Why do some states have front car license plates and some don't?

The law varies by state. I really don’t care one way or the other. I do know someone who registered her car at her sister’s address in WV instead of her own house in VA so she wouldn’t have to put a front plate on, though, so I guess it matters to some people other than your husband.

In California you must have both front and rear plates. It’s been that way since as long as I can remember.

New york you must have both also, Florida you don’t. It’s just for Law Enforcement purposes, some feel it just makes it that much easier to identify a potential criminal, other states, like you mentioned, don’t have the front plate laws because you may have to damage the vehicle. There’s no real elaborate story for why some states require it and some do not though.

I was wondering if maybe it was money? Can they charge more for more plates? Or, maybe they needed to keep the prisoners busy?

I think the reason some states (including WV) don’t have front plates is because they feel it is an unnecessary expense. It is very difficult to decipher a license plate number from a rear view mirror, so why have one? It took some getting used to for me, since I grew up in the same town as @JLeslie.

Here in CT we have front and rear plates. I’ve always wondered about the reason for it as well, since I grew up in IN where only the back of the car has a license plate. CT seems so big on taxes, I figured it was just so they’d have an excuse to charge more at the DMV. ;)

In Colorado you have to have both as well. I think it looks stupid as well. I know Arizona dosent require fronts. Honestly I think its just state laws, and someone somewhere complained in that state. Way to ruin it for everyone!

You have to have both here in Virginia, but understand what your hubby is saying.

@augustlan – I thought the reason behind West Virginia not requiring front plates had to do with all the West Virginians that are missing front teeth.

@AstroChuck I have all my teeth.

We only have to have the back one in Georgia.

You are required to have a front plate in Illinois. Several years ago our front plate fell off and I kept it in the trunk of the car until we could get it fixed. I completely forgot about it and I was pulled over one day by a police officer. Thankfully I only received a warning ticket.

I can see how this might give the state a way to get extra cash. Ticket the forgetful drivers who could care less about having a front plate.

In Florida the reason why cars have only one plate dates back to World War II and rationing and recycling items for the war effort. Metal was in limited supply as it was needed to make military equipment, so the state decided to cut the use for license plates in half by requiring only one plate. They have simply never gone back.

OTOH, you not only need two in Arizona, when you move there from out of state you are required to turn in your two old ones, even if you come from a state like Florida that only issues one. I ran into this when I moved from Gainesville to Tucson. I finally convinced someone to look it up and see that I wasn’t lying.

Texas requires two plates, but doesn’t care what you do with your old ones.

@Darwin Thanks for the FL story :).

In CA we have to have both plates. I think the front plates completely ruin the look of the vehicle.

I’ve taken the front plate off my truck and my family’s SUV. They just look so much better without them. The plate has been off the front of the SUV for a few years now and no one has been pulled over in it yet.

in minnesota 2 plates are required but under statute # 169.79 it reads, any motor vehicle manufactured after 1935 or of a defunct make, or 20 years old, needs only one plate. so any oldsmobile should require only one plate because olds is defuncted. am i correct???

@jonnyr Interesting. Maybe that is so you don’t have to deface an antique or rare car.

in sd we have to have 2 plates…i tried getting away with one for a while since i put a new front bumper on my car but they caught on and i unfortunatly had to put one on…i think they are ridicoulous…cops pull people over from behind so why do we need ones in front? I have a nice looking car and about cried when my bf started drilling holes into it for the stupid front license plate… so today when i go show the cops i put the front one on im going to tell them how horrible it looks…and writing the government..doubt it will do any good but its extra money we have to spend. either that im going to find a loophole somewhere….they make a nice car look very tacky and i agree with your husband a 110%

@jsalmie – They look tacky? Really? South Dakota seems to me to have a fairly attractive license plate.

In any case, most cars today come with a spot to put a license plate. I don’t know why your bumper wasn’t designed for one. One benefit to the state of front license plates is to increase the effectiveness of red-light cameras, which work only if a vehicle can be linked back to its registered owner. A benefit to other drivers is in case of a hit-and-run accident witnesses in both directions have a chance to read the plate so the perpetrator can be tracked.

@Darwin I figured that but the town I live in the little lights to record you dont work..well at least the cops dont do anything about it-you could run a red light and they wouldnt see it or maybe they do see it and dont do anything about it. i know alot of people who run yellow and red lights and never get a ticket in the mail or a ticket at all…and half the towns in sd are relatively small and can’t afford such a luxury let alone have stop lights most towns have stop signs. I just dont like how front license plates look on a car…takes away from the cars looks and design & air flow – i bought my front bumper that way so i wouldnt have to put one on – its called aftermarket for a reason so it wouldnt look like normal grand prixs…plain jane ones anyways… im a big car enthusiast and like my cars not to look stock…especially if i take it to a car show