Can Cops Do This?

You've asked two questions: here are my amateur guesses at both.


When it comes to out-of-state aka "foreign" plates, as a practical
matter, I would think that only the most diligent cops would even
attempt to keep track of it, though they might be familiar with
commonly violated requirements of neighboring state, especially if one
state has the reputation of being much more lax -- or at the opposite
extreme, if two states have been making an effort to co-operate on the
problem du jour.

I think they *could* enforce it if they wanted to (the legal rubric
might be the license compacts) but it would be impractical under most
situations, especially in a highly variable matter such as the use of a
front license plate. Lots of work for a minor infraction --
especially if, as I'd hazard a guess, the result would be a ticket from
your home state.

Driving with expired registration is a separate matter entirely. If
they notice that your plates are expired, or pull you over and discover
that your registration certificate is out of date, that's ticket bait
anywhere. Registration is permission to operate your car on public
property. If that permission is in effect where you're from, other
states will honor it. If it *isn't* in effect where you're from, it
isn't in effect anywhere else either... and that's a violation of
their laws, committed in their jurisdiction. All of which is quite
aside from any late fees or bureaucratic hassles your home state may
impose for forgetting to renew your registration.


One layman's opinions, worth what you paid if your connect time is
cheap,
--Joe