License plate location what’s legal and what’s not

Hello GTAM Is it legal to place your license plate further down the sub frame as a post to right at the very end of the tail? I see a lot of super sports where they have it about a foot into the sub frame towards the front of the bike


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FattBoyy said:

Hello GTAM Is it legal to place your license plate further down the sub frame as a post to right at the very end of the tail? I see a lot of super sports where they have it about a foot into the sub frame towards the front of the bike


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I think down the sub-frame is not legal, but I'm not 100%. I know for sure that it catches cops' attention. I have mine at the end of the tail. Still looks clean.

The wording on the law is something like:

Must be mounted at the furthest rear position of the vehicle.

Under the tail near the shock (sports bikes) is not legal.

Pretty much anything that relocate the plate from being the farthest thing to the rear of your bike can be interpreted as illegal as it will be blocked at some angle. Whether you catch the ticket depends on how blatant your relocation is, how you were riding and your attitude once pulled over.

Stock location at the rear-most of the bike = legal

All other locations = playing with






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Here is what the HTA says, read part (2) of this: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h08#BK40

The key phrase is "shall not be obscured or obstructed".

That can mean from any plausible angle to the side including up to 90 degrees to either side and from the ant's-eye view to the birds-eye view. The plate can go out of view because you are viewing it edge-on, but not because some part of the vehicle gets in the way before that happens. It is not sufficient for the plate to be visible from "an" angle. It has to be visible from "any" angle.

Installing the plate under the bodywork ahead of the rear wheel will generally cause it to be obstructed by the bodywork itself when viewed from an above-angle from the rear, and the top of the rear wheel when viewed from behind, and possibly muffler, passenger footpegs, etc when viewed from an angle off to the side.

Bear in mind that the license plate also needs to be illuminated.

The stock mounting location is in compliance. Something resembling the stock mounting location "looks stock to a cop" and generally won't get you in trouble. Tucked away ahead of that can get you in trouble. Mounting it on the swingarm can get you in trouble because the rear wheel will block its view when viewed from the other side.

So basically all these guys are braking the law but are they actually getting hassled? Are the cops enforcing it?


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FattBoyy said:

So basically all these guys are braking the law but are they actually getting hassled? Are the cops enforcing it?


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Tickets for plate location are usually enforced if you're already doing something to catch their attention (or on the 407).

FattBoyy said:

So basically all these guys are braking the law but are they actually getting hassled? Are the cops enforcing it?

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I've definitely seen more than one thread of people getting the ticket and asking how to fight it in court, so yes

FattBoyy said:

So basically all these guys are braking the law but are they actually getting hassled? Are the cops enforcing it?

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It's another reason to attract a cop's attention. The fewer reasons you provide to attract a cop's attention, the better.

In regards to another one of your current threads, iffy lighting is another reason to attract a cop's attention.

Doesn't necessarily have to be completely stock, but "looks stock to a cop" close enough.

I don't own a vehicle which is not modified, but all the lights work and are functional, the mirrors are all there, the license plates are at least somewhere near where they are supposed to be and have functional illumination, they all have decent and reasonably functional mufflers (not necessarily stock, but not obnoxious).