Ghost plates, like smoked license plate covers and other license plate hiders, are putting a scare into public officials — not because they’re haunted, but because they help drivers evade tolls and tickets, costing cities and states millions of dollars.
Some of the modified license plates belong to stolen or uninsured cars, while others are altered to prevent cameras from capturing an accurate photo at tolls. Some drivers use license plate flippers, which are devices that flip up to cover the plate as the car reaches a toll.
“Drivers using ghost plates are typically trying to avoid paying tolls or getting caught by red light and speed cameras,” said Alec Slatky, managing director of public and government affairs for AAA Northeast. “Sometimes people are even trying to commit insurance fraud or attempting to register in a different state so they can avoid accountability in the state where they actually live.”
Evading tolls hurts states and cities that rely on the revenue. In New York City, about 5% of the cars passing through tolls have ghost plates, costing the Big Apple as much as $200 million annually, according to Gothamist. Money collected from tolls often is used to maintain and improve bridges and roads.
Are Ghost Plates Illegal?
Ghost plates have existed for years, but with cashless toll collections and, more recently, congestion pricing in New York City, the demand for ghost plates has shot up as more people seek to evade paying.
The online market for kits to disguise license plates exploded, to the point that New York State made it illegal to use or distribute materials for modifying license plates.
In September 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a ghost car crackdown, aimed at getting untraceable cars with illegal license plate covers off the streets. Almost 300 cars were removed in the first five days.
Your Guide to Buying a New Car
Tips and tricks to get you through every step of buying a new car, whatever “new” means to you.
Download NowGhost-Busting Efforts
With more tolls come more scofflaws, but also more enforcement.
Blocking your license plate is illegal in almost every state. New York, Tennessee, Washington and Pennsylvania have laws banning the use of plate flippers, with fines that could cost violators thousands of dollars.
Cities have also been stepping up efforts to catch toll evaders. In 2024, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey issued more than 7,000 summonses for toll evasion, a 27% percent increase from 2023 and collected almost $18 million in unpaid tolls and related fees.
“Everyone should have to play by the same rules on the road,” Slatky said. “So, when someone tries to skirt those rules, there should be consequences for that behavior.”
What do you think about license plate covers? Tell us in the comments.
Related Articles
Trending Articles
NEWEST ARTICLES
51 Thoughts on “Are License Plate Covers Illegal?”
Leave A Comment
Comments are subject to moderation and may or may not be published at the editor’s discretion. Only comments that are relevant to the article and add value to the Your AAA community will be considered. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Back 4 or 5 years ago, while getting my annual inspection (in Mass.), the inspection station insisted that I had to remove my plate frame. So, they took the plate frames off my wife’s & my cars.
And yet I know a local cop that has a ghost plate on one of his cars. Where is the justice? Also, when i travel in the state, I see a few ghost plates on every trip.
That a cop is “getting away with it” does not excuse any of the rest of us from obeying the law. The justice comes when the law is applied equally, and the cop and the people you see with ghost plates get ticketed or have their vehicles impounded.
I do agree that there needs to be full compliance. I have seen too many “smoke” covers that obscure being able to read the license plate.
There is a reason we have license plates. It identifies the owner and enforces responsibility for the vehicle’s operation. Lack of this identification indicates more than just evasion, but possible criminal activity that is being shielded.
There are also the “innocent” people that use their bicycle rack to cover their license plate. Crack done on those too or will you? Probably not and i know the reason why…
License plate holders for bike racks exist (Both Thule and Yakima – big names in bike racks make one). A law making the use of a plate holder when using a bike rack would be a good idea.
Go after the waste fraud and abuse by the state government and we could eliminate all tolls. That is the real crime.
Those plates are prevalent in Florida, and by the sheer number of them, I don’t believe they are even illegal there. That plus heavily tinted glass (illegal in other states) put cops at a huge disadvantage, but it’s Florida and they’ll sacrifice those cops.
I live in Massachusetts and every day i see probably 4 – 5 license plate covers that make the plate looked like it’s covered in black. I know they’re illegal, but the drivers remove them in order to get an inspection sticker, same as putting legal tires/wheels on the illegal ones stick out 4-5″ beyond the fender lip. my question is, if i see them multiple times each day, do the cops put their blinders on—not worth bothering with them?
