License Plate Stickers

[Dr Frankenstein]

I have heard that DC parking police are overzealous on giving tickets for license plate frames that do this, even if the state name is only partially obscured by plate frame. This extends to giving tickets to cars from other states.  They also give tickets to cars from other states for expired inspection stickers.

Which makes me wonder if they'll ticket a QC car that lacks the expiration sticker altogether (they were discontinued in 1992; this also means that plates that do have them show that year).

Anyhow, frames are illegal in Québec and seldom used anyway, as most consider them as kitsch and useless.

[1995hoo]

Another reason why I hate plate frames:
Earlier this week, I saw what I believe is a Chihuahua plate parked in the parking lot. I say that because I couldn't see the state name on the license plate. At least Chihuahua is the only Mexican state that uses the state shape as a divider, but I'm not really sure without a state name.

My question is, what state have banned plate frames that cover the state name (I know Arizona does)?

I have heard that DC parking police are overzealous on giving tickets for license plate frames that do this, even if the state name is only partially obscured by plate frame. This extends to giving tickets to cars from other states.  They also give tickets to cars from other states for expired inspection stickers.

DC will ticket people for just about anything. If you come from a state that requires two license plates and you don't display both, they will give you a ticket under the guise of a DC law that says that all vehicles must display both front and rear plates except for vehicles registered in states that only issue one plate. The expired inspection sticker thing falls under a DC law that says it is illegal for a motor vehicle to be on the street if it is not registered in compliance with its home state's laws (so if a state requires that a car pass a safety inspection, like Virginia does, DC's point of view is that the inspection is a required part of registration–even though in Virginia technically it's not). Part of that is not unusual–I think it's pretty common for it to be illegal to have a car on the street with an expired registration–but the degree to which DC will go out of the way to enforce it against nonresidents is excessive.

I know someone who got a ticket in DC for "improper display of a license plate." His offense? On his Virginia plate he had the "month" sticker on the right side (it's supposed to be on the left) and the "year" sticker on the left side (it's supposed to be on the right)–that is, it read like "12 DEC" instead of "DEC 12." Utterly stupid to give a ticket for something like that, although I also think there's really no excuse for some of the totally random ways people put those stickers on their plates (especially the increasing numbers of people I've seen lately who'll put both "month" stickers on the front plate and both "year" stickers on the rear plate).

But the most ludicrous thing DC did was the way they treated their own residents when the city scrapped license-plate decals. Seems the city was plagued with a rash of plate-decal thefts and so they switched to a windshield-mounted sticker that includes registration expiry, parking-permit info, and maybe inspection data (I'm not sure about that last). They abolished plate-mounted decals then. But the city's ticket-writers started writing tickets to people with the new windshield-mounted stickers because they didn't have plate-mounted decals, causing the city to issue ANOTHER round of plate-mounted decals that said "SEE WINDOW STICKER." 

(OK, I suppose I'm taking this off-topic, so I'll stop.)

BTW, my wife has a frame on her front plate that covers the state name, but she hasn't (yet) gotten a ticket in DC..... <pause to knock on wooden desk> This thread has prompted me to think we should not drive that car to any Nationals games because we park on the street near the ballpark.

[OCGuy81]

But the most ludicrous thing DC did was the way they treated their own residents when the city scrapped license-plate decals. Seems the city was plagued with a rash of plate-decal thefts and so they switched to a windshield-mounted sticker that includes registration expiry, parking-permit info, and maybe inspection data (I'm not sure about that last).

Not a bad idea if you're facing a spike in sticker thefts.  IIRC, Missouri actually had a problem with stickers being taken.  They had a rather interesting solution, moving the sticker "well" to the center of the plate.  Apparently, theives were clipping the corners of the plates that had the stickers.   

I actually kind of like the idea of windshield stickers, having had stickers taken off my plates once here in CA (I've since started putting an X across then with an Xacto) but it seems to work well in palces like NY and NJ.

