WASHINGTON — You see some wild stuff on the streets around here. This week one of our own WUSA9 photo A video taken by a WUSA9 photojournalists shows some kind of cover rolling out and covering a license plate.
We took several close looks and it got us curious: is that even legal?
QUESTION:
Can you legally cover your license plate in DC, Maryland or Virginia?
OUR SOURCES:
D.C., Maryland, and Virginia traffic codes.
ANSWER:
Nope, it is illegal to cover your license plate in any jurisdiction.
WHAT WE FOUND:
The video was taken in Maryland, but these covers are pretty easy to buy online. That is why we took a look at the laws across our region.
D.C. traffic code states that tags must be clearly legible. Not following this rule can carry a fine. Anyone found driving a car with a covered-up tag will be fined $500.
Maryland code also states that license plates must not be covered. However, it can’t be a primary enforcement. Officers can only enforce that as a secondary action. That means a driver must already suspected to have broken some other law before the officer goes after the license plate cover. That fine would be $70.
In Virginia, same story. Plates must be clearly visible and legible, and no part of the plate can be obstructed. You may receive a traffic summons and the court decides what the penalty is.
So we can verify, covers that block out a license plate are illegal in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
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