Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-110 (2026)
Display of registration plates - Manner - Penalty for violation
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a) The registration plate issued for passenger motor vehicles shall be attached on the rear of the vehicle. The registration plate issued for those trucks with a manufacturer's ton rating not exceeding three-quarter (3/4) ton and having a panel or pickup body style, and also those issued for all motor homes, regardless of ton rating or body style thereof, shall be attached to the rear of the vehicle. The registration plate issued for all other trucks and truck tractors shall be attached to the front of the vehicle. All dealers' plates, as provided in § 55-4-226, and those registration plates issued for motorcycles, trailers or semitrailers shall be attached to the rear of the vehicle.
- (b) Every registration plate shall at all times be securely fastened in a horizontal position to the vehicle for which it is issued so to prevent the plate from swinging and at a height of not less than twelve inches (12") from the ground, measuring from the bottom of the plate, in a place and position to be clearly visible and shall be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible. The mounting or placement of a trailer hitch ball in front of a registration plate shall not be considered when making a determination whether the registration plate is clearly visible. If a motorcycle is equipped with vertically mounted license plate brackets, its license plate shall be mounted vertically with the top of the license plate fastened along the right vertical edge. No tinted materials may be placed over a license plate even if the information upon the license plate is not concealed.
- (c)
- (1) Except as provided in subdivision (c)(2), for all motor vehicles that are factory-equipped to illuminate the registration plate, the registration plate shall be illuminated at all times that headlights are illuminated.
- (2) Subdivision (c)(1) shall not apply to any antique motor vehicle as defined in § 55-4-111(b).
- (d)
- (1) As used in this subsection (d), "historic military vehicle" means a vehicle, including a trailer, that is at least twenty-five (25) years old at the time of making application for registration, was manufactured for use in any country's military forces, and is maintained to represent the vehicle's military design and markings, regardless of the vehicle's size or weight.
- (2) An owner or operator of a historic military vehicle is not required to display the vehicle's registration plate on the vehicle in accordance with this section. In lieu of such display, the owner or operator shall maintain the vehicle's registration plate in the vehicle and produce the plate for inspection upon the request of any law enforcement officer.
- (e)
- (1) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor. All proceeds from the fines imposed by this subsection (e) shall be deposited in the state general fund.
- (2) A person charged with a violation of this section may, in lieu of appearance in court, submit a fine of ten dollars ($10.00) for a first violation, and twenty dollars ($20.00) on second and subsequent violations to the clerk of the court that has jurisdiction of the offense within the county in which the offense charged is alleged to have been committed.
- (3) If the violation of this section results solely from the failure to illuminate the registration plate at all times headlights are required to be displayed, the fine set out in this subsection (e) shall be the only amount the person is assessed. No litigation tax levied pursuant to title 67, chapter 4, part 6 shall be imposed or assessed against anyone convicted of a violation of this section nor shall any clerk's fee or court costs, including, but not limited to, any statutory fees of officers, be imposed or assessed against anyone convicted of a violation of this section. Further, the lighting violation described in this subdivision (e)(3) shall be considered a nonmoving traffic violation and no points shall be added to a driver's record for such violation.
Amended by 2021 Tenn. Acts, ch. 174, s 1, eff. 4/20/2021.
Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 103, s 1, eff. 7/1/2019.
Amended by 2013 Tenn. Acts, ch. 223, s 1, eff. 7/1/2013.
Acts 1951, ch. 70, § 46 (Williams, § 5538.146); Acts 1953, ch. 167, § 7; 1955, ch. 52, § 5; 1957, ch. 108, § 1; 1959, ch. 26, § 2; 1973, ch. 234, § 3; 1974, ch. 525, § 2; 1975, ch. 128, § 2; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 59-410; Acts 2004, ch. 698, §§ 1, 2; 2010 , ch. 1151, § 5.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 20
cases (6 in the last 5 years), 2005–2025 · leading case: State v. Nelson, 275 S.W.3d 851 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2008).
