Individually Constructed Vehicles (ICV)

What is an Individually Constructed Vehicle?

An Individually Constructed Vehicle (ICV) is any vehicle that is not a production vehicle and will be used only for personal use; a production vehicle is defined as a vehicle manufactured or marketed in volume for normal road use.

Individual Constructed Vehicles always need a new Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

If you want to construct more than three vehicles per year, you need to seek advice from us and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts.

Such vehicles must be certified by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts prior to manufacture.

Do kit cars qualify as ICVs?

Yes. A kit car is a form of Individually Constructed Vehicle, usually built from a partial or complete kit provided by a manufacturer or supplier. Owners are free to assemble the vehicle in a personally customised form, providing they comply with the ICV guidelines and the National code of practice for light vehicle construction and modification.

If you want to construct more than three (3) vehicles per year, you need to seek advice from us and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts.

Such vehicles must be certified by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts prior to manufacture.

How do I secure approval for an ICV?

If you want to construct an Individually Constructed Vehicle, you must obtain approval from us before starting construction. Please complete the application form below and forward it to:

ICVs will generally need to be constructed under the guidance of an automotive consultant or other suitably qualified engineer. The engineer will be required to provide a report verifying that the vehicle complies with all the relevant Australian Design Rules, regulations and rules. A list of automotive consultants can be found in the Engineering and Automotive Consultants bulletin below.

ICVs built to the National code of practice for light vehicle construction and modification will comply with the above regulations and be suitable for licensing, subject to a final vehicle examination.

You will need to apply for a Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS) compliance assessment for the bike. This assessment may take up to 15 working days. To apply, please download and submit (Form E106): Motorcycle vehicle specification below.

The form can be submitted either electronically or by post.

To submit online, please email the completed form to the email address below.

All form fields must be completed. Please include as much information as possible to enable a proper assessment. Incomplete forms will be deleted without a response.

Please print the form, complete it and email to:

A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is a motor vehicle, other than a tow truck or an agricultural vehicle, built for a purpose other than carrying a load. SPVs include vehicles such as garbage trucks, street sweepers and cranes. Some SPVs, such as concrete trucks and fire trucks, may carry water.

Truck-based SPVs that are built in large numbers usually have to be certified by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts.

If you want to buy or construct over-dimensional or over-mass SPVs, you should first contact us. In the majority of cases Main Roads WA must also be contacted for information about access to the road system, or in the case of extremely large or heavy vehicles, about exceeding axle mass limits, which requires a permit.

What vehicles qualify as street rods and how do I apply to construct one?

A street rod is defined as a vehicle that has a body and frame that were built before 1949, that has been modified for safe road use, or a replica of a vehicle the body and frame of which were built before 1949.

Before commencing the construction of a street rod an Application to construct/modify a street rod form must be completed. The application form is available from the Australian Street Rod Federation (ASRF) and WA Combined Rodders Association (WACRA) examiners, for use by their members.

While you don't have to be an ASRF or WACRA member to construct a street rod, we recommend it as these organisations offer valuable expertise and technical support.

Constructing street rods

Please note that you must complete an Application to construct/modify a street rod form when you propose to make modifications to any currently licensed street rod. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts' street rod manual provides a comprehensive set of guidelines.

After your street rod has passed a full inspection and 3/4 front and rear photographs of the vehicle have been provided to us, the vehicle can be licensed conditionally (B Class).

Street rods that do not comply with the street rod guidelines are deemed to be Individually Constructed Vehicles (ICVs) and must fulfill ICV regulations and be constructed to the relevant code of practice.

Interstate transfers of street rods

While standards of construction and modification for street rods are very similar across Australia, the method of registration and the permitting of these vehicles varies. Therefore, we advise that you contact the appropriate jurisdiction/s before transferring a vehicle interstate.

Further information on street rods

For more comprehensive information regarding the construction or modification of street rods, we recommend you approach the Australian Street Rod Federation or the WA Combined Rodders Association.