Taevon lee

2000 Vette Guy

I don't know about Oregon but Washington can and will ticket for it. I have first hand knowledge. Got one about 15 years ago in a '96 that I received from a county sheriff. He had nothing else better to do so he pulled me over..........cost $100. I haven't had a front plate on my C6 or7 for the last 11 years without any problems. Knock on wood.

Taevon lee

Mufflerbearing

Usually not a problem on freeways or larger towns with lots of traffic. It's the smaller country towns where things are slow and the cops aren't too busy where it's easier to get pulled over.

ExRedRacer

I had the same experience.

Got pulled over in a residential area where the cop was sitting there waiting for someone to roll through a stop sign. While I did the proper stop and all, he spotted my no-license-plate C5 and pulled me over. For a few months after that I used one, but after a while took it off and went back to that filler-plate the C5's used.

Never used one with either my C6 or currently my C7 and haven't been bothered for 12 or 13 years. And I've rolled by any number of LEO's in the process.

mcoomer

I don't run a front plate and haven't had any trouble in the Seattle area. Took a road trip to my nieces graduation in Pullman and was worried about Vantage but no trouble there. Can't stand the look of a front plate on this car.

stevezZ06

Don't know if it's just a fix it ticket this day in age or not. When I was a teenager I had no plate on front was pulled over and cited. Back then it was easy just wrote a badge number and quick signature and mailed it in. Worked all the time for us when we got tickets but again it was just a fix it ticket without fines involved.

c4cruiser

Sometime a stop for no front plate can be used as a reason to check other things. An LEO can run your driver's info, look for outstanding warrants, and just talk to you to see if they can find anything else that could be reason for detaining you or even an arrest.

I have front plates on my vehicles just so I can avoid any of that. Avoid the hassle and the fine of $136.00 for no front plate.

There are some limited exceptions to not mounting a front plate. If the vehicle design makes it difficult to properly mount a front plate, an owner can file for an exemption. But if the manufacturer or dealer provides a mounting bracket for a plate or provides some method to mount a plate, the exemption will be denied by the Washington State Patrol. Read here.

stevezZ06

Very good information after reading all of it

AaronZ51

I'd been without a front plate on several cars (Camaros & Corvettes) for about 20 years in Washington and never cited. When I went to work in Tacoma, the meter readers will ticket you every time for no front plate - it was about an $86 ticket so I got a show-n-go front plate - stows out of sight or pops up when needed - on my C6. Now with my C7, I'm back to no plate since I have off-street parking in Tacoma.

2000 Vette Guy

I have heard that Wenatchee is the same way.

monoloco

I found an $80 ticket on my car for no front plate that I got while (legally) parked in downtown Portland. Seems kind of chicken S. to me, but I have since mounted a removable front plate bracket on my C6.

spllbnd2

I've been pulled over even before owning a Corvette or Camaro for not having a front plate in Washington. I for one don't chance it because that allow them to pull you over and look for other things to give tickets for. I run safe these days and leave the front plate on the C5.

HeyDanNiceShot

I haven't run one on any of my cars in the last 15 years or so. Get the LEM plates if you have an option for that kind of thing in Oregon.

yellowvette1992

I have no front plate on my C6. I have had it for 2 years and it is a DD. I have had no issues. My understanding is in Oregon they can not sop you just for that, but if they stop you for something else they will ticket you for it. The exception as noted is meter maids will ticket you for no front plate.

c4cruiser

Another reason for WA requiring a front plate is that the plate has a metallic (reflective) paint background. That paint easily reflects radar waves from police radar guns and most likely from laser guns.

The Washington State Patrol heavily lobbies against any attempt by the state legislature to go to a single rear plate. It turns out that the reflective material is made by the 3M Corporation and they are the only source used in WA for that material. It's also known that the 3M Company is a heavy contributor to various LEO associations in WA including the WSP.....

Mufflerbearing

It would be interesting to know how much we taxpayers would save if license plate production were cut in half by eliminating the front plate. If they are still made in the state prisons perhaps the savings would not amount to much.

saleen556

c4cruiser

We as the vehicle registered owners pay for the plate cost in the registration fees. And it was the Legislature that passed a bill (and signed by the Governor) that required plate replacement every few years. That was a WSP-backed bill so that the front plate could be bright and easily seen by radar guns. So a single plate may reduce the cost to the registered owner, but the state still gets their money. They could even raise the price of a single plate to cover any reduction of manufacturing just a single plate.

The prison in Walla Walla manufactures all of the WA plates including the specialty plates. There's something like 30 inmates that do all of the work and they turn out an average of 7000 sets per day. Going to a single plate could result in a lower number of inmate workers. But they still need to make plates.

Gold Dragon

Interesting topic. Been ticketed for no front plate in a 72 Malibu. We were in a small WA town called Ritzville. My current Vette was purchased with one collector plate. Is the collector plate an exemption to this. Or do they come in pairs, and I am missing the front?

Ray