# License plate frames **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-frames/334673 "2005-12-08T14:44:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-frames/334673/1 "2005-12-08T14:44:12Z")
A lot of dealers put little frames around the license plates of the cars they sell – free advertising and all that. Many of these frames cover the top and bottom inch (or more) of the plate – including the area where the state name is displayed. These are fine while you’re in your home state – that tinge of yellow at the top and tinge of blue at the bottom clearly mark this as a Penna. tag, if you know what a Penna. tag looks like – but what happens if the guy gets into a high-speed chase in another state, and the cops can’t tell quickly what state the plates are from? Why is it legal to put a frame on your license plate that blocks the state name? And if it isn’t legal, why are the dealers allowed to put them on, and why don’t cops make people take them off? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-frames/334673/2 "2005-12-08T15:11:37Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > but what happens if the guy gets into a high-speed chase in another state, and the cops can’t tell quickly what state the plates are from? Why would they care? In a high-speed chase, knowing the state your suspect got the car is kinda irrelevant. In any other instance, they can just look closely and tell. No need for anything else. IIRC, the only things that are illegal are obscuring or altering the essential information on the plate. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-frames/334673/3 "2005-12-08T15:13:50Z")
If they were illegal, you could bet that the car dealers wouldn’t use them (or would redesign them to comply). In a high-speed chase, they probably aren’t going to be able to read the license plate anyway. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-frames/334673/4 "2005-12-08T15:14:30Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > IIRC, the only things that are illegal are obscuring or altering the essential information on the plate. Okay – I guess my question is, though – why isn’t the name of the state considered essential information? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-frames/334673/5 "2005-12-08T15:18:22Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Why is it legal to put a frame on your license plate that blocks the state name? Those sorts of frames are [illegal in Texas](http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/tlo/textframe.cmd?LEG=78&SESS=R&CHAMBER=S&BILLTYPE=B&BILLSUFFIX=00439&VERSION=5&TYPE=B). ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-frames/334673/6 "2005-12-08T15:29:21Z")
Anything that blocks information on the license plate is illegal in Missouri, too. It’s erroneous to believe that dealers wouldn’t put them on if they were illegal. They don’t care about that. It’s the vehicle owner’s responsibility to keep the plate clear and readable, and the owner (and/or driver) who will get the ticket if it becomes an issue. It’s seldom an issue because the police have bigger fish to fry, but just because people usually get by with it doesn’t mean it’s not a violation. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingCowOfDoom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyingcowofdoom/32/21776_2.png) [@FlyingCowOfDoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingCowOfDoom)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/license-plate-frames/334673/7 "2005-12-08T16:35:21Z")
The frames are illegal in NJ. Not only that, but the cops will yell at you (happened to me twice) if the frame is blocking the state motto. The frame I have does not block the “New Jersey” but it does block “The Garden State”. Why that is illegal I don’t know. –FCOD