. After notice, they have 90 days to title and register covered vehicles and pay Missouri taxes and fees owed. Failure to comply can bring a $500 penalty; continued nonpayment can also bring license suspension until payment. Vehicles with apportioned plates are exempt. Non-recreational vehicles weighing more than 54,000 pounds are also exempt.

Vehicle tax evasion brings stronger penalties

Residents with Missouri addresses cannot register vehicles elsewhere to evade Missouri rules; covered vehicles are presumed subject to Missouri fees. That rule gives residents 90 days after notice to register and pay, with a possible $500 penalty and license suspension until payment. Vehicles with apportioned plates and non-recreational vehicles over 54,000 pounds are exempt from that rule. Separately, willful false statements or fee-and-tax evasion require payment plus a fine of 75% of unpaid amounts; the department may use insurance records to find noncompliance and impose $500. Under that separate process, failure to title, register, and pay within 60 days after written notice requires license suspension until payment; penalties may be reduced or waived for reasonable cause.

Dealers handle titles, plates, and taxes

Once Missouri's modernized vehicle system is implemented and maintained, dealers must handle vehicle titles, registration, and sales-tax collection. They must check current personal property taxes and insurance, then issue an interim plate matching the permanent plate configuration. The Department of Revenue mails the permanent plate, and dealer customers may transfer an existing plate at purchase. Private purchases keep existing transfer deadlines and must use an authorized revenue agent or the department's central office. After the broader modernized system is developed and maintained, dealers must also collect boat and outboard-motor sales tax when the Revenue Director directs them.

More essential trips under driving limits

Eligible drivers with suspended or revoked licenses can seek limited driving permission for worship and essential businesses. These include grocery stores, pharmacies, post offices, and gas stations. A court or the Revenue Director must find necessary travel and undue hardship; applicants must prove essential purposes, times, and routes. Other eligibility requirements still apply, and approved driving may have route, time, area, or safety limits. The court or director can change or revoke permission if driving endangers others or the driver breaks a condition.

Disability parking placards last eight years

Removable disabled parking placards renew every eight years instead of every four years. During the transition, the Department of Revenue may automatically renew current valid placards for eight years or through the current physician statement's expiration. This moves permanent placards onto the eight-year cycle.

Easier Missouri paperwork for out-of-state vehicles

Licensed new- or used-vehicle dealer employees can verify vehicle identification numbers and odometer readings for covered original Missouri title applications. This includes vehicles previously titled or registered outside Missouri. Those vehicles no longer need a safety inspection for an original Missouri title when also being registered in Missouri. Required emissions inspections and their fees remain.

Former prisoners of war submit less

Qualifying former prisoners of war no longer submit vehicle-inspection proof when applying for their special Missouri registration and plates. They must still meet the law's former-prisoner-of-war requirements. Proof of vehicle ownership remains required.

Less inspection paperwork for veterans

Veterans applying for or holding special plates under sections 301.071 through 301.075 no longer submit annual vehicle-inspection documents. Disability proof requirements remain. Some veterans excused from annual disability proof must still provide annual proof that they are alive.

More vehicles avoid emissions inspections

Beginning January 1, 2027, qualifying new vehicles are exempt from emissions inspections for four years after their model year. They must not have been previously titled and registered; the former 40,000-mile limit no longer applies. Also beginning January 1, 2027, vehicles driven fewer than 12,000 miles between biennial registration periods qualify for the low-mileage exemption. That mileage test uses registration periods instead of the time between biennial safety inspections.

Alternative-fuel drivers get simpler decal timing

The Revenue Director may align alternative-fuel decal fee collection and decal issuance with vehicle registration. Decals can remain valid for the vehicle's registration period. The director may issue a receipt instead of a decal, but the receipt must stay with the vehicle. The law does not state a reduction in the amount owed.

Temporary relief for vehicle registration penalties

From August 28 through December 1, 2026, Missouri grants full amnesty for covered vehicle late fees and penalties. It covers vehicles bought before August 28, 2026, and registered elsewhere to evade Missouri titling and registration rules. Taxpayers must submit a written application during that window. The department issues title and registration eligibility certification and helps arrange related titles, registration, plates, and tabs.