[1995hoo]

But the most ludicrous thing DC did was the way they treated their own residents when the city scrapped license-plate decals. Seems the city was plagued with a rash of plate-decal thefts and so they switched to a windshield-mounted sticker that includes registration expiry, parking-permit info, and maybe inspection data (I'm not sure about that last).

Not a bad idea if you're facing a spike in sticker thefts.  IIRC, Missouri actually had a problem with stickers being taken.  They had a rather interesting solution, moving the sticker "well" to the center of the plate.  Apparently, theives were clipping the corners of the plates that had the stickers.   

I actually kind of like the idea of windshield stickers, having had stickers taken off my plates once here in CA (I've since started putting an X across then with an Xacto) but it seems to work well in palces like NY and NJ.

Maybe my post was unclear; as I re-read it, I see I might have expressed my point better. I agree with the part that it's a good way to combat sticker thefts. What I think was ludicrous was that they made their residents get windshield stickers instead of plate-mounted stickers but then turned around and gave tickets to the people who had the new window stickers on the basis that they didn't have valid stickers on their plates. Those tickets were like a big "fuck you" to the residents of DC from their own city government.

[OCGuy81]

Those tickets were like a big "fuck you" to the residents of DC from their own city government.

Agreed! DC sounds VERY overzealous on their parking enforcement.  Think if I'm out that way, I'm not going to drive!

[agentsteel53]

(so if a state requires that a car pass a safety inspection, like Virginia does, DC's point of view is that the inspection is a required part of registration–even though in Virginia technically it's not)

how can you register a car in VA without getting it inspected?

[mgk920]

But the most ludicrous thing DC did was the way they treated their own residents when the city scrapped license-plate decals. Seems the city was plagued with a rash of plate-decal thefts and so they switched to a windshield-mounted sticker that includes registration expiry, parking-permit info, and maybe inspection data (I'm not sure about that last).

Not a bad idea if you're facing a spike in sticker thefts.  IIRC, Missouri actually had a problem with stickers being taken.  They had a rather interesting solution, moving the sticker "well" to the center of the plate.  Apparently, theives were clipping the corners of the plates that had the stickers.   

I actually kind of like the idea of windshield stickers, having had stickers taken off my plates once here in CA (I've since started putting an X across then with an Xacto) but it seems to work well in palces like NY and NJ.

New York (state) has used window stickers for their entire registrations for many years now - it was started to foil bad guys who were stealing entire plates.  The physical NYS plate is only there to make it easier to identify the car from a distance.

BTW, Wisconsin abolished the front plate stickers back in the mid-1980s as a cost-saving measure, although front plates are still required.

Mike

[kphoger]

(so if a state requires that a car pass a safety inspection, like Virginia does, DC's point of view is that the inspection is a required part of registration—even though in Virginia technically it's not)

how can you register a car in VA without getting it inspected?

Moot point anyway.  In my state, for example, they pop the hood when you register a car, but that's about it.  Just to make sure it has an engine, I guess, who knows?  But they don't issue an inspection sticker.  So would I get a parking ticket in DC just because my state doesn't issue inspection stickers?

[agentsteel53]

when I registered my car in CA, they read the VIN number off the dashboard, door frame, and engine block, to make sure they all matched.

[mgk920]

when I registered my car in CA, they read the VIN number off the dashboard, door frame, and engine block, to make sure they all matched.

And if you have, at some point, replaced the engine....

Mike

[agentsteel53]

And if you have, at some point, replaced the engine....

Mike

I do wonder what happens in that case.  maybe a bit more convoluted registration?

[Scott5114]

I know someone who got a ticket in DC for "improper display of a license plate." His offense? On his Virginia plate he had the "month" sticker on the right side (it's supposed to be on the left) and the "year" sticker on the left side (it's supposed to be on the right)–that is, it read like "12 DEC" instead of "DEC 12." Utterly stupid to give a ticket for something like that, although I also think there's really no excuse for some of the totally random ways people put those stickers on their plates (especially the increasing numbers of people I've seen lately who'll put both "month" stickers on the front plate and both "year" stickers on the rear plate).

