Does Texas require you to have a front license plate?

5,355 Views | 41 Replies | Last: 2 days ago by wxguy95
jja79
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Son bought a new Ram truck while visiting me in Arizona and vehicles sold here don't have a front plate bracket. We're one plate in the rear only.

Thanks.
sts7049
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
leave it off. nobody cares
EMY92
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yes, front plates are required. No front plate is a good excuse to get pulled over.
GAC06
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yes, looks like it is still required. I got pulled over by a state trooper a couple months ago and he walked around to the front of my car presumably to look for a plate, which wasn't there. He didn't mention it or ticket me for it.
Cromagnum
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
If you get pulled over for no front plate it's 99% likely to be a state trooper. It's a fix it ticket anyways.
agdoc2001
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yes. I tried to suction cup it to the front windshield and still got pulled over.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
jja79
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I guess he'll need to get a bracket put on when his title arrives and he registers it in Texas.
bam02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I didn't put one on my newest vehicle. 8 months and 18k miles with no issues.
mts6175
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Call the sales rep and tell him you need the front bracket. The Ford dealer I bought a truck from in Ohio just put it in the truck when they shipped it.

I believe they have to provide it to you by law if it's required in your state.
'03ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
bam02 said:

I didn't put one on my newest vehicle. 8 months and 18k miles with no issues.
since I'm an awful person with expired registration, it should no surprise that I haven't run a front plate on any of our vehicles for about 15 years. Been pulled over for other stuff several times and it has never been mentioned by the officer.

I will never let them drill holes in my bumper.
bam02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
You're a MONSTER. We know.
jja79
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
They're issuing an Arizona title but maybe they'll do it.
Shayboy3
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
They will absolutely write you a ticket in East Texas.
Pretty crazy to me.
mts6175
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
jja79 said:

They're issuing an Arizona title but maybe they'll do it.
As in he's going to have Arizona plates while driving in Texas? Then it doesn't matter

If he's going to register in Texas, then he needs it. They issued me an Ohio title, then I had to forfeit that when I registered in Texas. I called my sales rep and asked for the front bracket. They gave it to me without question. Probably the same for your RAM dealer, I'm sure they sell vehicles with out of state registration all the time.
tfunk02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
In the Transportation title of the Texas Administrative Code in Section 217.27 states a vehicle "must display two license plates, one at the exterior front and one at the exterior rear of the vehicle that are securely fastened at the exterior front and rear of the vehicle in a horizontal position of not less than 12 inches from the ground, measuring from the bottom . . .

https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=43&pt=10&ch=217&rl=27

A court may dismiss a charge brought under Subsection (a)(1) if the defendant:

(1) remedies the defect before the defendant's first court appearance; and

(2) pays a reimbursement fee not to exceed $10.

(e) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $200.

https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/transportation-code/transp-sect-504-943/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
aggiepaintrain
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
wait, do you live in AZ?
JB
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Going on a decade with no front plate.
1876er
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
bam02 said:

I didn't put one on my newest vehicle. 8 months and 18k miles with no issues.


I've been pulled over 7-8 times for no front plates. All by state troopers (one may have been a Nueces county sheriff). Never received a ticket though.
Finally gave up and put front plates on all my vehicles.
chickencoupe16
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I've got a 2019 that came from Oklahoma and has never had a front plate. I've been pulled over twice specifically for no front license plate and had a cop mention it one other time. It's almost always gonna be a warning but it can be a good excuse to pull you over, so make sure everything else is legal.
txyaloo
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
1876er said:

bam02 said:

I didn't put one on my newest vehicle. 8 months and 18k miles with no issues.


I've been pulled over 7-8 times for no front plates. All by state troopers (one may have been a Nueces county sheriff). Never received a ticket though.
Finally gave up and put front plates on all my vehicles.
Got pulled over by a trooper for my "speed" and no front plate heading to Houston for Christmas.

