driving virginia license-plates dmv
May I create a custom license plate myself (in Virginia) using a purchased blank plate?
<p>I live in America (VA), and I wanted to replace my current license plate with a customized one.</p>
<p>I found an item on Amazon, which gives me a blank black license plate with white text.</p>
<p>The original content and my license text is still the same, however now the design would be different. Are there are laws that prohibit doing what I want to do?</p>
<p>I did some research and found that under the code of Virginia, § 46.2-722, it states:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Any person who, with fraudulent intent, alters any license plate or decal issued by the
Department or by any other state, forges or counterfeits any license plate or decal
purporting to have been issued by the Department under the provisions of this title or by
any other state under a similar law or who, with fraudulent intent, alters, falsifies, or
forges any assignment thereof, or who holds or uses any license plate or decal knowing it to
have been altered, forged, or falsified, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'm confused, does it mean that I can't use a license plate that I don't own, or does it prohibit the usage of the license plate I want to get?</p>

<blockquote>
<p>forges or counterfeits any license plate</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That means you can't make your own.  Certainly any created plate in different colors or design will attract attention of the authorities as well.</p>
<p>You will need to use the license plate issued by the state.</p>

<p>Your confusion probably stems from trying to look at this issue from the wrong end.  Instead of looking at the VA Code related to details of license plate forgeries, look earlier in the code for <a href="https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter6/section46.2-712/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>§ 46.2-712 Requirements of license plates and decals</strong></a> which states that all graphic design details of the license plate is at &quot;<em>the discretion of the Commissioner</em>&quot;.</p>
<p>Looking back further in chapter <a href="https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter6/section46.2-711/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>§ 46.2-711. Furnishing number and design of plates; displaying on vehicles required</strong></a>, paragraph F states:  &quot;<em>No vehicles shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth without displaying the license plates required by this chapter</em>&quot; and that chapter refers to &quot;<em>The Department shall furnish one license plate for every registered moped, motorcycle, autocycle, tractor truck, semitrailer, or trailer, and two license plates for every other registered motor vehicle</em>&quot; so it appears that the only valid license plate allowed in VA is explicitly one that is issued by &quot;The Department&quot;.</p>
<p>Also, you missed a very important part of <a href="https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter6/section46.2-722/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>§ 46.2-722. Altered or forged license plates or decals; use as evidence of knowledge.</strong></a></p>
<p>&quot;<em>The owner of a vehicle who operates it while it displays altered or forged license plates or decals shall be presumed to have knowledge of the alteration or forgery.</em>&quot;</p>
<p>Since you would know that your proposed custom license plate is not approved by the Commissioner, you would almost certainly be found guilty of violating <strong>46.2-722</strong> as that would take care of the &quot;<em>with fraudulent intent</em>&quot; part of the Code.</p>
