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Following the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ latest statement, and pursuant to Florida Statute 320.262, state law requires that all license plates remain fully visible, legible, and unobstructed. This includes, specifically, the alphanumeric license plate identifier and the registration validation decal located in the upper right-hand corner of the plate.
Florida Statute 320.262 prohibits any device, covering, frame, or accessory that obscures, interferes with, or limits the legibility, angular visibility, or detectability of the primary features of a license plate. Any frame or accessory that partially or fully covers the license plate number or the registration validation decal is not permitted under the law.
License plate frames are not prohibited per se, provided they do not interfere with the plate’s primary features. Text, slogans, or designs located along the bottom of the license plate are not considered primary identifying features under the statute. A frame that overlaps that area may be permissible, so long as the license plate number, the registration validation decal, and the issuing state remain clearly visible and readable for identification and enforcement purposes.
This act does not prohibit the use of a license plate frame as long as the frame does not obscure visibility of the following:
- The alpha numeric plate identifier;
- The decal located in the top right hand corner of the license plate.
The Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles does not consider the information on the bottom of the plate to be a primary feature of the plate. A plate frame that impinges on the information at the top of the plate is permissible, as long as law enforcement is able to identify the state that issued the plate.
For reference, in a 2019 case, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, analyzing a similar statute (s. 320.061 F.S.), found the plate frame below to be permissible.
Law enforcement officers should consult their agency counsel should they have additional questions or need further guidance.
My office remains committed to providing clear, accurate information and to supporting the consistent and uniform application of Florida’s motor vehicle laws.
