TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A recent law that took effect in Florida may have some drivers wondering: “Can I be arrested over my license plate?”
The answer? It depends.
The law in question — House Bill 253 — makes a number of changes to existing rules for motor vehicle crimes in Florida, and license plates play a big part in these changes.
For example, HB 253 sets up harsher penalties for drivers who try to mimic a police officer with red-and-white lights while trying to pull someone over.
[RELATED: Here are all the new Florida laws that took effect on Oct. 1]
But HB 253 also says that alterations to license plates now constitute a second-degree misdemeanor, rather than a noncriminal traffic violation.
This applies to any of the following situations:
-
Mutilating or defacing a registered license plate
-
Changing the plate’s color
-
Applying reflective material, spray, covering or anything else that can obscure the plate
-
Attaching an illuminated device that can prevent someone from reading the plate
[BELOW: Do I really have to light my Florida license plate?]
On Monday, the Florida Sheriff’s Association put out a message to clarify some of the misconceptions about their own “FSA” plate.
“FSA license plate frames are not designed to cover or obscure any part of a license plate and do not violate the new law when installed correctly,” FSA officials wrote.
In short, so long as a driver isn’t obscuring the important parts of the license plate, it should be safe under the law.
That being said, anyone who is found liable under this law may face a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.
New crimes under HB 253
However, that’s not all. Under this law, people are also entirely prohibited from doing the following:
-
Buying or owning a “license plate obscuring device”
-
Creating or selling a “license plate obscuring device”
-
Using a “license plate obscuring device” in the commission of a crime
What counts as a “license plate obscuring device?”
HB 253 defines this term as follows:
“…A manual, electronic, or mechanical device designed or adapted to be installed on a motor vehicle for the purpose of:
1. Switching between two or more license plates to permit a motor vehicle operator to change the license plate displayed on the motor vehicle;
2. Hiding a license plate from view by flipping the license plate so that the license plate number is not visible;
3. Covering, obscuring, or otherwise interfering with the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of the primary features or details, including the license plate number or validation sticker, on the license plate; or
4. Interfering with the ability to record the primary features or details, including the license plate number of validation sticker, on the license plate.”
House Bill 253Breaking News Alerts
Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.
Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
