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With the winter holidays right around the corner, drivers may see some vehicles traveling through California without a front license plate attached. This may leave some drivers confused about whether that is allowed in the state.

According to California law, all vehicles registered within the state must have a license plate on the front and the rear. Those who do not adhere to the law can face a fine of up to $196.

The law specifies certain vehicles are only issued a single license plate that must be displayed in the rear. Those vehicles include:

  • Motorcycles
  • Trailers
  • Tow dollies
  • Special equipment
  • Commercial truck tractors with a DR, TR, or DS body type model

There is one exception to that rule: The law requires truck tractors to display a single license plate in the front of the vehicle instead of the rear.

AutoList recently compiled a list of states not requiring front license plates. The front license plate is not required in 20 states, according to that list. Even when traveling out of state, vehicles registered in those states only need a rear license plate.

Those looking for more information on license plate information can visit the California Department of Motor Vehicles website.