I see a lot the claim that it is illegal to tamper with a vin in all cases in all states.
I'm not going to talk about WHAT is the law but about why...
Not every state infringes your rights to prevent crime. sometimes they get smart and focus on the crimes and leave the rights alone
In my state the law says you "cannot remove (or tamper with) the vin to perpetuate a fraud"... but it doesn't take a position regarding the removal or transfer of a vin for non fraudulent purposes.
Some people assume that this must mean any removal of the vin constitutes the fraud...probably because they were told it's illegal when the law says under what conditions it is illegal.
This type of thinking is left over from the old world where people thought everything was illegal unless you had permission.
We... got rid of that.
This old world thinking effects our laws and is why the law crosses lines in some places and doesn't go far enough in others.
Don't forget, bureaucrats like to fudge in the law to get away with things too...
To get votes or to permit things not entirely legal or sometimes they just ain't all that smart but they sure do talk it up good.
hear-say is a dirty word but a lot of people take what they heard as fact instead of reading what is written.
The written word is indisputable, hear-say is someone's opinion.
For example most people believe that if you have ever been convicted of a felony then you cannot posses firearms and lose your right to vote for life.
As a fact of law you will note on applications for firearms licenses/purchases, on voter registrations, and even in the laws regarding job applications in certain states... where it asks if you have ever been convicted of a felony, the law also instructs anyone who had been a felon and who's rights were restored to answer this question as "No".
My own state only restricts firearms of a barrel length under 18" to felons.
While it would be legal for a felon to have rifle or a shotgun in my state they still prefer to use an illegal unregistered concealable pistol when they commit a crime. Shotguns and rifles in the hands of felons isn't a problem here.
So what you hear... isn't always what is the law is
Ask a lawyer first, and have him put it in writing so if you are wrong you can claim "legal mistake".
Fraud is a type of crime relative to some falsification or misrepresentation.
It isn't a crime to lie if the lie does not support a crime, It IS a crime to lie on a legal document or under oath.
Some people believe a restored (or even a repaired) car is not original and should get a different title...
That's the extreme..but extremes like that are where these ideas come from.
If no crime is committed, legally there is no fraud.
If there is no fraud, then tampering with the vin cannot support a fraud.
In my state the choice of words in the law(I paraphrase)- tampering "to perpetuate a fraud" instead of "constitutes a fraud" is evidence that the tampering itself is not considered fraudulent.
It would depend on if the state makes it unconditionally a crime to tamper with the vin,
or if it makes tampering with the vin a conditional offense,
Or if the state makes tampering with a vin an offense at all.
The federal government and the state governments have the power to require a manufacturer to assign a vin to a vehicle they produce as a regulatory requirement under the commercial license to manufacture.
The license to manufacture is a privilege on manufacturing for public sale.
A license to manufacture is not required for personal use, what you do for yourself is not commerce and is not regulated under the commerce clause.
I found this on another forum about California
One example I found:
"It remains illegal for a state (CA-BAR) registered repair shop to 'alter, remove, posses, install, modify, deface or change in any manner' a Federally issued VIN.
It remains legal for a home 'hobbyist' to do the same during the course of repairs/restoration of a vehicle if the panel where the VIN is mounted needs to be replaced or refurbished. He/She must have full right and title to the vehicle and fill out a state "Statement of Facts" about the work done and file it with the DMV. So, according to the state, you can (and many have) swapped the VIN from a vehicle they owned and were restoring onto a new panel or body during the course of that restoration and it is/was totally legal to do so."
It all depends on the state but generally a state or federal licensee is forbidden, while a non licensed person in some cases "may"
Since the source of all liberties is natural and there is no dispensation of liberties under our law,
the law according to license grants powers (because license is permission to engage in restricted activity)
But regarding rights only restricts them.
Understanding why a manufacturer must assign a vin to a vehicle and why an individual does not involves being able to understand the legal difference between rights and privileges.
I hope this brings some understanding to how the various opinions result in different legal requirements in different states.