State v. Nelson, 275 S.W.3d 851 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2008). “According to the testimony at the hearing on the motion to suppress, Officer DeLong turned on his blue lights because Appellant’s license plate was “slightly” askew and in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-4-110(b), which requires that “[e]very registration plate…”
State v. Hunt, 302 S.W.3d 859 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2009). “The question is, ‘Whether the trial court erred in failing to suppress the evidence in the case on the basis that the traffic stop of the Defendant’s vehicle was invalid because his license plate was not clearly visible to the officer as required under T.C.A. § 55-4-110 due to…”
United States v. Martinez, 356 F. Supp. 2d 856 (M.D. Tenn. 2005). “In support of its position with respect to having an improperly illuminated license plate, the government cited Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 55-4-110 3 and 55-9-404. 4 However, at the suppression hear *865 ing the government abandoned the allegation of an improperly illuminated…”
State of Tennessee v. Eric A. Martin (Tenn. Crim. App. 2012). “Martin, for violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-4-110(b), the statute requiring a vehicle license plate to be maintained free from foreign materials and in a clearly legible condition.”
State of Tennessee v. Dennis Haughton Webber (Tenn. Crim. App. 2015). “However, the judgment form reflects that his conviction was under Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-4-110 which regulates the display of license plates.”
United States v. Simpson (6th Cir. 2008). “” Because the expiration date was not “clearly legible,” the officer believed that the tag was not in compliance with T.C.A. § 55-4-110(b) (governing the display of license plates) and so executed a traffic stop by activating his emergency lights.”
Byrge v. Pressley (E.D. Tenn. 2024). “See Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-110 . This is the prototypical trivial offense that does not justify hot pursuit.”
State of Tennessee v. Mario Ochoa (Tenn. Crim. App. 2012). “] Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-110 (b). A violation of the section is a Class C misdemeanor.”
State of Tennessee v. Kenneth Epperson (Tenn. Crim. App. 2016). “See T.C.A. §§ 55-4-110, 55-10-401, -406, -416, 55-50-504.”
State of Tennessee v. Kenneth Epperson (Tenn. Crim. App. 2016). “See T.C.A. §§ 55-4-110, 55-10-401, -406, -416, 55-50-504.”
State of Tennessee v. Kathy Bell Noble (Tenn. Crim. App. 2016). “Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-4-110 further requires that a registration plate be attached to the rear of the motor vehicle.”
State of Tennessee v. Tony A. Pitts (Tenn. Crim. App. 2010). “Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-4-110 further requires that a registration plate be attached to the rear of the motor vehicle.”
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-110(a): 1 case
State of Tennessee v. Dennis Haughton Webber (Tenn. Crim. App. 2015). “However, the judgment form reflects that his conviction was under Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-4-110 which regulates the display of license plates.”
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-110(b): 6 cases
State v. Nelson, 275 S.W.3d 851 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2008). “According to the testimony at the hearing on the motion to suppress, Officer DeLong turned on his blue lights because Appellant’s license plate was “slightly” askew and in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-4-110(b), which requires that “[e]very registration plate…”
State v. Hunt, 302 S.W.3d 859 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2009). “The question is, ‘Whether the trial court erred in failing to suppress the evidence in the case on the basis that the traffic stop of the Defendant’s vehicle was invalid because his license plate was not clearly visible to the officer as required under T.C.A. § 55-4-110 due to…”
United States v. Martinez, 356 F. Supp. 2d 856 (M.D. Tenn. 2005). “In support of its position with respect to having an improperly illuminated license plate, the government cited Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 55-4-110 3 and 55-9-404. 4 However, at the suppression hear *865 ing the government abandoned the allegation of an improperly illuminated…”
State of Tennessee v. Eric A. Martin (Tenn. Crim. App. 2012). “Martin, for violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 55-4-110(b), the statute requiring a vehicle license plate to be maintained free from foreign materials and in a clearly legible condition.”
United States v. Simpson (6th Cir. 2008). “” Because the expiration date was not “clearly legible,” the officer believed that the tag was not in compliance with T.C.A. § 55-4-110(b) (governing the display of license plates) and so executed a traffic stop by activating his emergency lights.”
Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-110(c): 1 case
State of Tennessee v. Mario Ochoa (Tenn. Crim. App. 2012). “] Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-4-110 (b). A violation of the section is a Class C misdemeanor.”
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