Starting April 16, New York City drivers could face a $50 fine if they’re caught with an obscured license plate, as part of a new push to curb toll evasions and improve street safety. Additionally, a state traffic law passed last year imposes fines ranging from $100 to $500 for the same violation.
City and state officials have been working for years to stop drivers from tampering with their plates to avoid paying tolls and tickets from speed cameras and red-light cameras. According to a report published by the Citizens Budget Commission, the city lost more than $100 million in 2023 due to drivers covering their plates.
Plans for the new crackdown came just months after the launch of congestion pricing, which is expected to generate $15 billion for transit repairs. Gov. Hochul recently announced that the city’s congestion pricing program is succeeding in its goal of reducing traffic in the business district – including a 10% reduction in cars entering the tolling zone beneath 60th Street.
Under the new rules, license plates must be fully visible and mounted between 12 to 48 inches from the ground. The rules also explicitly ban plate covers, as well as distorted or fake plates. The updated rules broaden the city’s definition of illegally covered plates, making it clear that anything “including dirt, rust, glass or plastic coverings, substances or materials” that renders a plate unreadable is prohibited.
Since Mayor Adams took office in 2022, officials have reported over 73,000 “ghost” vehicles – a common term for vehicles with obscured license plates. Out-of-state drivers must also follow New York’s guidelines starting in April, but the restriction for mounting front and back license plates at a certain height is limited to locals. Ghost plate restrictions also apply to parked cars.
