Mach 25

I'm planning a trip from Salt Lake to Oakland...two questions: just wondering how aggressively California enforces the front plate law. Utah requires a front plate but does not enforce so I've never bothered with one. Secondly, what it the fine if pulled over. TIA for any comments.

ibking

I have been driving with out a front plate for years and it's just a fix it ticket. Since your from out of state I don't think they will hassle you.

DigitalWidgets

I live in Orange County (Southern California), and I'd say about 10-15% of the cars in my local area don't have front plates. I'd never thought about it until I bought the Vette. I've had mine 9 months and never been stopped. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen another Vette around here with front plates (and I'm a waver, so I notice a lot of them).

Also, my kid hauler mini van has never had a front plate on it (11 years). I wouldn't stress about it too much.

carnut08

Your biggest issue will be congestion and road condition. Freeways in the greater Bay Area are crumbling. You will need to keep your distance from cars ahead so you can see potholes in time to avoid them.

Welcome to the land governed by fruits and nuts. Enjoy your visit.

ub2slow2

And you won't be able to get a Happy Meal in San Fran cuz those land of fruit and nuts outlawed them.

mpuzach

I drove in CA (Bay area) for 16 years without a front plate and never got pulled over for it.

VET4LES

The CHP followed my neighbor into a gas station in Baker and gave him a no front plate ticket. No other offense. When he took it to the local CHP office to have them sign off on it they wanted to give him another ticket for tinted windows. He took it to the local police station and they wrote it off with no mention about the windows. So many cities are having financial problems these days that they are looking for revenue any way they can get. For that reason I installed mine last week after driving for six years without it.

Dave Tracy

Out of state registration-no issue

KX

There is far better food in the SF Bay Area than happy meals, good riddance to those!
I would only caution you to be speed careful coming out of Sacramento south bound on the I-80 for about 30 miles or so. CHP runs a lot of speed traps along with employing CHP Mustangs, Camaros and other unusual patrol cars. They also use air patrols from time to time....
With out-of-state plates/registration you will not be stopped or cited for no front plate, extra loud exhaust or anything of that nature. Calif is not **** about such things and is not ticket happy with cars from out of state. The Carolinas this is not....but if you care to make a donation to our state coffers, be our guest!

cclive

exactly. Many states allow no front plate, many allow dark tint. Calif can't give you a ticket for violating Utah law, so no issue. As stated above, you will have much bigger (and deeper) things to worry about in Calif.

cclive

But your neighbor's car was registered in Calif.

djbrun

I've been in Cali since 95 and have never had a front plate on any of my vehicles. If they pull you over for something else like speeding, maybe they might give you a fix it ticket for that.
I wouldn't worry to much about that.

DJ

ssv3

Don't sweat it. Just come and enjoy. They won't bother you. I have been driving without one for 3 years and the only thing cops do is pull up beside me and ask/talk about the car. I've been pulled over a lot for no front plate on my other NON-corvette cars but vettes get a lot of love from cops and even CHP(all over SoCal at least)

GRG

Go to topflightrepo.com and get the removable front license bracket (and color matched license frame if you want it). No hole drilling or anything like that. When you get home take it off. You can't tell you ever had a front plate. No front plate is just another reason to stop you.

0H&K VetteAccessories

My understanding is that a "fix-it-ticket" costs $57 in CA. However the folks in San Francisco charge double or $114 for the same ticket. Check out our removable bracket offered by H&K Vette Accessories for C6 Grand Sport and Z06 Vettes.

Mach 25

Thanks much to all responders...I'm familiar with the topflightrepo stuff and just prefer to not use it. I'll just take a chance...I'm willing to pay the fine (pay to play you know)

keyplyr

47 years of driving, never had a front plate, never had a problem.

HalfMoon

25 years here with the same story.

If you're driving a beat up car w/o a front plate and look like you may be trouble, that's when they will use that excuse to stop you. --My LEO friends tell me this all the time.

In the Corvette, you are most likely going to be looked at for speeding first and foremost, so watch yourself and if you don't have one, get a radar detector (I prefer Valentine One). The CHP uses KA band and have recently upped the LIDAR enforcement.

As mentioned previously, watch I-80 from Reno to Sacramento. I was just up in the area camping and they were on a serious mission to increase the state's bank account. 1 LIDAR car hidden, 95% out of view and 5-9 chase cars 1/2 a mile up around a curve. They are using a lot of the new Dodge cars painted dark blue/gray w/o light bars too.

KX

There is no fine associated with a Fix-It ticket in the state of California! Now maybe some local law enforcement need to make some coin, but not Jerry Brown's CHP! Been here for 40+ years and to me it is Calif or California, not CALI! Just as San Francisco is not ever called Frisco! Frisco is a little town in the Rocky Mtns of Colorado....sorry, just needed a little soap box time!

djbrun

Touchy are we?

DJ