Here we have a bunch of people that will stick the new sticker over the month sticker. So if their plate did say "JUN - 2012" they might stick it over the "JUN" sticker... so now it says "2013 - 2012". That should be ticketable.

[1995hoo]

(so if a state requires that a car pass a safety inspection, like Virginia does, DC's point of view is that the inspection is a required part of registration–even though in Virginia technically it's not)

how can you register a car in VA without getting it inspected?

Registration is handled separately for the most part. When a car dealer sells a car, they have to sell it with it having passed inspection (I got a set of tires out of that rule when I bought a used car from a dealer in 1995 and it had failed inspection for worn-out tires). But otherwise, the registration and the inspection may come at totally different times of year because of the way you can transfer your license plates if you get a new car. The registration on one of my cars expires on October 31 every other year but the state inspection is up in August; on the other car the registration expires on July 31 every year (because I don't renew that car for two years) but the state inspection is up in March because that's when it was due from the previous owner. The safety inspection program is administered by the State Police, whereas registration is administered by the DMV, and if you move into Virginia from another state you can register your car before you get it inspected if you want (but that's a dumb thing to do because if you have Virginia plates and no inspection sticker you're basically asking for a ticket).

Virginia has a pretty thorough inspection program. You can read the procedure at this link if you're interested. It is a pain, admittedly, but on the other hand it helps keep some of the real junkers off the road and it can be helpful in alerting you to problems with your car. It's less of a pain in Virginia than in DC because most service stations and mechanics and car dealers are authorized to do the inspection in Virginia, whereas in DC there is a SINGLE inspection station for the entire city (located on Half Street SW, a nuisance location for many people).

At least it's no longer like it was when I was a kid: Back in the 1970s, and maybe for part of the 1980s, you were required to have the inspection done TWICE A YEAR. It's now an annual thing.

(so if a state requires that a car pass a safety inspection, like Virginia does, DC's point of view is that the inspection is a required part of registration–even though in Virginia technically it's not)

how can you register a car in VA without getting it inspected?

Moot point anyway.  In my state, for example, they pop the hood when you register a car, but that's about it.  Just to make sure it has an engine, I guess, who knows?  But they don't issue an inspection sticker.  So would I get a parking ticket in DC just because my state doesn't issue inspection stickers?

You shouldn't, if your state doesn't do an inspection. I know the DC meter maids have a listing of all the states that don't issue front plates. I assume they have something telling them the details on the other sorts of things too.

The thing about getting a ticket for an expired registration isn't all that unique. About a month ago I saw a cop ticket a car parked around the corner from my house because it has a Pennsylvania plate that expired in March. The car never moves anyway, but I think the owner paid the ticket. Last year the Fairfax County cops came and ticketed a VW New Beetle with DC plates that had an expired registration and when the owner hadn't come and taken the ticket and moved the car within a week, they towed the car away on the basis that it was presumed abandoned.

I know someone who got a ticket in DC for "improper display of a license plate." His offense? On his Virginia plate he had the "month" sticker on the right side (it's supposed to be on the left) and the "year" sticker on the left side (it's supposed to be on the right)–that is, it read like "12 DEC" instead of "DEC 12." Utterly stupid to give a ticket for something like that, although I also think there's really no excuse for some of the totally random ways people put those stickers on their plates (especially the increasing numbers of people I've seen lately who'll put both "month" stickers on the front plate and both "year" stickers on the rear plate).

Here we have a bunch of people that will stick the new sticker over the month sticker. So if their plate did say "JUN - 2012" they might stick it over the "JUN" sticker... so now it says "2013 - 2012". That should be ticketable.

