Chap. 57.—An ACT to provide for the recordation of titles to motor ve-
hicles and the identification of the same; to regulate the purchase
sale, storage and repair of motor vehicles; declaring the theft o
motor vehicles to be a felony and to prescribe penalties for eB ieT

of the act,
Approved September 9, 1919.

Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia:

1. The term “motor vehicle,” as used in this act, shall in-
clude all wheeled vehicles operated or propelled by any form of
engine motor or mechanical power, and shall embrace new or
used motor vehicles. The term “manufacturers’ bill of sale’ as
used in this act shall mean the original] bill of sale issued by the
manufacturer or his agent. The term “manufacturers’ num-
ber” shall mean the original number affixed to or imprinted upon
the engine or motor of the motor vehicle.

2. No license shall be issued, as required by the laws of this
State, for the operation of any motor vehicle until such owner
shall have filed with the secretary of the Commonwealth for
recordation in that office a statement showing the number of the
motor or engine, name of the manufacturer, when and from
whom purchased and the address of such seller and purchaser.

38. The secretary of the Commonwealth shall collect a fee
of one dollar for the recordation of such title, said fee to be paid
by the owner at the time of presenting the statement of title
provided for in the preceding section.

4. No motor vehicle shall be, knowingly, sold or purchased
unless it contains the manufacturer’s number, nor shall there,
knowingly, be a sale or purchase of a motor vehicle containing
an obliterated, erased or mutilated manufacturer’s number.

5. In all sales or purchases of a motor vehicle directly from
the manufacturer or through an agent or agency of such manu-
facturer there shall be issued to the purchaser a manufacturer’s
bill of sale, which bill of sale shall contain the manufacturer’s
number on the engine or motor of the motor vehicle so sold.

6. In all other sales or purchases of motor vehicles the orig-
inal bill of sale shall be assigned by the seller to the purchaser
by an assignment witnessed by two persons or acknowledged by
the seller before a notary public or such other person authorized
by law to administer oaths. All such assignments shall at all
times be kept and attached to the original manufacturer’s bill
of sale; provided, however, that in the event the said motor
vehicle was purchased from the manufacturer or his agent prior
to the going into effect of this act, then, instead of assigning the
original bill of sale and attaching such assignment to said orig-
inal bill, the seller shall execute a new bill of sale, acknowledged
before a notary public or such other person authorized by law
to administer oaths.

7. Any person who intentionally removes, defaces, alters,
changes, destroys or obliterates in any manner or way, or who
causes to be removed, defaced, altered, changed, destroyed or
obliterated in any manner or way, any trademark, distinguishing
or identification number, serial number, or mark on or from any
motor vehicle, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and,
upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine of not exceed-
ing five hundred dollars, or by confinement in jail for any term
not exceeding twelve months, or both, at the discretion of the
court or jury trying the case.

. Any person knowingly having in his possession, at the
time this act shall become a law, a motor vehicle on which or
from which any trademark, distinguishing or identification num-
ber, serial number or mark has been, or is, covered, removed,
defaced, destroyed, obliterated or altered or changed in any
way, shall, within thirty days from the time at which this
act shall become a law, file with the secretary of the Com-
monwealth a verified statement showing the source of his
title, the proper trademark, identification or distinguishing
number, serial number or mark, if known, the manner of
and reason for such mutilation, change, alteration, conceal-
ment or defacement, if known, the length of time such
vehicle has been held and the price paid therefor, and no prose-
cution shall be had under this act when such statement has been
properly filed.

9. Any person, knowingly, having in his possession any mo-
tor vehicle, or any part or parts thereof, after the time when
this law shall take effect, from which or on which any trademark,
distinguishing or identification number, serial number or mark
has been, or is, covered, removed, defaced, destroyed or oblit-
erated, or altered or changed in any manner or way, shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof,
shall be subject to a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor
more than three hundred dollars, or imprisonment in jail for not
less than three months nor more than one year, or both, at the
discretion of the court or jury trying the case, unless such per-
son shall, within ten days from the time when such motor vehicle,
or any such part or parts thereof, shall have come into his pos-
session, or within five days from the time such person shall have
acquired knowledge of such matters, file with the secretary of
the Commonwealth the verified statement required by section
eight of this act.

It is hereby made the duty of each and every person, firm,
association, corporation or co-partnership operating a public
garage, motor-vehicle sales room, repair or machine shop in this
State to keep for public inspection a record of the name and kind
of car, license numbers and engine numbers of all motor vehicles
taken in or held in charge by said garage, motor-vehicle sales
room, repair or machine shop for the purpose of sale, rental,
livery or repair. Such record shall contain the name and kind
of car, the name and address of the person or persons delivering
or taking the motor vehicle to the garage, motor-vehicles sales
room, repair or machine shop, and the license number, and the
number of the engine or motor thereof. Immediately upon the
discovery of any obliteration or alteration of the license or en-
gine or motor number of any such motor vehicle, the proprietor,
or his agents, servants or employees, shall notify the sheriff, con-
stable or chief of police of the city, town or county wherein the
garage, motor-vehicles sales room, repair or machine shop 18S
located, and shall hold said vehicle for a period of twenty-four
hours, or until an investigation shall have been made by the
sheriff, constable or police officers.

It shall be unlawful for any person, intentionally and without
authority from the owner, to start or cause to be started the
motor of any motor vehicle, or to shift or change the starting
device or gears of a standing motor vehicle to a position other
than that in which it was left by the owner or driver of said
motor vehicle, and it shall be unlawful to intentionally cut, mark,
scratch or damage the chassis, running gear, body, sides, top,
covering or upholstering of any motor vehicle, the property of
another, or to intentionally cut, mash, mark, destroy or damage
such motor vehicles, or any of the accessories, equipment, ap-
purtenances or attachments thereof, or any spare or extra parts
thereon being or thereto attached, without the permission of the
owner thereof, or to intentionally release the brake upon any
standing motor vehicle, with intent to injure said machine or
cause the same to be removed without the consent of the owner.
Any person violating any provision of this paragraph shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor and punishable accordingly.
- 10. Any person who shall remove, drive away, take apart,
or tow away any motor vehicle without the consent of the regis-
tered owner of such car shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor,
and, upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine of not ex-
ceeding one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in jail for
any term not exceeding twelve months, or both, at the discretion
of the court or jury trying the case. But nothing i in this section
shall be construed to apply to officers of the law in the perform-
ance of duties imposed on them by law.

11. Any person who, with intent to steal, shall remove, drive
away, take apart, or tow away any motor vehicle shall be deemed
guilty of the larceny thereof, and, upon conviction, shall be con-
fined in the penitentiary not less than one nor more than ten
years, and such removal, driving away, taking apart or towing
away without the consent of the registered owner of such motor
vehicle shall be prima facie evidence of intent to steal the said
motor vehicle.

12. Any person violating any provision of this act, for
which no specific punishment is prescribed hereby, shall be guilty
of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction, fined not exceeding five
hundred dollars or confined in jail for a period of not less than
six months, or both such fine and imprisonment.

13. The term “person,” as used in this act, shall include
individuals, corporations and the officers and agents thereof, and
any other forms of business associations and the members, of-
ficers and agents thereof.

14. All fees collected by the secretary of the Commonwealth
under the provisions of this act, after the payment of the ex-
penses which may be incident to the proper enforcement of this
act, shall be paid into the State treasury as a part of the automo-
bile license fees which may have been collected by him in keep-
ing with the provisions of the automobile license laws of the
State.

15. All acts and -parts of acts inconsistent herewith are
hereby repealed.