Anyone have probs with no front plate in Ohio?

I haven't had a front plate for years in Ohio but my current project stands out a little more and I wonder if others had had probs with no front plate and the law? I will be running an old original plate and "historical" designation.

 

arent ohio cops always a problem

 

no problem never run a front plate

 

no front plate on any of my cars. OT or otherwise. I have never had any problems(knock on wood) and I drive by the cop shop everyday

 

ive been pulled over a couple of time for no front plate been givin a warning each time havent ran a front plate on anything ive ever owned except for an old ford motorsport plate on my 72 mach one i had back in 87-88

the times i was pulled over for no plate were being where a cop with nothing better to do was

most of the cops around here dont bother anyone in a "cruise-in " type car unless they do something REALLY stupid

 

I have been stoped twice in 2 different cars for no front plate and given warnings only stopped for that. But that being said I also drove my 54 for about a month with no front bumper or plate and passed a few cops with no problem.

 

Yes!!

 

Never a problem in Dayton area........

 

I don't believe its illegal to run just the rear plate on cars made before the front plate was originally manditory in Ohio. Dont really know exactly when that happened either.
Call them..
Never had a problem on my 37 or 34.

 

It's legal in Ohio to not run a front plate, IF you have historical plates or model year plates. I use to have a copy of the law, but can't remember what I did with it. The biggest issue is your local police not being familiar with it. However, I've never been pulled over for no front plate or even when I ran a Cali plate for awhile on the front.

 

Been stopped once for not having one and given a warning, I had honestly lost it playing in snow drifts in my winter beater. Stopped once on for having the one on my Jeep bent up under the bumper, had done it on purpose but I told them I must had done it 4 wheeling and just pulled it out for the cop, later bent it back under. A buddy of mine got a ticket for having his laying on the dash. He had moved here from Cali and his car didn't have a front mounting bracket. So it can happen, depends on the cop that pulls you over.

 

I wish I could remember where I read it but I believe I remember reading if the vehicle was built before the law was in effect it is ok...
Second hand here say though...
A call to the Ohio BMV will answer that..

 

A few years ago my ex was driving her 98 Mustang convert around the local shopping district. She was pulled over for no seatbelt. He gave her a ticket for that and then a warning about the lack of front plate. I never put one on the car (kept it in the trunk for proof if needed) because I hated to drill any holes in the plastic front bumper cover. I told her that next time it ever came up to tell the officer that we had a special mounting bracket on order and it hadnt come in yet.....

Normally they never harrass you about it, especially if you're driving an old car (hot rod, classic, etc). But if you pull some kind of stupid driving stunt, they could include that on your ticket if they felt like it. Ohio law calls for a front and back tag on regular tags.

 

If they cite you for it in the Dayton area, it's usually secondary and the judge drops it, from what I've seen in traffic court. Never been cited for it but I have been pulled over for it and warned. Ohio historical and year of manufacture plates are exempt to the law, but you have to carry the unused plate in the car and provide it if asked. Rumor has it the state is about to start issuing single plates for regular registrations, but nobody I've asked about that has been able to answer questions on that one.

 

If your running the optional year plate, you only need one for the back. Lady at DMV said it's too hard to find a good pair of old plates so you only need the one but need to carry the historicle tag in the vehicle also.

 

That's the part I forgot.

 

I've run historical on the rear and a plastic "BLOWN 49" on the front for 12 years and haven't been stopped.

Jim

 

I've never even TALKED with anybody here who's been stopped or ticketed for no front tag. I have seen people with their plates INSIDE the windshield & back windscreen (& I've even had to do THAT myself, after my plates gotten stolen twice by people using them to get gas & do a drive-off). I didn't get stopped & that was a nearly 30-year-old Cordoba at the time.

I agree it depends on the officer involved. If he's behind on quota (yeah, they've got 'em), he may write a trivial ticket like that.

If you run historical tags, I think most of the cops like oldies, rods & customs anyway. BUT, I'd keep the FRONT tag in the glove box or under the seat, in case they insist you screw it on, OR ticket. If it's back in the garage & a cop digs his heels in, you're screwed.

BUT, somebody here also pointed out that you're NOT required to have a front plate if the car was made BEFORE the two-plate law came into effect. I'm sure some HAMer knows how to look that up & post on this thread.

GOOD QUESTION, and I for one am glad you put it out here!

 

I got pulled over for no front plate on a historical vehicle a couple weeks ago. It was an OVI night (a reason to pull you over for no reason to see what you are doing wrong). I was in a friend's 1970 vehicle with YOM plate on the back. The cop was chapped that (A)there was no front plate (but there is no concession for one, he later agreed with me) (B) one of the license plate lights in the rear was burnt out (C) I couldn't find the registration and (D) the historical tags were not in the car (that I know of)

SO moral of the story...
Front plate is not necessary, just make sure you have a back plate, that it is lit and you have the state issued historical tags in the car.

Petejoe- as far as two plates go, I've seen sets of 1931s so they definitely go back aways.

 

Yes, it can be a problem. Front plates are ugly but if you want to avoid the hassle I would run one...

 

If your vehicle was made before seat belts, collapsable steering colums, airbags or other current safety features became mandatory, you're not required to retrofit them into your vehicle.

The year your vehicle was manufactured has no bearing on whether or not you have to run both tags. Unless you have the Historical or year of manufacture tags, you're supposed to run both front and rear. Never wrote a ticket for "no front tag", that's just too cheesey a ticket. As for the ticket quota..... I never had one. They figured that if you were out there for 8 hours, you should be able to find at least one violator, but no one ever got in trouble if they didn't. Don't much like the front tags, but they do come in handy at night when the vehicle you're hunting for, is coming at you.

 

In the good old days a citizen might get a friendly warning for no front plate, window tint, loud exhaust, bumper height, etc. Not anymore, its all about revenue collection and property forfeiture around here now. If you have something nice, it just might get impounded and cost you big big mulah to get it back, if you can get it back. Better run the front plate when you are in Hardin County.

 

If you have historical Ohio plates you can run YOM plates in Ohio by filling out a form with zeroxed copies of both plates and submitting that to the BMV. You also need to keep the historical plates in the trunk.

Jim

 

Nephew was ticketed for have ing a novalty plate on his 57

 

Don't do it in Toledo, the State boys might think you're from Michigan and pull you out of a group of cars traveling the same speed to ticket you, they can take your liscense and not return it till you pay the fine....Isn't extortion illegal?

 

No front plates here, wifes daily driver 05 trailblazer never had one either.

 

When i was in high school i got a shit ton of warnings for not havin one ohio cops are dicks about it for sure

 

I have had a few, in fact a trooper a few years ago on 71 pulled 6 of us over for no front plate, he was have a field day writing ticky's so I just run it so I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time. One in brea, ohio even pulled me out of the car and took me to the front and said "WHat do you not see here"

 

As the others have said, If you run a YOM plate, you only need the rear. My copy says if running historical, both are needed, but I never have, ever.
But, I keep them in the car, with a photocopy of the application, with the Ohio revised Codes highlighted, showing it's allowed.

Had a buddy get pulled over here local for having 1964 Ohio plate on rear of his 64 wagon. Cops told him its illegal and if he didnt switch plates to his historicals right then, they would tow...
He's a 21yr old kid who spend all his time and money building that car, and they treated him like dirt.

And in a town that has 3 major swapmeet weekends, used to host the Hotrod SuperNationals, etc.
There has to have been thousands of old cars running model year pltes go through there the past 10 years.

Just assholes...

But still wont run my fronts....

 

There was a big hub bub in the Detroit newspapers ten? years ago about one or more cops near Toledo pulling people from Michigan over and giving them a hard time / ticket for having no front plate.

Trouble was State of Michigan doesn't issue a front plate, just a rear plate. Best I recall, the fact that Michiganders don't have a front plate to display didn't seem to carry much weight in the Ohio courts either.

Piper106