I see that fairly frequently here too and I agree with you. The key in my mind is that the police officer (or meter maid) who sees the plate should be able to tell from just the front plate or just the rear plate whether the registration is current. Having the stickers in the "wrong" corners doesn't interfere with that as long as the month and year are visible. Having no month visible, on the other hand, makes it impossible to tell. (I also think the guy who puts both "month" stickers on the front, and both "year" stickers on the rear, such that it says "JUN — JUN" on the front and "12 — 12"–ours use two digits instead of four–on the rear, should be ticketed under the same principle.)

[agentsteel53]

if I recall correctly, Mass has separate inspection and registration programs as well.

[OCGuy81]

if I recall correctly, Mass has separate inspection and registration programs as well.

Texas does too, IIRC. One is the State Police and I think the other is the DOT (registration).

[connroadgeek]

We don't have stickers in Connecticut. License plate stickers went out of style about a decade ago, then they had windshield stickers for the registrations, but that only lasted about five years for some reason, and now they do nothing to indicate valid registrations. I suppose with police departments having computers right in their cars there's not really a need for stickers. We also don't have a state run emissions program (it's done by private garages like many states) and I don't believe there is any safety inspection.

[Alps]

NJ has long had registration stickers for commercial vehicles on plates, and we briefly tried out having stickers on regular car plates as well. (Windshield stickers have always been around for inspections.) My regular sunshine yellow plate up on the wall does have a green sticker in the corner, and I remember my parents affixing stickers, but my current plates have no stickers, and neither do any of the six non-commercial older plates on my wall.

[adt1982]

But the most ludicrous thing DC did was the way they treated their own residents when the city scrapped license-plate decals. Seems the city was plagued with a rash of plate-decal thefts and so they switched to a windshield-mounted sticker that includes registration expiry, parking-permit info, and maybe inspection data (I'm not sure about that last).

Not a bad idea if you're facing a spike in sticker thefts.  IIRC, Missouri actually had a problem with stickers being taken.  They had a rather interesting solution, moving the sticker "well" to the center of the plate.  Apparently, theives were clipping the corners of the plates that had the stickers.   

I actually kind of like the idea of windshield stickers, having had stickers taken off my plates once here in CA (I've since started putting an X across then with an Xacto) but it seems to work well in palces like NY and NJ.

Yes, that happened a few years ago.  MO now puts the stickers right in the center of the plate.

[NJRoadfan]

NJ has long had registration stickers for commercial vehicles on plates, and we briefly tried out having stickers on regular car plates as well. (Windshield stickers have always been around for inspections.)

NJ finally eliminated plate stickers from every type of plate last year, including trailers. Pre-1997 diesel cars (rare, I know), don't even have inspection stickers anymore since they eliminated safety checks, and they don't test them for emissions (OBDII checks are still done 97 and up, diesels got the system a year later then gas cars).

[signalman]

NJ has long had registration stickers for commercial vehicles on plates, and we briefly tried out having stickers on regular car plates as well. (Windshield stickers have always been around for inspections.)

NJ finally eliminated plate stickers from every type of plate last year, including trailers. Pre-1997 diesel cars (rare, I know), don't even have inspection stickers anymore since they eliminated safety checks, and they don't test them for emissions (OBDII checks are still done 97 and up, diesels got the system a year later then gas cars).

True that all plate stickers have been eliminated, even for non-passenger types.  But NJ still issues windshield stickers.  The safety aspect of the inspection for passenger cars only was dropped in 2010, maybe June...I forget the exact month.  All non-passenger types (commercial, omnibus, limousine, etc.) still get a full inspection.  For passenger vehicles there's just an emission check.  Light trucks and vans can be registered as passenger vehicles for personal use in NJ, althought you do see plenty of trucks obviously being used for commercial purposes registered as passenger.  For 1996 and newer, they just plug into the OBD II.  If the computer says everything is okay, you pass and get a new windshield sticker.  Older than 1996, they do a tailpipe emissions reading and check your gas cap.  Inspections are good for 2 years, and 5 years on new cars. 

