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Front license plates - do we really need 'em?

Should front license plates be a requirement on vehicles?

  • Yes

    Votes: 12 17.1%

  • No

    Votes: 41 58.6%

  • Bacon

    Votes: 17 24.3%
  • Total voters
    70
you can however, put on a car cover...

(1) The installation of a cover over a lawfully parked vehicle to protect it from the weather and the elements does not constitute a violation of this subdivision. A peace officer or other regularly salaried employee of a public agency designated to enforce laws, including local ordinances, relating to the parking of vehicles may temporarily remove so much of the cover as is necessary to inspect any license plate, tab, or indicia of registration on a vehicle.
 
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Butch said:
some info
legalclarity.org

California Front License Plate Laws: Rules and Compliance

Understand California’s front license plate laws, compliance requirements, penalties, and exceptions for informed vehicle registration.
legalclarity.org legalclarity.org

I gotta put my new vinyl one on still. How small can I cut it down to?
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New vinyl plate? Did you buy it from the authorized company and obtain a DMV letter stating you are a participant in the pilot project?

You can't cut it down at all, not legally anyways.
 
Yes, it is a legit vinyl plate. Car is garaged during the rainy season…
 
California AB2111 has some stuff about this, but my search foo fails

edit…

Section 5201.1 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:​

5201.1.​

(a) A person shall not sell a product or device that obscures, or is intended to obscure, the reading or recognition of a license plate by visual means, or by an electronic device as prohibited by subdivision (c) of Section 5201.
(b) A person shall not operate a vehicle with a product or device that violates subdivision (a).
(c) A person shall not erase the reflective coating of, paint over the reflective coating of, or alter a license plate to avoid visual or electronic capture of the license plate or its characters.
(d) A conviction for a violation of this section is punishable by a fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) per item sold or per violation.
 
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Quite a few sunburned plates here in Az.
Paint has disappeared, and the color of aluminum, only the embossing remains of the digits.

Is Ca. DMV going after the sun for damaging plates ??
 
CDONA said:
Is Ca. DMV going after the sun for damaging plates ??
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They will probably make you pay for a new replacement one, that's how our wonderful state usually works. ([Gov] Makes it the customers [people] problem to obey the laws)
 
uh... we have to pay for everything. Eveything.

That said, I just bought another front floppy plate.
 
CDONA said:
Quite a few sunburned plates here in Az.
Paint has disappeared, and the color of aluminum, only the embossing remains of the digits.

Is Ca. DMV going after the sun for damaging plates ??
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I don't know that I've seen any issues with sun damaged plates. What I see all the time, and enforce quite a bit, are license plates that have had the reflective material intentionally removed. Usually this is only on the rear plate, and usually only around the numbers. You can often see the light marks the grinding tool made to remove the Coating, and often times the paint as well. Sometimes part of the California has been grinded off.
 
Why do they remove the reflective coating, Bo?
 
Holeshot said:
Why do they remove the reflective coating, Bo?
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It makes them difficult to read at night. I believe people do this mainly to avoid automated license plate readers. These are now commonly used around cities at fixed points, and mounted to, or incorporated into some patrol cars for investigative purposes. They are also used by toll roads and bridges.
 
I recall hearing about people coating their plates with hairspray to avoid the plate readers.
Any truth to this? Urban myth?
You can spot the plates that have it. The dirt sticks to it. Looks like shit.
 
I've seen quite a number of plates damaged by exposure to the environment. It's a pretty well known issue for years now. https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/back-seat-driver/article28724602.html

Note that In CA only the numbers and letters of the registration are paint. The reflective background is a sticker applied to an embossed but unpainted bare aluminum plate, then the paint is applied to the letters / numbers, then a clear sheet on top of that.
 
Reli said:
Front plates? Lol, I doubt that law is enforced any more than the tint laws.
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I've received 3 tint citations, 2 front plate citations, and been pulled over 2x for having a dirty rear plate.
 
Enchanter said:
I've received 3 tint citations, 2 front plate citations, and been pulled over 2x for having a dirty rear plate.
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Hmm, over how many years? I didn't have a front plate for 13 years. And for the past 4 years I've had 30-35% tint (I forgot which), installed in another state by the previous owner. Never have gotten any flack for it. And I regularly see cars that are even darker, especially in SoCal and the Central Valley. Guess it just depends where you are and how many miles you do.
 
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Reli said:
Hmm, over how many years? I didn't have a front plate for 13 years. And for the past 4 years I've had 30-35% tint (I forgot which), installed in another state by the previous owner. Never have gotten any flack for it. And I regularly see cars that are even darker, especially in SoCal and the Central Valley. Guess it just depends where you are and how many miles you do.
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Years? That was just his 2025 start.
 
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