# Replace front license plate with a decal



## ClearDarkSky (Apr 18, 2016)

I actually got this idea from someone else but I can't find that post anymore. This such a great idea that I figured it was worth posting again at the risk of repeating it.
So many people are agonizing over that mount on the front sticking out and looking ugly.
The existing mount is glued on with double sided tape, so with a little care and some heat you can pull it off.
There are lots of places that make signs for cars or trucks with decals.
I found a place near where I live and asked them to make a decal copy of my license plate. I got 3 for $30. I only need one but just in case I got a couple extra.
The trickiest part is sticking it on perfectly level and centred. Masking tape is a way you can make a guide line.
Get it lined up with the backing still on and tape it on one half with some more tape. Lift up the half that's not taped down and peal off half the backing. Then stick that half to the car without making wrinkles. Then take the tape off the other side, remove the backing and stick it on. 
Done. Looks great. Sorry no picture because I can't edit the photo to hide my number.


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## John (Apr 16, 2016)

How's that better than a plate? 
<<< Here's mine. The mount they use is quite minimalist.


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## LUXMAN (Apr 4, 2016)

ClearDarkSky said:


> I actually got this idea from someone else but I can't find that post anymore. This such a great idea that I figured it was worth posting again at the risk of repeating it.
> So many people are agonizing over that mount on the front sticking out and looking ugly.
> The existing mount is glued on with double sided tape, so with a little care and some heat you can pull it off.
> There are lots of places that make signs for cars or trucks with decals.
> ...


Is that legal in Canada? Or the US?


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

LUXMAN said:


> Is that legal in Canada? Or the US?


That would be my question and I assume now. Isn't part of the purpose of the front plate the reflective nature of it so the cops can hit you with laser guns and make more money


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## DinosM (Aug 10, 2017)

ClearDarkSky said:


> I actually got this idea from someone else but I can't find that post anymore. This such a great idea that I figured it was worth posting again at the risk of repeating it.
> So many people are agonizing over that mount on the front sticking out and looking ugly.
> The existing mount is glued on with double sided tape, so with a little care and some heat you can pull it off.
> There are lots of places that make signs for cars or trucks with decals.
> ...


I don't get the "hiding the numbers", everyone sees it when you drive?


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## webdriverguy (May 25, 2017)

DinosM said:


> I don't get the "hiding the numbers", everyone sees it when you drive?


Why not do this?

https://www.1975creations.com/product-page/tesla-model-3-front-license-plate-bracket

It's little expensive.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

webdriverguy00 said:


> Why not do this?
> 
> https://www.1975creations.com/product-page/tesla-model-3-front-license-plate-bracket
> 
> It's little expensive.


if the OPs point was to have a more flush plate, why not just use the stock plate bracket then? this one sticks out further, and isn't included free with the car


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

DinosM said:


> I don't get the "hiding the numbers", everyone sees it when you drive?


Sure, but they don't realize that the person driving that car is that [email protected]@®δ @ClearDarkSky, otherwise they'd be keying up his car.


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## webdriverguy (May 25, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> if the OPs point was to have a more flush plate, why not just use the stock plate bracket then? this one sticks out further, and isn't included free with the car


Which stock plate bracket are you taking about? The SC glued the front license plate on the bumper for me and it looks ugly. I would prefer something that does not stick to the bumper.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

webdriverguy00 said:


> Which stock plate bracket are you taking about? The SC glued the front license plate on the bumper for me and it looks ugly. I would prefer something that does not stick to the bumper.


well, that is a different conversation then. OP specifically mentioned they were looking for a more flush install than the stock bracket (which is double stick taped on, not 'glued').


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## MarkB (Mar 19, 2017)

ClearDarkSky said:


> Sorry no picture because I can't edit the photo to hide my number.


Here's a site that specifically sells them -- still cannot determine how legal they are.

http://licenceplate.ca/


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## iChris93 (Feb 3, 2017)

garsh said:


> Sure, but they don't realize that the person driving that car is that [email protected]@®δ @ClearDarkSky, otherwise they'd be keying up his car.


Well, you'll know if you see a Model 3 with a decal front plate.


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## ClearDarkSky (Apr 18, 2016)

LUXMAN said:


> Is that legal in Canada? Or the US?


I have no idea if it's legal or not but I think it would be better tolerated than no plate at all. In Canada the proof of licensing is a sticker on the back plate, there is nothing special about the front plate. 
I know there is at least one person in California that has done this because he posted it somewhere and gave me the idea.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

ClearDarkSky said:


> I know there is at least one person in California that has done this because he posted it somewhere and gave me the idea.