OK for me, but not for thee:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1J5nuA1QNs
Hey everyone hit the nails on the head. I agree with @ Ed Hance, Manufactures and sellers of these devices – must also be held accountable.
As stated by @ Bob Frye, but in NYS I believe the Police cannot use the smoked plates as a main reason to pull you over.
Another Issue is the TINTED WINDOWS that is being disregarded, by both the vehicle owners and law enforcement..
And the Jay Walking Law that NYC *learned* council has revoked, so that pedestrians can now cross the street at any point, forget about using the crosswalks. Which the NYC Council just spent $$$ to replace on the street corners..
What is the right way to report a vehicle for using ghost plates or other methods to circumvent tolls and identification? I could report 5-7 vehicles a day in the tri-state.
There are many ways to avoid paying expensive tolls. One way that was done to a family member was to make a photo of the temporary license plate, print it to full size, tape it to the rear window, and my relative had to pay for the toll and fees incurred by the culprit! There has to be a way to prevent photo copying the temporary license plates.
NYC seemed very motivated at the beginning of the crack-down. Not noticing much enforcement these days but still see plenty of ghost plates.
Is it fair that Taxpayers pay for Politicians tolls and gas, while paying their saleris? Tolls should only be paid by a certain average salery. Some people pay tolls going and coming from work, and only make just enought to pay their rents and gas. Everyone should have a shield on their car to indicate if you should pay tolls or if you are exempt because of your salery. Give a break to the real working Citizens and let those that can afford it pay. That would be the correct thing to do. Tolls and gas keep going up, but working Citizens salies don’t. If the Politicians would start thinking about the American working Citizens, insted of their private bank accounts, people could afford to live and wouldn’t cheat.
Several years back a local patrolman called to a traffic accident where I bumped the car ahead of me at a stop sign. It was my fault and the only damage was cracked paint on the front bumper of my 1987 Corvette. Had clear covers on the front and back plates. He said ‘take ’em off’, and I told him that the plates were vanity plates that cost extra and the covers were there to protect them. Also, should they get faded and damaged, Ct would issue new plates, but only standard numbers, so I wanted to avoid damage. I took the covers off the Corvette, since it does not get driven often or far, reducing exposure significantly. My other vehicles no longer have covers on the rear plates, but still have front covers on the front plates for protection. I also try to obey the traffic laws to avoid discussions with enforcement agents. So far so good. The current Corvette is a low milage gem that is all original. No covers. But the front plate sits on the dash as the front plate location has the cover in place that the factory put in place back in 1988 and which has never been off per the condition of the screws that hold it in place. Little exposure to enforcement, as it goes to shows and meets only.
Typical government overbearing!
Should I have to pay a higher toll because the states are losing money due to this behavior? Sorry, but I don’t think so. Sounds like easy money back in the till if we enforce the law.
yes license plate blockers should be illegal. there should be a website for people to report them.
The GW Bridge cost 10 cents to use. It was supposed to pay for itself. What happened? It became a piggy bank for politicians. Money wasted
But it didn’t work out that way. I’m not sure what that has to do with the current situation, where it costs $18 or so to cross the same bridge, and some people are finding a way to evade paying their fair share. The lost revenue might be partially responsible for the high price for crossing.
I truly believe in followig all the rules of the road and I am sure most drivers do ,but there will always be that group of reckless drivers that don’t the ghost plates that are dark or black should be removed along with the black tinted windows ,in the event of an accident those vehicles never stop, and can be used for criminal activities.
I empathize with BOTH sides of this equation. I’d like to see nobody cheating… BUT …… I think there would be much less cheating if the tolls were REASONABLE and FAIR. However, the last time I drove through NYC, the roads were absolutely abominable, the traffic was horrendous, the drivers were rude, and the tolls were outrageous. Nowadays I strictly avoid those kinds of areas.
