CONNECTICUT

There are no known ordinances or examples of city registration in Connecticut prior to the passage of the first state automobile law in May 1901.  The state was an early automobile manufacturing center up until 1903, when Henry Ford opened his first factory in Detroit.  The Columbia Electric was made in Hartford in 1899-1900, as was the Pope-Hartford in 1903, and the Locomobile was manufactured in Bridgeport in 1899-1902.  These would be the first cities in which to investigate city ordinances from that time period, in case any early automobile laws were passed.

The 1901 state law specifically prohibited cities and towns from passing any ordinance "in respect to motor vehicles", especially relating to speed limits within cities.  Although a mayor or selectman could grant special permits to automobile owners to drive at faster speeds than allowed by the state law, such as in the case of doctors, or special events like road races, the 1901 law effectively killed off any possibility of substantive city automobile ordinances.