Want to personalize your Nevada license plate? Don’t. It’s illegal

Some Las Vegas Valley drivers are personalizing their vehicle’s licenses plates with various markings and meanings outside of official means.

From sports-related messaging to representing one’s school or just sprucing the plate up, bedazzling it for extra flash, there’s no shortage of altered plates on Southern Nevada roads.

No matter how sly, seemingly innocent or comical, defacing a Nevada license plate is illegal, according to JD Decker, chief compliance officer with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.

Nevada Revised Statute 482.275 relates to displaying license plates on a vehicle.

“Every license plate must at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle to which it is assigned so as to prevent the plate from swinging and at a height not less than 12 inches from the ground, measuring from the bottom of such plate, in a place and position to be clearly visible, and must be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible,” the NRS reads.

A separate Nevada statute relating to license plates also prohibits altering one that is on a vehicle on the road. NRS 482.545 notes it is unlawful for a person to knowingly operate a vehicle that “has an identification number of mark which has been falsely attached, defaced, altered or obliterated.”

There are also other Clark County codes that relate to the altering of vehicle license plates.

Not only is it not allowed, but, as opposed to many traffic violations, defacing one’s plate is considered criminal and civil, if a motorist is cited by law enforcement.

Anyone pulled over faces potential penalties and fines, which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but can run into the hundreds of dollars, Decker said.

“Technically it is a violation,” Decker said. “Whether it would result in a stop is another issue. But altering a plate in any way is illegal.”

But related to plates, these are primary offenses (can be probable cause for a stop) and are considered criminal violations, Decker said.

Additionally, tinted license plate covers that can shield the view of a vehicle’s license plate are also illegal, according to Decker.

Although a driver might add a cover to enhance the look of a vehicle, it is still illegal, even though such license plate covers are readily available at various retail stores.

The license plate covers fall under the same laws as altering a plate, Decker noted.

Hoover Dam bypass closures

Structural inspections this week of the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (Hoover Dam Bypass) will result in lane restrictions, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Lane and sidewalk closures on Interstate 11 will occur between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, starting with the outside lane of I-11 southbound and the sidewalk over the bridge. Then again between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, Wednesday through Friday, the outside lane of I-11 northbound and the sidewalk over the bridge will be closed.

The inspections, which happen biennially, allow NDOT to ensure the safety and integrity of the 1,900-foot-long, 890-foot-tall steel and concrete arch bridge.

These inspections are critical to ensuring the safety and structural integrity of the 1,900-foot-long, 890-foot-tall steel-and-concrete arch bridge, which opened to traffic in October 2010.

“NDOT inspects most Nevada bridges every two years in compliance with federal regulations,” NDOT spokeswoman Kelsey McFarland said in a statement. “Bridges with significant deterioration are inspected more frequently, while certain newer structures may qualify for inspections every four years.”

NDOT’s bridge inspection and maintenance program has led to the Silver State ranking among the nation’s best such program for nine consecutive years.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.