Nearby business signs get fee waivers

Qualifying landowners do not pay the $200 outdoor advertising permit fee or the inspection fee charged every two years. The landowner must hold the permit and own both the sign's land and the advertised business. The business must be within 750 feet of the sign. The inspection-fee waiver also covers qualifying existing signs; the inspection fee amount is not stated.

Higher speed limits on rural highways

The maximum speed on Missouri rural interstates and freeways rises from 70 to 75 miles per hour. The highway commission's maximum under the covered state-road authority also rises from 70 to 75 miles per hour. These are ceilings; other applicable speed limits and legal exceptions still apply.

Older autocycles change classes at renewal

Covered autocycles registered as motorcycles or motortricycles before August 28, 2018, keep that class until their current registration ends. At renewal, owners must register them as autocycles. Owners pay the applicable autocycle registration fee.

Owners face stricter title paperwork rules

Title and registration applications must use full legal names matching Missouri licenses, identification cards, or permits—not names used only informally. Applicants without those records must use accepted government identification, birth certificates, or marriage or court name-change records; businesses use their Missouri-registered names. Covered registration applications must also include the owner's boat or outboard-motor address required by law. Adding or removing an owner's name on a vehicle with a recorded lien requires documented lender approval and names consistent with the lien notice. Boats and other titled personal property must receive ownership certificates before registration certificates can be issued.

Temporary plates expire sooner, lose price cap

Most interim plates last up to 30 days, down from the former 90-day maximum. Plates for dealer sales covered by section 301.210(5) can last up to 60 days. The law removes the $5 maximum that dealers, authorized agents, or the state can charge buyers for each permit. It sets no replacement maximum buyer charge. The separate $5 limit on what those issuers pay to obtain each plate remains.

Drivers face higher registration-related charges

Late registration penalties rise from $5 to $25 per month, capped at $200. Annual motorcycle registration rises from $8.50 to $10; motortricycle and autocycle fees stay $10, including railroad crossing safety fees. Plate transfers after ownership changes or when the old vehicle leaves service cost $10, up from $2. A higher-fee replacement vehicle also requires a prorated fee difference. A lower-fee replacement brings no refund.

Dealers face tighter plate limits

Dealers can receive one dealer-number plate and one additional plate, not a third after 15 qualified transactions. Covered dealer-number plates cost $50 each; additional plates cost $10.50 each, with the $50 fee covering specified manufacturers and dealer classes. Dealers receiving plates or number certificates must certify sales to the Department of Revenue each August 1. Reports use the last calendar year of the previous license period, replacing the July 1–June 30 period.

Chiefs plates end, emblem fees stop

Beginning August 28, 2026, Missouri's Chiefs emblem agreement ends, and the state cannot issue new Chiefs emblem plates. The law also bars the Chiefs from collecting emblem-use fees after a referenced date. The supplied fee provision does not identify that date or the fee amount. The provisions do not specify a change to existing plates.

Drivers get new plate visibility rules

Owners can buy a third matching plate for the rear window when a bike rack or another item blocks the regular plate. The regular plate must stay attached; the third must be visible outside without blocking the driver's view. Owners pay the replacement-plate fee. Missouri vehicle and trailer plates may use only clear, untinted covers that preserve reflectiveness, and frames cannot hide information law enforcement needs.

Longer vehicle registrations with upfront fees

Noncommercial vehicle owners have through the full month shown on their plate to renew without an expired-registration violation. The state may offer two-year registration without the old even-or-odd model-year rule, with required documents, insurance, and applicable emissions proof. Beginning January 1, 2027, it may offer five-year registration and tabs for vehicles with model years less than six years old. Both options exclude commercial vehicles licensed above 54,000 pounds; five-year applicants must also provide required safety-inspection, property-tax, and insurance records. Owners pay the annual registration fee plus prorated fees for the extra years, and fee offices may collect $45 for five-year issuance, renewal, or transfer.

