It’s Illegal To Do This To Your License Plate In Texas

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• Many Texans are driving every day with obscured license plates.
• Don't give an officer an easy reason to pull you over.
• Fines and punishments have increased for this since September 1, 2023.

Your automobile has become a way to express yourself, and in Texas we love to take things to the max. Some people take it so far that they could get a fine or at least pulled over and receive a warning.

If you cover your license plates with a cooler, mobility scooter, trailer, or anything else, you are giving the cops an easy reason to pull you over. In Texas, you have to display your front and back plates with no obstructions of any words.

Even license plate frames from dealers that are left on after the sale could get you pulled over, though it rarely happens.

House Bill 2195 went into effect on September 1, 2023, and the punishment went from a misdemeanor with a fine of not more than $200 to a fine of $300. If you get caught more than once it becomes $600.

Two or More Convictions For Obscured Licence Plates In Texas Could Land You In Jail 

If you have had two or more convictions it will become a class B misdemeanor with up to a $2000 fine and up to 180 days in jail. This seems a bit harsh for just covering your license plate, but there is more to it.

Mostly this extreme punishment is for people trying to get out of paying tolls or to keep citizens from reporting their license plate during a crime. You have to use the plates as provided by the state and show the entire thing, with no tinted covers, frames, stickers, vinyl wraps, or films covering the words and numbers on the plate.

According to KTRE these types of frames, covers, and hitch shelves can be sold under the pretense of "off-road" use. If they hide your plate, you could be pulled over and at the very least "educated".