black plastic piece in glovebox

[LakeLeaf]

My cousin got tired of getting parking tickets, so when he got a new car, he never put the plates on - just tossed them in the trunk. He left the temporary registration taped to the windshield, kept the car looking pretty new, and has managed to avoid parking tickets for the last 10 year. Tougher to write a parking ticket when you don't have a plate number to stick on it. Never pulled over for not having plates either.

[mwalsh]

Both Gary's and Lakeleaf's ideas sound good to me!

[ttweed]

But, what is the CA plate-mounting "law" now?

CA law requires front and rear plates now, Gary.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d05/vc11713_17.htm
I have actually been ticketed for not having a front plate. They want them on for the red-light cameras at intersections to identify you.
TT

[garygid]

Thanks.
Apparently displaying the front plate is now required, at least on all new cars sold in CA.

If needed, the dealer must provide a front mounting bracket, and "normally" cannot sell a new car without one (but perhaps not necessarily mounted).

[Jimmydreams]

Thanks.
I see that displaying the front plate is now required on all new cars sold in CA.

If needed, the dealer must provide a front mounting bracket, and "normally" cannot sell a new car without one mounted.

With special "relesse" paperwork, the owner can take the responsibility of doing the mounting.

My Leaf has no front plate. I specifically requested it NOT be mounted. The mounting hardware is in the trunk. I was supposed to sign a waver but they forgot. IF I get a ticket, I'll worry about mounting the plate.

I don't have a front plate on my BMW.....I've received 2 tickets for it BOTH WHILE PARKED AT LAX!!! Seems the police patrolling the parking lots at LAX don't have enough to do.

[GroundLoop]

I've driven three cars with No Front Plate, in San Diego over the last 15 years or so.

After two years, the first car got two fix-it tickets to have the front plate installed. I had to mount the plate and appear at the police station to have it cleared.

I drove the second car (no front plate) for four years without any tickets, and sold it with no front plate.

The third car (Lotus Elise) had no easy way to mount a front plate. It saw fewer miles, but also went four years without a front plate -- no tickets.

So it seems to depend largely on where you drive, where you park, and maybe even what kind of car it is.

Front plates are ugly. Chose your own level of comfort, but I'd rather get a fix-it now and then and keep the front of the car clean and aerodynamic.
The ticket cameras shoot both sides anyway, as does the FastTrak camera system. I don't know what the big deal is.

[EVDRIVER]

I never put front plates on, they are ugly and cause drag.

[leafkabob]

I live in Arizona and front license plates are not required. Went to Pomona California a few years ago for a tile conference and got pulled over.
Cop: You don't have a front license plate.
Me: Yeah, I know. I'm from AZ.
Cop: Well you're in California now and you have to have one.
Me: But I'm just here for the weekend.
Cop: Since you don't have a front plate I'm going to give you a ticket.

15 minutes later and after a call to his supervisor, he let us go. Pretty funny.

[ttweed]

So it seems to depend largely on where you drive, where you park, and maybe even what kind of car it is.

This is true--enforcement seems to be quite random. I never put the front plate on my wife's Miata and she has driven it 200,000 miles over 20 years now (since new) without incident. I have never put the front plate on my Ultima GTR either, but I drive it very few miles/yr. on the street. The ticket I got was in my '73 911 RS-clone, turning left at a 4-way stop in front of a motorcycle cop in Kearney Mesa. He was almost apologetic, but said he just came from a morning briefing where they were told to crack down on front-plate violations. Wrong place at the wrong time, I guess. He also wrote me up for the windshield banner I had across the top of the windshield. Turns out, those are illegal too. It might be I was only pulled over because it was a "two-fer." The lesson I learned a long time ago--if you're going to break the law, only break one at a time...

TT