There are many Californians who run around with no front plate at all. The cops generally won't bug you about it unless they pull you over for some other reason.

But that doesn't make it legal. It just means that you might be able to get away with it.


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## ClearDarkSky (Apr 18, 2016)

John said:


> How's that better than a plate?
> <<< Here's mine. The mount they use is quite minimalist.


This is just one alternative that some people might like. I like it because it preserves the streamlining of the car and it looks better. YMMV


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## Derik (Jul 26, 2017)

garsh said:


> There are many Californians who run around with no front plate at all. The cops generally won't bug you about it unless they pull you over for some other reason.
> 
> But that doesn't make it legal. It just means that you might be able to get away with it.


I drove around from 2006 to 2017 without a front license plate. Never had an issue. The only thing they'll give you is a fix it ticket anyway. So you have to waste some time going to show someone there is a plate.

Only reason why I stopped in 2017 was I bought a used corolla to be a filler car and it already had a front plate. My 2010 TDi had nearly 170k on it, and before that my 2006 mini cooper had about 80k on it all without a front license plate.

So it may be illegal here to run without it, but don't give the cops any reason to pull you over and you'll most likely get away without having one.


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## Guy Weathersby (Jun 22, 2016)

garsh said:


> There are many Californians who run around with no front plate at all. The cops generally won't bug you about it unless they pull you over for some other reason.
> 
> But that doesn't make it legal. It just means that you might be able to get away with it.


From what I have heard, the police will almost never pull you over, but parking enforcement officers will ticket you if they are working that area.


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## Tzoid (Jun 30, 2018)

ClearDarkSky said:


> I have no idea if it's legal or not but I think it would be better tolerated than no plate at all. In Canada the proof of licensing is a sticker on the back plate, there is nothing special about the front plate.
> I know there is at least one person in California that has done this because he posted it somewhere and gave me the idea.


In Quebec the gouv did away with front plates years ago. Very happy they did. Cars look great. We don't have stickers either. Police have cameras in there cars that scan plates numbers as they drive around from donut shop to donut shop. All cars get scanned at one point or another. We have personalized plates since 3 weeks ago just in time for my M3 err Model 3 in case garsh reads this


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## Rosalind Guder (Aug 21, 2018)

I have been thinking about this issue for a month now, since I picked up my Model 3. I have looked into having the decal made, but have read in several places that it is illegal and possibly a felony, as you are forging a government document. I still have not decided what to do yet, whether to remain plateless, use a decal, use the Tesla mount in some way, or get a 3rd party holder. I'm going to wait and see what my PPF guy says about sticking the Tesla mount on top of PPF. Or he might have some other suggestion that I haven't considered.


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## John (Apr 16, 2016)

I think in California the rule is "You must have a state-issued front plate, with no modifications, unless you have a really sweet ride, then you can just ignore the law."


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## HalliBee (Jun 11, 2018)

This is not legal in British Columbia. You may get a notice to fix it, but I wouldn't count on it, it would likely cost you, and you'd have to fix it.


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## Dr. J (Sep 1, 2017)

John said:


> How's that better than a plate?
> <<< Here's mine. The mount they use is quite minimalist.


Reduced drag, is my guess. Cool idea, but I think I'll stick with the plate. I can see getting a ticket in Texas for that. OTOH, in California, it seems to be all about window tinting.


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## Kermit (Aug 3, 2018)

How about:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/..._6JWBuDI-oaiWUH0AIVWVrzGgrOg8rjoaAhTrEALw_wcB


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## MacMcIntire (Apr 4, 2017)

I love my front license plate mod. It's technically not legal but I have only had to pay $20 for one fix it ticket over my 20 years of driving. 

Here are the step by step instructions:
1. Open your car and retrieve the Tesla front license plate bracket that they include. 
2. Remove the bracket and any hardware from the bag.
3. Find your nearest trash receptacle and toss the bracket inside of the trash bin.
4. Stand back and enjoy the streamlined aesthetics of your brand new Model 3!!!

I don't know the laws everywhere but in Southern California, the front license plate is not used by a large number of drivers. The law says you need it, but it is hardly ever enforced.


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## webdriverguy (May 25, 2017)

MacMcIntire said:


> I love my front license plate mod. It's technically not legal but I have only had to pay $20 for one fix it ticket over my 20 years of driving.
> 
> Here are the step by step instructions:
> 1. Open your car and retrieve the Tesla front license plate bracket that they include.
> ...


