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A5134
ASSEMBLY, No. 5134
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MAY 28, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� TENNILLE R. MCCOY
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
���� Eliminates front registration plate and requires
issuance of single rear registration plate.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning registration plates, amending R.S.39:3-33,
and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� R.S.39:3-33 is amended
to read as follows:
���� 39:3-33.� The owner of an
automobile which is driven on the public highways of this State shall display
not less than 12 inches nor more than 48 inches from the ground in a horizontal
position, and in such a way as not to swing,
[
a
registration plate or plates
]
a single registration plate
to be furnished by the commission
[
; provided,
that if two registration plates are issued they
]
, which registration plate
shall be displayed on the
[
front
and
]
rear of the vehicle
[
;
and provided, further, that if only one registration plate is issued it shall
be displayed on the rear of the vehicle; and
]
provided
[
,
further,
]
that the
[
rear
]
registration
plate may be displayed more than 48 inches from the ground on tank trucks,
trailers, and other commercial vehicles carrying inflammable liquids and on
sanitation vehicles which are used to collect, transport, and dispose of
garbage, solid wastes, and refuse.� Motorcycles shall also display a
single
registration
plate
[
or
plates; provided, that if two registration plates are issued they shall be
displayed on the front and rear of the motorcycle; and provided, further, that
if only one registration plate is issued it shall be displayed
]
on the rear
of the motorcycle.
���� The registration plate shall
contain the number of the registration certificate of the vehicle and shall be
of such design and material as prescribed pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1989,
c.202 (C.39:3-33.9).� All registration plates shall be kept clear and distinct
and free from grease, dust, or other blurring matter, so as to be plainly
visible at all times of the day and night.
���� A person shall not drive a
motor vehicle which has a registration plate frame or holder that conceals or
otherwise obscures the name of the State or the registration number furnished
by the commission imprinted upon the vehicle's registration plate, or any part
of any insert which the commission, as hereinafter provided, issues to be
inserted in and attached to that registration plate, or that conceals or
otherwise obscures the name of the State, the registration number, or the
expiration date on any temporary registration certificate or temporary
registration plate issued by the commission.� It shall not be a violation of
this section and therefore not a basis for a lawful stop if part of the name of
the State or the registration number imprinted on a vehicle's registration
plate, or part of an insert issued by the commission inserted in or attached to
the registration plate, or part of the name of the State, the registration
number, or the expiration date on a temporary registration certificate or temporary
registration plate is concealed or otherwise obscured in a way such that the
information to which this provision applies can still reasonably be identified
or discerned.� The Attorney General shall issue such guidance as the Attorney
General deems necessary for law enforcement officers to properly interpret and
enforce the provisions of this section.
���� The chief administrator is
authorized and empowered to issue registration plate inserts, to be inserted in
and attached to the registration plates described herein.� They may be issued
in the place of new registration plates; and inscribed thereon, in numerals,
shall be the year in which registration of the vehicle has been granted.
���� No person shall drive a motor
vehicle the owner of which has not complied with the provisions of this
subtitle concerning the proper registration and identification thereof, nor
drive a motor vehicle which displays a fictitious number, or a number other than
that designated for the motor vehicle in its registration certificate.� During
the period of time between the application for motor vehicle registration and
the receipt of registration plates from the commission, no person shall affix a
plate for the purpose of advertisement in the position on a motor vehicle
normally reserved for the display of the registration plates required by this
section if the plate is designed with a combination of letters, numbers,
colors, or words to resemble the registration plates required by this section.
���� A person convicted of
displaying a fictitious number, as prohibited herein, shall be subject to a
fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60
days.
���� A person violating any other
provision of this section shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $100.� In
default of the payment thereof, there shall be imposed an imprisonment in the
county jail for a period not exceeding 10 days.� A person convicted of a second
offense of the same violation may be fined in double the amount herein
prescribed for the first offense and may, in default of the payment thereof, be
punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding 20
days.� These penalties shall not apply to the display of a fictitious number.
(cf:� P.L.2023, c.49, s.1)
���� 2.��� (New section) Any person
who was issued two registration plates prior to the effective date of
P.L. , c.
(C. ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill) shall return one registration plate to the New Jersey
Motor Vehicle Commission in a manner to be determined by the New Jersey Motor
Vehicle Commission and display a single registration plate on the rear of the
vehicle pursuant to R.S.39:3-33.
���� 3.��� (New section) The New
Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall conduct a public awareness campaign to
inform New Jersey residents about the new registration plate requirements
pursuant to P.L. , c.
(C. ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill) and the potential benefits of this change.
���� 4.��� (New section) No later
than one year following the effective date of P.L. , c.
(C. ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill), t
he
Chief Administrator
of
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
shall prepare and submit a report to the
Governor
and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the
Legislature
.� The report shall include, at a minimum,
an analysis of the cost savings associated with the elimination of the
requirement for the display of a front registration plate.
���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the sixth month following enactment, but the Chief
Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall take any
anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the
timely implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
���� This bill amends current law
to require the Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey
Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue one registration plate for each
automobile and motorcycle registered in the State.� The bill requires that the
single registration plate be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. �The bill requires
any person who was issued two registration plates prior to the effective date
of the bill to return one of those plates to the commission in a manner to be determined
by the commission.� The bill requires the commission to conduct a public
awareness campaign to inform New Jersey residents about the new registration plate
requirements and the potential benefits of this change.� The bill also requires
the chief administrator to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature
that includes
an analysis of the cost savings
associated with the elimination of the requirement for the display of a front
registration plate.
���� It is the sponsor�s intent to
reduce unnecessary costs and inconvenience on New Jersey drivers by eliminating
the requirement of having a front registration plate.� The sponsor believes
that issuing a single rear registration plate will reduce production and
delivery costs significantly and contribute to environmental sustainability by
minimizing waste. �Additionally, the sponsor believes that modern vehicles are
increasingly equipped with safety technologies that can be obstructed or
damaged by front registration plate installation.� The sponsor believes that
the financial challenges facing the State necessitate prudent fiscal measures,
including the reduction of unnecessary expenses related to the production and
issuance of front registration plates. �