Nearly two-dozen states only require motorists to display one license plate on their vehicles, but what does the law say in Illinois?
According to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, motorists are required to display both the front and rear license plates on their vehicles.
Currently, it costs $151 to obtain license plates for a passenger vehicle in the state. Motorists also have the option to purchase personalized plates for $158 or vanity plates for $164.
Yearly-renewal rates are the same price.
There have been some efforts in Springfield to require only one license plate on vehicles, but none have so far been successful. One recent piece of legislation, introduced by Rep. Jonathan Carroll of suburban Northbrook, was introduced in the General Assembly in March 2021, but was referred to the Rules Committee and has not yet advanced.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is not on the record on whether or not he would support the requirement to only have plates on the rear of a vehicle.
The state of Indiana does not require plates on the front of vehicles. Wisconsin does require both a front and rear license plate when two plates are issued to motorists.
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In all, 21 states do not require license plates on the front of vehicles, according to AutoList. Several states in the Midwest, including Michigan and Ohio, only require one license plate.
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