Portland Front Plate Tickets

I heard on the radio the other day that parking enforcement in Portland will start issuing "no front plate" tickets on parked cars. Anyone had any problems with this yet?

I guess I'll need to keep taking the MAX when I go into downtown!

 

I've been pulled over twice in the last six months and told to put one on but no tickets yet. I know Kelly who owns the green Gallardo and orange Murcielago was ticketed more than once and finally gave up and installed them.

 

I got a no front plate ticket...paid it....non moving violation...a whopping $98.00...became friends with the officer that gave me the ticket...sold him a Gallardo that Wilson has now...met all of his police buddies...and now, they all leave me alone...wave as I drive on down the road. They even waved when I drove Roy's GTR which is ungodly loud...but I haven't had the front plate problem for awhile.

It's a fix-it ticket...you can photoshop the front plate on your car and take the picture in to them...they'll drop it...they don't come out from behind the counter and check for compliance. That's what the lady behind the counter told me!!! I just paid the ticket and went on my way.

I do have to say...the razzing that Andrew (my police friend) receives from his co-workers for giving me the ticket at all was actually worth the $98.00....the look on his face when he tells other officers that he actually WROTE the ticket...priceless.

Kevin

 

Andrew,

What a D*&k! LOL

 

I've been seen by lots of cops; none have stopped me yet. Maybe only a matter of time....

 

Yeah, me too.
The other week 2 cops going the opposite direction came to an abrupt halt.... I thought the gig was up right then.
Guess they were only admiring and not hassling!

But I suspect it will happen soon enough.

My plan is that I've stashed my plate in my car and if I get nabbed while driving I'm going to tell the nice officer the truth: "here's the plate, just waiting for the frame through the dealer". Hope he's in a good mood that day.

 

I don't think you guys understand what I'm saying. I'm not talking about regular cops-- I'm talking about meter maids.

Supposedly, if they spot your car parked in Portland without a front plate, they are supposed to write you a ticket. I can tell you from experience that they will ticket you if the registration is expired. The problem is that if you ever park on the street in downtown, there is a high probability that a meter maid will come along, and if the radio report is correct, a high probability they will ticket you, even if you are otherwise parked legally.

I don't think the regular cops care one way or the other.

Sure, it's a fix-it ticket or whatever, but it's a pain to get a ticket every time you come into Portland.

 

I have mine on a detachable mount on my BMW. It goes into the area where the tow hook goes. Can slap it on and off in thirty seconds. I was getting pulled over a ton in the happy valley area a few months ago. However in NW Portland I have never had a problem. I rode my motorcycle with no plates for sixmonths without any issues.

 

Well Kellie and I got pulled over for not having a front plate, and that was in the Mercedes!!! Probaly had more to do with me being dressed up at Cesar and her as Cleopatra...

 

Cant speak for Washington but here in Oregon you can get a SP Plate if your car is older than an 83 i believe. Your car is supposed to be used for Parades, Club events, race events and related items. (no one has ever hasseled me in the past) The beauty of this plate if you qualify is that you only pay a small registration fee once and they only issue one back plate. Your car becomes front plate exempt. I hope the metermaids know this.

This wont work for you lucky SOB's that get to drive the newer Fcars and Lambos but just good to know if your into classics.

 

Sadly, in Washington the cutoff is 30 years - so a 1978 or older can
get Classic Plates. I plan to do the 'fake backorder for factory front
plate bracket' to keep on the front seat with the plate - read about
that somewhere and sounds like a great idea - "Gee, Mr. Officer, I
have one on order but it's on backorder from Italy" - oughta work...

Jedi

 

I carry our front plate inside the car, on the floor, behind the passenger seat. It is highly visible to a meter maid, but of course, not to a cop on a bike or in a car. It has the current date on it. The problem is that the screw holes don't line up with what is on the front bumper. Am I required to disfigure the plate to attach it?

 

I bet not!
I'm sure you are required to disfigure your car first, and NEVER the plate. Right up there with disfiguring currency or removing tags from mattresses.

 

This may be enough for me to get an SP plate, at least for the Boxer. I really can't see putting a front plate on it.

Who cares if the meter maids know? You should be able to call the supervisor and rip up the ticket. Do that a few times, and they'll know.

 

"SP" plates aren't for old cars they are for "special production" cars of all ages.

 

According to the DMV, the car must be 25 years old or "a vehicle sanctioned as a vehicle of special interest by an established organization that provides for recognition..."

Are street Ferraris sactioned as vehicles of special interest?

I do wonder if insurance is an issue on SP plated vehicles. If you are in an accident, and the use wasn't one permitted under the law, would you still be insured?

 

Don, talk to Larry. IIRC he had a few cars with SP plates. And the "special interest" clause is what I've seen the newer cars get in with. Escort Cosworths (non Sun-Intl), UK Elises, UK Renault Spyders, etc.

Practiacally living out at PIR I've seen quite a few newer non-US cars with SP plates. And I'm sure most everyone on here knows who the owner(s) are.

 

The insurance was a question I had as well; but I carry proof of coverage with Hagerty Insurance collector car insurance so I don't think insurance should be a problem as long as I fall in their blanket of protected coverage.

 

Larry has a different solution! I still wonder about the insurance, in the event of a claim.

 

Gents-

You didn't hear this from me, but this worked for uh... a friend...

A 'friend' got a no front plate ticket a few years ago and after a quick brainstorm, decided to stop at a body shop on his way home and get a quote to respray his front bumper. When he went to court, he took the quote (no time, just date on the quote) and explained that the plate was off for that day only, simply to get a proper quote to repaint the front end, and what do you know... he was able to produce the documentation to support the testimony.

Case dismissed!

Not exactly perjury, since he did get the quote to respray... and I... I mean uh... he... never did put that front plate back on.

Good luck!

-Tad

 

Have had Personal experience recently with Hagerty and No front Plate was not even a question of concern.

 

Your ahh... friend did a nice job working the system.

 

I was parked in Portland last week. While I was eating lunch I could see my car through the restaurant window, and was amused as I watched the police walk by checking out how much time I had left. One of them walked by a lot, probably 4 times, and another walked by twice.

Either they have to wait for you to run out of time before they give any sort of ticket, or they simply didn't care about the lack of a front plate.

 

I've been pulled over 3 times for no front plates...only ticketed once...THANKS ANDREW!!! LOL....the cops are usually pretty cool about it. The way I see it, many of you might not agree, but it is the "law" and by running without a front plate, it's a risk you take...no different than those short bursts to 150...I mean 55...just a chance you take of getting caught. It's a non moving violation, doesn't impact your driving record, doesn't affect your insurance, and it's a fix it ticket to boot that can be dismissed at the window without ever stepping into a courtroom.

Just my .02

Kevin

 

Not true-- they can ticket you anytime they want (and they do). However, they may not have looked closely, or more likely they figured they could get you for everything at once and save some time.