Returning home from CO. I got stopped by Donley County Deputy. Told GF I fixin to get a ticket. She says what for. I tell cause I don't have a front lic. Plate. Deputy was close to my age and not friendly at all. Took my DL and as he got in his pu he swiped the lic. Comp. generated ticket. My record is perfect. Was perfect. Told him I had the plate in the rear door pad. He says supposed to be on the front. Tell the judge. Two days later I call her and she was very nice talking lady. Send he a picture with the plate on the truck and a ten dollar MO. Today she called me back to be sure she had given me the or correct instructions. SURPRISE ! Never knew of a JP who was that nice.
Very nice JP in Texas
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there are a lot of them around. around here we have city judges that have other full time jobs and most are very understanding folks. lee
LVSteve
Member
So what is a real deal with front plates in Texas?
TN hasn't had front plates for many years now and I have been stopped in other states. usually when they pull up and see what state it is they just wave me on but in TX one walked up and asked if TN had front plates as they did when he was stationed here way back when. lee
TN is (was) weird about plates.
When I moved here in the early 70s TN only had one plate - BUT, it was OK to have the one and only plate in front on trucks - I guess because the back plates get all bent up.
I drove a van for a couple of years with no plate and never got stopped. Cops behind figured the plate was around front and cops from the front figured that the plate must be in the back.
I miss those days - sigh
When I moved here in the early 70s TN only had one plate - BUT, it was OK to have the one and only plate in front on trucks - I guess because the back plates get all bent up.
I drove a van for a couple of years with no plate and never got stopped. Cops behind figured the plate was around front and cops from the front figured that the plate must be in the back.
I miss those days - sigh
Hmmm....I looked this up, and while it may be open to interpretation, this is from HB657:
"SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act regarding the issuance of license plates by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles applies only to the issuance of license plates by the department for a registration period beginning on or after the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013."
Is that saying that the front plate is still required for plates issued prior to 9/1/2013? Hopefully not.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Course she was nice! You gave her the $10
That Deputy should never have written that ticket. But he did, you paid and that's that. Karma does indeed catch up.
I had some young kid try to give me a ticket because there was no liscense plate on my parked boat trailer. Told him that the plate was in my suburban so nobody would steal it and that when the trailer was moving I hung it off the back of the boat where it was lighted and visible. I offered to go get it and show it to him. He got flustered and said I was breaking the law because the trailer was parked on the street. I said write me the ticket-but call your supervisor first. He did, came back muttering and apologised. Some people should not put on a gun or badge.
LVSteve
Member
Nevada is really weird. If there is no built in mounting on the front then you don't need to put the plate there. However, you MUST keep it in the car. I guess it is to stop folk running two cars on one plate.
Alpo
Member
What's the problem with putting on the front plate? I mean, this comment sounds like it's a major pain having one.
>Is that saying that the front plate is still required for plates issued prior to 9/1/2013? Hopefully not.<
>Is that saying that the front plate is still required for plates issued prior to 9/1/2013? Hopefully not.<
I know when i had my mustang i didnt want a plate hanging off the front, looked like crp so i didnt use one even tho im suppose to here in ohio... Never been pulled over. Never put one on my jeep either after i swapped bumpers added winch ect... Vehicles look so much better w/o them
Well, let me tell you.
On some cars the front license plate just looks stoopid!
On other cars there is no place to put one. The owner must then figure out where to put the plate; drill holes in the bumper (which may be made of Styrofoam covered with plastic).
The only reason in todays world for a front plate is for the redlight/speeding cameras to gittcha..........
Sebago Son
Member
Long ago in my impoverished student days, I had the plate from a '70 Chrysler on the front of my '61 VW bug and the plate from a '68 Cadillac on the rear. Never got stopped, speed limit was only a dream with that car. Thankfully the statute has expired. 
Faulkner
Member
I guess I don't understand the premise of having a plate on both ends. Arkansas has always only had one on the back and it's never impeded my ability to enforce traffic laws.
Arizona only issues one plate, unless you get a personalized plate, in which case they issue two. Funny thing is the law says you only have to display the rear, unless two were issued. So by paying the extra for the vanity plate, you get an extra obligation, which makes no sense. Unless, of course, they are concerned about people putting the second plate on a second car, in which case they still wouldn't have the annual sticker. Neither my wife nor I display the fronts though, and I've never seen or heard of anybody getting cited for only displaying one. With my luck, I'll be the test case.
Well, it does make it easy to ID the car in vehicle/pedestrian hit and runs. Accident investigator just needs a mirror.
In the 32 years I was with APD I never saw a front plate written. We used as PC to stop undisirables to ID them. I looked up the statutate before I wrote the first post and it did not read that way. Humm. In the GM factory we shipped a front plate bracket in the trunk.
