By Fran Odyniec
Editor
In case you ever wondered why Ohio, unlike most states, requires two license plates per vehicle, read the following:
Ohio Revised Code 4503.21 states “… No person who is the owner or operator of a motor vehicle shall fail to display in plain view on the front and rear of the motor vehicle the distinctive number and registration mark, including any county identification sticker and any validation sticker issued under sections 4503.19 and 4503.191 of the Revised Code…” Therefore, violation of this law may result in a citation and/or fine.”
Ohioans can choose from as many as 122 special plate types that include collegiate, military, professional sports, special interest, and personalized.
The ‘Beautiful Ohio’ plate is now the standard plate issued.
“For me, personally, they have helped solve numerous burglaries and thefts,” said Madison County Sheriff Jim Sabin, referring to his days on road patrol and in investigations. “Checking license plates helps solve criminal activity.”
Sabin explained that law enforcement officers are trained to observe and write down the license plates of vehicles that may pass them in the direction they are headed as they respond to an incident. That explains the need for a plate on the front and back ends of the vehicle.
“Running the plates” through a computer provides law enforcement with important information from the state’s vehicle registration data base.
Identification of the owner of the vehicle is a major function of license plates, Sabin said, especially when a “Be On the Look Out for” (BOLO) call is issued.
According to the sheriff, BOLOs can involve a vehicle involved in a theft from an adjacent county or can involve an ill person.
“With the license plate number (from the state data base), we will check restaurants, motels, and truck stops for the suspect or the ill person,” Sabin said.
But that’s only part of the picture.
As Sabin pointed out, the license plates, a driver’s license, and vehicle registration are all tied together when it comes to making a positive identification as well as establishing ownership of a vehicle. That’s why it is so important to have current plates and to carry a license and registration at all times.
A form of maintenance is required for license plates.
“The plates expire on the birth date of the owner,” Sabin said. This requires a new registration sticker which the owner affixes to the lower right hand corner of the back plate. Nothing need be done to the front plate other than to make sure that it, as well as the back plate, are tightly affixed to their holding areas.
“Plates can be renewed either online, through the mail, or at the local Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) office,” he said of the processes available to secure a registration sticker.
According to the sheriff, the plates themselves can last a long time, although the state periodically requires new ones.
“You may have to replace plates that are extremely old or have gotten to the point that they are no longer legible or they may be damaged,” he added.
But there is one more sticker which, he said, is an extremely important tool for law enforcement: the county sticker. In the case of Madison County, the sticker bears the number 49.
“If a vehicle has an out-of-county sticker, it immediately draws the attention of a law enforcement officer,” Sabin continued, “especially when an officer checks a business after-hours and notices a vehicle with an out-of-county sticker. It says to more thoroughly investigate.”
At one time, Ohio issued a strip that featured the name of a particular county that fit across the bottom of a plate.
When purchasing or acquiring a vehicle in the state of Ohio, a person can remove the plates from the original vehicle and place them on the “new” vehicle for 30 days. During that time, the registration of the original vehicle must be transferred to the “new” vehicle. Otherwise, a person is required to purchase a new set of tags.
The same requirements apply in the case of purchasing or bringing in a vehicle from another state.
“You can’t switch plates around on vehicles,” cautioned Sabin. “Every vehicle or trailer has to be individually registered. Transfer the registration as soon as possible or obtain new plates.”
He further explained that, for example, if plates are registered to a Chevrolet and that person now drives a Ford, a rather embarrassing situation could develop.
“If an officer runs the plates and there is no match,” he said, “that sends up a red flag, and brings up the question, ‘Is it a stolen vehicle?’”
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles Madison County office is located at 294 Lafayette St., London; telephone (740) 852-2030.
Posted by Fran Odyniec on Jan 9 2012. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS Feed. Comments can be made below.
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