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Most vehicles in every state are required to have back license plates. But did you know that many states also require vehicles to have front license plates? These laws are generally designed to make it easier for authorities to identify the license plates. After all, most cops don’t have x-ray vision and can only see the back of your vehicle when behind it. Here’s what you need to know to stay in compliance with front license plate laws.

An Alphabetical List of States

First things first, here’s an alphabetized list of states that do or do not require front license plates on most vehicles. As you’ll see, the majority (30) of states do in fact require both front and rear license plates.

Why Some Car Owners Dislike Front Plates

There are plenty of reasons to dislike front license plates. That being said, two of the biggest complaints people have is that they’re quite the eyesore and they disrupt important features. There are others as well, like the fact that they impose an additional cost on drivers who might have very little disposable income to spend on them, but these are the two we’ll focus on for this article.

Front License Plates Take Away from the Vehicle’s Aesthetic

Imagine this: You’re at a car show. You see a beautiful Lamborghini, its brilliant red gloss shining under fluorescent lights. Then, smack dab in the middle of its front bumper, you see a big ol’ hunk of metal that reads “OEL5K3.” It really diminishes the luxury aesthetic and beauty of the high-end car, don’t you think?

If you do think so, countless other drivers agree with you. It can be quite frustrating to spend over a hundred thousand dollars on a luxury car for the aesthetic just for its beauty to be reduced by a front license plate. Unfortunately, in 30 out of 50 states, that’s the law. And, in those states, that’s exactly what drivers have to do if they want their vehicle to be legally registered and in compliance with state laws.

Of course, this isn’t much of a problem for people who aren’t car enthusiasts. If you’re happier thinking about the neat features of your car (like those brand new heated seats), then you might not care that much about a front license plate. That is, until it takes some of those features away from you.

Front License Plates Disrupt Important Features

Most people who dislike front license plates hold that belief because of the impact it has on vehicle functionality. Many technologies rely on space in the front of the vehicle, space that front license plates take up. Here are just a few of the features that have their functionality reduced or outright eliminated by front license plate laws:

• Adaptive cruise control.
• Lane-keep assist.
• Automatic braking.

These features, which are often considered to be among the most important safety features on newer cars, don’t work as well as they should when blocked by a front license plate. Adaptive cruise control, for example, relies on having highly sensitive and delicate technology built into the front end of the vehicle. That technology requires a visual or laser sight aimed at what’s in front of it. If it can’t see the target, it can’t adapt to it.

That’s why many activists have begun advocating for forms of identification other than front license plates for vehicles, like radio-frequency identification (RFID) or IFF technology. Unfortunately, the tech world isn’t quite ready to deploy either of those technologies for ground vehicles in the consumer market just yet.

In the meantime, drivers in any of the 30 states with front license plate requirements will just have to make due. If you live in one of those states, be sure to keep the requirements in mind when shopping for a new car. If you’re considering spending more for adaptive cruise control or automatic braking systems, for example, consult with an expert before finalizing your decision.

Penalties for Disobeying Legal Front Plate Requirements

Front license plates are not optional; they are mandatory. You cannot just take them off when you feel like it, like at car shows or meets. In most jurisdictions, both the front and back license plates must stay on the vehicle at all times. Failure to comply with this requirement can result in a number of financial penalties.

First off, a violation of front license plate requirements is a primary offense. That means an officer who notices the lack of a front license plate on your vehicle can pull you over. They don’t need to have any other reason for the traffic stop. And, when they do, you’re likely to get a traffic ticket for between $100 and $200.

Of course, traffic ticket fines and related penalties vary from state to state and sometimes even county to county. Where one state might charge you a maximum of $100, others can charge several times that.

On top of the fine, you risk having to pay additional surcharges. Surcharges are a form of fee that are typically applied after you’ve been convicted for the violation. These costs also vary from one jurisdiction to another, but can sometimes cost just as much as the ticket’s fine. So that $100 ticket might become a $200 ticket (or more) after the court convicts you.

Although it is incredibly rare for people to go to jail for forgetting to display a front license plate, that is a possibility. In some states, like Ohio, failing to display a front license plate is a misdemeanor. That means it’s a crime. And, as with any crime, jail time is a potential consequence. Of course, that’s highly unlikely to actually apply, unless the court believes that you in fact had criminal intent and that’s what led you to commit this violation.

On the bright side, failing to display a front license plate is an equipment violation and equipment violations rarely (if ever) impact your insurance premiums. Perhaps better yet, some states consider equipment violations like these to be “fix-it tickets.”

Fix-It Tickets: What Are They and How Do They Apply to Front Plates?

Fix-it tickets are tickets that can be dismissed in exchange for proof that the violation has been corrected in a timely manner. In other words, if you fix it, then the judge can throw out the ticket. California is known for its fix-it tickets for violations similar to these. But keep in mind that not all fixes are accepted.

For starters, if the government believes that you committed a violation with criminal intent, it’s possible that criminal charges might apply. Criminal charges do not come in a fix-it variety.

Second, any fixes for violations that do qualify under fix-it laws typically must be completed at a state-approved facility licensed to complete such fixes. Dealerships commonly hold such licenses, though, and those oftentimes are not difficult to find.

There are plenty of reasons why you should choose to fix the violation rather than pay the fix-it ticket. Here are just a few:

• Fixing the license plate issue often costs much less than the ticket would.
• Failure to fix the license plate can result in you getting another ticket.
• In some cases, your registration might be suspended until you complete the necessary fixes.

If you think you’ve been issued a ticket for failing to display a front license plate in error, don’t fret. Contact an attorney through the WinIt app (or on www.appwinit.com) today. With help from experienced legal professionals, you stand a significant advantage over other unrepresented drivers. And who knows? You just might be able to take that case to court and win it with WinIt.