As long as tolls keep rising to such astronomical levels, drivers should be able to fight back. The original purpose of tolls was to reimburse the municipality for building the structure that has the tolls, and then removing them. Instead, not only have tolls remained, but they constantly increase practically every year or so, causing hardships for many drivers and adding to the cost of all goods sold at markets since truckers who deliver these goods pay whopping tolls for their vehicles. And now that NYC has started congestion pricing by simply tolling a single street in Manhattan, tolling has gotten completely out-of-hand, especially since the city causes the very congestion that it is charging us for by adding bike lanes and bus lanes, which narrow the streets.
Fighting back should mean passing laws limiting the tolls, not breaking the law and making your fellow motorists pay your share of tolls because you evaded them. Or do you think that if a motorist can get away with it, then it’s OK to burden other motorists with his toll evasion?
After reading about the ghost plate issue I was surprised at AAA for promoting additional taxation of all motor vehicles to allegedly pay for road and bridge repairs/maintenance. I was under the impression that the gas tax and tolls and bridges and tunnels were for the purpose of maintaining our roadways in addition our local taxes pay for our local roads. So maybe AAA as an advocate and a lobbyist Group would be on the side of the drivers and not for the governments who are taxing us to death.
I think these plates are outrageous and I see more and more of them on the road. It’s so obvious that the only purpose for these covers is to prevent the plate from being read either by police, other drivers or any electronic readers or cameras. Not only should their owner of the plate cover suffer consequences but the manufacturers as well. They should be illegal in every state.
Absolutely agree with license plate covers being ruled illegal (including clear, which becomes ‘smoked’ with age). Perhaps those states that have a yearly inspection will make it part of the inspection and fail those vehicles with the covers.
Any method used to avoid responsibility by use of a motor vehicle should be a Criminal Violation in every state with additional penalties to any other violation being committed. This activity is costing government money with ultimate is paid for by all of the law biding citizens. These violators are cost each and every one of us. These violators are THIEVES. Make the penalty greater so violators might think twice about doing it. Manufactures and sellers of these devices also a Criminal Offense.
ALL tolls are complete BS scam and should be paid by all homeowners & people in regular taxes. Everyone uses the roads in one form or another. Amazon, food, restaurants, hospitals, EVERYTHING has to be transported on those roads so EVERYONE is responsible not just vehicle owners.
What should be a criminal violation is the constant raising of tolls.
There’s only one reason for license plate covers. You don’t want to be identified doing something illegal. Unfortunately, most police seem to be willing to turn a blind eye to smoked plates and taillights. The state of Massachusetts says the plate must be readable from 50ft. With a smoked plate, that’s probable cause for a stop and citation.
No it’s not , have you seen some of mass. plates that have deteriorated in color and in reflectablity it is horrible workmanship on the plate manufacturer. I have one for that reason.
I live in Mass – I wish I would see cars being stopped for this or anything else. In fact I really think Massachusetts needs to step up traffic enforcement big time
Not everyone who covers their plates is trying to beat the system. I use cleat covers to protect the plates from damage by road debris, other cars’ bumping, and weather. This also saves money in replacement processing and manufacturing of replacement plates. CLEAR plastic covers should be legal. If the plate is readable it should be allowed.
Everyone should pay their fair share.
That said:
Is it fair we pay for bike lanes?
Is it fair those bike lanes are often empty and we are stuck in traffic spewing CO2 the bike lanes were intended to reduce?
Is it fair Avenues are closed for foot traffic that brings nothing to NYC and causes congestion and further air pollution?
Is it fair drivers pay a congestion tax that bike lanes and avenue closures caused?
Is it fair drivers pay for mass transit?
Is it fair drivers pay for turnstile jumpers?
If Mamdami gets elected will drivers pay for free buses?
Politicians say they will tax the rich but the middle class gets hit every time.
Is it fair we pay for Port Authority tolls that provide large salaries and benefits to PA employees and the leaders are not elected to office by NY or NJ electors?
Where does it end?
I don’t have a licence blocker but I understand the middle and lower class tax payers who employ them.
Is it fair that electric vehicles do not pay for road repairs (like gas cars do thru gaS taxes?