I wish I could do that


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## njkode (Jul 6, 2018)

MacMcIntire said:


> I love my front license plate mod. It's technically not legal but I have only had to pay $20 for one fix it ticket over my 20 years of driving.
> 
> Here are the step by step instructions:
> 1. Open your car and retrieve the Tesla front license plate bracket that they include.
> ...


I still have not gotten my plates yet, and when I do receive them I do not plan to install the front plate. However, on my old car, I've gotten a no front plate ticket while parked in a parking garage (Santa Monica). Switch my plates to out of state when that happened. Dont have the out of state option any more so hopefully I wont get to many fix it tickets.


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## PandaM3 (Apr 23, 2018)

I plan to just leave mine off... I got a Bandit holder for times when I need to put it on. The Bandit holder goes on the car quickly and easily and comes off just as easily. Just takes minutes on and off.

I also leave the temp registration sticker in the passenger side of the mirror... so from the front it looks like a new car with paper plates.

Just need to be smart about it
- Install it if you plan on taking the toll roads (CHP targets cars with no plates incase they are trying to not pay the toll)
- Install if you go to downtown areas and plan to park on the street or public parking areas (parking nazi's will ticket you)
- Install when going to the airport... (airport police look for any reason to pull you over so plates go on and windows go down... I don't care if it is cold... windows down)

I just leave it in the trunk.

Another option I've seen is to use suction cups...


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## John (Apr 16, 2016)

MacMcIntire said:


> I love my front license plate mod. It's technically not legal but I have only had to pay $20 for one fix it ticket over my 20 years of driving.
> 
> Here are the step by step instructions:
> 1. Open your car and retrieve the Tesla front license plate bracket that they include.
> ...


Curious: If you get stopped (for something else most likely) and the officer asks you about it, will you say, "I don't like the way it would make the car look," or will you say something like, "Oh, gee, officer-it didn't come with one."


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## Silver Streak 3 (Apr 3, 2018)

webdriverguy said:


> Why not do this?
> 
> https://www.1975creations.com/product-page/tesla-model-3-front-license-plate-bracket
> 
> It's little expensive.


I just ordered. I think it's the perfect solution.


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## RolfS (Oct 2, 2017)

My solution was, which you can do in California, is to get your license plate in a vinyl wrap. This is a pilot program that they are doing. The web site is https://licenseplatewrap.com/ . You have to send them your exact registration information. It's approved with the CA DMV. I know because I forgot to give them my middle name and the DMV rejected the application first time around. The cost is $50.00.


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## njkode (Jul 6, 2018)

RolfS said:


> My solution was, which you can do in California, is to get your license plate in a vinyl wrap. This is a pilot program that they are doing. The web site is https://licenseplatewrap.com/ . You have to send them your exact registration information. It's approved with the CA DMV. I know because I forgot to give them my middle name and the DMV rejected the application first time around. The cost is $50.00.
> 
> View attachment 26558


Interesting, I'll keep in mind but for now I'll continue to run without a front plate.


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## kataleen (Jan 28, 2019)

Just before the delivery date for my M3 I specifically told the reps to NOT even think about sticking that abomination on the front of the car. Basically every phone call I had with them, within 2 weeks of the delivery day, were ending in me reminding them not to install the front plate mount.

The first thing I did after getting the car was to install the tow hook mount since I really didn't want to risk it although there are quite a lot of cars without front plates here in BC. http://www.thebrainspike.com/tesla-model-3-tow-hook-license-plate-mount/

Funny thing is, after getting the car wrapped in PPF, I had to keep it for a few days before doing the ceramic coating and decided not to deal with the plate for that time since it takes a bit of fiddling to get it right. The next day, I'm driving in a subdivision around a roundabout, a cop on the opposite side of the road. He looked loooong at my car (stealth XPEL, slick front, and of course no plate). I was looking in the mirrors, thinking, "Pleaaaaase stay there, don't move....". He did. Pulled me over. He was about to write me up for the plate but I actually pulled the emails where I was talking to the guy at the shop about applying the ceramic coating, and explained that that was the reason. He let me go.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

I drove an Eclipse for 6 years in Ohio with no front plate, and never got a ticket (I’m in Florida now, where the front plate isn’t required) so I guess I personally would consider that low risk. In that state, it would have been much higher risk to put on a decal or wrap instead - a "non-official" license plate that can't be removed and confiscated could lead to possible impoundment of the car.

