If you are in Illinois, watch out. Our company car got a $125 ticket Saturday for having a clear cover protecting our license plate (the same cover that has been on the various company cars since 1997).
(625 ILCS 5/12‑610.5)
[From Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes]
Sec. 12‑610.5. Registration plate covers.
(a) In this Section, "registration plate cover" means any tinted, colored, painted, marked, clear, or illuminated object that is designed to:
(1) cover any of the characters of a motor vehicle's
registration plate; or
(2) distort a recorded image of any of the characters
of a motor vehicle's registration plate recorded by an automated red light enforcement system as defined in Section 1‑105.5 of this Code or recorded by an automated traffic control system as defined in Section 15 of the Automated Traffic Control Systems in Highway Construction or Maintenance Zones Act.
(b) It shall be unlawful to operate any motor vehicle that is equipped with registration plate covers.
(c) A person may not sell or offer for sale a registration plate cover.
(d) A person may not advertise for the purpose of promoting the sale of registration plate covers.
(e) A violation of this Section or a similar provision of a local ordinance shall be an offense against laws and ordinances regulating the movement of traffic.
(Source: P.A. 94‑304, eff. 1‑1‑06.)
We called two car dealers (one in Chicago, one in Highland Park), neither had heard of this law. They actually placed the plastic cover on the vehicle, we are discussing whether they share some financial responsibility. We called the local police precinct, they were unclear as to the specifics of the law. We called Brendan Reilly's office (42nd Ward Alderman), they had never heard of the statute. How do you get a ticket (which apparently also puts a point on your license, i.e., raises your insurance premium) for a law that nobody has ever heard of? Crazy. We will attempt to contest the ticket.
Sounds like the city is desperate for revenue.