These are illegal in my state, but it doesnât stop people from having them on their cars. Same with front window tint.
Check your local laws before buying these. You might be throwing your money away.
Illegal in many states. I think itâs even illegal to sell them in New York State. Check your local laws before you buy just in case
Do they protect from unwanted photos being taken of your license plate??
Well these may be worth it to people just for the frames although they are plastic.
I have thin metal frames on my plates just for a bit more protection to keep them from bending. Something like these. They have the 4 hole version for the same price ($7.99)
QUANQIUFEI 2 Pack Black License Plate Frames, Stainless Steel License Plate Cover, Matte License Plate Holder Car Accessories with Screw Capsďź2 Holesďź https://a.co/d/8iUcohM
I was just coming to say theyâre Illegal in my state also under penal code 341.15(2). They take their license plates crazy serious here, and we have a front and back, that must be attached to the vehicle in the correct position and place at all times.
I believe thatâs what theyâre intended to be used for. Since theyâre illegal in many states theyâre cleverly called Smoked License Plate Cover
New Hampshire should be on that list, too. As a licensed NH vehicle safety inspector, I get the fun job of telling people their clear/smoked/any kind of plate cover fails inspection. Any plate frame that obscures the state name also fails.
In NM people just bypass the whole thing and donât bother with any of that pesky licensing, registering, or insuring stuff. Keep that in mind if you are planning on visiting for Balloon Fiesta.
Banned in California, but they only care if you make them mad, drive stupidly or itâs a rookie cop.
Oh Vin Diesel nice Very nice 
But live free or die!
No. My friend used to work for one of the photo radar companies and not only do these not protect you from that, but since theyâre going to show you have the license plate cover, too, you may just be buying yourself two violations instead of one. In some states, and depending on your speed or red light running violation, that second offense could be even worse and more expensive than the first.
Not only that, but in states where some speeding violations are a criminal offense, having the license plate cover will be used by the prosecution to demonstrate intent and will increase your sentence and reduce or eliminate any chance of leniency.
Thatâs pretty much everywhere now. Ghost plates (fake paper plates), no license, no insurance, no registrationâŚa dash cam to cya helps if youâre in an accident with one of them, but they probably wonât be held accountable because of the above reasons. They hit & run & abandon the car.
Looked up my state
A fine of $750 shall be imposed in any instance where a plate cover obstructs the visibility or electronic image recording of the plate.
Ouch âŚ
I wasnât a patrolman in California, but these things were a pet peeve of mine my whole career. When I pulled someone for this, they were getting a summons unless they were able to convince me they truly had no clue they were illegal. In which case they had two options: say âokâ when I ask them if I can remove it and get off with a warning, or say âno,â get the summons , and I still removed it.
And before you say, âWell, of course, thatâs all cops. You guys are supposed to write as many tickets as you can.â I actually worked for a city with a big crime problem and the only time I had to write tickets was on traffic checkpoints (once or twice a year depending on the supervisor). By the time I was 5 years in, a book of 25 summonses would last me over 3 months. I regularly went two weeks without writing a traffic summons. I would write more criminal summonses out of my book than traffic. I was never trained/certified on radar or laser speed devices. I just hated license plate covers (and their owners) with a passion. Even outside of work, I never met a person I liked that used one. Aside from making it harder for the police to see your plate, what purpose do they serve other than vanity?
How can it say âclearâ and then âsmokeâ? Makes no sense its one or the other. We donât have photo radar in Michigan, and we are the only state to not have a front plate! I have seen covers that were suppose to absorb laser speed guns. No idea if they work. It is illegal to cover any license plate just as an obstruction but if its clear nobody would care. If its smoke you would definitely notice.
Live Free and inspection free here in MI.