# Why aren't cars with "sovereign citizen" plates summarily impounded and drivers charged? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658 "2025-07-09T13:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/1 "2025-07-09T13:38:25Z")
I just saw a reddit post of a “sovereign citizen” type of license plate seen on the road in a DC suburb of Virginia. I have never seen one in the wild but have seen a lot of photos of them. Cops will pull you over if your inspection sticker or registration sticker is a month overdue (happened to me when I renewed on time but didn’t have the stickers yet). How can a car like this stay on the road for more than a day? > **[https://i.redd.it/o6lnip10eubf1.jpeg](https://i.redd.it/o6lnip10eubf1.jpeg)** ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/2 "2025-07-09T13:45:29Z")
Cops like to limit their number of shootouts with nutjobs. Don’t poke the crazy until you have to. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/3 "2025-07-09T13:46:42Z")
Sov cits get away with having these plates, at least for awhile, because cops have more important responsibilities and limited time, don’t want the hassle of dealing with these idiots, or are constrained by departmental policies. > [@](#): > > Some departments have policies preventing any traffic stop for “minor” traffic infractions in order to limit “pretextual stops.” In specific settings, these policies could prevent officers from stopping sovereign citizens exclusively because of an illegal plate. > **[What are sovereign citizen license plates and how legal are they?](https://www.police1.com/sovereign-citizens/what-are-sovereign-citizen-license-plates-and-how-legal-are-they)** > > Supporters of the sovereign citizen movement use these plates as a form of protest against government authority, but law enforcement views them as a legal violation ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/4 "2025-07-09T13:47:30Z")
Who says it was on the road for more than a day. Maybe the nutcase was going to a meeting with his nutcase friends. Also, drivng a car with ficticious plates in most states is just a ticket to show up in court. This guy had to get a title for the vehicle when he bought it, which comes from the state. He then had to get registration and insurnace, which he most likely did. He just chooses to be a dick at certain times and if pulled over and pressed will show his actual registration and proceed to spew nonsense to the officer until he gets let go with a warning or ticket. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/5 "2025-07-09T13:53:27Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > cops have more important responsibilities and limited time I would rather have cops arresting murderers, sure. But they pull people over all day for having expired registration stickers. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/6 "2025-07-09T14:00:28Z")
That’s because it’s a clear and simple violation with a revenue benefit, disposed of in a few minutes. SovCits are a _pain in the ass_ and prosecuting them is _expensive._ No wonder they’re not a priority. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/7 "2025-07-09T14:09:00Z")
It seems it would be low-hanging fruit for the cops for the ticket but I get why they may not want to issue the ticket or depending on the jurisdiction , arrest them. But cops should give the ticket so that they can impound the car because that requires (depending on jurisdiction YMMV) the SovIdiot to get a license, registration and insurance to get it out of hock. And honestly, shouldn’t that be the real goal? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/8 "2025-07-09T14:51:58Z")
Just like there’s an issue with overcrowding in the jails in some jurisdictions, there is also overcrowding in “car jail” (the impound lot). The sovcidiot can continue to rack up tickets and unpaid fines. At some point, though, it’ll bite him in the tush. For example, when he decides to renew a credit card, or he needs to buy a house. Maybe that’s why some of these idiots also decide to do the squatter nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/9 "2025-07-09T18:31:03Z")
Some days you just don’t want to deal with it. Those days get more frequent as the years go by. I have dealt with some people with SC tendencies but I never once ran into a car with plates like that. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/10 "2025-07-09T19:07:03Z")
But what would you do if you did? Would you stop them and just write the ticket and say explain it to the judge? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/11 "2025-07-09T19:54:14Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > But what would you do if you did? Would you stop them and just write the ticket and say explain it to the judge? The chances of I being just one ticket are slim to none ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/12 "2025-07-11T03:11:57Z")
Why would that car get pulled over? The operator of that motor vehicle is clearly traveling, not driving. _::d&r::_ ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/13 "2025-07-11T03:34:34Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Some departments have policies preventing any traffic stop for “minor” traffic infractions in order to limit “pretextual stops.” In specific settings, these policies could prevent officers from stopping sovereign citizens exclusively because of an illegal plate. The above is a quote from the cited article, not from the poster. But the same article also says this: > All drivers in the U.S. are required to carry valid driver’s licenses and all vehicles are required to have valid license plates and vehicle registrations. They can only be obtained through the driver’s home state. Any homemade plate or plate bought through an online retailer does not satisfy road regulations. I cannot understand how some “sovereign citizens” pulled over for these plates claim that they’ve been driving like that for years. Motor vehicles must be registered, simple as that, and the plate is evidence of registration. No legal plate, no registration. Aren’t police there to enforce the law? Side note. I once drove to visit a friend in another town and suddenly realized that I’d forgotten to renew my vehicle registration. It was a weekend and too late to do anything about it. I took my chances and had no problem getting there. But on the way back, in a town known for being a bit over-policed, I got pulled over within five minutes for “expired plates”. How the hell do these sovcits apparently get away for years with plates that basically say “Fuck You”? Sometimes I think that I just do not understand the justice system in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/14 "2025-07-11T05:23:26Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Sometimes I think that I just do not understand the justice system in the United States. Just because someone posted that doesn’t mean it’s real. It could be photoshopped. And if real not every other car on the road is a squad car. 10 minutes later a LEO may have tried to pull that vehicle over. Or maybe you don’t understand sovereign citizen types (few do). They want contact with law enforcement so they can file a bazillion frivolous law suites. They’re nut jobs. In a very short period of time a plate like that is going to come to the attention of some form of law enforcement. The notion that such things are routinely ignored is nonsense. If I’m on patrol with no pending assignments I am going to attempt a traffic stop on that vehicle. We don’t deal with sovereign citizens very often but when we do we have a special radio code for it and a set of written procedures regarding them. I’ve been fairly lucky so far. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/15 "2025-07-11T11:37:44Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > SovCits are a _pain in the ass_ and prosecuting them is _expensive._ No wonder they’re not a priority. Hey people with expired tags - here’s a cool hack! /s ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/16 "2025-07-11T12:45:41Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I cannot understand how some “sovereign citizens” pulled over for these plates claim that they’ve been driving like that for years. I saw a thread about the picture in the OP. It may have been the same reddit thread I didn’t check. There were a surprising amount of people who believed there was nothing wrong with the picture and that no one had to comply with such laws. All requests for examples where this actually worked as a legal strategy were ignored. The bottom line is that person might be ignored by an officer because they are busy with something else or they just don’t want to be bothered with it that day but that probably won’t be the case for the next officer. It’s not going to take years. No one is driving with that for years. Like I said before I have never seen any car with a plate like that and I’ve been a road officer for the majority of my career. I have only minor brushes with someone I suspect was a sovereign citizen. While working in the courtroom I have seen some people who obviously had read some bad information on the internet but had not committed to the philosophy. There may be pockets where these people are more common but generally they aren’t encountered that often. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/17 "2025-07-11T13:43:34Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > This guy had to get a title for the vehicle when he bought it, which comes from the state. He then had to get registration and insurnace, which he most likely did. Not if he bought the car from a friend for cash and a handshake. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/18 "2025-07-11T18:29:14Z")
Then his friend is liable as the registered owner. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/19 "2025-07-11T18:31:31Z")
Yeah, but the tangible result is that an SC got his hands on a car without any gub’mint harassment. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658/20 "2025-07-11T18:51:27Z")
And won’t have the right to get it out of impound. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cars-with-sovereign-citizen-plates-summarily-impounded-and-drivers-charged/1020658.md?page=2)