(A) This rule contains the specifications for
the manufacture of license plates for the state of Ohio.
(B) In accordance with section
4503.22 of the Revised Code, the
director of public safety shall designate all of the following:
(1) The substrate material for the license
plate which shall be galvanized steel as specified in paragraph (D) of this
rule or aluminum as specified in paragraph (E) of this rule;
(2) The colors and design of the
retroreflective multi-year sheeting which shall constitute the background
colors and design of the license plate; and,
(3) The colors and design of the characters
that form the distinctive numbers and letters for the license plate.
(C) The finished license plate
shall contain any logo, inscription, or design feature prescribed by law and
may contain any logo, inscription, or other design feature as designated by the
director.
(D) If the director
designates galvanized steel as the substrate, it shall have satisfactory
strength while retaining flatness after embossing. It shall not crack or break
when embossed with standard embossing dies used to manufacture license plates.
The galvanized steel shall conform to ASTM A653, "Standard Specification for
Steel Sheet, Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) or Zinc-Iron Alloy-Coated (Galvannealed)
by the Hot-Dip Process," approved November 1, 2010 (ASTM A653/A653M-10); or
approved June 1, 2007 (ASTM A653/A653M-07); or approved May 1, 2004 (ASTM
A653/A653M-04a); or approved December 10, 1998 (ASTM A653/A653M-98a), and shall
have a G-90 coating designation to retard corrosion and requiring no phosphate
coating. The thickness of the galvanized steel shall be nineteen
one-thousandths inch plus or minus three one-thousandths inch continuous
galvanized, zinc chromated. The supplier of the steel shall warrant the
substrate of the license plate for a minimum of four years. At the director's
discretion, the director may obtain a certification from an independent testing
facility stating whether or not the galvanized steel supplied by the
manufacturer meets the standards as specified in this rule. ASTM standards are
available from the "American Society for Testing and Materials, 100 Barr Harbor
Drive, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania 19428, (610) 832-9500, web site:
http://www.astm.org. ASTM standards
incorporated by reference in this rule may be viewed at the "Ohio Department of
Public Safety, Office of Legal Services, 1970 West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio
43223."
(E) If the director
designates aluminum as the substrate, it shall have satisfactory strength while
retaining flatness after embossing. It shall not crack or break when embossed
with standard embossing dies used to manufacture license plates. The aluminum
shall conform to ASTM B209, "Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum
Alloy Sheet Plate," approved November 1, 2010 and ASTM B449, "Standard
Specification for Chromates on Aluminum," approved June 1, 2010, and free of
any powdery residue, oil, or other foreign material which may affect adhesion
of reflective sheeting. The substrate aluminum shall have a chrome-free,
environmentally friendly conversion coating. The thickness of the aluminum
shall be between twenty-two one-thousandths inch and thirty-two one-thousandths
inch plus or minus one one-thousandths. The supplier of the aluminum shall
warrant the substrate of the license plate for a minimum of four years. At the
director's discretion, the director may obtain a certification from an
independent testing facility stating whether or not the aluminum supplied by
the manufacturer meets the standards as specified in this rule. ASTM standards
are available from the "American Society for Testing and Materials, 100 Barr
Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania 19428, (610) 832-9500, web site:
http://www.astm.org. ASTM standards
incorporated by reference in this rule may be viewed at the "Ohio Department of
Public Safety, Office of Legal Services, 1970 West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio
43223."
(F) The retroreflective
sheeting shall have sufficient adherence to the substrate to remain firmly
attached during the license plate manufacturing process and for a minimum
service life of four years. The supplier of the sheeting shall warrant the
sheeting for a minimum of four years. At the director's discretion, the
director may require the manufacturer to provide a certification from an
independent testing facility stating that the sheeting meets the standards as
specified in this rule.
(G) The
photometric retroreflective performance values of the white sheeting, when new,
shall be no less than fifty as described below:
|
Observation angle
|
Incidence angle
|
|
0.2
|
-4
|
30
|
|
|
50 (minimum)
|
20 (minimum)
|
(Photometric retroreflective performance values are expressed
as minimum candlepower/foot-candle/square foot of retroreflective license plate
sheeting.)
Measurements shall be computed in accordance with standard
photometric procedure as set forth in federal specification LS 300 C, "Sheeting
and Tape, Reflective: Non-Exposed Lens," dated July 12, 1974, and as
incorporated in ASTM D4956, "Standard Specification for Retroreflective
sheeting for Traffic Control," approved September 10,
1995, and shall be expressed as candlepower/foot-candle/square foot. ASTM
standards are available from the "American Society for Testing and Materials,
100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania 19428, (610) 832-9500,
web site: http://www.astm.org. ASTM
standards incorporated by reference in this rule may be viewed at the "Ohio
Department of Public Safety, Office of Legal Services, 1970 West Broad Street,
Columbus, Ohio 43223." The retroreflective sheeting shall retain a minimum
photometric retroreflective performance value of at least twenty-five
candlepower/foot-candle/square foot rating at the end of four years under
normal use and conditions on a passenger vehicle. In no case shall the minimum
test using clean rear license plates be less than twenty-five
candlepower/foot-candle/square foot.
(H) Except as otherwise provided in this
rule, the dimensions of the license plate shall be twelve inches in width and
six inches in height. The plate shall have bolt holes blanked with
center-to-center spacing of seven inches, centered horizontally, and four and
three-quarters inches, centered vertically.
(I) The dimensions of license plates for
motorcycles, motorized bicycles, and any all-purpose vehicles required by
statute to display a license plate shall be seven inches in width and four
inches in height. The plate shall have bolt holes blanked with center-to-center
spacing of five and three-fourths inches, centered horizontally, and two and
three-fourths inches, centered vertically.
(J) If it is technologically practical to do
so, the license plate may contain graphic symbols showing the date of
expiration and the county of registration name or number in lieu of a
validation sticker or county identification sticker.
Notes
Ohio Admin. Code 4501-27-01
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates:
11/10/2021 and
11/01/2026
Promulgated
Under:
119.03
Statutory Authority:
4503.22
Rule Amplifies:
4503.22
Prior Effective Dates: 07/01/1976, 02/13/1981, 10/16/1982,
02/09/1987, 02/12/1993, 06/13/1996, 07/16/2001, 01/15/2004, 10/22/2011,
11/13/2014, 06/23/2016
Effective: 6/23/2016
Five Year Review
(FYR) Dates: 04/08/2016 and
04/08/2021
Promulgated
Under: 119.03
Statutory
Authority: 4503.22
Rule
Amplifies: 4503.22
Prior
Effective Dates: 7/1/76, 2/13/81, 10/16/82, 2/9/87, 2/12/93, 6/13/96, 7/16/01,
1/15/04, 10/22/11, 11/13/14
