CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
HOUSE BILL 1963
Chapter 84, Laws of 2024
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
LICENSE PLATE COVERS
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the House February 8, 2024 CERTIFICATE
Yeas 59 Nays 38
I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the
House of Representatives of the
LAURIE JINKINS State of Washington, do hereby
Speaker of the House of certify that the attached is HOUSE
Representatives BILL 1963 as passed by the House of
Representatives and the Senate on
the dates hereon set forth.
Passed by the Senate March 1, 2024
Yeas 42 Nays 7 BERNARD DEAN
Chief Clerk
DENNY HECK
President of the Senate
Approved March 14, 2024 11:15 AM FILED
March 14, 2024
Secretary of State
JAY INSLEE State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
 HOUSE BILL 1963
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Representatives Ramos, Fitzgibbon, Ryu, Berry, Duerr, Reed,
Callan, Donaghy, and Hackney
Prefiled 12/18/23. Read first time 01/08/24. Referred to Committee
on Transportation.
1 AN ACT Relating to prohibiting license plate covers; amending RCW
2 46.16A.200; and adding a new section to chapter 46.16A RCW.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4 Sec. 1. RCW 46.16A.200 and 2022 c 130 s 1 are each amended to
5 read as follows:
6 (1) Design. All license plates may be obtained by the director
7 from the metal working plant of a state correctional facility or from
8 any source in accordance with existing state of Washington purchasing
9 procedures. License plates:
10 (a) May vary in background, color, and design;
11 (b) Must be legible and clearly identifiable as a Washington
12 state license plate;
13 (c) Must designate the name of the state of Washington without
14 abbreviation;
15 (d) Must be treated with fully reflectorized materials designed
16 to increase visibility and legibility at night;
17 (e) Must be of a size and color and show the registration period
18 as determined by the director; and
19 (f) Before July 1, 2010, may display a symbol or artwork approved
20 by the former special license plate review board and the legislature.
21 Beginning July 1, 2010, special license plate series approved by the
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 1 department and enacted into law by the legislature may display a
2 symbol or artwork approved by the department.
3 (2) Exceptions to reflectorized materials. License plates issued
4 before January 1, 1968, are not required to be treated with
5 reflectorized materials.
6 (3) Dealer license plates. License plates issued to a dealer must
7 contain an indication that the license plates have been issued to a
8 vehicle dealer.
9 (4)(a) Furnished. The director shall furnish to all persons
10 making satisfactory application for a vehicle registration:
11 (i) Two identical license plates each containing the license
12 plate number; or
13 (ii) One license plate if the vehicle is a trailer, semitrailer,
14 camper, moped, collector vehicle, horseless carriage, or motorcycle.
15 (b) The director may adopt types of license plates to be used as
16 long as the license plates are legible.
17 (5)(a) Display. License plates must be:
18 (i) Attached conspicuously at the front and rear of each vehicle
19 if two license plates have been issued;
20 (ii) Attached to the rear of the vehicle if one license plate has
21 been issued;
22 (iii) ((Kept)) Except as provided in subsection (7)(c)(ii) of
23 this section, kept clean and uncovered and be able to be plainly seen
24 and read at all times unless an exception in (b) of this subsection
25 applies; and
26 (iv) Attached in a horizontal position at a distance of not more
27 than four feet from the ground.
28 (b)(i) The Washington state patrol may grant exceptions to this
29 subsection if the body construction of the vehicle makes compliance
30 with this section impossible.
31 (ii) If the applicable requirements of (b)(iii) of this
32 subsection are met, the display of a single license plate properly
33 attached to a vehicle that has two license plates properly attached
34 in accordance with (a)(i) of this subsection may be temporarily
35 obstructed by one or more of the following devices or by the cargo
36 the device is carrying:
37 (A) A trailer hitch;
38 (B) A wheelchair lift or wheelchair carrier;
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 1 (C) A trailer being towed by the vehicle, provided the trailer
2 meets any applicable trailer license plate requirements under this
3 chapter; or
4 (D) A bicycle rack, ski rack, or luggage rack.
5 (iii) The obstruction of a single license plate under (b)(ii) or
6 (b)(iv) of this subsection is only authorized if the following
7 requirements are met:
8 (A) The device is installed according to manufacturer
9 specifications or generally accepted installation practices; and
10 (B) The device or cargo the device is carrying does not prevent
11 the license plate from being read from one or more accessible viewing
12 angles when the vehicle is parked, except if the device is a trailer
13 that meets the trailer license plate requirements under this chapter.
14 (iv) If the applicable requirements of (b)(iii) of this
15 subsection are met, the display of a single license plate attached to
16 a trailer in accordance with (a)(ii) of this subsection and meeting
17 any applicable trailer license plate requirements under this chapter
18 may be obstructed by a device for transporting a forklift used for
19 product delivery purposes. For purposes of license plate visibility,
20 the single trailer license plate obstructed by a device for carrying
21 a forklift may be relocated on the trailer or the towing vehicle to a
22 position that is more than four feet from the ground.
23 (6) Change of license classification. A person who has altered a
24 vehicle that makes the current license plate or plates invalid for
25 the vehicle's use shall:
26 (a) Surrender the current license plate or plates to the
27 department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by
28 the director;
29 (b) Apply for a new license plate or plates; and
30 (c) Pay a change of classification fee required under RCW
31 46.17.310.
32 (7) Unlawful acts. It is unlawful to:
33 (a) Display a license plate or plates on the front or rear of any
34 vehicle that were not issued by the director for the vehicle;
35 (b) Display a license plate or plates on any vehicle that have
36 been changed, altered, or disfigured, or have become illegible;
37 (c) ((Use)) (i) Except as provided in (c)(ii) of this subsection,
38 use license plate holders, frames, covers, or other materials that
39 conceal, obstruct, distort, change, alter, or make a license plate or
40 plates illegible((.));
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 1 (ii) License plate frames may be used on license plates only if
2 the frames do not obscure license tabs or identifying letters or
3 numbers on the plates and the license plates can be plainly seen and
4 read at all times;
5 (d) Operate a vehicle unless a valid license plate or plates are
6 attached as required under this section;
7 (e) Transfer a license plate or plates issued under this chapter
8 between two or more vehicles without first making application to
9 transfer the license plates. A violation of this subsection (7)(e) is
10 a traffic infraction subject to a fine not to exceed ((five hundred
11 dollars)) $500. Any law enforcement agency that determines that a
12 license plate or plates have been transferred between two or more
13 vehicles shall confiscate the license plate or plates and return them
14 to the department for nullification along with full details of the
15 reasons for confiscation. Each vehicle identified in the transfer
16 will be issued a new license plate or plates upon application by the
17 owner or owners and the payment of full fees and taxes; or
18 (f) Fail, neglect, or refuse to endorse the registration
19 certificate, except as authorized under this section.
20 (8) Transfer. (a) Standard issue license plates must be replaced
21 when ownership of the vehicle changes, pursuant to subsection
22 (9)(a)(i) of this section, but the registered owner may retain the
23 license plates and transfer them to a replacement vehicle of the same
24 use. In addition to all other taxes and fees due upon change in
25 ownership, a registered owner wishing to keep standard issue license
26 plates shall pay the license plate transfer fee required under RCW
27 46.17.200(1)(c) when applying for license plate transfer.
28 (b) Special license plates and personalized license plates may be
29 treated in the same manner as described in (a) of this subsection
30 unless otherwise limited by law.
31 (c) License plates issued to the state or any county, city, town,
32 school district, or other political subdivision entitled to exemption
33 as provided by law may be treated in the same manner as described in
34 (a) of this subsection.
35 (d) License plate replacement is not required when a change in
36 vehicle ownership is the result of one or more of the following
37 circumstances:
38 (i) When adding a lienholder to the certificate of title or
39 removing a lienholder from the certificate of title;
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 1 (ii) When a vehicle is transferred from one spouse or registered
2 domestic partner to another;
3 (iii) When removing a deceased spouse or registered domestic
4 partner from the certificate of title;
5 (iv) When a vehicle is transferred by gift or inheritance to one
6 or more members of the registered owner's immediate family;
7 (v) When a vehicle is transferred into or out of a trust in which
8 the registered owner or one or more immediate family members of the
9 registered owner is the beneficiary;
10 (vi) When a leaseholder buys out the leased vehicle; or
11 (vii) When a person changes his or her name.
12 (9) Replacement. (a) Except as provided in subsection (8)(a) of
13 this section, an owner or the owner's authorized representative must
14 apply for a replacement license plate or plates: (i) When taking
15 ownership of the vehicle; (ii) if the current license plate or plates
16 assigned to the vehicle have been lost, defaced, or destroyed; or
17 (iii) if one or both plates have become so illegible or are in such a
18 condition as to be difficult to distinguish. An owner or the owner's
19 authorized representative may apply for a replacement license plate
20 or plates at any time the owner chooses. The department shall offer
21 to owners the option of retaining the current license plate number
22 when obtaining replacement license plates for the fee required in RCW
23 46.17.200(1)(b).
24 (b) The application for a replacement license plate or plates
25 must:
26 (i) Be on a form furnished or approved by the director; and
27 (ii) Be accompanied by the fee required under RCW
28 46.17.200(1)(a).
29 (c) When a vehicle is sold to a vehicle dealer for resale, the
30 application for a replacement plate or plates need not be made until
31 the vehicle is sold by the vehicle dealer.
32 (d) The department shall not require the payment of any fee to
33 replace a license plate or plates for vehicles owned, rented, or
34 leased by foreign countries or international bodies to which the
35 United States government is a signatory by treaty.
36 (10) Replacement—Exceptions. The following license plates are not
37 required to be replaced as required in subsection (9) of this
38 section:
39 (a) Horseless carriage license plates issued under RCW 46.18.255
40 before January 1, 1987;
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1 (b) Medal of Honor license plates issued under RCW 46.18.230;
2 (c) License plates for commercial motor vehicles with a gross
3 weight greater than ((twenty-six thousand)) 26,000 pounds.
4 (11) Rules. The department may adopt rules to implement this
5 section.
6 (12) Tabs or emblems. The director may issue tabs or emblems to
7 be attached to license plates or elsewhere on the vehicle to signify
8 initial registration and renewals. Renewals become effective when
9 tabs or emblems have been issued and properly displayed.
10 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 46.16A
11 RCW to read as follows:
12 Until January 1, 2025, the penalty for a violation of RCW
13 46.16A.200(7)(c), relating to the use of license plate covers that
14 make a license plate illegible, may only be a written warning. The
15 warning must include information about the requirements of the law
16 and the applicable penalty beginning January 1, 2025.
Passed by the House February 8, 2024.
Passed by the Senate March 1, 2024.
Approved by the Governor March 14, 2024.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 14, 2024.
--- END ---
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Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 46.16A.200
Bill as Passed Legislature: 46.16A.200
Session Law: 46.16A.200