Friday, May. 23, 2025
Is it against Florida law to drive a car with a license plate frame that covers part of the plate?
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
- Florida Statutes Section 320.061
- The 2024 Florida Statutes (including 2025 Special Session C)
- Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) License Plate Tag Violations in Florida
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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.
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