compeateropeator
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Post by compeateropeator on Oct 29, 2014 21:17:18 GMT
My state requires a front and back plate.
They have made an exception for a special "I am Vermont Strong" plate that you can get through the State. The proceeds go to help people recover from Hurricane Irene. They were only allowed for 2 years, but in July they passed legislation to allow them for another 2 years.
We use to have to put a registration sticker on both the front and back plate. however within the last 5 years or so we are down to just putting a sticker on the back plate.
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 29, 2014 21:18:44 GMT
State by state.. Colorado you have to have them.
When I lived in Missouri and Kansas (I moved just across state line) one state required the front and the other one didn't (I can't remember which one was which though)
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Post by leannec on Oct 29, 2014 21:23:27 GMT
No front plates here in Alberta but there are in other provinces ...
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 29, 2014 21:24:49 GMT
It was nice when we moved from TX to NC and our license plate fees were 1/2 because only one was required!! I've seen a lot of cars here in NC where the front plate is one from a different state! Not sure what happens when you take a car with a front license plate of TX back to TX when there is a NC plate on the back.....wonder if TX cops could fine you for it? Otherwise many have fun "vanity" plates on the front. It doesn't matter on the cost if you have one or two plates.. the cost of the plates also vary by state... it's not the cost of the actual plate, it's all the darn taxes you pay. Colorado has two plates, but it would cost the exact same amount because you are paying the 'tax' (property tax) and here is is outrageous. Now if you got your plates in Missouri you only have to pay a little bit because I believe the tax is rolled into your car payment so you don't have to front that money. It has nothing to do if you have one or two plates |
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Post by red88 on Oct 29, 2014 21:32:41 GMT
Florida only has rear plates. Funny thing I noticed recently, and wondered how was handled in two plate states, some cars don't have a place to put a front plate. My son was going to put a fun Florida Gator plate on the front of his car and couldn't because there wasn't a place to put it. What would happen in a state that required an official plate on the front? I moved from a state that only requires back plates to a state that requires both. My car's front bumper doesn't have a space for one, & no space to even drill a couple of holes to attach one. I've been pulled over 2x now. The first time I didn't realize it was a 2 plate state, the second time I told the officer I had one in the window, he apologized, said he didn't see it. No tickets. I contacted the dealer & to replace the front bumper & it will cost more than what the car is worth. For now, I keep the plate on the right side of the windshield. |
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Post by FrozenPea on Oct 29, 2014 21:34:52 GMT
It is the law here to have both but only the rear plate get the registration stickers.
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Post by peanuttle on Oct 29, 2014 21:44:59 GMT
Yes, it depends on the state laws. Here in CA, it is required to have a front plate or you will be ticketed.
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lindas
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Post by lindas on Oct 29, 2014 22:33:08 GMT
Texas requires both front and rear. Some people who move here are upset about the requirement. I think it is a good thing. In today's world, the front plate is often used for ID when entering parking garages, airports etc.....not to mention possible ID for a crime. I don't understand people who get upset over "ruining the appearance of my car" when told they must have a front plate. One year I was in traffic court and the woman ahead of us had been ticketed because she had no front plate. Her defense was, "I drive a Lexus. The salesman told me I didn't need on because it was a Lexus." ....it is still a family joke at my house. The judge did not dismiss the ticket and told her the state of Texas didn't care what she was driving, she had to have a front plate. I can introduce you to about 70 Corvette owners here in Delaware that would cause a small riot if the state started requiring a front plate. Here you keep your tag for life and them some. Low digit tags are handed down through generations or sold. 2 or 3 digit tags can run into 6 figures to buy. |
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Post by Meri-Lyn on Oct 29, 2014 22:36:39 GMT
