Front license plates really checked in California???

In my 17 year of driving in California, I've not used a front license plate on any of my cars... If I remember correctly a law passed a couple years back where the front plate is not required if the front end does not come with a proper mount for the front license plate holder, and no 2 holes drilled was not considered a plate holder... although I think the law was more for the upper class who complained their high end vehicles were losing value due to needing to drill holes on their bumper to place a plate, and this includes the Vette.....

 

I've been pulled over for it twice in two states but let go with a warning both times.
Maine has a front plate requirement- I didn't have one up here and I got pulled over for it when I was a teenager fifteen+ years ago. The cop knew me (small town) and let me go with a warning. I mounted the front plate that evening.
Cut to about eight years back when I was stationed in VA with Maine plates & residency, had just got a new truck and no front plate yet. Got pulled over again, cop was a dink but surprisingly let me go as well where I wasn't a VA resident. I did the sir-sandwich and killed him with kindness though. You catch flies with honey, but you catch more honeys being fly.

So yes.. they do pull you over for it. But both of my instances were small towns in different states with cops that had nothing better to do (apparently). Not sure how CA works but I would like to think they have better things to do. That said, if they have any suspicion increases of you it's an excuse for them to pull you over and harass the shit out of you.

 

This has been my experience. Seems when my vehicles are newer, I've never been hassled for tint for lack of front plates. Once they are no longer new and shiny they seem to draw the eye of LE more.

 

Subjective... I have a long list on both my vehicles, but more on my rice rocket with no fart can which I despise to say the least.. To this day I still get pulled over for what ever you want to call out... I fit a description, turn signals too bright, lights are too bright or too dim, 6 charge list with an arrest over some misunderstanding which lead to just a fix it ticket on a plate LOL... I got a treasure trove...

 

Never ran a front plate on my vehicles either in 17 years of driving. Even got a speeding ticket and was only cited for that, no mention of missing front plate. Hell my tundra is still rocking the temporary paper plate that expired 4 months ago.

 

@Speed_dmon BOSS This guy ^^^^^^ Done the same, before this law was in place had paper plates for 2 years 07-09, base caught on and forced me to bolt on a plate... LOL..

 

I find that a blue line sticker helps. They see me coming down the road or freeway, get behind me then after a few seconds pull away. I have my front plate on but my tires stick out and I don’t have mud guards. Especially when it’s raining and I’m shooting up a rooster tail - still nothing.

 

LOL, not to be mean, but you probably don't fit the description.... ...

 

Of course I do. Dark brown skin, tattoos all over the place.

 

Haha I feel like once I take off that paper plate my baby is no longer “brand new” I’m already sad that the new car smell has almost faded away

 

makes 2 of us, minus the tattoos in my case, but really short hair, border line follicly challenged by choice, because its easier to get up and go instead of I gotta get my hair did... been there done that, lol.. Maybe that's the magnet... hmmm...

 

Yeah, I felt the same, once I took the paper plates off, I could no longer get away with stuff.. coincidentally, got pulled over by Border Patrol unmarked undercover spook while my friend and I were in military uniform... which would've been an interesting headline somewhere, while a second uniformed agent pulled up next to us in his POV... We were ready to get down, but cooler heads prevailed as my friend demanded badge numbers so we could take it to our C.O. LOL..

 

parking enforcement will get you too.
they try to ticket my Camry because no front plate and I was parked in front of my sister in law house.
anything to make money for the state/county/city at this point.

 

I had a friend's 2nd gen ticketed at a park-n-ride for tint. Another one got ticketed at the same park-n-ride for outdated registration, but that's definitely on him.

 

I took mine off a couple wheeks ago, passed by multiple cops and not one has stopped me?

 

No license plate is illegal- new or old vehicle, no mount or mount, no matter how you slice, and is a great reason to pull you over. License plates have been enforced in the last couple of years, I have both not worth worrying getting pulled over.

