Front license plate laws in every US state
Which states make you put a plate on the front of your car, which only need one on the back, and the law that says so for each of them, with a link to it.
The short answer:
- 26 states and DC require a front plate on an ordinary passenger car: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, plus the District of Columbia.
- 22 states require only a rear plate: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.
- 2 we couldn't confirm from an official text: Idaho and New Hampshire. We say so in the table rather than guess.
Most lists online just give you names. This one gives you the rule in each state's own law, with a link to the statute, regulation or DMV page it comes from, so you can check it yourself. The rules here were last checked on November 11, 2026. This page explains what the laws say; it isn't legal advice, and for your own car it's always worth a quick check with your state's DMV.
Do you need a front license plate in Texas?
Yes. Texas is a two-plate state. Transportation Code § 504.943(a) makes it an offense to drive a motor vehicle that "does not display two license plates" assigned by the TxDMV, and § 504.943(e) sets the fine at up to $200. The exceptions are in § 504.943(b): a road tractor, motorcycle, trailer or semitrailer displays one plate. As of November 2026, the two-plate rule is still the law in Texas. See Texas license plates for the current design and format.
Do you need a front license plate in California?
Yes. California Vehicle Code § 5200(a): when the DMV issues two plates for a vehicle, they go "one in the front and the other in the rear". Where only one plate is issued, it goes on the rear, except on a truck tractor. More on California plates.
States that changed their rules recently
- Utah dropped its front plate on January 1, 2025. The version of Utah Code § 41-1a-404 in force from that day says the plate is attached "to the rear of the vehicle".
- Rhode Island still requires two plates, but since the summer of 2026 a car that was built and sold without a front plate bracket or mounting point is exempt, as long as the second plate is kept in the car (WJAR NBC 10, August 2026). A car that has a front mount still needs the plate on it.
- Ohio and Alaska are rear-only today: Ohio's ORC 4503.19 puts the plate "on the rear of the vehicle", and the Alaska DMV says one plate goes on the back of passenger vehicles.
- Texas has not changed: two plates are still required, as above.
Every state's front plate law
Dark blue states want a plate on the front as well as the back; yellow states only want one on the back. Click a state to jump to its row. In the table, each state name opens its plates page, the quote is the law's own words, and the link under it opens the statute, regulation or DMV page it comes from.
| State | Front plate? | What the law says |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No, rear only |
“shall at all times keep attached and plainly visible on the rear end of such motor vehicle a license tag or license plate”
Driving without the rear plate is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500.
Ala. Code § 32-6-51 |
| Alaska | No, rear only |
“Alaska statute AS 28.10.171 requires you to display one license plate on the back of all passenger vehicles, motorcycles, motorhomes, trucks, vans, trailers, and APV's.”
Commercial vehicles over 10,001 lb display the plate on the front. The statute text in our data is from 2007 and still issues two plates; the DMV's statement is the current one, and the amending law is not in our data.
AS 28.10.171, as stated by the Alaska DMV |
| Arizona | No, rear only |
“The department shall provide to every owner one license plate for each vehicle registered”
A second plate is available on request, for a fee.
A.R.S. § 28-2351 |
| Arkansas | No, rear only |
“When one (1) plate is issued, it shall be attached to the rear.”
Where two plates are issued they go front and rear (§ 27-14-716(a)(1)); Arkansas issues one plate for ordinary cars. Trucks of one ton or more may use either end.
Ark. Code § 27-14-716(a)(2) |
| California | Yes |
“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.”
Motorcycles, trailers and a few other vehicles get one plate, on the rear. Truck tractors carry theirs on the front.
Cal. Veh. Code § 5200(a) |
| Colorado | Yes |
“the owner shall attach the number plates assigned to a self-propelled vehicle to the vehicle with one in the front and the other in the rear.”
Rear only for motorcycles, autocycles, street rods, trailers and special mobile machinery. Colorado also allows a digital plate in place of one or both plates; that permission is repealed on September 1, 2027.
C.R.S. § 42-3-202(1)(a)(I) |
| Connecticut | Yes |
“display in a conspicuous place at the front and the rear of such vehicle the number plates”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-18(a)(2) |
| Delaware | No, rear only |
“The number plate assigned to a motor vehicle shall at all times be attached to the rear of the motor vehicle.”
21 Del. C. § 2126 |
| District of Columbia | Yes |
“Vehicles are required to display two current tags: one on the front and the other on the rear of the vehicle.”
