If you become a licensed driver for the first time, that’s pretty exciting. You can now legally operate a motor vehicle. You can drive to work or school, or you can just hop in the car and drive across the country if that appeals. In every state, you have other drivers all around you. In more populated states, they number in the millions. For instance, Florida has about 7.8 million vehicles on its roads. As a fellow driver, you have to hope that all of these motorists follow the existing laws and statutes governing driver behavior.
That includes things like not consuming alcohol before driving and not letting your smartphone distract you when you should instead focus on the road ahead. However, as a motorist, you also need to think about the rules and laws governing the license plates on your car. We will talk about in the following article.
The Laws Governing License Plates Vary State by State
License plate rules vary state by state. That’s the first thing you should know when you become a licensed driver. Some overlap certainly exists with license plate rules. What one state doesn’t allow, another one probably doesn’t either. However, if you’re going on a longer drive where you cross state lines, or if you drive several states over, you may want to check the license plate rules before leaving. You always want to comply with existing rules and laws.
You Must Clearly Display Your License Plate
For the most part, you must always clearly display your license plate on your car. You will sometimes see an exception if you’re looking at government vehicles. Usually, though, clearly displaying your plates means having both a front and rear license plate. You must also keep them in the designated spot on the vehicle.
If a police officer or highway patrol vehicle sees that you don’t have a front and rear license plate clearly displayed, or that you have them in the wrong spot on the vehicle, they can pull you over and ticket you. They may also just let you off with a warning, but that’s at their discretion.
The Rear Window or Dashboard
If you see someone displaying a license plate on the vehicle’s rear window or dashboard, that’s not normally allowed. If you can do it legally, that probably means that you got some kind of a special dispensation.
For the most part, though, if you have a license plate on the rear window or dashboard, you’re once again looking at a ticket if the police catch you. How much you’ll pay varies state by state. The fine amount also usually changes if you’ve committed the offense multiple times.
Additional License Plate Information
In all 50 states, you must legally have a rear license plate as well as a front one. If the police see you without one, that’s definitely going to attract their attention.
Some states automatically issue new plates when someone sells a car. You should know about that and have new plates ready if you buy a car from someone off of Craigslist or through a similar source. If you buy a car at a dealership, the vehicle will normally come with new license plates.
Some states like to replace a car’s license plates when they reach a certain age. You will need to look at your state’s official website to determine whether it does that, and how long you can have a set of plates before you must replace them.
Usually, if you live in a state that requires that you switch out your plates when they reach a certain age, they will contact you through the mail at your last known address. That’s one of the reasons why you should tell the post office if you move. You might miss correspondence from the state government about your plates, driver’s license, and other information about your vehicle.
Sometimes, a state will reissue a series of plates. They may discontinue them as well. Again, if these rules impact your plates or vehicle, you should get correspondence in the mail, or sometimes by email or text message.
You should also know that some states issue special plates if you’re a driver with a suspended or revoked license. They usually have a different color or distinctive lettering on them.
Make sure you know your state’s rules governing license plates and that you follow them. By doing so, you can avoid getting a ticket.
