---
type: "LegalText"
title: "49 U.S.C. § 31504"
description: "Identification of motor vehicles"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 49
title_name: "TRANSPORTATION"
chapter_number: "315"
chapter_name: "MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY"
section: "31504"
citation: "49 U.S.C. § 31504"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc49@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t49/s31504"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-49/usc49.xml"
source_hash: "be1f75490ec288344e8e521276c031fa5a13cbbc6b1fc6500f8e49c5b683360c"
raw_snapshot_hash: "0786acdd244d8f42c5a8e8ed1ec2a8dcb47dd0e02a286752710a20745702a4fb"
text_hash: "14ffce6a6ced9e52518001c0c3e191ff62cb2b1be7c5004169ed5c4960bdb9c6"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 49 U.S.C. § 31504 - Identification of motor vehicles

## Text

(a) General Authority.— The Secretary of Transportation may—

(1) issue and require the display of an identification plate on a motor vehicle used in transportation provided by a motor private carrier and a motor carrier of migrant workers subject to section 31502(c) of this title, except a motor contract carrier; and

(2) require each of those motor private carriers and motor carriers of migrant workers to pay the reasonable cost of the plate.

(b) Limitation.— A motor private carrier or a motor carrier of migrant workers may use an identification plate only as authorized by the Secretary.

(Pub. L. 97–449, Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2439, § 3104; renumbered § 31504 and amended Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(c), (e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 745, 1030.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision Notes RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 3104(a)49:304(a)(3) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 324”).Feb. 4, 1887, ch. 104, 24 Stat. 379, § 204(a)(3) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 224”); added Aug. 9, 1935, ch. 498, 49 Stat. 546.  49:304(a)(3a) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 324”).Feb. 4, 1887, ch. 104, 24 Stat. 379, § 204(a)(3a) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 224”); added Aug. 3, 1956, ch. 905, § 2, 70 Stat. 958.  49:1655(e)(6)(D) (related to “Sec. 324”).Oct. 15, 1966, Pub. L. 89–670, § 6(e)(6)(D) (related to “Sec. 224”), 80 Stat. 940. 3104(b)49:304(a)(3) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 324”).  49:304(a)(3a) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 324”).  49:l655(e)(6)(D) (related to “Sec. 324”). The section is included to reflect the text of former 49:324 (related to motor private carriers and motor carriers of migrant workers) which is incorporated in the revised title by cross-reference.

Editorial Notes

Amendments1994—Pub. L. 103–272 renumbered section 3104 of this title as this section and amended it generally, restating it without substantive change.