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Florida License Plate Law Update

26K views 55 replies 33 participants last post by  DopeDog  
#1 · (Edited)
Just got this in an email from a buddy of mine:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

A PSA for motorcyclists attending Bikeweek at Daytona.

In October, 2008, Florida Legislature passed a couple new laws that out-of-state riders might be interested to know about to be prepared for riding in Florida. The first is the new penalty for a motorcycle or moped with a wheel that loses contact with the road (i.e. wheelie/stoppie) is $1,141.00. The second infraction of this traffic code costs more than double that amount. For the third infraction I would recommend relocating to another state, and possibly learning some common sense.

Most shocking though is the non-moving infraction for having an improperly mounted license plate. The plate must be at least 18" above the ground, be centrally located, be mounted horizontally, not vertically, be rigidly mounted, and be clearly visible from any angle behind the motorcycle. This means that plates mounted forward of the rear wheel, or on either side of the motorcycle, are in violation of the law. Basically, the plate needs to be in its original location. Also, if a plate is mounted on a pivoting hanger it is in violation of this vehicle code. The first time violation of this code is a fine of $1,141.00. The second infraction costs $2,500.00, the third costs $5,000 and loss of motorcycle license endorsement for 10 years.

I found this out nearly the hard way today. Fortunately for me, the Palm Beach County Sheriff who stopped me for my improperly mounted plate is a motorcyclist and is sensitive to providing lead time for riders and drivers to modify their behavior for new laws. I was issued a warning. Not all Florida law enforcement officers are as thoughtful of your finances as this officer is.

The fine in Florida for not wearing a helmet is $0. There is no helmet law in Florida. I was wearing a full-face helmet when I was stopped.

Peter Jones
Wellington, Florida

So I called the Daytona police department and asked about the above mentioned law. I was told that if you are from out of town and have your license plate correctly mounted per the laws of your state that they will not go after you... but if you are a Florida state resident, look out. The lady I talked to seemed to be pretty serious about the license plate being centered on the back of the bike as well.

I'm kind of at a loss as to how to mount my plate according to the law and asked her what I should do if my bike was not designed to mount a plate in that manner... she said it didn't matter, I had to figure out some way to make my bike comply to law.

I asked what it was that predicated the need for such strict laws for motorcycle license plates and she had no idea... "It's just the law!"

Cheers,
Claude
 
#2 ·
I see a future collaboration in the works...

Xian can make the beautiful, hand-tooled leather belts...

I will make the stainless steel license plate brackets with belt loops to fit said Xian leather belts...complete with LED illumination, of course...

FabKevin can handle all the custom brackets...

Biltwell can handle the distribution...

Then we can all show up in Florida together and ride each others bikes around Daytona just to fuck with their heads...
 
#3 ·
I see a future collaboration in the works...

Xian can make the beautiful, hand-tooled leather belts...

I will make the stainless steel license plate brackets with belt loops to fit said Xian leather belts...complete with LED illumination, of course...

FabKevin can handle all the custom brackets...

Biltwell can handle the distribution...

Then we can all show up in Florida together and ride each others bikes around Daytona just to fuck with their heads...
HAHAHA. I like this.
 
#4 ·
Yea, I thought I had it covered when I flipped my plate horizontal to the ground and I had no idea that I was running the risk of getting an F'ing $1200 ticket because the plate was mounted on the left side of the bike.

I actually thought about mounting my plate to the back of my helmet but I guess it has to be attached to the bike.
 
#5 ·
Cool...and now that I'm annoyed enough to have this BS law stuck in my head, how about this?

The Biltwell Bangkok License Plate Helmet...

With LED illumination, of course...maybe even an auxilliary stop light and turn signals...

($1200 for a tag infraction...Jesus Christ!)
 
#7 ·
This is a sack of horse shit! Fucking ridiculous. I thought it was just 18" off the ground and horizontal. I didn't realize it had to be mounted center. Aren't there a few different makes/models that come from their respective dealerships with a side-mounted tag? Are those bikes now illegal in FL? If it was $20 or something, whatever. But, over $1k??? Sometimes I hate this state.
 
#9 ·
Oh, if it matters, I believe this all comes from guys mounting their plates up under the fender cowls on Sportbikes. When they do this, they can run through tolls and the cameras that shoot the plates can't get reads. I heard there was problems with this in certain cities around the state. Also, it keeps them obscured if they're running from a cop.
 
#10 ·
They've supposedly enacted the same type of law in VA.

No vertical plates and they have to be mounted on the center of the bike, visible from all sides...

But...

I just spent 30 minutes googling that shit and can't find anything to confirm any new law. Did find the actual law on a "motorcycle lawyer's" site.

Sorry to hi-jack yall's FL, thread, but seems like every state has new laws or rumors of laws that need to be dispelled.

5; § 46.2-716. How license plates fastened to vehicle; altering appearance of license plates.

A. 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.

Comment: The main thing is that the plate must be visible. For some reason some members of law enforcement believe that if you mount the plate vertically as opposed to horizontally that you are violating this statute. Nothing in this statute forbids the vertical mounting of license plates.
 
#12 ·
The actual statute, the vehicle law/equipment code, does not specify center mounting.

