(a) (1) 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 a license plate that bears the distinctive number and registration mark assigned to the motor vehicle by the Ohio Director of Public Safety, including any county identification sticker and any validation sticker issued under R.C. §§ 4503.19 and 4503.191, except as follows:
A. A manufacturer of motor vehicles or dealer therein, the holder of an in transit permit, and the owner or operator of a motorcycle, motorized bicycle or moped, motor-driven cycle or motor scooter, autocycle, cab-enclosed motorcycle, manufactured home, mobile home, trailer, or semitrailer shall display a license plate on the rear only.
B. A motor vehicle that is issued two license plates shall display the validation sticker only on the rear license plate, except that a commercial tractor that does not receive an apportioned license plate under the international registration plan shall display the validation sticker on the front of the commercial tractor.
C. An apportioned vehicle receiving an apportioned license plate under the international registration plan shall display the license plate only on the front of a commercial tractor and on the rear of all other vehicles.
(2) All license plates shall be securely fastened so as not to swing, and shall not be covered by any material that obstructs their visibility.
(3) No person to whom a temporary license placard or windshield sticker has been issued for the use of a motor vehicle under R.C. § 4503.182, and no operator of that motor vehicle, shall fail to display the temporary license placard in plain view from the rear of the vehicle either in the rear window or on an external rear surface of the motor vehicle, or fail to display the windshield sticker in plain view on the rear window of the motor vehicle. No temporary license placard or windshield sticker shall be covered by any material that obstructs its visibility.
(4) A law enforcement officer shall only issue a ticket, citation, or summons, or cause the arrest or commence a prosecution, for the failure to display a license plate in plain view on the front of a parked motor vehicle if the officer first determines that another offense has occurred and either places the operator or vehicle owner under arrest or issues a ticket, citation, or summons to the operator or vehicle owner for the other offense.
(R.C. § 4503.21(A), (B))
(b) No person shall operate or drive upon the highways of this Municipality a motor vehicle acquired from a former owner who has registered the motor vehicle, while the motor vehicle displays the distinctive number or identification mark assigned to it upon its original registration.
(ORC 4549.11(A))
(c) No person who is the owner of a motor vehicle and a resident of this State shall operate or drive the motor vehicle upon the highways of this Municipality while it displays a distinctive number or identification mark issued by or under the authority of another state, without complying with the laws of this State relating to the registration and identification of motor vehicles.
(ORC 4549.12(A))
(d) No person shall park or operate any vehicle upon any public street or highway upon which are displayed any license plates for any period of time which has expired, or any license plates issued in another state for which the period of reciprocal agreement with the state of issue has expired.
(e) No person shall park or operate any vehicle upon any public street or highway upon which are displayed any license plates not legally registered and issued for such vehicle, or upon which are displayed any license plates that were issued on an application for registration that contains any false statement by the applicant.
(f) No person shall operate a motor vehicle, upon which license plates are required by law to be displayed, unless the license plates legally registered and issued for such vehicle are fastened in such a manner, and not covered, obscured or concealed by any part or accessory of such vehicle, to be readable in their entirety from left to right.
(g) No person shall loan, sell, give away or otherwise traffic in any number or license plate or plates issued by any state or other duly authorized governmental agency in connection with the registration of a motor vehicle, provided, however, that nothing herein shall be deemed to apply to the issuance of a number or license plate or plates pursuant to law.
(h) No person shall park a motor vehicle upon private property without the consent of the owner of such property, which vehicle does not bear or display the distinctive number or identification mark assigned to it upon registration in this or any other jurisdiction, which registration is current.
(i) Except as provided in Section 408.01(b) and (c), whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(ORC 4503.21(B))