TEXAS DRIVERS! Need your input!
 

Preface: I know I could have done research on the forum and come up with my own estimate, but this seemed like a more approriate forum to gather everyone's response at once.

How many of you have installed the front license plate. If not, why not? If so, where? Drilled into the bumper? Tow hook attachment? Do you have it in the front dash? From my understanding, a cop can pull you over for it, but currently there is no punishment set for not having one installed? My dealer tags expire in about 3 weeks, so I wanted to get a good sense of what the rest of y'all are doing.

Tow hook. Good luck trying to explain to a cop that you can run a single plate. Is it worth your time being pulled over, taking it to court, and still probably getting hit with a fine?

I actually got a ticket for no front plate the other day....

Finally got around to putting on the tow-hook plate kit I bought a few months ago. Oh well.

I bought a tow-hook mount, but haven't used it. It's available for me if I get a fix-it ticket. Otherwise, no issue so far.

I haven't had a front plate for the past 11 years and probably still won't use one. Reason? I might have had a fix-it ticket one or twice, but that was because the cops pulled me over for speeding too. I never got pulled over just because I didn't have a front license plate.

I have the Grimmspeed towhook mount. I was pulled over in my last car by a cop who asked me about my front plate. The thing that killed me was I had a front plate, it was another car similar to mine that had passed me that had no plate. Just not worth the hassle.

On my 240sx I had it on the dash and was pulled over a few times for it but was never given a ticket. I'm guessing tho they pulled me over more cause of the car itself and less on the fact that the front plate wasn't mounted. My buddy has it on the dash as well but he travels in a different county in Texas than I do and he has never been pulled over for the plate. So it would really depend on the cops in your area. Id give it a try for a while without it mounted and if you get the ticket then mount it and get it dismissed.

I like my front license plate.....its attached to the bumper too. The hassle of putting it in the dashboard or not having one at all just isn't worth it.

Kept it on the dash on the Supras, never got pulled over for it...

I do like the look of the relocated plate though. It's JDM, yo!

I ain't got it cause I think it make the front ugly I think you'll only got to worry about state trooper because they'll get you for any little thing, I'll only put it on with zip ties if I get a fix it ticket or going out of town.

I never had one on my last car (of 12 years) in Austin. I got pulled over for it 3 times, no tickets. I still haven't mounted mine on the front of the BRZ. Mainly because my wife hid the plate from the kids since they were playing with it and we haven't been able to find it since! Been 2 1/2 months in the BRZ with no cop stops yet. I'm planning on just letting them drill the bumper when I do finally dig the plate back up, as the off-center relocators make my OCD go off.

Picked the car up in Portland, OR. Drove it around for a week up there. Drove it back to San Antonio through 6 states. All this time with only the temp dealer plate in the back window, no problems at all.

In SA for less than 24 hours and a cop pulls me over because he said he did not see the dealer plate. Gives me a load about how it needs to be on the outside of the car and in the normal plate location. Try to explain to him that on the back of the temp plate it clearly tells me to place it in the back window on the drivers side. His interpretation of the law is that I need to follow the laws of the state the car is being drove in.

Then he started going off on me about not having a plate on the front! At that point I knew he was just harassing me. No point in arguing with an idiot. What state issues back AND front temp plates?

Went home and immediately ordered a Perrin tow hook mount. Still don't like the look even relocated, but did not want to deal with SAs "brightest".

the car has to follow the rules of the state it is registered in, if its illegal in another state but not yours, tell him tough luck buddy I aint from around here and those laws dont pertain to my car

Mine had the front mount on it when I bought it. Immediately pulled it off and now it sits in the garage. For those of you that don't know, there is still a law in the books about having a front plate in Texas, but there is no fine associated with it anymore.

So there is more of the rub, the car was not registered anywhere at that point. It's over and done with. He gave me a warning, and he helped to just reaffirm my thoughts of a lot of police officers.

Are you sure it wasn't registered where you bought it? I bought mine in CO, and it had a temporary registration there. They also had the temp tag in the upper drivers side rear window. The temp tag and temp registration expired on the same date.

I don't run a single front plate on any of my vehicles, nor do we run the front plate on our FR-S. I've only ever gotten pulled over for my front plate in my 240, however my Mustang I've never been given trouble without it. I've had cops ask me about my car or say it was a nice car and never once mentioned the front plate.

Bought my car from NY and the dealer told me that they only need the back plate. So I was fortunate to not have my front bumper drilled! Anyways after having it shipped I drove it from Houston to Harlingen In Texas with only a window sticker and no temp plates, no insp or reg sticker! Got all the next day and bout 1 week later I got pulled over for the no front plate issue. He let me go just saying to get one put on and if he sees me again without it he's gonna give a ticket. Been bout 2 months and Ive passed lots of cops no prob. Think cause it's not a moving violation it's gonna depend on the cop havin a bad day or not lol! Either that or he more than likely just wanted to check my car out!

As far as I understood it was not. I was handed the certificate of Origin when I bought it, and when I did register it in TX, the kid behind the counter had to ask his supervisor what to do with it. His supervisor told him to process it like it was a brand new car sold in TX that had never been registered.

From what everyone is saying, it really seems to be highly dependent on the moment and the mood of the cop looking at your car.

Been running no front plate since May, not even on dash. Got pulled over once for something I didn't do by 2 cops, they gave me a hard time but never mentioned front plate. I'm not scare since I know even if they give me a ticket for that there won't be a fine since Austin Legislators couldn't agree on it in the last session. They won't meet again til January, I'll wait to see how it turns out then.

Boils down to this...."Well, do you feel Lucky? Well do ya, Punk?"

There is a glitch in the Texas vehicle statue code at present...House bill 2357 was passed May 24, 2011 to update the motor vehicle statues. They left this part out regarding the front license plate statue in Sections 502.473 and 504.943, "An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $200."

So, there is a requirement to display a front plate but, at present, there is no provision in law to fine you for it. You can be pulled over. Police use this as an excuse to check you out for any outstanding warrants, search your vehicle for drugs if they question you and then establish probable cause. Depending on the municipality, you can be issued a misdemeanor ticket to pay a fine (in error perhaps) and then have to go to court to argue your case that there is no provision to charge a fine. They can issue you a warning ticket. To me, just not worth it. In the police state climate we live in, you are a scum violator not to have a front plate on your 86.

Also, display of a plate in the front windshield does not comply with the law. A cop might let you get away with it but, case law establishes that the front bumper area is what the "plain language" intended by the statue implies - reasons cited in court cases: red light cameras and toll road cameras are adjusted for the front bumper area and not the windshield.

In the next Legislative Session, they will likely put the fine provision back in the statues.

Get the Grimmspeed:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1.../IMGP8715b.jpg

Don't have one on ours, doubt we will end up putting it on. Like many of you said, most police officers don't pull you over just for the front license plate missing.

Texas redid there laws and they accidentally screwed up the one starring you have to have a front license plate.

http://warondriving.com/post/1383875...ate-no-problem

Or google Texas Gaffe Means No License Plate

I did not want the front of my FR-S drilled for the front license plate, therefore I requested my dealer while placing my order for the car. No complications there.

I've tried to be a more conservative driver out on the public roads, and I try not to catch the cops attention as much as I did in my past. So I feel that's one of the reasons why the cops may not pin me down for not having a front license plate, although I still don't want to push my chances.

If I do get pulled over for this matter, I'll be as polite as possible and kiss the officer's ass... And get away for yet another day with no front license plate... Hopefully. :D