The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is clarifying a new Florida statute regarding penalties for obscuring license plates with frames or covers. The statute went into effect October 1.
Information on many media sites reported recently that plate frames which covered any information on the plate would lead to a criminal charge.
However, a department memo dated Friday and posted to the department's social media accounts on Monday said that the statute does not ban license frames as long as it does not obscure visibility of the plate number or the renewal sticker in the top right-hand corner.
The department said it does not consider information on the plate’s bottom a primary feature. A plate frame that impinges on information at the top of the plate is permissible, as long as law enforcement is able to identify the state that issued the plate.
What the statute does ban are devices designed to cover, block or otherwise make the plate identifying information unable to be seen by law enforcement or cameras that record plates for toll fees and such.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