It has alwyas read "must be legible when read from left to right", so vertical tags were never legal.

The current version -

316.2085 Riding on motorcycles or mopeds.--

(3) The license tag of a motorcycle or moped must be permanently affixed horizontally to the ground and may not be adjusted or capable of being flipped up.


Thank (the $50,000 paid-lobbyist) ABATE prez Doc Reichenbach for telling membership last year "The bill is dead" and not to contact legislators......this is what resulted.

Background on that -

A chronology of the bill that became this law, and how ABATE of FL worked actively against real freedom fighters who were actually doing something for Florida bikers...

http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/10/and-so-now-crying-starts-hb137-you-got.html

http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/09/abate-of-florida-finally-sees-light-hb.html

http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/01/brief-chronology-of-fl-hb137-and.html

.

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#14 ·
Doug,
I just spoke with another officer here locally... she said that there is some confusion to the license plate laws... something about two conflicting laws on the books. But she did say that the plate had to be mounted in the center of the bike.

The actual statute, the vehicle law/equipment code, does not specify center mounting.

It has alwyas read "must be legible when read from left to right", so vertical tags were never legal.

The current version -

316.2085 Riding on motorcycles or mopeds.--

(3) The license tag of a motorcycle or moped must be permanently affixed horizontally to the ground and may not be adjusted or capable of being flipped up.

Thank (the $50,000 paid-lobbyist) ABATE prez Doc Reichenbach for telling membership last year "The bill is dead" and not to contact legislators......this is what resulted.

Background on that -

A chronology of the bill that became this law, and how ABATE of FL worked actively against real freedom fighters who were actually doing something for Florida bikers...

http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/10/and-so-now-crying-starts-hb137-you-got.html

http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/09/abate-of-florida-finally-sees-light-hb.html

http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/01/brief-chronology-of-fl-hb137-and.html

.
 
#16 ·
an alternative of adding more bs laws to the "books" which WASTES the tax payers money while they circle jerk ideas for more new laws for our FREE country.... and being in the economic slump that we are in, why don't they get their heads out of their asses and offer vertical license plates..... kablammo, everyone's happy....
 
#17 ·
CT statute reads "horizontal" and visible from the rear to 50ft (I think there is an angle with the 50ft, cant remember...but that angle inferrs center mounted.)

but it also says we can run red or amber colored stop lights...try that and you will be fined under some other statute.

Scottto, vertical plates? I love it!
 
#22 ·
I remember searching the vehicle code oh, 7 or 8 years ago and back then it stated "must be legible when read from left-to-right"....i.e. horizontal... and there was a specification of minimum to maximum height from ground (maybe they take that from the car/truck equipment code) but no mention of being centered.

Think about pickups (like stepsides back before step-bumpers became universal), or small trailers, they commonly mount the tag below one taillight, off of a fender...

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#32 ·
what about jeep wranglers? they mount on the left!

I remember searching the vehicle code oh, 7 or 8 years ago and back then it stated "must be legible when read from left-to-right"....i.e. horizontal... and there was a specification of minimum to maximum height from ground (maybe they take that from the car/truck equipment code) but no mention of being centered.

Think about pickups (like stepsides back before step-bumpers became universal), or small trailers, they commonly mount the tag below one taillight, off of a fender...
 
#27 ·
#29 ·
It's all pretty confusing. I bet you'd have a good chance of getting it thrown out because of the ambiguity if you fight it. But $1100 is a hell of a chance to take. I had the plate side mounted on my shovel build, but cut it off and am mounting it on the fender...F**k it, don't want to deal with it.
 
#30 ·
That fine is a bit fuckin steep isn't it? For crying outloud. Where the hell did these governments come up with such excessive fines? I'd be damned if I'm paying much for bullshit like that.

I have a PA ABATE meeting this Saturday and I'm going to make sure they're aware of this so can get on it right away incase they want to do some BS like that in PA. Which wouldn't surprise me in the least.

I agree with the one dudes comments, instead of making bullshit laws like this why don't they come out with vertical written license plates and just charge more for them. DUHHH!!!!

Fuckers!!!!! I bet they don't do a God damn thing to keep those old mother fuckers from running us bikers over though!!!!
 
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#31 ·
Hmmm ... yet another reason not to go to Florida. All I have heard in the last few years about Daytona is how much the police and local merchants stick it to motorcyclists. I guess that the bikers don't bring much money to the city, since thay can afford to be so consciously turning away people like that in these economic times. Then again, from the footage I have seen, there always seems to be a steady supply of jackasses on their chromed-out baggers (on trailers) driving out there so that they can cruise up and down the strip and get overcharged for drinks and souvernirs.

I haven't been to Daytona in years, and I can't say there is a lot inducing me to head to Florida on my bike anytime soon.
 
#33 ·
I just got pulled over for my license plate in my parents neighborhood. The cop said I was speeding and I wasn't, I'm aware that there are kids here and I never speed, I don't have a speedo but I can estimate my speed. My tag's mounted horizontally (now) but it is facing the sky.
The cop was cool though and let me off with a warning, I guess I'll have to fix come Monday morning.
 
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