Nonresidents get temporary plates for $10

Nonresidents buying a vehicle, trailer, or boat in Missouri can get an in-transit plate from the Department of Revenue. Each plate costs $10 and lasts 15 days. It cannot be transferred and must be displayed as required for the purchased property.

Salvage owners gain relief, face deadlines

Salvage-title vehicles need not be restored to their original appearance for the examination to obtain a prior-salvage title. That exemption now covers vehicles of any age, not just those at least 10 years old. Once the modernized vehicle system is implemented and maintained, salvage owners needing an authorized-facility inspection must carry ownership or purchase proof. They must obtain that inspection within 15 days after the sale.

Vehicle horsepower fee formulas are removed

The law removes the prescribed horsepower formula used to set fees for internal-combustion vehicles. It also removes rules for accepting or determining horsepower ratings for steam-powered and electric vehicles. The supplied text gives no replacement method, so it does not establish whether owners pay more or less.

Custom vehicles face periodic inspection rules

New owners of street rods and custom vehicles no longer submit proof of a passed safety inspection when registering. These vehicles lose their exemption from periodic vehicle inspections. Street rods keep their exemption from rules requiring the use and inspection of emissions controls.

Fewer required vehicle safety inspections

The law narrows the safety-inspection submission rule to prior-salvage vehicles immediately after rebuilding and vehicles covered by section 307.380. Vehicles still covered keep the stated inspection timing and model-year schedules. Beginning January 1, 2027, sellers no longer must pay for a full inspection immediately before selling a covered used vehicle. The former presale rule applied even with a current inspection certificate. Sellers lose a required step, while buyers lose that required recent safety check.

License applicants get changed privacy rules

For REAL ID applicants, Missouri must disclose that electronic copies of source documents are retained. The notice no longer promises destruction after the minimum federal retention period; this notice change does not itself change REAL ID eligibility. Separately, the Department of Revenue may keep a facial image only after a license or identification-card application is completed and submitted. It cannot retain images from applications that are not completed and submitted.

Mileage records switch to owner reports

The state keeps promptly accessible owner-reported odometer records instead of inspection-report mileage for qualifying vehicles. Vehicles must be ten years old or newer with fewer than 150,000 miles. Exclusions cover mainly business-use vehicles, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, motortricycles, autocycles, buses, and commercial vehicles licensed above 12,000 pounds. The ownership application must have been filed after July 1, 1990. The title must have been issued from a manufacturer's statement of origin.

Water-damaged vehicles need marked titles

A vehicle is water-damaged when rising water passes its door sill and enters the passenger or trunk area. The Department of Revenue must mark its title “water-damaged” in addition to “salvage” or “prior salvage.” Buyers receive a damage warning, while owners face a title label that may affect resale value.

Residency tests affect school fee status

For these covered rules, a residence address must be a person's true, fixed, permanent home. The person must spend at least six months total there during a calendar year. Resident status also requires declaring Missouri residency for a Missouri driver's license and providing required proof. The rules link residency to seeking privileges normally unavailable to nonresidents, including school attendance without nonresident tuition or fees.

Higher sales thresholds reshape dealer licensing

The annual sales count serving as evidence of a vehicle or trailer business rises from 8 to 12. Licensed dealers below the minimum cannot renew their license for one year. For unlicensed sellers without a listed exception, a separate dealer-activity threshold rises from 6 to 12 motor vehicles per calendar year. That threshold covers sales, displays intended for sale, and other dealing.

Highway advertising land rules expand, narrow

For outdoor advertising, an unzoned commercial or industrial area extends across a nonfreeway primary highway to the same dimensions. Land opposite such an area beside an interstate or freeway primary highway is excluded from the unzoned-land definition. These rules change which highway-side land receives those advertising classifications.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

Jamie Burger
Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 23 • No: 8

House vote • 4/29/2026

Reported Do Pass

Yes: 8 • No: 0

House vote • 4/27/2026