Do Texas Cars Need Front And Back License Plates?

When more people move to Austin in droves, there will be a corresponding increase in the number of vehicles driving around Texas. This implies that occasionally, you can come across a car without the front and the back license plate.

But is that within the law? The answer given by the Texas Transportation Code is “no,” however, an error that occurred more than ten years ago has contributed to the ongoing misunderstanding that surrounds the law even up to the present day.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

The Texas Administrative Code, most cars must show two license plates, with one plate affixed to the front of the vehicle and the other to the back. On both the front and the back of the car, the license plate needs to be “clearly visible, readable, and legible,” and it also needs to be “securely fastened.” The same rule applies to plates that are only valid temporarily.

Nevertheless, a section that enforced penalties for vehicles that lacked both plates was unintentionally removed from the Texas Transportation Code when revised in January 2012. This is according to the Barnett, Howard & Williams Law Firm, which is located in Fort Worth.

Do Texas Cars Need Front And Back License Plates?

According to BHW, this led to further misunderstanding regarding the two-plate rule after it was revised in September 2013, but the government remained unchanged.

According to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and Austin-based Cobb & Counsel, the only vehicles exempt from both license plate types are road tractors, motorcycles, trailers, semitrailers, antique cars, and former military vehicles. These are the only types of vehicles that qualify. Only a license plate for the back of certain cars must be displayed.

Texas may impose a punishment of $200 on drivers of non-exempt cars who are discovered to be operating their vehicle without a front license plate. Nonetheless, in recent years, many Texas legislators have tried to alter that policy.

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Back in 2021, State. During the legislative session of 2021 in Texas, Representative Will Metcalf introduced House Bill 1199, a measure that, if passed, would have mandated that “a passenger car or light truck” only be required to have a license plate issued for the rear of the vehicle. However, the bill did not pass.

As of October 2022, the laws governing transportation in 19 states had been amended to remove the necessity that front license plates be displayed. According to Cobb & Counsel, all the states surrounding Texas have done away with the front plate requirement.

Amanda Guerra tweeted that Texas license plate out there? You can see below:

The difficulty that persists to this day is caused by the fact that certain kinds of automobiles, including Teslas, do not come equipped with a front license plate holder. Nevertheless, Texas law mandates that your vehicle must have both a front and a back plate.

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