Out of the fifty U.S. states, over half of them require that motorists have a license plate fixed to both the front and the rear of their vehicles. Twenty-nine states, including Texas, California, and New York all choose to have this law in place for various reasons, but the other twenty-one states that do not require front plates also have reasons for their own license plate regulations, or lack thereof, right?

Just because certain states require front license plates does not mean that two-plate states have the perfect license plate laws. Both having a front license plate and not having one have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. Likewise, state laws can vary greatly from one another, so it is not a surprise to see these kinds of differing laws from state to state.

Every state requires at least one license plate to be mounted and visible on a vehicle, but we will explore some of the reasons that several states do not require a front plate and why others do.

### Front Plate States

__The twenty-nine states that currently require a motor vehicle to have a front and rear license plate are:__

- California

- Colorado

- Hawaii

- Idaho

- Illinois

- Iowa

- Maine

- Maryland

- Massachusetts

- Minnesota

- Missouri

- Montana

- Nebraska

- Nevada

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

- New York

- North Dakota

- Oregon

- Rhode Island

- South Dakota

- Texas

- Utah

- Vermont

- Virginia

- Washington

- Wisconsin

- Wyoming

Residents of Washington D.C. can be added to the list of two-plate states as they are required to have a plate mounted to both the front and rear of the vehicle.

### Front License Plate Advantages

Opponents against front license plate laws might be disappointed to find out that there are probably more practical advantages to having them than not having them. Here are the most common:

#### Visibility

License plates do not provide valuable information to most people who pass you on the road every day, but a license plate serves as an identifier. It can help several different people groups when someone is in trouble, when someone is breaking the law, or when someone is trying to find your vehicle in a crowded parking lot when they may not know what your car looks like.

Being able to see your license plate from at least 50% of the angles you or someone else might see a vehicle is certainly an advantage to several of the most important people who would care about your license plate number.

In the age of technology in which we reside, everything from statistics to law enforcement technology to other emergency services equipment can use the information from your license plate to help you in many different ways.

#### Law Enforcement Assistance

Visibility goes hand-in-hand with the law enforcement advantages that having a front license plate brings to the table. Having front plates can allow police officers to more quickly identify someone involved in a crime. It can also assist them better with traffic enforcement.

This is one of the main reasons why license plate obscuring tools are available on the market. They work to try and prevent law enforcement from seeing or finding your car if you know you have or will be doing something you probably should not be doing.

It is not all about you doing something wrong, though. Quickly and easily being able to identify someone involved in a kidnapping, hit-and-run accident, or homicide might sound extreme, but there are people in our world who do these things. Time is of the essence for law enforcement in these situations, and having a front plate just makes their work easier while ultimately protecting you better.

#### Revenue Generation

Technology comes into the picture again. License plate readers at toll booths have become more widespread in the past four years, and not having a front license plate can make it hard for this equipment to snap a photo of your license plate when you go through a toll booth.

Yes, it is about generating revenue, and not everyone appreciates that, but it does make it easier and ultimately more cost-efficient for the state, county, or municipality than having to hire workers to do the job that a camera can do.

### Front License Plate Disadvantages

Along with the many advantages of having a front license plate, there are also several disadvantages.

#### Appearance

Many opponents of front license plates say that a front plate ruins the aesthetic of their vehicles. Some who do not really care what their vehicle looks like might beg to differ, but most buyers will factor appearance at least a little bit into the equation when they buy a car.

Sports cars, classic cars, luxury cars, and other performance cars are often built to be much more visually appealing than your run-of-the-mill crossover, minivan, or family sedan. It is one of the reasons that many buyers opt for the lower practicality of a sports car when a more practical, comfortable option is on the table.

Do not be so quick to judge someone who says that a front license plate makes a vehicle look bad. Sometimes, cars are not made to have a front license plate, and someone who loves a car for the way it looks may have to make some unwanted modifications to the car they saved up for just to meet a regulation that many believe is unnecessary.

#### Mounting Issues

In addition to a front plate not looking the best, there may be actual issues with mounting the plate to the front of the vehicle in the first place. Many modern vehicles have plastic bumpers. Even vehicles without a front license plate bracket can often be modified to have a license plate attach to the front bumper. Older vehicles, however, may have metal bumpers that are not so easily modified.

Most places mandate that a secure mounting point be used to permanently hold a license plate, so if someone has to zip tie their front plate to the grille just to “satisfy” that requirement, it still may not be enough for the strictest law enforcement officers or state inspection stations.

