What license plate covers, frames are now illegal? Crime & safety analyst breaks it down as new law sparks confusion

FLORIDA – What once amounted to a minor traffic citation in Florida can now lead to jail time.

A new state law, House Bill 253, took effect in October and makes it illegal to display anything that obscures a vehicle’s license plate — even partially or from an angle. Since the law passed, questions and confusion have flooded social media and local law enforcement inboxes.

The statute targets items that make license plates hard to read, including decorative plate covers, frames and accessories that have grown increasingly popular across the state. Even bike racks or other equipment that block plate numbers can put drivers at risk of a stop.

Drivers have been asking News4JAX whether they could be violating the law without realizing it.

RELATED: A look at nearly 30 new Florida laws taking effect on Oct. 1

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office added to the conversation by posting an image on its X account showing a black Dodge Challenger with smoked license plate covers, noting that such covers are illegal under the new law.

Among the most common questions drivers are asking:

• Are license plate frames that only cover the border allowed?
• What if the words “Florida,” “MyFlorida.com” or “Sunshine State” are partially covered?
• Does it matter if the county name is slightly blocked?

According to law enforcement, the answer is straightforward.

If any letter, number, sticker, slogan or identifying mark on the license plate is blocked — even from an angle — the plate is considered illegal.

News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney, who spent more than 25 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, said he expects law enforcement agencies across Florida to enforce the law strictly.

“I do anticipate officers will be pulling people over just for this,” Hackney said. “From a law enforcement standpoint, it’s another way to make contact with a driver if they choose to do that.”

Hackney said drivers who are unsure whether their plate accessories comply with the law should err on the side of caution.

“Honestly, the safe bet, to save yourself the hassle, headache and fines, is just take it off,” he said. “If you think it could kind of cover it, then it probably is. Law enforcement would likely see it the same way.”

The law also goes further, explicitly prohibiting people from:

• Buying or owning a license plate–obscuring device
• Creating or selling a license plate–obscuring device
• Using a license plate–obscuring device while committing a crime

As agencies across the state work to clarify what is legal and what is not, Hackney said the bottom line is simple.

“You can’t put anything on a tag that makes it unreadable by a person or a camera,” he said.

Supporters of the law say it is critical in a state that leads the nation in vehicle-to-vehicle crashes, many of which involve hit-and-run incidents. Under the statute, intentionally obscuring a license plate while committing a crime can result in up to an additional five years in prison.