TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2013 This week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law that discusses how drivers may frame their license plates.<\/p>\n
That legislation \u2014 SB 488<\/a> \u2014 actually plays off a similar license plate law from last year, which prohibited alterations to license plates<\/a>.<\/p>\n This applies to any of the following situations:<\/p>\n Mutilating or defacing a registered license plate<\/p>\n Changing the plate\u2019s color<\/p>\n Applying reflective material, spray, covering or anything else that can obscure the plate<\/p>\n Attaching an illuminated device that can prevent someone from reading the plate<\/p>\n However, the 2025 law sparked controversy when it also banned people from owning a \u201clicense plate obscuring device.\u201d<\/p>\n According to state law, drivers aren\u2019t allowed to add a device to their license plates that obscures the license plate number or the decal in the top right-hand corner.<\/p>\n An explainer on the license plate frame law from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. (Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n But many took the law to mean that they couldn\u2019t have a frame that covers the top or bottom of the plate, with the confusion even leading to arrests in some cases<\/a>.<\/p>\n