Then again, I have heard of situations where getting caught with no front plate could become a court matter, where you could then be jailed for contempt for not complying.

In either possibility, if you plan on doing something that the law doesn't specifically prescribe, you should study up on the penalties first, and then make a decision based on how much risk you're willing to accept.


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## Unplugged (Apr 5, 2016)

garsh said:


> There are many Californians who run around with no front plate at all. The cops generally won't bug you about it unless they pull you over for some other reason.
> 
> But that doesn't make it legal. It just means that you might be able to get away with it.


Actually, many years ago, I knew that California even allowed Euro style license plates (front and rear) so long as the numbers matched the original plate. I don't know if that is still effective, but I imagine so.

As you might know, California now has digital plates that will (eventually) allow messages to be displayed when the car is stopped in traffic.


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## katrinli (May 22, 2020)

Hi everyone, thank all of you for your help in previous post, I finally found place to order custom license plate (https://adhesivereplica.com ) but I still have one question to ask, are resized license plate replicas legal? I saw a few different sizes available except the standard one. So now I'm curious.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

katrinli said:


> Hi everyone, thank all of you for your help in previous post, I finally found place to order custom license plate (https://adhesivereplica.com ) but I still have one question to ask, are resized license plate replicas legal? I saw a few different sizes available except the standard one. So now I'm curious.


The replicas themselves are not legal in most locales, so it doesn't really matter if you resize it, legally speaking.
It's only going to help you if...

A cop who would normally care to ticket someone for a missing front license plate
actually bothers to check if a plate is in place
but doesn't look closely enough to notice that it's a sticker instead of a plate,
or if he does, decides that he won't ticket you for the lack of the plate, because you made some effort?
You're probably better off just not having a front plate at all.

Bradford BMW driver charged for having a sticker in place of licence plate


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## katrinli (May 22, 2020)

Hi guys, I saw the new sizes of custom licence plates are available at the website ( https://adhesivereplica.com ), I was wondering if it's legal?


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## GDN (Oct 30, 2017)

Probably about as legal as the decal itself is. I don't know if any state has approved them, truly they are not "legal". It might avoid a ticket if a cop sees it and goes on, but if he realizes it is not the state issued metal plate, you may be in more trouble as it could be taken you are printing and running your own tags. Yes, I know it might match what is registered and what is on the back of the car, but these are not legal replacements. If any state has approved them, I'm just not up to date.


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## GDN (Oct 30, 2017)

Poking around I don't see anyting on the site about size necessarily. Can you point to what you mean? It looks like a brand new site.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Honestly, it's probably safer to just not install a front plate at all. As far as I've researched, the maximum penalty for no front plate in every U.S. state is a fine, and most of them consider it a secondary offense (you have to be stopped for something else first) unless you're parked. But quite a lot of states will consider a plate not distributed by the state as a _forgery_, which can carry some serious jail time - up to 5 years from what I researched.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

JasonF said:


> Honestly, it's probably safer to just not install a front plate at all


Indeed. Given that a decal is not a legal replacement for a front plate, consider the situation in which it's actually useful:


garsh said:


> It's only going to help you if...
> 
> A cop who would normally care to ticket someone for a missing front license plate
> actually bothers to check if a plate is in place
> ...


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## Tesla_Stela (Nov 23, 2020)

Hello everybody, my boyfriend and I used to visit our friends in US (Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York) every year. He bought a Tesla Model 3 before a quarantine. There is an adhesive replica on the front plate - his friend from California recommended it. Will there be any problems on the border of other states?


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Tesla_Stela said:


> Hello everybody, my boyfriend and I used to visit our friends in US (Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York) every year. He bought a Tesla Model 3 before a quarantine. There is an adhesive replica on the front plate - his friend from California recommended it. Will there be any problems on the border of other states?


Pennsylvania doesn't require a front plate.
Ohio recently dropped their front plate requirement.
While New York does require a front plate, each state only enforces a front plate for cars registered within the same state. So you should be fine.


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## Tesla_Stela (Nov 23, 2020)

garsh said:


> Indeed. Given that a decal is not a legal replacement for a front plate, consider the situation in which it's actually useful:


Thanks. I will review this and keep in mind!


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## Tesla_Stela (Nov 23, 2020)

garsh said:


> Pennsylvania doesn't require a front plate.
> Ohio recently dropped their front plate requirement.
> While New York does require a front plate, each state only enforces a front plate for cars registered within the same state. So you should be fine.


Thank you. Hopefully we will get a chance to celebrate Christmas in US.


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