Strangest encounter. Lasted all of 2 mins. He didn't care that i couldn't find an insurance card and came back with a warning for a 2021 Jeep which is no where close to what I was driving. Plate number was way off.
jja79
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yes.
jja79
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
mts6175 said:

jja79 said:

They're issuing an Arizona title but maybe they'll do it.
As in he's going to have Arizona plates while driving in Texas? Then it doesn't matter

If he's going to register in Texas, then he needs it. They issued me an Ohio title, then I had to forfeit that when I registered in Texas. I called my sales rep and asked for the front bracket. They gave it to me without question. Probably the same for your RAM dealer, I'm sure they sell vehicles with out of state registration all the time.


They issued him a 90 day Arizona tag pending receipt of the title at which time he'll take that to Bexar County and get Texas tags.
TriAg2010
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I went several years without a front plate and no issues. Should I have done that? I guess probably not. It was always weird to me that my car passed inspection without the front plate. If it's the law, seems like that would have been a sensible place for the state to enforce the law.
JB
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Why is it a law?
OasisMan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
sts7049 said:

leave it off. nobody cares
I got a ticket for not having one in ~2002
txyaloo
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
JB said:

Why is it a law?
So big brother can watch you coming and going.
Mookie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I keep my front plate screwed to the bracket and leave it in my trunk. If a cop asks about it I tell someone knocked it off in the HEB parking lot and I'm waiting on insurance
JB
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
txyaloo said:

JB said:

Why is it a law?
So big brother can watch you coming and going.


License plate readers and cameras tracking you everywhere. No thanks

How are these 21 states able to effectively police by only requiring 1 plate?


HumpitPuryear
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Mookie said:

I keep my front plate screwed to the bracket and leave it in my trunk. If a cop asks about it I tell someone knocked it off in the HEB parking lot and I'm waiting on insurance

The front plate for my Shelby rides in the truck on a bracket.

They will issue warnings for no front plate until the day a trooper in a bad mood looks up your history of warnings and then you get a ticket.
HollywoodBQ
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
JB said:

txyaloo said:

JB said:

Why is it a law?
So big brother can watch you coming and going.


License plate readers and cameras tracking you everywhere. No thanks

How are these 21 states able to effectively police by only requiring 1 plate?



When I was in the Army at Fort Knox, KY, the local cops on highway 31W would target out of state soldiers coming back from Louisville who were easy to spot because we had a front license plate.
Absolute
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Mookie said:

I keep my front plate screwed to the bracket and leave it in my trunk. If a cop asks about it I tell someone knocked it off in the HEB parking lot and I'm waiting on insurance


Like this idea. Haven't had one in 5 years on mine or my wife's car. No issues yet. Did have an inspection person say something about the wife's car having to have it to pass inspection last year. Said it was in the trunk and she let it pass.
jja79
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Something Arizona also does that is nice. Instead of going to the DVM for your license you just go to the driver's license store. In and out in 20 minutes with your license and license plate. You can also transfer title there.

You can also buy liquor in the grocery store or pharmacy. The land of the free.
zarbas77
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I was stopped twice within 2 weeks in Lavaca County in '22. I bought a new Bronco and put an aftermarket bumper with a winch on the front. There was no bracket for a plate. I was pulled over by a State Trooper and given a warning. I attached the plate with Baling wire and 2 weeks later the wife and I were leaving Hallettsville. We passed a trooper going the other way and he did a U turn and pulled me over although we didn't know why. When he came up to the car he said I pulled you over because you don't have a front license plate. This was a different trooper. I said oh yes I do. He walked around to the front and looked. Came back and said I missed it. Have a nice day.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
HollywoodBQ
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
jja79 said:

Something Arizona also does that is nice. Instead of going to the DVM for your license you just go to the driver's license store. In and out in 20 minutes with your license and license plate. You can also transfer title there.

You can also buy liquor in the grocery store or pharmacy. The land of the free.
In California, the secret weapon for the DMV was to join AAA. They could handle all the registration and license plate stuff.

In Nevada, you can do most registration related things at the grocery store.

You left off the main winning thing Arizona has - a diver's license that's valid until you're like 75 or 80 years old.

A girl who reports to me at work, lives in PHX and her driver's license is valid until something like 2053.
Sea Speed
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
sts7049 said:

leave it off. nobody cares


Got pulled over by a state trooper for no front plate on my wife's expedition so there's at least one person who cares.
Page 1 of 2
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.