While parked at a customer in St. Paul, MN this morning I received a ticket for having a “Plastic Cover on Front Plate” according to the ticket. Apparently this is in violation of Minnesota Statue 169.79.7 which says:
Subd. 7. Plate fastened and visible. All plates must be securely fastened so as to prevent them from swinging. The person driving the motor vehicle shall keep the plate legible and unobstructed and free from grease, dust, or other blurring material so that the lettering is plainly visible at all times. It is unlawful to cover any assigned letters and numbers or the name of the
state of origin of a license plate with any material whatever, including any clear or colorless material that affects the plate’s visibility or reflectivity.
I am hopeful that since my cover is completely clear and anti-reflective II will be able to get the ticket dismissed since the fine is $108! I will post again once I know if I am successful in my appeal.
It appears that Minnesota is the only state in the union with this law according to this site and that it went into affect in 1995. In light of that though if you have what you think is a completely clear cover in Minnesota you may still get a ticket according to this statute and the fine is pretty hefty.
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[...] A couple of weeks ago I got a ticket for a clear license plate cover that I documented here. I went to court today with pictures of it on and off and the very nice hearing officer dismissed it [...]
Do you know who your hearing officer was? He set a precedent and we hopefully will get the same hearing officer- as we got the same ticket today.
Don’t remember the lady’s name. However if you bring a picture of it removed you should be good to go.
Please do post your results. I also received a citation along with my expired meter ticket. But my plastic covers are non-reflective and the tabs are clearly visible so I am hoping that the pictures I bring with me will allow dismissal of this fine….
You will need to remove the cover and take a picture and bring it to the hearing.
On Sept 5th, I received a ticket for a clear plastic cover on the back license plate. I have taken pictures of the car with and without the plate. I am bringing the clear plastic cover into court. The fine is $110.