Over the past few weeks, I've seen several cars in New Jersey sporting black and white license plates. But where are people getting them?

As someone who is usually up on current events in this state, I thought maybe I missed a news story or something about the NJMVC rolling out black and white plates.

If you recall, some of our fine elected officials in Trenton were trying to bring back those old blue plates not too long ago, but that effort seems to have stalled (apparently, we couldn't even get that passed in the statehouse).

So if the blue ones aren't back, where are these black and white ones coming from?

For starters, they are not officially being issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

NJMVC office in Egg Harbor Township NJ - Photo: Google Maps
NJMVC office in Egg Harbor Township NJ - Photo: Google Maps
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If they were smart, the state would roll these out right away because they look really cool and folks who love their cars would be all over these. Not to mention, New Jersey actually had black and white plates over the years, especially back in the 1920s.

But that's not the case.

Apparently, there are people and companies on TikTok and Instagram advertising services where you can either send them your plates and they'll paint over them with whatever color scheme you want or they'll make you duplicate tags in various colors.

Black and white license plates in NJ - Photo: Chris Coleman / Canva
Black and white license plates in NJ - Photo: Chris Coleman / Canva
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But then this question comes to mind: are they legal?

I'm certainly not an expert, but I'm pretty sure the answer is no.

Those plate-painting companies that are on the up-and-up will flat-out say their plates are not legal and are for showroom purposes only, but not everyone gives you that disclaimer.

So let's take a dive into what the laws are in the Garden State.

NJ Admin. Code § 13:20-32.4, which covers license plates and motor vehicle laws, says in part, "license plates shall not be bent, illegible, or defaced."

So if someone is repainting or painting over your original plates, that means they're being defaced and are now illegal.

NJ Motor Vehicle Commission
NJ Motor Vehicle Commission
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But what if you buy new black and white plates from some random company that you found online?

If you're not using official state-issued license plates on your car (which contain security features), then you are, by default, driving around with counterfeit or forged tags.

NJ Rev. Stat. § 39:3-38 reads,

No person shall cause to be placed a forged or counterfeit license plate on any motor vehicle, under penalty of revocation of such person's driver's license for a period not to exceed 6 months, or a fine of not less than $50.00 nor more than $100.00, or both.

But do you have to use state-issued tags in the Garden State? You betcha!

No person shall use a marker other than the one issued to him by the commissioner, except as provided in R.S. 39:3-15, under penalty of a fine of not less than $25.00 nor more than $50.00.

So if you are driving around with black and white license plates in New Jersey, it's just a matter of time before you'll be having a conversation with a police officer or state trooper.

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