My old Explorer (which DH drives now) is like that. I wondered what would ever happen if we moved to a state that needed them? Would we just go to the dealer and have them add it on? And my new one? Has one with...you guessed it, a Gator plate? hehe! The front fun Gator tag matches the official Gator tag in the back. LOL NO! Dh is one of "them" and wouldn't let me get one because he won't be seen driving a car with one of "those" on it. HA! Anyways, when we did the car switcheroo a few years back we kept the tags with the cars, and I got his generic plate. Blah! But my plate is actually a Spay/Neuter one. I told him he could go to DMV and trade it for a plain one and skip the fee, but he went ahead and kept it. I do however, have the License Plate Frame.  There's one way to skin a cat. And I heard the frames are actually illegal in Texas, is that still true? |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:05:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 22:52:03 GMT
It was nice when we moved from TX to NC and our license plate fees were 1/2 because only one was required!! I've seen a lot of cars here in NC where the front plate is one from a different state! Not sure what happens when you take a car with a front license plate of TX back to TX when there is a NC plate on the back.....wonder if TX cops could fine you for it? Otherwise many have fun "vanity" plates on the front. It doesn't matter on the cost if you have one or two plates.. the cost of the plates also vary by state... it's not the cost of the actual plate, it's all the darn taxes you pay. Colorado has two plates, but it would cost the exact same amount because you are paying the 'tax' (property tax) and here is is outrageous. Now if you got your plates in Missouri you only have to pay a little bit because I believe the tax is rolled into your car payment so you don't have to front that money. It has nothing to do if you have one or two plates
Well, what I can tell you is when I paid for plates in TX, they were close to $100 per car. When I got them in NC (moving and transferring titles on cars we already owned), we only had to pay around $50. Yes, we still have to pay the yearly registration fee that both states had. And yes, NC does have property tax on cars. But to me, the actual cost of plates on any single car was double in TX and I assumed that was due to 2 plates. Just documenting my personal experience on switching actual plates between states. Granted there are other fees that differ in all states. I find it very interesting that TX charges double as the plate fee and NC charges 1/2 of TX but has the property tax. I do think they are going to get their amount no matter which way you have to pay it.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:05:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 22:54:33 GMT
The front fun Gator tag matches the official Gator tag in the back. LOL NO! Dh is one of "them" and wouldn't let me get one because he won't be seen driving a car with one of "those" on it. HA! Anyways, when we did the car switcheroo a few years back we kept the tags with the cars, and I got his generic plate. Blah! But my plate is actually a Spay/Neuter one. I told him he could go to DMV and trade it for a plain one and skip the fee, but he went ahead and kept it. I do however, have the License Plate Frame. There's one way to skin a cat. And I heard the frames are actually illegal in Texas, is that still true? From my rememberance, the frame could be on the license plate but can not block the name of the state. So many of the frames are illegal because they block the state's name. |
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Post by melanell on Oct 29, 2014 23:01:46 GMT
PA does not require them, which allows for entrepreneurs to have a field day selling customized vanity plates for the front of your vehicle. (Same goes for touristy areas selling location specific vanity plates.) I just leave the front of my car blank. My vehicle doesn't even have a front license plate holder on my bumper. I think that's fairly typical. I know my mom opted to no longer use her decorative plate when she bought a new car because she didn't want to have to drill holes in the front bumper of her brand new car.  My dad drilled away on his, though. |
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Post by kimpossible on Oct 29, 2014 23:15:33 GMT
We don't have them in Arizona.
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Oct 29, 2014 23:36:03 GMT
In my state, if you're issued two, you have to display two. If it's just one, it goes on the back. What I don't know is how or why that's even a choice (like, how do you get them to just issue one plate?).
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Post by maryland on Oct 29, 2014 23:37:36 GMT
I live in PA and they only use back plates. I wish they used front plates too. I am from MD and we use both.
My kids get to make a license plate in 8th grade. It's for the front of the car. When we went to my parents for Christmas a couple of years ago, my kids told their cousin (she was 15 at the time) that they made a license plate in school, she looked at them like they were crazy! She didn't know that some states don't have front license plates.
