Why do car dealerships sell license plates for the front of the car when it is illegal?

Question

my mom has a mercedes gl450 premier edition and when she got the car in the beginning it had come with the normal lisence plates but about a month after she had went into mercedes benz and bought a lisence plate for the front bumper because it gave the car a cleaner look. well i was wondering if it is illegal to have that sort of thing, would cops pull you over for it? and if it is illegal, why in the world would all dealerships sell them?

Answer 1

they wouldn't sell 'em if it was illegal.

not all jurisdictions require plates on both front and back but those that do, you gotta have it.  those that don't, don't care.

Answer 2

Pardon me for give you a potentially confusing answer, but the issue of legality for such an item varies from state to state.

I know in Iowa, you're required to required by law to have matching front & rear plates.  The reason I know this is that my father got hit with a "Fix It" ticket on his Firebird, which didn't have a front license plate holder.

However, other states only require the rear plate...  hence the issue.

Since dealerships don't necessarily check into state law dealing with license plates, they pass the responsibility deal with "luxury plates" to the customer.

All I can say is check your state's laws OR ask a policeman in your state about them.

Answer 3

It only becomes illegal when you get(or transfer) YOUR licence plates from DMV and(assuming you live in a 2 plate state) you do not remove their front plate.