Idaho legalizes skipping front plates if no factory mount
Idaho becomes first state to allow no front plates without a factory mount
Idaho legalizes skipping front plates if no factory mount
Idaho’s Senate Bill 1180 lets cars without a factory bracket skip the front license plate from July 2025, easing EV design issues but complicating enforcement.
2025-11-16T05:09:26+03:00
2025-11-16T05:09:26+03:00
2025-11-16T05:09:26+03:00
Idaho has become the first U.S. state where skipping a front license plate is legal—if a car lacks a factory bracket. The change, included in Senate Bill 1180, takes effect in July 2025 but drew wider attention after a recent Idaho News 6 report. Owners of vehicles without dedicated mounting points can now run a rear plate only without risking bumper damage. It’s a small tweak with an outsized benefit for cars with clean, unbroken front fascias.The DMV notes that more new models—especially hybrids and EVs—arrive with smooth noses and no place to mount a plate. Dealers add that roughly 20 percent of cars on their lots don’t have a factory bracket at all. Police, however, are not pleased: without a front plate, spotting vehicles by eye and via cameras gets harder. The measure also doesn’t let owners remove brackets if they’re already installed. It’s a practical nod to where automotive design is headed, even if it takes a tool out of enforcement’s kit.Idaho will still issue two plates—even to those who won’t use the second. Across the U.S., front plates remain mandatory in 29 states, and most countries also require both, so the Gem State’s approach stands apart from the mainstream.Cars like the Dodge Charger, Tesla, Alfa Romeo Giulia, and Mazda MX-5 have long struggled with awkward plate placement that spoiled the look or impaired cooling. For design-focused models, this exemption finally removes that compromise: buyers in Idaho can officially forgo the front plate on a new car simply by asking the dealer not to install the bracket.
idaho, front license plate, no front plate, senate bill 1180, factory bracket, evs, hybrids, dealership install, enforcement, police, july 2025, idaho dmv, vehicle identification, car design
2025
Michael Powers
news
Idaho becomes first state to allow no front plates without a factory mount
Idaho’s Senate Bill 1180 lets cars without a factory bracket skip the front license plate from July 2025, easing EV design issues but complicating enforcement.
Michael Powers, Editor
Idaho has become the first U.S. state where skipping a front license plate is legal—if a car lacks a factory bracket. The change, included in Senate Bill 1180, takes effect in July 2025 but drew wider attention after a recent Idaho News 6 report. Owners of vehicles without dedicated mounting points can now run a rear plate only without risking bumper damage. It’s a small tweak with an outsized benefit for cars with clean, unbroken front fascias.
The DMV notes that more new models—especially hybrids and EVs—arrive with smooth noses and no place to mount a plate. Dealers add that roughly 20 percent of cars on their lots don’t have a factory bracket at all. Police, however, are not pleased: without a front plate, spotting vehicles by eye and via cameras gets harder. The measure also doesn’t let owners remove brackets if they’re already installed. It’s a practical nod to where automotive design is headed, even if it takes a tool out of enforcement’s kit.
Idaho will still issue two plates—even to those who won’t use the second. Across the U.S., front plates remain mandatory in 29 states, and most countries also require both, so the Gem State’s approach stands apart from the mainstream.
Cars like the Dodge Charger, Tesla, Alfa Romeo Giulia, and Mazda MX-5 have long struggled with awkward plate placement that spoiled the look or impaired cooling. For design-focused models, this exemption finally removes that compromise: buyers in Idaho can officially forgo the front plate on a new car simply by asking the dealer not to install the bracket.
