FYI: Plate Covers in Illinois

[hyunelan2]

Just stumbled across this in a Police Department Bulletin, and thought I would share the information:

Registration Plate Covers
Effective January 1st, it is unlawful to: Operate any motor vehicle that is equipped with registration plate
covers. (625 ILCS 5/12-610.5 (b))
Statutory Definition –Registration Plate Cover. The term registration plate cover means any tinted, colored, painted, marked, clear or illuminated object that is designed to:
• Cover any of the character of a motor vehicle’s registration plate; or
• Distort a recorded image of any of the characters of a motor vehicle’s registration plate recorded by;
o An automated red light enforcement system; or
o An automated traffic control system (625 ILCS 5/12-610.5 (a))

This means that:
A: you can't put on any license plate covers, not even clear
B: you can't put on any of those things that are made to blur your license plate to cameras... I have noticed that the law does fail to mention that 'spray-on' stuff that is sold to fool traffic cameras. I've heard it doesn't work though.

[ba_feitl]

Is that Illinois State Police or local Plainfield/Joliet area requirements? From the code numbers it looks like Illinois-wide but I hadn't heard of this one...

Good find!

Brad

[hyunelan2]

It's state wide

[Vampyrate]

the spray doesnt work. the resolution on the traffic cameras can pic up a spot the size of a penny on your plates up to 3 city blocks away... so they can see through most anything that you spray on there... unless you decide to cake your plates with mud :)

[Estopatitiana]

thanks for the heads up

[Vampyrate]

my father and i were firefighters and did regular "tours" of the police station, which is next door to the company's second station and they told us a lot about the "standard traffic camera". These things are amazingly high tech, not what's shown on TV. They can zoom in and see that someone has a spagetti stain on their lapel if they wanted to.

[JacksonJ]

You know, the Ontario Highway Traffic Act says the same thing, but I had a cop tell me that clear is fine (this was when I had my blue tint ones on). Your best bet would be to ask some of the authorities what they're take on it is.

[hyunelan2]

Clear used to be fine here (colors and tinted were illegal) - but not with this law anymore.

[Vampyrate]

hyunelan, it is probably because of the glare coming off of the sun distorts the image captures at times and there cant be a ticket issued for they dont have a plate to trace back to the driver's address. i know that there used to be some clear ones with anti-glare coating, but i have no clue what happened to those.

[txdproject]

hehe i have a slight tinted cover on my back plates... idk maybe the cops just dont care in my area lol

[djarsonist]

Aww, this sux....I had both blue tinted till some lady at a mall hit my front one and cracked it (2 years back). I took the front plate off to wash it, and then never put it back on. I still have the blue cover on the back one though...So I drive with no front plate and a blue tinted cover on the back and still don't get pulled over...(Knock on Wood)...

It all depends if the cop wants to mess with u that day. Just don't drive like an idiot and you should be fine.

PEACE
dj arsonist