Is It Legal to Only Have One License Plate on Your Car in NYS?

When you register your car in the State of New York, you are handed two plates, unless you are registering a motorcycle, and then you will only get one plate.

Do you have the option of only putting one plate on the car or vehicle? While there are other states that say just one plate is ok, like Michigan and Florida, is this something that we can get away with in New York? Or will you get pulled over and get a ticket for this?

Can you get a ticket or are you breaking the law if you only put one of those license plates on your car?

There are lots of rules about those New York State license plates, believe it or not. For instance, you can get a ticket if the plate is not properly illuminated, ie, one of those little light bulbs that shine on your plate is not lit at night. You can also get a ticket if you are driving around with snow covering the license plate.

What other rules do you need to follow when attaching your license plate to the car?

The license plate has to be affixed to the car in a way that it is secure and cannot come off. Can you leave the plate in the front window? While you might not initially get pulled over for it, if it is not secured to the front of the car, you could be subjected to a ticket.

Can you put one of those clear covers over your license plate to keep it from those readers? Is that legal?

While it is legal to purchase and own those plate covers, it is not legal to put them over your license plates. Who made that a rule or a law? Especially with the batch of peeling NYS license plates, wouldn't one of those plastic covers actually keep the plate from peeling?

So, you do have to have two plates on your car at all times, but what states say that only one plate is ok?

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico. North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

New Hampshire currently is debating going to a one license plate system. Do you think that New York will ever go that way?