[kendancy66]

Hope everyone doesn't mind, I snipped out parts of previous post I didn't comment on.

DC will ticket people for just about anything. If you come from a state that requires two license plates and you don't display both, they will give you a ticket under the guise of a DC law that says that all vehicles must display both front and rear plates except for vehicles registered in states that only issue one plate.

reply:
Do those guys carry around a book that explains the rules of the different states?  Or do they just give anyone without front plate regardless, betting that ticketed person will just pay off instead of going to extra trouble to fight ticket?

I know someone who got a ticket in DC for "improper display of a license plate." His offense? On his Virginia plate he had the "month" sticker on the right side (it's supposed to be on the left) and the "year" sticker on the left side (it's supposed to be on the right)–that is, it read like "12 DEC" instead of "DEC 12." Utterly stupid to give a ticket for something like that, although I also think there's really no excuse for some of the totally random ways people put those stickers on their plates (especially the increasing numbers of people I've seen lately who'll put both "month" stickers on the front plate and both "year" stickers on the rear plate).

reply:
That why I like what Massachusetts does.  They embossed the Month in the upper left corner of the plate, and only give out one sticker.  Also other states have only one sticker with month and year on them (LA I think is one of those)

But the most ludicrous thing DC did was the way they treated their own residents when the city scrapped license-plate decals. Seems the city was plagued with a rash of plate-decal thefts and so they switched to a windshield-mounted sticker that includes registration expiry, parking-permit info, and maybe inspection data (I'm not sure about that last). They abolished plate-mounted decals then. But the city's ticket-writers started writing tickets to people with the new windshield-mounted stickers because they didn't have plate-mounted decals, causing the city to issue ANOTHER round of plate-mounted decals that said "SEE WINDOW STICKER." 

reply:
How can they be expected to enforce other states rules, when they can't even remember their own?

[kendancy66]

(so if a state requires that a car pass a safety inspection, like Virginia does, DC's point of view is that the inspection is a required part of registration–even though in Virginia technically it's not)

how can you register a car in VA without getting it inspected?

In VA the inspection process is done at gas station/car service station, and the registration is done at DMV.  There are two parts of the inspection process, safety and smog.  The smog part of the inspection is coordinated with the DMV for registration (like in CA).  But the smog testing is required only every OTHER year (also like CA), whereas the safety part of the inspection is done every year.  So I don't think the DMV specifically cares about the safety part of the inspection on the off year.  But in practical terms, when your registration is about to expire, so is your safety inspection.  So you more than likely have to get it done at same time anyway, or risk getting a ticket.

[Takumi]

There are two parts of the inspection process, safety and smog.  The smog part of the inspection is coordinated with the DMV for registration (like in CA).  But the smog testing is required only every OTHER year (also like CA), whereas the safety part of the inspection is done every year.  So I don't think the DMV specifically cares about the safety part of the inspection on the off year.

I want to point out that the smog inspection is not a requirement for the entire state; it's just for Northern Virginia. At least for now.

[kendancy66]

There are two parts of the inspection process, safety and smog.  The smog part of the inspection is coordinated with the DMV for registration (like in CA).  But the smog testing is required only every OTHER year (also like CA), whereas the safety part of the inspection is done every year.  So I don't think the DMV specifically cares about the safety part of the inspection on the off year.

I want to point out that the smog inspection is not a requirement for the entire state; it's just for Northern Virginia. At least for now.

That is a good point.  So in the majority of the state, the inspection/registration process is even less coordianted.

[Takumi]

Right. My black car happens to have registration and inspection due the same month (November, for those of you interested) because I had it off the road for awhile after I first got it, and when I put it on the road I registered and had it inspected a few days apart. My silver car was also registered in November, but inspections don't have to be done immediately when the car changes ownership, so its inspection is still in February, as it was with the previous owner. When my dad gets around to putting the black car in his name, he'll have to get new registration and plates for it, so the registration will be whatever month he goes to the DMV, but inspection will still be due in November.