Fines for license plate covers start in 2025
Nov 21, 2024, 12:30 PM | Updated: 12:43 pm
A Washington license plate. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
It has always been illegal to obscure your license plate in Washington, but a revision to the law this year might catch a lot of drivers off guard.
I was asked about license plate covers by “The Gee and Ursula Show” producer Andrew Lanier. He was wondering if the Washington State Patrol (WSP) was pulling people over for using them.
These are usually clear, plastic covers that go over your license plates. They are a good way to protect the plates from damage. You can find them on Amazon for under $20.
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They are now illegal in Washington. Technically, they have always been illegal in Washington, but the state law didn’t mention plate covers specifically.
“It is illegal to display a license plate on any vehicle that has been changed, altered or disfigured, or has become illegible,” RCW 46.16A.200, Section 7B states.
Though clear, a plate cover does change the license plate.
The legislature passed House Bill 1963 last session, which includes plate covers specifically. They became illegal in June, and fines for violations will start in January.
WSP Trooper Rick Johnson on what he hears from drivers.
“Some will say, well, ‘that that’s protecting my plate, and it looks nice,'” he said. “The problem is that it is altering that plate. And most of the time, especially at night, the plate is unreadable if there’s a cover on it.”
Clear covers reflect any light, making identification impossible for police. They also make it virtually impossible for toll cameras or red light cameras or any other safety camera to read the plates. Plenty of people are using them to avoid paying tolls and avoid being hit with traffic violations.
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Johnson said revising the law and clearing up any confusion is a good thing.
“There are different ways that people will alter or obscure their plate, and to have a law that specifically speaks to a cover over your plate, I think it’s clear,” Johnson said.
And to be clear, selling plate covers is still legal in Washington. It’s using them that is not.
“You can go to O’Reilly’s over there, across the freeway, and buy a lot of things that aren’t legal to have on your vehicle when it’s traveling on the road,” Trooper Johnson said. “Those license plate covers have really tiny print on them that say ‘may not be legal for street use.'”
I didn’t find any disclaimers about their legal use while shopping on Amazon.
Obscuring your plate and now covering your plate is a primary offense in Washington. You can be pulled over for it. The fine will be more than $100. And again, those fines start Jan. 1.
Chris Sullivan covers transportation for KIRO Newsradio. Check out more of Chris’ Chokepoints.