 

old 40 yr old mexican here and no plate for the last 10 years now. I'll never be caught riding dirty and never been pulled over. It might depend on the car too. I drive a lot too (except this last year due to covid)

2012 bmw 535 msport
2015 lexus GS350 fsport
2005 Honda CRV beater
2019 Tundra (just got it)

First thing I do is remove the front plates

 

I’ve gotten a ticket before, car was parked, it was after hours in a beach parking lot tho and we where doing the nasty lol. Not in my tundra and many years ago.

 

I had fixed up a fixed up Supra, 300zx, Lexus IS300 all without front plates and I didn't have problems. Of course I was always nice and polite when I got pulled over for other stuff. I also didn't drive like a moron. Honestly I think if you have an aftermarket bumper your ok since the radar needs metal to work and unless they need a reason to get you, you'll be fine.
Dumbest things I ever been pulled over for was the bumper ball hitch covering a letter on my plate, I was delivering a pizza at the time but didn't have a sign, he let me go the second he saw my uniform lol.
Other thing was missing mud flaps on my old lifted truck since more than 50% of the diameter of the tire was exposed....no ticket though.

 

Been in SoCal for 42 years, I have gotten a ticket for plates when pulled over for speeding, What "Who me"? I have had friends and coworkers who like the Ganga and drink then get DUI's. The reason, no plate up front. A legal and easy reason to stop a vehicle, the DUI was just fruit of the stop!
All my vehicles have plates, I love beer & tequila, but now never give reasons to get pulled over.
You want to gamble, buy a lotto ticket, it's more fun than paying big time for plates plus the other things they will nail you for!

 

Ultimately it is your luck. I’ve had no front plate in my cars for 29+ years and no ticket. Maybe I’ll be unlucky tmrw…

 

This is why I fronted my willingness to drive without a front plate with the fact that I never ride dirty. If I did then that would be a different story. I drive with a kind of arrogance where I genuinely don't care if I pulled over. This overconfidence kind of is a self fulfilling prophecy because I never do.

 

In Texas LEOs are instructed not to pull you over for no front plate but will ticket you if they pull you over for something else. We have a law that states no part of the lettering on the plate can be covered up. My plate frames cover up half of TEXAS but no problems in 4 years.

 

In Texas (panhandle and central) I've been offered thanks by cops for having a front plate. It seems to make a difference to them in determining the occupants mindset. Once they see it, they seem to relax and a couple have said thanks for having it there not to mention being polite. Hmmm....

 

In PA we don't need front plates .

 

I haven't run a front plate for at least 25 yrs. I did get one ticket from a parking patrol Nazi in Capitola (AKA copitola AKA clapitola if you frequent the pick up bars). Capitola is unbelievably aggressive with all manner of tickets, I avoid the place like the plague. Generally Ca police have bigger fish to fry and aren't gonna waste time with a minor, fix it ticket, infraction.

 

I have been driving for 40 yrs, and w/no front plate for at least 20 of those. Not once have I ever been pulled over or heard of anyone being pulled over for no front plate. In Ca. I think that is the least of a cops worries..

 

I agree with this. I went on a ride along in my younger years and spent half the day sitting in a spot on a busy street. I would have bet money that the cop was looking for stupid stuff like tint, plates, etc. He had plenty of opportunities to get someone for stuff like that. It opened my eyes alot, turns out, he said that alot of the time they are looking for very subtle things, an example is looking for a car with a male driver, no front passenger, and another male in the back seat (there was no uber back then so this may not be AS relevant now) he said that in that scenario alot of the time the 2 guys would have kidnapped a person and lay her flat in the back on the floor and have their feet on them holding them down out of sight. He said he saved 2 girls that way.

 

I haven't had a front license plate since I started driving in 2004. I have never had a problem and hopefully you won't as well!

 

I've been lucky amd have not had a front license plate ticket for about 10 yrs