One Plate, And Nothing Over It
A.R.S. 28-2354 — the rear plate, and the front one only if the owner chooses, with nothing that obscures it
One on the rear, or both. A motor vehicle displays its plate on the rear. For a vehicle issued two plates, the owner displays either one on the rear, or one on the front and one on the rear.
Fastened and legible. Each plate is kept clearly legible and securely fastened to prevent swinging, at a height of at least twelve inches from the ground to the bottom of the plate, in a position to be clearly visible.
No covering. Unless the department authorizes it, no covering or substance is applied to the plate, and no electronic device or electrochromatic film is used, that obscures from any angle the numbers, characters, year tabs or the name of the issuing jurisdiction.
The state's name. A plate is maintained so the state's name at the top is not obscured. An officer may not stop or cite a driver for that alone without reasonable cause to believe there is another violation; the civil penalty is thirty dollars, or one hundred dollars within twelve months of a prior one.
Registration itself, temporary tags and specialty plates are governed by other sections that are not on this page. What a particular ticket means is a question for a licensed Arizona attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- A.R.S. 28-2354 — License plates; attachment; civil penalty
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Arizona attorney.