#### Safety Feature Issues

Most of the newest vehicles have tons of active driver assistance features. Many of these features, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and lane-keep assist rely on sensors in the front of the car to ensure that they function.

Manufacturers have to work around the front plate mounting point. If they do not, you may need to work around those components to make sure they work right and you meet the regulations in place where you live, and that can be tough.

### Rear Plate States

__The twenty-one states that only require a single, rear-mounted license plate are:__

- Alabama

- Arizona

- Alaska

- Arkansas

- Delaware

- Florida

- Georgia

- Indiana

- Kansas

- Kentucky

- Louisiana

- Michigan

- Mississippi

- New Mexico

- North Carolina

- Ohio

- Oklahoma

- Pennsylvania

- South Carolina

- Tennessee

- West Virginia

### Rear License Plate Advantages

Having only the requirement of a rear license plate also has several advantages over needing a front plate as well.

#### Appearance

We have already talked about appearance, but not having to worry about a headlight-sized license plate in the front of your car will improve its overall appearance. License plates are more easily integrated into the rear bumper of a car as the front has a higher focus on aerodynamics and styling.

#### Less Overall Hassle for the Car Owner

We also mentioned this before, but having to mount only one plate in one place will save a car owner at least a little trouble. If someone buys a car from a state that does not require front plates, but they are from a state that does, it could be a terrible hassle to buy a proper mounting bracket and install it correctly, depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

#### Vehicle Customization

One overlooked advantage of needing only a rear plate is that you can add a bit of your own style to your ride. We have already established that many do not like the appearance of a front plate on their vehicle, but an equal amount of people like to put fun, customized, or silly vanity plates on the front of their vehicles in place of a legitimate, mandated plate.

These plates can display the name of your business, a hobby, your name, and nearly anything else you might like. Front-plate states also offer official vanity plates that can be customized, but these are more limited to what the DMV offers. 

### Rear License Plate Disadvantages

Naturally, only having one rear-mounted license plate has its disadvantages as well.

#### More Hassle for Law Enforcement

Just as having a front plate can benefit law enforcement officers, having only a rear plate can be a disadvantage. There is not as much visibility to identify a vehicle when only one possible angle of the vehicle is at your disposal. Not only does this make normal traffic enforcement more difficult, but it also makes it a touch harder to find and identify those who have committed more serious crimes.

#### Missed Revenue Opportunities

Front plates can provide easier revenue opportunities, but not having a front plate can sometimes prevent states and municipalities from capitalizing most efficiently on revenue opportunities. License plate readers can work in both directions, but having two pictures of the same plate is almost always better than one, and cameras can certainly miss more vehicles if only one plate is readable.

### License Plate Laws

Just as some states have a front license plate requirement and others do not, the laws and penalties for license plate violations differ from state to state. Most states do have a couple of laws that are fairly consistent across the board. Mounting and visibility requirements are two of the most set-in-stone laws that have minimal wiggle room.

Just about every state requires that you mount a license plate securely to your vehicle and that it is clearly visible. States that require front plates do not require illumination of the front plate during the nighttime hours, but most states require that the back license plate be visible at night via a light source as well as during the day.

Some states also have approved mounting locations. In other words, mounting the plate sideways, too low on the vehicle, or too high on the vehicle is worthy of at least a fix-it ticket.

Speaking of tickets, the penalties for things like incorrect plate mounting, obscuring of a license plate, or not having a license plate at all also vary from state to state and law enforcement officer to law enforcement officer. 

The severity of the ticket can also be dependent on whether the infraction is intentional or not. Many dealerships add license plate brackets on new cars, for example. Car buyers often do not think about the bracket obscuring the name of the state on the plate, which is a ticket-able offense in most states. Things like mud can obscure license plate details, and registration stickers issued by the DMV can sometimes peel off. 

If the license plate offense is minor, a police officer who points it out may simply issue a warning or fix-it ticket. More serious offenses like not having a plate at all or lacking a front plate where one is required could result in a several hundred dollar fine or a loss of your driver’s license if the offense is repeated. Fortunately, most license plate infractions will not drive up your car insurance rates. 

Regardless of what the penalties might be for having a license plate violation, it is important that you understand your own state’s license plate laws and that you do your best to comply with them. To find out more about the license plate laws in your state, you can get information from your local Department of Motor Vehicles. 

States differ in their license plate laws and regulations, some states allow a single license plate while others require two. This article explains reasonings for both.

Which States Require a Front License Plate in 2024?

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