Does California Require Front License Plates?
California requires front license plates for all standard vehicles—but there are a few exceptions. Read here to learn more.
Written by Olivia Rose
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
Table of Contents
- Does California require front license plates?
- What is the penalty for driving without a front license plate in California?
- Which US states do not require a front license plate?
- Why California requires a front license plate
- Which states have the highest rate of car theft?
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California
requires all standard vehicles to post front license plates. That said, there are some exceptions, including motorcycles, trailers, tow dollies, and special equipment. Are you getting ripped off on your car insurance? Find out in less than two minutes.
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Find insurance savingsDoes California require front license plates?
Yes—California requires all vehicles that have been issued two license plates to display one in the front and one in the rear, with a few exceptions (which we’ll hit below). California license plates display the registration year and type of registration—and they help tie a vehicle to its owner. In California, your plate will have two registration stickers—one indicating the month your registration expires and the other indicating the year it expires.
But if you’re worried about ruining the aesthetic of your car by drilling holes into the front bumper for a license plate, you’re in luck. California now allows you to put a sticker of your front license plate on the front of your car instead of a plate. This sticker is otherwise known as a license plate wrap. This is great news especially for owners of luxury cars like
Teslas
that come without a pre-fixed front license plate frame. MORE: California car registration process
Exemptions
Vehicles that are issued a single license plate should display that plate in the rear—with the exception of truck tractors. Truck tractors are required to issue their plate in the front of the vehicle. Here are the vehicles in California that are only issued a single plate:
- Motorcycles
- Trailers
- Tow dollies
- Special equipment
- Commercial truck tractors with DR, TR, or DS body type model
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What is the penalty for driving without a front license plate in California?
The fine for driving without a front license plate in California is $196. In California, this is classified as an infraction, and the driver may incur additional court fees if applicable.
What about when your car is brand new? There is a 90-day grace period in California when you purchase a car new before you have to display plates. This grace period used to be 120 days, but that was reduced in 2019 to close a loophole that luxury car drivers (namely, Steve Jobs—seriously) took advantage of to avoid ever having to drill front plates into their luxury vehicles.
If you are cited for driving without proper plates in California a second time, your
car insurance rates
can go up drastically—so don’t risk it!MORE: California license plate frames
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Which US states do not require a front license plate?
You might be surprised to hear that not all states require a front license plate. Here’s the exhaustive list of states that only require a rear plate:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
Why California requires a front license plate
Some drivers—especially in recent years—are perturbed by front plate requirements in California. Front plates are helpful to identify vehicles for automated systems like red light cameras and toll bridges. But more importantly, having a front plate on your car doubles the chances of law enforcement being able to find it if it’s stolen. And in a state like California where auto theft is at one of the highest rates in the country, a front plate is especially valuable to have.
Which states have the highest rate of car theft?
In 2020, California was the worst state for car theft, according to data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Service.
Colorado
and New Mexico
come in second and third, respectively.The problem is worse in some areas than others.
Bakersfield, California
ranks as the city with the highest car theft rate of any city in the U.S.! In 2020, Bakersfield saw a motor vehicle theft rate of 905.41 per 100,000 residents. A few Californian cities fell close behind:These rates are just a reminder of how important it is to display a front license plate. But even more, they indicate a reason why
California car insurance
can be so costly. Insurance providers charge higher rates in areas that see higher rates of car thefts. It’s more important than ever for California drivers to secure affordable car insurance policies so their car ownership doesn’t run them dry. RECOMMENDED
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