Motorcycles, mopeds and trailers get one tag, on the rear. The regulation's own text is not in our data; this is the DMV's statement of it.
DC DMV (DCMR 18-422) |
| Florida | No, rear only |
“one registration license plate, unless two plates are required for display by s. 320.0706, for each vehicle so registered”
Trucks of 26,001 lb or more need a front and a rear plate, and truck tractors carry their one plate on the front (§ 320.0706).
Fla. Stat. § 320.06(1)(a) |
| Georgia | No, rear only |
“the plate shall be fastened to the rear of the vehicle in a position so as not to swing”
O.C.G.A. § 40-2-41 |
| Hawaii | Yes |
“The owner shall securely fasten the number plates on the vehicle, one on the front and the other on the rear”
Trailers, semitrailers and motorcycles get one plate, on the rear.
HRS § 249-7(b) |
| Idaho | Not verified |
We couldn't open the current official text of Idaho's display statute, so we don't state the rule.
Idaho Code § 49-428 |
| Illinois | Yes |
“one in the frontmost and one in the rearmost”
Motorcycles, trailers, semitrailers, mopeds, autocycles and truck tractors get one plate (5/3-412(a)).
625 ILCS 5/3-413 |
| Indiana | No, rear only |
“upon the rear of the vehicle”
Tractors, dump trucks and trucks with a rear-mounted forklift carry the plate on the front.
IC 9-18.1-4-4 |
| Iowa | Yes |
“shall be attached to the motor vehicle, one in the front and the other in the rear”
Autocycles and motorcycles carry one plate on the rear and truck tractors one on the front. Cars of model year 1948 or older may show only the rear plate if the other is carried in the vehicle.
Iowa Code § 321.37(1) |
| Kansas | No, rear only |
“a Kansas registered vehicle shall not have a license plate attached to the front of the vehicle”
Kansas goes further than rear only: a front plate isn't allowed, except on truck tractors, heavy dump trucks and concrete mixers, and optionally on antique vehicles and personalized plates.
K.S.A. 8-133(a) |
| Kentucky | No, rear only |
“shall display the registration plate conspicuously upon the rear of the motor vehicle”
A semitrailer tractor carries its plate on the front.
KRS 186.170(1)(a) |
| Louisiana | No, rear only |
“The permanent registration license plates assigned to a trailer, semi-trailer, motorcycle, automobile, pickup truck, van, or other motor vehicle shall be attached to the rear of the vehicle.”
Trucks over 6,000 lb and dump trucks may use either end. The statute itself is not in our data; this is the Office of Motor Vehicles' policy under it.
Louisiana OMV Policy 74.00 (R.S. 47:507) |
| Maine | Yes |
“A registration plate must be attached to the front and the rear of each vehicle except as follows.”
Trailers, motorcycles and dealer plates on the rear only; truck tractors on the front only.
29-A M.R.S. § 452(1) |
| Maryland | Yes |
Two-plate vehicles display front and rear.
Two plates are issued for every vehicle except motorcycles, tractors, trailers and some historic vehicles and street rods (§ 13-410(a)(1)). A tractor's single plate goes on the front.
Md. Code, Transp. § 13-411 |
| Massachusetts | Yes |
“one number plate to be attached at the front and one at the rear of said motor vehicle”
If the registrar issues only one plate, it goes on the rear.
M.G.L. c. 90 § 6 |
| Michigan | No, rear only |
“a registration plate issued for a vehicle shall be attached to the rear of the vehicle.”
Truck tractors and road tractors carry the plate on the front.
MCL 257.225 |
| Minnesota | Yes |
“on the front and one on the rear of the vehicle”
Motorcycles, trailers over 3,000 lb and dealer plates go on the rear only (subd. 3); truck tractors, road tractors and farm trucks carry one plate on the front (subd. 5).
Minn. Stat. § 169.79 subd. 6 |
| Mississippi | No, rear only |
“One (1) license tag and up to two (2) license decals shall be furnished for all vehicles and shall be fastened immovably”
The tag goes at the rear of the vehicle, at least 12 inches above the ground, under or over the rear light.
Miss. Code § 27-19-31 |
| Missouri | Yes |
“shall be fastened to all motor vehicles except trucks, tractors, truck tractors or truck-tractors licensed in excess of twelve thousand pounds on the front and rear of such vehicles”
Trucks licensed over 12,000 lb and buses other than school buses carry one plate, on the front. Motorcycles and trailers carry theirs on the rear.
RSMo 301.130.5 |
| Montana | Yes |
“all motor vehicles must have one license plate displayed horizontally on the front”
And one on the rear, subject to the exceptions the same subsection lists.
MCA 61-3-301(1)(b)(i) |
| Nebraska | Yes |
“Beginning in 2017 owners of passenger vehicles not manufactured or equipped with a front license plate bracket could opt to purchase a single plate decal to be displayed on the driver side of the windshield in lieu of a front plate.”
The DMV issues two plates for passenger vehicles. Since 2017, a car built without a front plate bracket can show a windshield decal instead of the front plate.
Nebraska DMV |
| Nevada | Yes |
“The Department shall furnish to every owner whose vehicle is registered two license plates for a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle or moped”
NRS 482.275 puts one at the front and one at the rear. If the car was built without a front plate bracket, the front plate is optional, but the owner still gets and keeps both.
NRS 482.265(1), 482.275 |
| New Hampshire | Not verified |
“The director may make special rules relative to the number of plates, the location of said plate or plates on the vehicle”
The DMV's inspection rule says that when two plates are issued, one is mounted on the front and one on the rear, but we couldn't open the DMV's own list of which vehicles get two.
RSA 261:75(II); Saf-C 3210.03 |
| New Jersey | Yes |
“two license plates - one for the front and one for the rear”
Where only one plate is issued, it goes on the rear (N.J.S.A. 39:3-33).
N.J.S.A. 39:3-33; NJ MVC |
| New Mexico | No, rear only |
“The registration plate shall be attached to the rear of the vehicle for which it is issued”
Road tractors and truck tractors carry the plate on the front.
N.M. Stat. § 66-3-18(A) |
| New York | Yes |
“one on the front and one on the rear of such vehicle”
N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 402(1)(a) |
| North Carolina | No, rear only |
“The Division upon registering a vehicle shall issue to the owner one registration plate for a motorcycle, trailer or semitrailer and for every other motor vehicle.”
Because only one plate is issued, § 20-63(d) puts it on the rear.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-63(a) |
| North Dakota | Yes |
“one on the front and one on the rear of the vehicle, each securely fastened”
Motorcycles, trailers and housetrailers on the rear only. A truck tractor's single plate goes on the front.
NDCC § 39-04-11 |
| Ohio | No, rear only |
“The owner shall display the license plate and, when required, the validation sticker on the rear of the vehicle.”
Commercial tractors carry the plate on the front. A secondary source dates Ohio's switch to rear only to July 1, 2020.
ORC 4503.19 |
| Oklahoma | No, rear only |
“The license plate shall be securely attached to the rear of the vehicle, except truck-tractor plates which shall be attached to the front of the vehicle.”
47 O.S. § 1113(A)(2) |
| Oregon | Yes |
“must be displayed on the front and rear of the vehicle if two plates are required”
Mopeds, motorcycles, trailers, antique vehicles and vehicles of special interest get one plate (ORS 803.525).
ORS 803.540 |
| Pennsylvania | No, rear only |
“A single registration plate shall be located on the rear of the vehicle”
A truck tractor's plate goes on the front. If two plates are ever issued for one vehicle, the second goes on the front (§ 47.2(b)).
67 Pa. Code § 47.2(a) |
| Rhode Island | Yes |
“two (2) fully reflective registration plates for every other motor vehicle”
One plate for motorcycles, trailers and dealer vehicles, two for everything else. Since the summer of 2026, a car built and sold without a front plate mounting point is exempt if the second plate is kept in the car.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-10 |
| South Carolina | No, rear only |
“license plates issued for motor vehicles must be attached to the outside rear of the vehicle, open to view.”
Truck tractors and road tractors carry the plate on the front.
S.C. Code § 56-3-1240(A) |
| South Dakota | Yes |
“one on the front and one on the rear of the vehicle, each securely fastened.”
Two plates are issued except for motorcycles, recreational vehicles, semitrailers and trailers, which get one (SDCL 32-5-85).
SDCL 32-5-98 |
| Tennessee | No, rear only |
“The registration plate issued for passenger motor vehicles shall be attached on the rear of the vehicle.”
Pickups up to three-quarter ton and motor homes also on the rear; other trucks and truck tractors on the front.
Tenn. Code § 55-4-110(a) |
| Texas | Yes |
“does not display two license plates that (1) have been assigned by the department for the period; and (2) comply with department rules regarding the placement of license plates”
Road tractors, motorcycles, trailers and semitrailers display one plate. Driving without both plates is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $200.
Tex. Transp. Code § 504.943(a) |
| Utah | No, rear only |
“the owner or operator of a vehicle shall ensure that the license plate is attached to the rear of the vehicle”
In force since January 1, 2025, when Utah dropped its front plate.
Utah Code § 41-1a-404(1) |
| Vermont | Yes |
“Two registration plates are issued to and must be displayed by all registered vehicles”
The statute leaves the number of plates to the commissioner; the DMV's rule issues two, except for motorcycles, trailers, mopeds, antique vehicles and some dealer plates, which get one.
Vermont DMV Rule 16; 23 V.S.A. § 511(a) |
| Virginia | Yes |
“two license plates for every other registered motor vehicle”
§ 46.2-715 puts them front and rear. Mopeds, motorcycles, autocycles, trailers and semitrailers get one plate on the rear; a tractor truck's one plate goes on the front.
Va. Code § 46.2-711(A), § 46.2-715 |
| Washington | Yes |
“conspicuously at the front and rear of each vehicle if two license plates have been issued”
One plate for trailers, semitrailers, campers, mopeds, collector vehicles, horseless carriages and motorcycles.
RCW 46.16A.200(5)(a) |
| West Virginia | No, rear only |
“shall issue to the owner one registration plate”
Only one plate is issued. The display section (§ 17A-3-15) is not in our data, so its place on the rear is convention, not a quote.
W. Va. Code § 17A-3-14(a) |
| Wisconsin | Yes |
“Whenever 2 registration plates are issued for a vehicle, one plate shall be attached to the front and one to the rear of the vehicle.”
Two plates for automobiles, motor trucks, buses, school buses and motor homes (§ 341.12(1)).
Wis. Stat. § 341.15 |
| Wyoming | Yes |
“Conspicuously displayed and securely fastened to be plainly visible: (A) One (1) on the front of the vehicle”
No front plate needed on motorcycles, trailers, antiques, street rods, custom vehicles, or a car originally built without a front plate bracket, among others.
W.S. 31-2-205(a)(i) |
"Not verified" means we couldn't open the current official text of that state's rule while checking, so we'd rather not guess. The US territories have their own rules: American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands require front and rear plates, Puerto Rico requires only a rear one, and the US Virgin Islands rule is one we haven't been able to source. Their pages are on the US license plates hub.
The exceptions that trip people up
The table answers the question for an ordinary car. A few patterns are worth knowing:
- Motorcycles and trailers get a single plate, on the rear, in most two-plate states.
- Truck tractors often get the plate on the front. In Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, all rear-only states, the single plate of a truck tractor goes on the front, and Minnesota does the same for truck tractors and farm trucks.
- Kansas forbids a front plate. K.S.A. 8-133 says a Kansas registered vehicle "shall not have a license plate attached to the front", with a few exceptions.
- One plate issued, one plate on the rear. Several two-plate laws, like California's, Massachusetts's and New York's, also say where the plate goes when only one is issued: on the rear. That covers the classes that get a single plate, such as motorcycles, trailers and some dealer and antique plates.
Front plates outside the US
Most of the world uses front and rear plates: Germany requires both on cars, for example, and only trailers and motorcycles carry a single rear plate (FZV § 12). Our license plates pages cover each country's plates, and the plate dimensions page has the sizes for front and rear plates where they differ.
Questions people ask
Do you need a front license plate in Texas?
Yes. Texas Transportation Code § 504.943(a) makes it an offense to drive a motor vehicle that does not display two license plates, and the fine is up to $200. Motorcycles, road tractors, trailers and semitrailers display one plate.
Do you need a front license plate in California?
Yes. California Vehicle Code § 5200(a) says that when the DMV issues two plates, one goes on the front and the other on the rear. Only vehicles issued a single plate, such as motorcycles and trailers, display just one.
Which states don't require a front license plate?
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia require only a rear plate on an ordinary car. The table on this page links the law for each one.
When did Utah stop requiring front license plates?
On January 1, 2025. The current Utah Code § 41-1a-404(1), effective that day, requires the license plate to be attached to the rear of the vehicle.
Can a front plate be required on some vehicles in a rear-only state?
Yes. Several rear-only states put the single plate on the front of truck tractors instead, for example Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, and Kansas goes the other way and forbids a front plate on most vehicles.