Is it illegal to paint your license plate?

It is not legal to customize and paint your license plate. This is a good way to get a ticket. Some people do carefully repaint license plates the stock color, especially in states where you can run vintage license plates on your vehicle. However, customizing your license plate with non-stock colors is not a good idea.

Is it legal to mount a motorcycle license plate vertically?

It varies from state to state, but the general rule is, it is not legal to have your license plate mounted vertically. Most states have a law that requires your license plate to be mounted horizontally so it can be read from left to right, just like a book. That being said, it is rare for a police officer to actually enforce this law, but you really don’t want to give them a reason to pull you over. Many custom license plate mounting brackets allow the plate to be bolted in either a horizontal or vertical position, which gives you multiple options without having to change your license plate bracket.

Do I need a license plate light on my motorcycle?

Yes, you do need to have a light illuminating your license plate to be legal. It is also important to note that the license plate light is supposed to be a white light. Colored lights are not legal for license plate illumination. Some license plate frames have integrated LED license plate lights, which is a great way to become legally compliant with ease.

Are license plate reflectors illegal?

Yes, license plate reflectors are legal as long as they do not cover any information on the license plate. Having a reflector on your license plate can be helpful to get other drivers on the road to notice you. When riding a motorcycle, anything you can do to help make you more visible is a good thing.

Do license plates expire?

Yes! Motorcycle license plates do expire. Be sure your registration and plates are up to date or you will end up with a hefty ticket. In some states, such as Ohio, you can run a 'historical' license plate on vintage vehicles. In the case of the Ohio historical plate, the registration is good for 50 years. So, while they do expire, it is unlikely that it will sneak up on you and expire... before you do!