The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued a memo clarifying regulations on license plate frames and covers following widespread confusion about a law that took effect October 1.

Florida Statute 320.262 prohibits covering, obscuring, or interfering with the legibility, visibility, or detection of the license plate number or validation sticker. However, the law does not ban license plate frames entirely, as long as frames don’t obscure the registration decal in the top right corner or the alphanumeric plate identifier.

The department clarified that information at the bottom of plates, such as state websites or county names, is not considered a “primary feature,” meaning frames covering that portion may be legal if key identifying elements remain visible.

The clarification came after questions from law enforcement about how to enforce the updated rule. Penalties under the law range from a $500 fine for altering, covering or modifying a plate to $5,000 and up to five years in prison for using these devices to commit or aid a crime.

Law enforcement agencies say the law is designed to target tinted covers and devices that completely obscure or hide plates from law enforcement and cameras.

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