If you see this on your own license plate or decide that you’ll be clever and do this to your set of plates, know that it might cost you a cool $1,105.
Have you ever seen a set of California license plates on a vehicle that just looked…off. According to Stanley Roberts in his latest People Behaving Badly segment that dropped earlier yesterday (Mar. 23, 2018) they look off for a reason and it might cost the driver of that car more than a $1,000 if they get caught.
Check out the segment for yourself below.
All California License plates (and presumably other state plates) come with a reflective coating that helps redlight, toll, and traffic cameras identify vehicles through their plates for various reasons, most often to slap them with a fine for breaking the law. In order to avoid those cameras for the purpose of intentionally breaking traffic laws or avoid tolls, people actually try to remove the reflective coating by using chemicals, abrasion, or a combination of the two.
The problem is, when police actively look for these miscreants with altered plates, the plates stick out like a sore thumb. Even if you’re traveling along at the speed limit, obeying all traffic laws, you might as well be waving a huge neon flag that says, “Give me a fine!”
According to California Vehicle Code 5201.1 (c)
(c) A person shall not erase the reflective coating of, paint over the reflective coating of, or alter a license plate to avoid visual or electronic capture of the license plate or its characters by state or local law enforcement.
And in the state of California per the aforementioned V.C., the base fine for an infraction is $250.
Alternatively, if police pull you over and you didn’t even know your plates were altered because you bought a used car with them already like that, police most likely will issue you a Fix-it ticket. That means you’ll need to go to the DMV for a set of new plates, pay a $25 fee of some sort, and get a police officer to sign off on your ticket. Still, a pain in the behind.
So, where did Roberts get $1105 from?
According to California’s Uniform Bail and Penalties schedule, while you might pay a base fine of $250, after all the mandatory fees are tacked on, you’ll end up paying $1,029.
- Base fine/fee – $250
- State PA -$250
- County PA -$175
- DNA PA- $125
- Court PA- $125
- Surcharge- $50
- EMS PA- $50
- EMAT PA- $4
If you’d rather not go through traffic court you can pay the total bail amount of, you guessed it, $1105.
Bail is slightly more expensive but considering you might take time off work (forgoing wages) it is often the cheaper option.
So, if you see that the car you bought second hand has these altered plates, deal with it immediately on your own time.
And if you think you can be sneaky by doing a little DIY on that reflective coating, have an extra G in your savings when you do get caught.
I understand that some people alter their plates to be shady. But I was ticketed for CVC4464 and I have done nothing to my 15 year old license plate. The clear coat is peeling and darkening around the numbers. Innocent California motorist should not be lumped in with criminals, just because they received plates that will deteriorate. Has anyone investigated why these plates are failing? I am a law abiding citizen and this really upsets me that nobody is helping out the innocent motorist getting cited.
I know this is a two year old reply but I had to comment saying I 100% agree with you!! Just received a ticket yesterday because of the old plates on my mom’s car! I have never checked out the plates on a car like checking the oil or air in the tires when needed. It’s not my fault the California sun bakes our cars on top of being a car that is 16yrs old!! This really sucks big time! Court and everything!!! It should be a fix it ticket! Not a damn infraction!!!
I don’t think many modify their plate but rather the plate manufactures give bad materials that degrade and peel over time it’s not our fault that the state provides subpar quality license plates.
It’s very obvious if someone looks at their license place the reflective coating has aged, or deteriorated. When this happens, at certain angles and from various distances, your vehicle’s license plate will not be able to be read accurately. As a result, you may get away with lane tolls, bridge fees, even red light tickets when cameras are used. So, if you notice your license plates are damaged, take them to DMV and get a new set that way you won’t get stopped by law enforcement and/or have to deal with any tickets and/or fines.
$250, not $1,000. See actual code section below:
California Vehicle Code
Sec. 5201.1
(a) A person shall not sell a product or device that obscures, or is intended to obscure, the reading or recognition of a license plate by visual means, or by an electronic device as prohibited by subdivision (c) of Section 5201.
(b) A person shall not operate a vehicle with a product or device that violates subdivision (a).
(c) A person shall not erase the reflective coating of, paint over the reflective coating of, or alter a license plate to avoid visual or electronic capture of the license plate or its characters by state or local law enforcement.
(d) A conviction for a violation of this section is punishable by a fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) per item sold or per violation.
So, I looked into it where Roberts got $1,105 from and, re the bail and penalty schedule, $1,105 is the total bail amount on the ticket for violating that part of the CVC.
You’re correct, the base fine is $250 and, after all the fees, ends up being $1,029 total.
You can either pay the total bail or go to court to fight the ticket but, if you lose, will probably pay the base fine + fees total. So, it’s often cheaper just to pay the bail amount, $1,105 and get it over with.
Updated the blog so this is clearer so Thank You for bringing this to my attention. =)