Front License Plate Infraction VC5200

[ugimports]

Background: I got a violation at a parking meter in SF. I have a front plate, but it's not a CA plate (vanity european plate).

Questions:
1) can this be enforced at a parking meter?
2) I'm assuming I know this answer, but thought I'd ask anyway, if my euro spec vanity plate actually matches my CA plate (e.g. CARULEZ), still a violation? (I'm assuming yes)
3) Any real way I can fight it or only real option is re-attach the CA front plate and pay the fine? I can submit proof with just a photo and am not required to get officer sign off for this particular violation.

Thanks

[IrishJoe3]

Well.

5200. (a) When two license plates are issued by the department for use upon a vehicle, they shall be attached to the vehicle for which they were issued, one in the front and the other in the rear.

In short, you are required to have the actual issued plate mounted to the front.

I don't know how they can even write these tickets being that a Tesla or a Corvette doesn't even come with the option to mount a front license plate any longer

Well. For one. They do. They are legally required to do so.

11713.17.
(a) Following the retail sale or lease of a motor vehicle for which the department issues two license plates, a dealer may not deliver the motor vehicle unless either of the following occurs:

(1) The motor vehicle is equipped with a bracket or other means of securing a front license plate.

(2) The dealer obtains a signed written acknowledgment from the person taking delivery of the motor vehicle acknowledging both of the following:

I guarantee you that form is just one of the many things the buyer mindlessly signs. Keep in mind the dealership's job is to sell cars. They don't care if your car is street legal or not. That's your job as the driver.

[ugimports]

I don't know how they can even write these tickets being that a Tesla or a Corvette doesn't even come with the option to mount a front license plate any longer

My car doesn't have a spot to mount it either. When I got the car I had to sign a waiver letting the dealership off the hook because I didn't want them to drill into the bumper.

My vanity plate is mounted using this mount:

https://www.slybrackets.com/

[Calisnaps]

I worked at a dealer for 10 years and we could not sell a car without the front plate being mounted due to legal implications (We didn't trust the waiver to stick).

[esy]

My car doesn't have a spot to mount it either. When I got the car I had to sign a waiver letting the dealership off the hook because I didn't want them to drill into the bumper.

My vanity plate is mounted using this mount:
https://www.slybrackets.com/

There?s a spot. It tells you on the license plate bracket kit that the dealer is required to give you.

The latter part of your answer is why there ?isn?t a spot,? it?s because you don?t want to drill into your bumper.

To answer your original post:
1. Yes.
2. Yes. Only CA approved plates are allowed. The wannabe legacy black/white letter plates people buy are a violation just as much as your euro vanity plate.
3. It?s a parking ticket. Is it worth your time to ?fight?? The only way I can imagine fighting it is if there is picture proof of the public employee placing a parking ticket for said violation when it is clear that your CA approved plate was visible and properly mounted.

[esy]

I don't know how they can even write these tickets being that a Tesla or a Corvette doesn't even come with the option to mount a front license plate any longer

My wife owns a Tesla, has a front license plate mount, and chooses not to mount it because she doesn?t want to drill into her bumper. I keep telling her she?s playing with fire. When I bought my ?21 Silverado, first thing I did when I got it home was drill into that bumper. It?s not a big deal. At the end of the day, it?s just stuff.

[ugimports]

There?s a spot. It tells you on the license plate bracket kit that the dealer is required to give you.

The latter part of your answer is why there ?isn?t a spot,? it?s because you don?t want to drill into your bumper.

To answer your original post:
1. Yes.
2. Yes. Only CA approved plates are allowed. The wannabe legacy black/white letter plates people buy are a violation just as much as your euro vanity plate.
3. It?s a parking ticket. Is it worth your time to ?fight?? The only way I can imagine fighting it is if there is picture proof of the public employee placing a parking ticket for said violation when it is clear that your CA approved plate was visible and properly mounted.

Is properly mounted = bumper only? Or would the bracket I use mounted on the front grill be acceptable?

[Citadelgrad87]

Is properly mounted = bumper only? Or would the bracket I use mounted on the front grill be acceptable?

