The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has issued a memo clarifying the regulations regarding license plate frames or covers.
Florida Statute 320.262 prohibits and penalizes license plate covering, obscuring or otherwise interfering with the visibility of the plate’s primary features. Since it went into effect on Oct. 1, there has been confusion.
In a memo posted to social media, FLHSMV provided additional guidance and clarification on the use of license plate frames regarding the new statute.
This act does not prohibit the use of a license plate frame altogether, as long as you can clearly see the numeric plate identifier and the registration sticker located at the top right-hand corner of the plate.
FLHSMV does not consider the information at the bottom of the plate, where it says “Sunshine State,” a primary feature of the plate. In addition, if a plate frame covers the information at the top of the plate, that is OK, so long as law enforcement can still identify the state that issued the plate.
To read the full memo released by FLHSMV and an example of a legal license plate frame, click on the PDF below.