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garcia5050
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Post by garcia5050 on Oct 29, 2014 23:45:17 GMT
Here in CA, front and back are required, and MANY new cars are sold with no holes or brackets for the front plate. But it is the owners responsibility to get it done.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 0:20:33 GMT
Hawaii has two plates. SOmeone stole my front plate.I had to get it replaced or be ticketed. Oklahoma only has one plate.
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Post by blondiec47 on Oct 30, 2014 0:33:42 GMT
At one point here in Massachusetts you only needed the one in the back. But then I believe they realized that it's best to have them in the front and back and then went back to the two. I think as far as catching people doing wrong, it would be best to have the two on the car. Not all cars have 2 plates in MA. If you have a white and green plate you only have 1. My Jeep has 2 but my DH truck only has 1 |
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Post by librarylady on Oct 30, 2014 0:41:09 GMT
And I heard the frames are actually illegal in Texas, is that still true? From my rememberance, the frame could be on the license plate but can not block the name of the state. So many of the frames are illegal because they block the state's name. Correct....as long as the frame does not cover the name of the state, you are OK. |
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Post by AngieandSnoopy on Oct 30, 2014 1:22:41 GMT
I've lived in 4 states, 2 without and 2 with, Louisiana and New Mexico only back plate, Texas and Colorado both. It was "fun" when I moved to Texas with my Louisiana car and had no place to put the plate. I had to keep it in my windshield until I could put it on myself.
I took it into the shop to have something done to the car and asked that they put the bracket on, they didn't. I forgot what their excuse was when I asked why it wasn't put on. So I wound up doing it myself with wire, punched a hole in the rubber bumper and wired it on myself.
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Nicole in TX
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Post by Nicole in TX on Oct 30, 2014 1:29:07 GMT
My sister (who can be a bit of an airhead) moved to Illinois after only living in states with 1 plate. When she got her plates for car she thought, "That is neat- they gave me a spare!" Then she promptly got a ticket for only having the rear plate on her car! |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 9:57:16 GMT
What would happen in a state that required an official plate on the front? It would be the responsibility of the car owner to have a front plate holder installed. Most cars we purchase do not have front plates/brackets. Our dealerships have always asked if we wanted holes drilled and brackets put on. Because we were in TX, we said yes because we had to have the front plate. On hubby's new car, he did not have them drilled so nothing on the front. I will probably get a new car in the Spring and will have them drilled in the front because I want to keep my German license plate. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 9:59:18 GMT
It was nice when we moved from TX to NC and our license plate fees were 1/2 because only one was required!! I've seen a lot of cars here in NC where the front plate is one from a different state! Not sure what happens when you take a car with a front license plate of TX back to TX when there is a NC plate on the back.....wonder if TX cops could fine you for it? Otherwise many have fun "vanity" plates on the front. We have noticed that too since moving to NC! I have had the exact same vanity plate in SC, TX, and now here. I jokingly told hubby I could put one of those plate on the front of my car like everyone else does. I wouldn't as I can see that could cause a problem. I just keep them in my studio because I like them. I don't feel my German plate causes a problem though. |
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Post by Meri-Lyn on Oct 30, 2014 12:15:35 GMT
That makes me wonder how they put the plates on overseas. There's a car I see in my subdivision that has the Euro plate and then the Florida plate is on top of it. Almost like the foreign plate is glued on and can't be removed.
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georgiapea
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Post by georgiapea on Oct 30, 2014 13:11:08 GMT
Oh, Annabella, I live in Alabama and can just 'see' southern people complaining about having a nasty ol' license plate on the front of their status symbol!
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peppermintpatty
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Post by peppermintpatty on Oct 30, 2014 14:48:00 GMT
Maryland requires them. All our cars have been bought in MD and they all had places for plates. I am pretty sure VA is as well and that is the only other state where we would buy a car because we are so close.
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