You can stick it in the windshield. Grill is fine.

[Vinnie Boombatz]

OP knows the law, decided to break the law then upset that they got a ticket for breaking said law.

[L-2]

VC 5200, no front plate, should be a "fix-it" type of ticket; a correctible violation.

One way to handle it is to put the correct plate onto the vehicle. Use whatever bracket brand/model you want. As long as the license plate wasn't falling off, you could probably even "hot glue" or silicon seal it onto the front.

Try to get any Calif. LEO to sign-off the ticket. Hopefully, the sign-off will be at no-charge/free, but some departments will want to have the person pay for that "service" if they go to a police headquarters or some such place. Perhaps find an LEO walking to or from the patrol car at a Starbucks. The sign-off could be from any LEO in the state, not just the jurisdiction where the ticket was written.

Once the ticket is signed off, I believe the appropriate traffic court will want ~$25 along with the signed off ticket to settle the initial violation.

After all that, the OP can decide to just keep the original plate on the car or take a chance by putting the foreign plate copy back on, at the risk of getting another fix-it ticket or even pulled over while probably going somewhere. Or is it simpler just to pay the fine/bail forfeiture amount, which could be $150+ for all I know (again, at the risk of getting the same violation over & over).

California has several laws and rules which are just tiresome, doesn't it?
(Handgun roster; assault weapons ban; ammo purchasing; mag cap. restrictions; threaded barrels on handguns ban; ccw wait times and requirements; front license plates; smog checks; pet licensing; helmet laws; seatbelt laws; battery backups on garage doors; etc.)

[ugimports]

OP knows the law, decided to break the law then upset that they got a ticket for breaking said law.

I'm not upset..I know what I did.. I was asking some clarifying questions because reading the VC wasn't clear to me.

[ugimports]

You can stick it in the windshield. Grill is fine.

From what I read windshield isn't a valid location and likely I still would have received the ticket. Perhaps an LEO can clarify? If windshield IS valid, I'll leave my standard CA plate there when I park.

[ugimports]

VC 5200, no front plate, should be a "fix-it" type of ticket; a correctible violation.

One way to handle it is to put the correct plate onto the vehicle. Use whatever bracket brand/model you want. As long as the license plate wasn't falling off, you could probably even "hot glue" or silicon seal it onto the front.

Try to get any Calif. LEO to sign-off the ticket. Hopefully, the sign-off will be at no-charge/free, but some departments will want to have the person pay for that "service" if they go to a police headquarters or some such place. Perhaps find an LEO walking to or from the patrol car at a Starbucks. The sign-off could be from any LEO in the state, not just the jurisdiction where the ticket was written.

Once the ticket is signed off, I believe the appropriate traffic court will want ~$25 along with the signed off ticket to settle the initial violation.

After all that, the OP can decide to just keep the original plate on the car or take a chance by putting the foreign plate copy back on, at the risk of getting another fix-it ticket or even pulled over while probably going somewhere. Or is it simpler just to pay the fine/bail forfeiture amount, which could be $150+ for all I know (again, at the risk of getting the same violation over & over).

California has several laws and rules which are just tiresome, doesn't it?
(Handgun roster; assault weapons ban; ammo purchasing; mag cap. restrictions; threaded barrels on handguns ban; ccw wait times and requirements; front license plates; smog checks; pet licensing; helmet laws; seatbelt laws; battery backups on garage doors; etc.)

Fortunately, a photo of the plate re-attached was acceptable in this scenario. I already paid the fine and uploaded the photo. After they "approve" the photo then I pay the fixit $10 fee.

[painkiller]

20 plus years ago in my chevy dealer days,a front lic mount for a vette was $50,and ugly as sin

[IrishJoe3]

You can stick it in the windshield. Grill is fine.

Not quite. It is required to be "securely fastened" and I don't think sitting on the dashboard meets that standard

See 5201 VC

5201. (a) License plates shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging, shall be mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible, and so that the characters are upright and display from left to right, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible. The rear license plate shall be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 60 inches from the ground, and the front license plate shall be mounted not more than 60 inches from the ground, except as follows: