The answer to this question depends on a particular country, and in many cases, on a particular state’s laws (since, for example, in the US, Canada, and Australia, each state/province/territory introduces a bit different regulations).
In a nutshell, absolutely most countries and most states make it illegal to obscure the visibility of your license plate. In practice though, it is getting enforced rather occasionally so even though it is illegal you probably won’t get a ticket unless you give cops more reasons to stop you.
Anyway, let’s go through each country and each state and learn what exactly the laws say.
Moreover, I will give you some tips on how you might be able to work around further in the article.
All the information provided further in the article was valid on the day the article was published ( December 12, 2021). However, I will be linking to the source where it is possible so that you can easily check whether the law has been amended or not.
Can a Bike Rack Cover Your License Plate in the US?
License plate visibility laws by state
| State | Visibility | Source | Other Regulations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Alaska | Clearly legible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Arizona | Clearly legible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Arkansas | Clearly legible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| California | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground and no more than 60 inches from the ground |
| Colorado | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging (12 inches requirement has been repealed) |
| Connecticut | Plainly legible | Source | No more than one plate on the rear side can be displayed |
| Delaware | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Florida | Plainly legible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground, nor more than 60 inches from the ground and no more than 24 inches to the left or right |
| Georgia | Plainly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging |
| Hawaii | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Idaho | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Illinois | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 5 inches from the ground |
| Indiana | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Iowa | Clearly visible | Source | Must be illuminated |
| Kansas | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Kentucky | Clearly legible | Source | Must be illuminated |
| Louisiana | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Maine | Plainly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Maryland | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging |
| Massachusetts | Plainly visible | Source | Must be plainly visible at a distance of sixty feet |
| Michigan | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Minnesota | Clearly visible | Source | Must be prevented from swinging (the law does not require license plates to be attached to the vehicle) |
| Mississippi | Plainly visible | Source | Must be fastened immovably twelve (12) inches or more above the ground, must be visible at night at a distance of sixty (60) feet |
| Missouri | Clearly visible | Source | Must be be securely fastened to a vehicle, the license plate must be seen from 50 feet at night |
| Montana | Clearly visible | Source | License plates must be obviously visible and firmly attached to the vehicle |
| Nebraska | Plainly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Nevada | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| New Hampshire | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| New Jersey | Clearly visible | Source | Must be illuminated to make it visible from 50 feet away at night |
| New Mexico | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| New York | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground and no more than 48 inches from the ground |
| North Carolina | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| North Dakota | Clearly visible | Source | Must be securely fastened (the law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle) |
| Ohio | Clearly visible | Source | Must be securely fastened (the law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle) |
| Oklahoma | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Oregon | Clearly visible | Source | Must be securely fastened (the law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle) |
| Pennsylvania | Clearly visible | Source | Must be securely fastened (the law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle) |
| Rhode Island | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be securely fastened, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| South Carolina | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| South Dakota | Clearly visible | Source | Must be securely fastened (the law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle) |
| Tennessee | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Texas | Clearly visible | Source | The law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle or any other requirements other than that the plate must be visible |
| Utah | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Vermont | Clearly visible | Source | Must be securely fastened (the law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle) |
| Virginia | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Washington | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no more than 4 feet from the ground |
| West Virginia | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
| Wisconsin | Clearly readable | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Wyoming | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 12 inches from the ground |
Can a Bike Rack Cover Your License Plate in the UK?
You can not drive with the license plate covered in the UK. You will probably get pulled over and get fined (up to £1,000), which is crazy.
On top of that, the insurance company might void your insurance on the grounds that the license plate is not visible.
Can a Bike Rack Cover Your License Plate in Canada?
License plate visibility laws by province/territory
| Province/territory | Visibility | Source | Other regulations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Clearly visible | Source | You cannot display more than one license plate on your vehicle or any other type of plate that could be mistaken for a valid license plate |
| British Columbia | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Manitoba | Clearly visible | Source | Must be securely fastened (the law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle) |
| New Brunswick | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Northwest Territories | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Nova Scotia | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Nunavut | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Ontario | Clearly visible | Source | The law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle |
| Prince Edward Island | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle and must be prevented from swinging, no less than 300 mm from the ground |
| Quebec | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
| Saskatchewan | Clearly visible | Source | The law does not mention that it must be attached to the vehicle |
| Yukon | Clearly visible | Source | Must be attached to the vehicle |
Can a Bike Rack Cover Your License Plate in Australia?
License plate visibility laws by state/territory
| State/territory | Visibility | Source | Other Regulations |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Clearly visible | Source | The license plate must be attached to the vehicle. You can order auxiliary plates for bike racks. |
| Queensland | Clearly visible | Source | The license plate must be attached to the vehicle. You can order accessory plates for bike racks. |
| South Australia | Clearly visible | Source | You can order auxiliary plates for the bike rack or you can legally take the rear number plate off the motor vehicle and attach it to the bicycle rack |
| Tasmania | Clearly visible | Source | The license plate must be attached to the vehicle |
| Victoria | Clearly visible | Source | The license plate must be attached to the vehicle, no less than 30 cm from the ground and no more than 1.3 m. You can order auxiliary plates for the bike rack or you can legally take the rear number plate off the motor vehicle and attach it to the bicycle rack |
| Western Australia | Clearly visible | Source | The license plate must be attached to the vehicle. You can order accessory plates for bike racks. |
How to prevent my bike rack from blocking the license plate?
Before you take any actions, you need to keep in mind that some of them may cause legal problems as well. So before you do anything with your bike rack or the license plate, make sure that this is actually legal. Each state may have different regulations so you need to contact your local authorities. Here are what may cause problems:
- In some states, the license plate must be illuminated at night. So if you are planning to relocate the license plate frame, you will have to design some lighting,
- There are might be some rules regulating the exact position of the license plate. For example, in Nevada license plates must be at a height so you can’t place the license plate wherever you want,
- Moreover, some states require that the license plate must be attached to the vehicle so that you can’t simply zip tie it to the bikes.
Request an additional license plate and zip tie it to the bikes
In some jurisdictions (for example, Victoria, Australia), you can request an additional license plate for a small fee from the local government.
This is the easiest solution so I would highly recommend contacting your local authorities to find out whether it is allowed.
Zip tie the existing license plate to the bikes
From the legal perspective, it won’t be a solution in most states since it is often required that your license plate must be attached to the vehicle. Neither the bike rack nor the bikes on it are obviously not parts of the vehicle. Moreover, the license plate must be also illuminated in most states.
From the practical standpoint, it can be a solution though. Police most likely won’t stop you since the license plate is visible so it reflects the spirit of the law.
However, some jurisdictions are very loyal in this sense so that you can legally zip tie the existing rear license plate to the bikes (for example, South Australia).
Relocate the license plate frame
Depending on a particular bike rack model, it may be possible to relocate the entire plate frame so that it becomes clearly visible.
However, as I have mentioned earlier, you need to check out what the law says before. In some jurisdictions, the license plate frame must be positioned at a particular height from the ground.
Other than that, this method is absolutely legal without any “ifs”.
Tape the license plate to the rear window
This one is rather exotic since you can easily lose the license plate this way. Though it checks the box that your license plate must be attached to the vehicle.
Don’t forget to design the illumination of the license plate at night since it is also required in most states.
The best way is to plan before buying a rack
This is obviously the best solution. Some bike racks simply do not obscure the license plate under any circumstances so you will be good to go out of the box (for example, roof bike racks).
Moreover, there are dozens of different models introducing different approaches to how your bikes will be positioned on the rack, and how bike racks will be positioned on your car. So to speak, do some research on which bike rack suits best your car model in terms of license plate visibility.
With some bike rack models, it will be possible to relocate the license plate frame a bit so it becomes absolutely visible.
Can I make my own license plate for the bike rack?
You can not DIY a license plate. Moreover, it might be illegal and get you in trouble.
If police see somebody driving with a clumsy made and obviously fake license plate, it will be a huge red flag for them so you will get pulled over. It is much better to have your real license plate obscured (you probably won’t get pulled over in this case) than be driving with a clearly fake one.
Bike rack types that do not obscure the license plate
Roof bike racks do not obscure the license plate under any circumstances. Those guys are getting installed on the roof of your car so you won’t have to worry about whether the license plate is visible or not.
Some hitch rack models come with an additional license plate frame (and taillights as well) so it will be a very elegant solution.
When it comes to trunk racks and other hitch racks, it is crucial to pick the right rack for your specific car’s model.
Conclusion
Even though it is illegal to cover the license plate in most jurisdictions, cops don’t normally give a hard time for such a minor violation. Moreover, you’d better not violate speed limits, etc. and you are probably going to be fine.
The best way to prevent your bike rack from blocking the license plate is to buy the right one in the first place.