How license plates fastened to vehicle; altering appearance of license plates
Va. Code Ann. § 46.2-716
in effectA. Every license plate shall be securely fastened to the motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer to which it is assigned:
1. So as to prevent the plate from swinging,
2. In a position to be clearly visible, and
3. In a condition to be clearly legible.
B. No colored glass, colored plastic, bracket, holder, mounting, frame, or any other type of covering shall be placed, mounted, or installed on, around, or over any license plate if such glass, plastic, bracket, holder, mounting, frame, or other type of covering in any way alters or obscures (i) the alpha-numeric information, (ii) the color of the license plate, (iii) the name or abbreviated name of the state wherein the vehicle is registered, or (iv) any character or characters, decal, stamp, or other device indicating the month or year in which the vehicle's registration expires. No insignia, emblems, or trailer hitches or couplings shall be mounted in such a way as to hide or obscure any portion of the license plate or render any portion of the license plate illegible.
C. The Superintendent may make such regulations as he may deem advisable to enforce the proper mounting and securing of the license plate on the vehicle.
D. For any summons issued for a violation of this section, the court may, in its discretion, dismiss the summons, where proof of compliance with this section is provided to the court on or before the court date.
Code 1950, § 46-102; 1958, c. 541, § 46.1-107; 1960, c. 119; 1986, c. 186; 1989, c. 727; 2000, c. 258 ; 2001, c. 19 ; 2006, c. 549 ; 2017, c. 670 .
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/46.2-716/Fetched: 10/16/2026