Vanity License Plates - The legality of it all

Custom Vanity License Plates

A vanity license plate can be a great way to express yourself and the unique individualism of you car, truck or anything else. With literally hundreds of designs to choose from on our site, the possibilities are endless! These novelty plates however are not intended for road-use, only for display purposes.

Below are some frequently asked questions, answered as clearly as possible.

 

 

Can I register my "Original Plate Guys" plates?

No. The MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario) is the only governing body in Ontario who produces a road-legal, registerable license plate for motor vehicles. Through their website, you can order personalized license plates within the guidelines provided and register it to your vehicle at a Service Ontario location. There are restrictions and limitations to genuine Ontario license plates and they do come with a hefty fee - $310 dollars to order.

 

What is the fine for using my "Original Plate Guys" plates on the road?

We do not recommend using a novelty plate while driving on the road as it is illegal. The offence would fall under Highway Traffic Act section 12 (1) (f) "USE PLATE NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ACT" and carry a fine of no less than $100 no more than $1000 or imprisonment for no more than 30 days or license suspension for no more than 6 months. Due to the vague nature of the highway traffic act, this offence can vary from a $170 "slap on the wrist" ticket all the way to jail time.

 

Can I order my currently registered plate number in a different colour or design from plateguys.ca and run that on the road?

One of our most common questions based on the thought that if the number on the vanity plate matches the number on the real plate, surely you can get away with that... right? This is still illegal. This would likely end in a $170 ticket and/or seizure of the vanity plates however given the nature of the Highway Traffic Act, an Officer can issue you any ticket he or she deems appropriate for the offence.

 

Can I display my "Original Plate Guys" vanity plate along side my registered plate (i.e on my dash, rear window, below the real plate, etc.)

Technically speaking there is an offence and fine reserved for this; Highway Traffic Act section 13 (1) "CONFUSE IDENTITY OF PLATE" defined as "No number other than that upon the number plate furnished by the Ministry shall be exposed on any part of a motor vehicle or trailer in such a position or manner as to confuse the identity of the number plate." This carries a fine of $85. From what we understand, this offence is similar to a tinted plate cover in that, many people commit the offence without being fined. At the end of the day, it is still an offence to display any numbers that could confuse the identity of your real license plate.