PORTLAND, Ore. — We've blurred out the license plates, but a KGW News viewer sent us a picture of a truck in Portland with two different plates; one attached exactly where it should be on the rear of the truck, and another appears to be attached to the back of a window.
Viewer Rick Coakes wanted us to Verify: Is there a reason someone is keeping two plates? Is it even legal?
While we can't know for sure why this driver chose to display two different license plates on the same car, we can Verify the legality of the move.
Our sources for the story are David House with the Oregon Department of Transportation and Portland Police Sgt. Kevin Allen.
According to state law, you should only display a license plate that is properly registered by the Department of Transportation to the car you're driving.
You can be cited statewide for this kind of display, but your citation may vary depending on the responding officer, according to House.
For example, Sgt. Allen says Portland Police would cite ORS 803.550: "a registration plate is illegally displayed ... on a car other than the car for which the plate was issued."
That's a Class B violation that would carry a presumptive fine of $260.
House says officers could also cite ORS 803.540, which says you have to use license plates registered to the driver and appropriate vehicle.
In that case, it's a Class D traffic violation that carries a fine between $65 and $250.
We can Verify: Having two different license plates on your car is illegal and can lead to a fine between $65 and $260.
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