EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0322*
SENATE BILL 322
R5 5lr1913
SB 10/24 – JPR CF HB 470
By: Senator Kagan
Introduced and read first time: January 15, 2025
Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 18, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Vehicle Laws – Obscured or Modified, Modified, or Blocked Registration Plates 2
and Registration Plate Covers 3
FOR the purpose of prohibiting a person from obscuring or modifying any vehicle 4
registration plate in a manner that may prevent identification and enforcing the 5
prohibition as a secondary offense; prohibiting a person from advertising for or 6
promoting the sale of certain registration plate covers in a certain manner and 7
establishing that a violation is an unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practice subject 8
to certain enforcement and penalties; and generally relating to obscured or modified, 9
modified, or blocked vehicle registration plates and registration plate covers. 10
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
Article – Commercial Law 12
Section 13–301(14)(xlii) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 15
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 16
Article – Commercial Law 17
Section 13–301(14)(xliii) 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 20
BY adding to 21
Article – Commercial Law 22 2 SENATE BILL 322
Section 13–301(14)(xliv) 1
Annotated Code of Maryland 2
(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 3
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 4
Article – Transportation 5
Section 13–411(c) 6
Annotated Code of Maryland 7
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 8
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
Article – Transportation 10
Section 13–411.1 and 21–1112.1 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
Article – Commercial Law 16
13–301. 17
Unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practices include any: 18
(14) Violation of a provision of: 19
(xlii) Section 12–6C–09.1 of the Health Occupations Article; [or] 20
(xliii) Title 14, Subtitle 48 of this article; or 21
(XLIV) SECTION 13–411.1(C)(2) OF THE TRANSPORTATION 22
ARTICLE; OR 23
Article – Transportation 24
13–411. 25
(c) (1) At all times, each registration plate shall be: 26
(i) Maintained free from foreign materials, including registration 27
plate covers as defined in § 13–411.1 of this subtitle, and in a condition to be clearly legible; 28
and 29
(ii) Securely fastened to the vehicle for which it is issued: 30
1. In a horizontal position; 31 SENATE BILL 322 3
2. In a manner that prevents the plate from swinging; and 1
3. In a place and position to be clearly visible. 2
(2) For a violation involving the placement of an object framing or 3
bordering the edges of a registration plate, a police officer may enforce this subsection only 4
as a secondary action when the police officer detains a driver of a motor vehicle for a 5
suspected violation of another provision of the Code. 6
13–411.1. 7
(a) In this section, “registration plate cover” means any tinted, colored, painted, 8
marked, [clear,] or illuminated object that is designed to: 9
(1) [Cover] OBSCURE OR BLOCK any of the characters of a vehicle’s 10
registration plate; or 11
(2) Distort a recorded image of any of the characters of a vehicle’s 12
registration plate recorded by a traffic control signal monitoring system under § 21–202.1 13
of this article. 14
(b) A person may not sell or offer for sale a registration plate cover. 15
(c) (1) A person may not advertise for the purpose of promoting the sale of 16
registration plate covers. 17
(2) A PERSON M AY NOT ADVERTISE FOR OR PROMOTE THE SALE OF 18
AN UNLAWFUL REGISTRA TION PLATE COVER BY FALSELY CLAIMING THA T THE 19
REGISTRATION PLATE C OVER IS LAWFUL IN TH E STATE. 20
(D) A VIOLATION OF SUBSECT ION (C)(2) OF THIS SECTION IS: 21
(1) AN UNFAIR, ABUSIVE, OR DECEPTIV E TRADE PRACTICE WIT HIN 22
THE MEANING OF TITLE 13 OF THE COMMERCIAL LAW ARTICLE; AND 23
(2) IN ADDITION TO THE PE NALTY UNDER § 27–101 OF THIS ARTICLE, 24
SUBJECT TO THE ENFOR CEMENT AND PENALTY P ROVISIONS CONTAINED IN TITLE 25
13 OF THE COMMERCIAL LAW ARTICLE. 26
21–1112.1. 27
(a) A person may not obscure or modify any vehicle registration plate [with intent 28
to avoid] IN A MANNER THAT MAY PREVENT identification. 29
4 SENATE BILL 322
(b) A violation of this section is a moving violation for the purpose of the 1
assessment of points under § 16–402 of this article. 2
(C) A POLICE OFFICER MAY E NFORCE THIS SECTION ONLY AS A SECONDARY 3
ACTION WHEN THE POLI CE OFFICER DETAINS A DRIVER OF A MOTOR VE HICLE FOR 4
A SUSPECTED VIOLATIO N OF ANOTHER PROVISI ON OF THE CODE. 5
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 6
October 1, 2025. 7
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.