As an EV owner, I can tell you that NJ has instituted a $250 surcharge for car registrations to cover the fact that we don’t pay any gas tax, which would cover road repairs, etc. While I think that a surcharge is fair, I think it should be based on the annual mileage of the car and not a flat fee.
NY’s charging of regular CITIZENS just to get to work should be ILLEGAL. I worked there for 38 years IF I had to pay this illegal & ridiculous charge I might consider hiding my plate.
Hello! Knowing that while my husband and I pay tolls on our cars, our motorcycles and our trailer, other drivers avoid doing it thanks to their “ghost license plates “ really annoys me. How come they are not stopped by police, or caught during inspection?
Eleven states do not even have auto inspections.
In Florida, I see bumpers held on with duct tape, trunks & hoods held down with duct tape, broken windows taped indefinitely, missing license plates, no brake lights, no tail or head lights, bald tires, and blinders use is rare and just shows who the out of state drivers are. Some cars & trucks are so modified they change their center of gravity making them unsafe to be around. Ghost plates are everywhere there. You only need insurance to register your car the first time, after that, you can cancel your car insurance.
It’s actually a common move in Florida to cancel your car insurance after registering it, if you are involved in an accident, lawyers will not sue you because they won’t take the case of the injured, since they can’t get much money from an uninsured individual. There is no cross-check between the Florida RMV & Insurance companies. In most states, your registration is cancelled if you cancel or otherwise lose your insurance, not the case in Florida. Thus, rates for those that do insure are insane.
I said blinders, I meant blinkers
Depending on the expense, cities experiencing this problem should install a manned booth and an off-ramp after tunnels and other places where “plate-hiding” occurs, and immediately issue notices of fines, expensive traffic tickets and the like. That ought to curtail a large percentage of offenders. For multiple offenders, consider revoking drivers’ licenses and confiscating license plates.
Forfeiture of vehicle for use of ghost plates. If car is towed, it’s gone.
I think plate covers should be illegal especially those dark ones. Not only do they not get ticked but they can easily hit and run and no one can see the plate number. This has bothered me for the longest time. I hope something will be done about it.
Glad you brought up the safety issue – hit and run (if your plates can’t be traced.)
You should have noted that in New York license plates cannot be covered by any plastic or glass material, meaning that the seemingly innocent clear plastic covers people use to keep their plates clean, are illegal.
Seems like making clear plastic covers for the plates that protect it from scratches and dirt seems like overreach. I pay a lot extra for “special plates;” I really just want to keep it pristine and a clear plastic cover in no way makes it a “ghost” plate that obscures any part of it. The plate number is not obscured or distorted in any way. I certainly understand the need to crack down on plates that are manipulated so the correct digits are in any way obscured, but not allowing clear plastic protective covers is what happens when bureaucrats take a good idea and go to extremes. I am in no way trying to “ghost” my legitimate license plate! Let me have my plastic plate cover!!
I wholeheartedly agree that everyone should have to play by the same rules on the road — that said, NYC for years has more than made up for toll scofflaws in its issuance of trivial summonses for clear plate covers that do nothing more than protect plates from being scratched or bent. Anyone who has parked on the street in the city where parking is continually made ever more scarce knows the damage to required front and back bumper plates that occurs.
Wow…never heard of ghost plates but not surprised how creative people can be in avoiding paying tolls that help keep our roads safe. Shameful.
My question is this: what can we do when the letters/numbers on our license plates get so light, almost invisible, just from wear & tear? Mine are 22 years old and barely visible. Is it my responsibility or the RNV’s to make these plate numbers visible? Thanks.
I believe…
In MA, if you have the green plates and they’re too faded to read properly, they make you get the newer red, white & blue plates.
That said, there’s a guy in MA who will refurbish your green plates so they’ll look brand new, including the reflective paint on the plate. The plates would look just as good as the day you got them. I’m not sure, but I think he does the red, white & blue plates now, too. You can find him with a normal search.
An elderly neighbor who had her plate so long it was faded and damaged, was told by the state inspection service during the yearly safety/environmental inspection that it was her responsibility to bring the old plate to the DMV and have it replaced. Luckily this was before the state went to needing an appointment at the DMV, since she is not at all computer savvy. But the expense was put on her to get a new readable plate