TuffShift

All the talk about getting ticketed for no front plate....here's one for all you Law Enforcement people out there to think about.

Take Texas, just for example. What if I come into Texas with no front plate, but I am not from Texas? Do I still get written up for it?

Let's say I'm from Oklahoma, or Kentucky, where no front plate is required....would I still get written up for not having a front plate because of Texas' law requiring one?

What if I'm from a state that DOES require a front plate, but don't have it on when in Texas?......how does that work? On what grounds would they have for ticketing me? Because I violated the law of my state, or violated the law of their state? In either case, what about the Oklahoma car with no front plate?

Can one state really "enforce" another states license plate requirements?

GQMGT

Friend of mine from NY went into New Hampshire with no front plate and got ticketed..............

vjacovetty

I don't think you should get a ticket if you are
form a state that does not require a front plate.
How are you going to get a front plate?

Zilla

They cannot give you a ticket since you are out of state. If the state that you live in only gives you one plate how in the hell are you to put a plate on the front of the car.

If is a bogus ticket they are just trying to get money from you. They can see you as an easy target since it would cost you a hell of a lot more to fight the ticket than to pay it.

jinxxman1

youd think they couldnt, that to do so would be arbitrary and nothing more than a blatant revenue generator.

But, LEO's can and will write a ticket for anything. And if you are from out of state, really out of state like NY vs VA, are you gonna dispute it in court? No, you'll just pay it.

LMB-Z

If you come to Texas from a state that does not have front plates, you are not required by Texas law to have a plate. Texas requires a front plate only IF you're vehicle is registered in Texas. It says nothing about requiring other state registered vehicles to have a front plate. In my opinion, I would not stop someone from another state just because they did not have a front plate. I think a judge would probably throw that out of court.

Hoog

Tagging requirements are for residents of the state, not visitors. How long you can visit before you're considered a resident may be up for debate though. As long as your vehicle is legally registered in your home state, I doubt they could make a ticket stand.

(well there you go, see above)

stax68

Case dismissed..officer stop wasteing taxpayers time & money

R Devil

total

C6NRED

Laws for front plates apply to the state of registration. If the state you are from does not require a front plate, you will NOT get a ticket for driving into another state that does......jeez guys, take a breath here and relax............

jarsdad1

There's no way you can get a ticket for not having a front plate if your state does not require one, but...I would think you could get a ticket if you were from a state that DID require a front plate. It IS a part of the vehicle registration process. That being said, I would expect that the ticket could be given only if the STOP was for some other traffic violation.

DickieC.99

From what I have been told, you can get a ticket only if your state requires both plates. However, if your state requires a front plate you can get a ticket in any state for not having your plate on.

My Vette is registered under my company in Maryland, I live in Virginia - last spring I got pulled over in VA for not having a front plate b/c the cop said he knew MD required a front plate. I thought this was total BS, so I asked around and got the answer I just stated above. I put the plate on, took some pics, brought them to court, case dismissed.

94legaleagle

You guys got me thinking, and now I'm afraid you've just created a whole lot of work for me (although probably sometime in the future)

Welcome to my part of the world - we've got a local police officer nicknamed "gloves" - little dude w/ crew cut, who likes to wear leather "knuckle" no finger type gloves, hence the nickname - he also likes to pick people up for ANY minor violation (didn't signal for a turn, tail light out, NO FRONT PLATE, etc) -

Then once he's got you stopped for the minor violation he goes to work and is busting people left and right (drug violations, no drivers license or insurance, etc) - but the REASON for the initial stop is the minor violation

I just know that there is gonna be an out of stater w/ no front plate in the future, that I'm gonna make a case for and I think I just might win -but it's gonna take some work. Thanks!

z06Bigbird

Maybe it's just my gray hair, but the LEOs don't hassle me. I have not been stopped for front tag. I have been stopped for other minor infractions. I am honest with LEO, very courteous to him/her, and we both go on our way, happy.

Again, I suspect the gray hair has a lot to do with it. But I also know that the LEOs are just doing their job. Certainly, like anyone else, there are a few jerks--just like we have a few on the forum. But, all in all, LEOs are just like you and me. Treat them right. Respect them. They will reciprocate. Also, don't try to BS them. They have heard it all.

Ed

C6NRED

I've got no problem with turning a stop for ANY violation into one for (as you mention)...
Drugs.......want any of these folks hanging around your kid's school?
No insurance....want to get hit by this guy when driving your pristine Vette?
No driver's license.....see above, as they typically don't have insurance either...

"Gloves"..........that's cute....every department has one, but as long as he is following state and city law and department policy, I see no problem with what he is doing........

threewinmag

Well, you should know then that all the aforementioned reason are PERFECTLY LEGAL reasons for a stop. That's all an LE needs is a LEGAL reason for a stop. Anything from there that's plain view is all admissable.

Those are ALL violations of the law. And if you've got drugs in the car, you're a DA! That's "dumba$$, not District Attorney!) The others you mentioned are just tickets anyway. You should have both as you're required to have. If you've got NO insurance, get off the streets anyway. If you've got NO PROOF of insurance, it's a fix-it tickets easily dismissable.

As soon as the office gets behind the car to make the stop, they're going to see the the out of state tag and then the stop becomes invalid if you don't have another violation. Therefore, all fruits from then on are inadmissable. That's not a lot of work! That's easy case law.

Jet-Jock

More so to the point I think, if vehicles from all other states that don't require a front license plate are using the roads of the state that requires a front license plate and everything fine, then why the heck are they requiring residence of that state to have two plates?

That law should be challenged on that basis as the earth didn't come to an end because cars don't have two license plates, most other states have figured it out that one works just fine.

JohnTheStigGalt

Individual states can do what they want (within certain limits of course) to their own citizens. For a LEO to ticket an out-of-state vehicle for not having a front plate (assuming a legitimate out-of-state resident) is an undue restriction on interstate commerce and unlawfully infringes on Federal powers, and is also arguably a due process violation under what is clearly the "color of law." One call to the state's AG should solve the problem. If it were a continuing problem, it would make a nice class-action law suit from the lawyer's standpoint, since COL violations (once proven) have automatic attorney's fees...

DefenderC5

If the state in which your car is registered requires a front plate, you can be cited. However, most LEO won't know what laws are in other states.

If you are in a state which requires front plates, but the state in which your car is registerred does not require a front plate, you cannot be cited.

For example:

CA registered car driving through Wyoming with no front plate: Can be cited

WY registered car driving through CA with no front plate: Good to go.

We have many vehicles on the base here from many other states. A lot of them don't have front plates. The only ones that are pulled over are the CA ones missing front plates.

There is likely some jurisdictional issues for citing for another states codes, when the LEO is an entity of a different state. I don't have a front plate on my car, and I know at some point I will be pulled over for it. I'm not going to complain about it.

unionlandlord

If the state the car is registered in does not require it you do not need to change it for some outher state.

IE

Frount plate

Safety sticker

Smog testing

And outher things...

Most of the time Window tinting laws are based on your home state.

Not a LEO,
Paul G.