Skip to content

Friday, May. 23, 2025

Is it against Florida law to drive a car with a license plate frame that covers part of the plate?

Aaron Mammah | Suncoast Searchlight, Suncoast Searchlight

yes

It is a civil offense in Florida to have a license plate frame that covers any part of a vehicle’s license plate — not just the identification or decal numbers.

Any license plate frame that alters the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of any feature or detail on the license plate violates Florida Statute section 320.061.

An obscured license plate equates to a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable by fines and other penalties.

There is a chance the citation or fine may be dismissed in court. In 2024, 91,117 citations were handed out for this violation in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Of those, 69% were dismissed.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs