I got a ticket for no front license plate

[Speedeamon]

Of course its my fault but I was in West Hollywood where they're relentless on parking meter expiration as well.
Since I do not want to drill holes, I plan to use heavy duty double sided tape to install it. I was going to place it under the passenger side head light after I carefully bend the plate to the contours of the bumper. Any other suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[mrElbe]

Drill the holes and get over it.

 

[calisnow]

Drill the holes and get over it.

You're a helpful one.

 

[Chewy3]

https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Powered-License-Plate-Frame/dp/B001TLLZ4E

 

[hybridbear]

Of course its my fault but I was in West Hollywood where they're relentless on parking meter expiration as well.
Since I do not want to drill holes, I plan to use heavy duty double sided tape to install it. I was going to place it under the passenger side head light after I carefully bend the plate to the contours of the bumper. Any other suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks

How much is the ticket? Was it while you were parked or were you pulled over? Is it a "fix-it" ticket or are you stuck paying regardless?

 

[TimsRunnin]

Are you aware of 'the law' from torklift central? Torklift Central | The Law - Tesla Model S Front License Plate Bracket-Aluminum (Auto Pilot Compatible) X7283

 

[cryptyk]

Safety wire a plate on the front. Get it signed off and pay the fix-it ticket for $25. Go home and clip the wire.

At most, this will cost you $25 / year.

Be aware that I'm full of bad advice, though...

 

[calisnow]

OP - I'm with you - I don't besmirch front bumpers with license plates either - and I've never seen a Lambo, Bentley, Ferrari or other similar price vehicle in Bev Hills/Hollywood etc. with front plates. In fact here's a thread on Ferrarichat in which numerous owners say they've run many years in So California with no plates whatsoever and not had a problem.

This guy makes a tow hook bracket plate holder for Ferraris - perhaps he'd make one for our cars as well. The idea being to temporarily put the plate on, get your inspection done and then remove the plate again after the inspection. If you find anything out let me know - I'd be up for buying one as well. Haven't had the L.A. front-plate-while-parked-money-scam-by-the-cops happen to me yet but I've heard it happen to others.

What is everyone doing for front license plate? - Page 2 - FerrariChat.com

Mower Deck Axles,Carrera,Cayman,John Deere,Kubota

 

[TaoJones]

If you search the fora, you'll find some straightforward J-bolt solutions, although now that I type this I wonder if there's still the honeycombed plastic below where the nosecone used to be.

Add magnets and/or suction cups at your discretion. The AP-friendly Magneplate option was good, but they're not taking new orders at present.

My favorite is the cling-on vinyl print of a license plate. Perhaps not permanent enough, and would probably raise the ire of the metermaid contingent.

As a rule, I don't park in Santa Monica or at LAX and one of the reasons is the asinine front plate tickets. How do the dozens of States that get by with one plate live to see another day I wonder. Over time, that's thousands of dollars in business meal revenue not going to Santa Monica and that just from 1 person.

 

[cpa]

I have yet to affix my front plate. However, I have the plate stashed in the frunk with zip ties run through the holes. If/when push comes to shove, I will thread the zip ties through the honeycomb grille and get the ticket signed off. Then snippy-snip when I get home.

I think the fine depends on jurisdiction. I have heard (emphasis on heard) that the assessment can range from $25 or so up to $150+. But do not hold me to it.

 

[MikeC]

I used the suction cups - there's a thread on TMC somewhere about it.

 

[John Stuckey]

1. I believe that I should obey laws. I also have children around that are influenced by my examples.
2. I don't need any unsolicited attention from cops.
3. The plate breaks up an otherwise unattractive grill.
4 I like my plate holder messages.

 

[TaoJones]

55,000 miles and 18 months later...

So far, no tickets for:

1. front plate not displayed
2. window tint*
3. windshield tint
4. having things attached to the windshield (dashcam, radar detector)
5. not displaying HOV stickers**
6. not displaying a transponder***
7. going too fast
8. going too slow
9. loitering
10. DWAA****

While tomorrow is another day, during which any or all of those tickets could come my way, it's been a good run so far. Just a datapoint for those concerned about such things. I've been in front of, beside, behind, parked next to, and in general view of more law enforcement vehicles than I could count. And that's just the marked ones.

Good idea about the zip ties - I should carry a few of those with the plate, just in case.

-----

* Photosync tint lightens up at night, which is to say it darkens under direct sunlight. It's not hard at all to see inside the car at night from outside when a dome light is illuminated.
** I rarely use carpool lanes anymore. If that changes, I'll affix one of those infernal stickers (no, not all 3) that currently live in the glovebox to the black plastic below the paint. Hopefully that statute gets updated soon.
*** I rarely use toll lanes or toll roads. When I do, the appropriate amounts are deducted from my account automagically along with the $1/month "maintenance fee". Ranks right up there with the $1/year reflective plate fee that's part of the annual "registration fee".
**** Driving while appearing affluent. I should say, while the car appears affluent. I don't even wear socks unless there's a compelling reason.

 

[Drivin]

1. Pay the ticket.
2. Put the license plate on your car.
3. Don't worry about how pretty the car looks, focus instead on being a responsible part of the community.
4. Given the conspicous consumption of the S and the backlash of the 1%er, be excited that you can be a role model for responsibility, not the stereotype of the "laws don't apply to me...because...reasons"

 

[TaoJones]

1. Pay the ticket.
2. Put the license plate on your car.
3. Don't worry about how pretty the car looks, focus instead on being a responsible part of the community.
4. Given the conspicous consumption of the S and the backlash of the 1%er, be excited that you can be a role model for responsibility, not the stereotype of the "laws don't apply to me...because...reasons"

Point taken. Here's a converse view:

Concerning point #3:

If a front plate had anything remotely to do with community responsibility, one might be compelled. However, the folks in almost half the states in the union are plenty responsible, and yet are not required to display a front plate.

Another way to demonstrate civic responsibility is to work to change bogus, outdated statutes. Such would be the ones requiring a front plate (not to mention it's a waste of tax dollars) and onerous stickers for vehicles that aren't going to grow a tailpipe anytime soon.

Blindly following the law for the sake thereof leads to a blinded populace. Not good. But I'll defer to the founding fathers, who said it way better than I just did.

Meanwhile:

"As of September 2009, the following states require only a license plate on the back bumper: Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and West Virginia."

California can't manage as well as Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, or West By God Virginia? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Methinks the world will not end without front plate requirements. And the whole tint enforcement thing has already been exposed as a solution in search of a problem.

Plenty of other ways to raise revenue than through front plate tickets. Just double the annual reflective plate fee *polite cough* - I have no idea if states other than California collect this tax, er, fee *twitch*.

Big picture, I'd rather our spread-too-thin law enforcement resources were saddled with fewer revenue generation/tax collection responsibilities, and I suspect their unions would wholeheartedly agree.

 

[FlatSix911]

1. Pay the ticket.
2. Put the license plate on your car.
3. Don't worry about how pretty the car looks, focus instead on being a responsible part of the community.
4. Given the conspicous consumption of the S and the backlash of the 1%er, be excited that you can be a role model for responsibility, not the stereotype of the "laws don't apply to me...because...reasons"

 

[dsm363]

Agree. Front plates have little to do with safety. More to do with a large flat surface for a speed gun. That said, I have the front plate on my car.

 

[privater]

So how much is the ticket cost?

 

[calisnow]

1. Pay the ticket.
2. Put the license plate on your car.
3. Don't worry about how pretty the car looks, focus instead on being a responsible part of the community.
4. Given the conspicous consumption of the S and the backlash of the 1%er, be excited that you can be a role model for responsibility, not the stereotype of the "laws don't apply to me...because...reasons"

You are so wise. Thank you so much for setting us straight and teaching us what we should care about, as well as letting us know what constitutes responsible behavior.

 

[roblab]

Safety wire a plate on the front. Get it signed off and pay the fix-it ticket for $25. Go home and clip the wire.

At most, this will cost you $25 / year.

Be aware that I'm full of bad advice, though...

Ten percent of all CA drivers do not have a front plate. If they pull you over more than once, it's discrimination. I used Velcro for fix it ticket. Officer wiggled plate. Law says "affixed". Plate did not fall off. Went home and removed it. That was nearly 15 years ago.

By discrimination, I would wonder that you could prove the officer checks only good looking cars with nice front ends that owners don't want to cover. I have counted cars without licenses, and they run the gamut, so any officer should pull over just about as many pickups, Hondas, etc., as Teslas and Lambos.

Yeah, I'm against out dated laws and people that want to enforce them just because they are still on the books.