OK I've always wondered this, and I know there is someone knowledgeable about the subject on the boards here and wanted to start a thread on it. Is it legal to have your license plate up in the front windshield like I do? I drive around and see police all the time and have not had one problem with it. I've even been pulled over with it and not had the officer say anything. So, I'd like to know who knows about the CA laws, if there are any that are OC specific, and what a ticket for something like this would cost/be for. thankssss....


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view from the front, left the 8 so you can see how much of the letters/numbers are showing

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about 6 1/2 inches of the 39 inch windshield is covered vertically, so 6%

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view from the driver's seat.

Also, does that mean my school parking pass is illegal? Is my work parking pass on my mirror illegal? Is the broadway mirror illegal? air freshener? Would like some info from someone who can quote codes and give me actual answers! thanks for looking!!!

 

Front license plate must be mounted on the front bumper. Having it anywhere else like inside the car behind the windshield is illegal.

 

Plate must be mounted on the bumper. Window is illegal and if a cop wanted to, he could pull you over for it.

Likewise, your air freshener and parking pass hanging from the rearview is illegal, if a cop wanted to, he could pull you over for it.

The sticker in the bottom left is OK.

I don't think they'd fine you though, probably just give you a fix-it ticket. It's just a hassle since you have to go get it written off by a cop after you fix it. Things like that are more of a case of them using something stupid like that to stop you to check into other things imo.

 

Agreed. I had a pig tell me that any modifications to a car is illegal. I was going to ask him if my Sony head unit was illegal. (Obviously I didn't say it so I wouldn't get into trouble.)

My friend also got an exhaust ticket for his exhaust. He drives an Evo VIII MR and his exhaust was OEM at the time. WTF...

 

LOL they'd like that to be true so they don't have to learn anything about cars. I thought the whole "japanese car harrassment" thing would have died down by now in CA (it's been like 10 years since the height of the hatred?).

I was going to polish my stock muffler but i'm thinking twice as i'm sure i'll get a modified exhaust ticket the next day . <--- I work in Irvine.

 

yes, i mentioned the code and yes, i actually had my plate mounted that way on a previous car. i had it on the pass side with suction cups.

i had a bit of an eye opening discussion with a police officer while we were filling up at the gas station. he saw how i mounted the plate and just told me that it was enough cause for a peace office to pull me over if they wanted to bother with it. he mentioned that he previously saw a bad wreck where an occupant was hit with a plate during impact. it's pretty sharp and he mentioned it wasn't a pretty sight.

yes, it's one of those one in a million scenarios but it's one of the reasons i don't do it anymore. my biggest motivator is just that i don't want to be pulled over for something so trivial. YMMV.

 

^appreciated, just wanted to start a new post and not get too off topic on the other

 

That's what I've always thought about having a sharp piece of metal hanging loose during a accident. Turns into a flying knife.

 

^ This.

I used to ride around in my Evo with the plate mounted on the windshield with suction cups, but I felt it blocked enough of my view to make me want to take it off and just go without a front plate (though of course I had it installed a few months later since I'd rather not deal with the law to begin with), especially since I could get pulled over for it just as easily.