(a) (1) No person who is the owner or operator of a motor vehicle shall fail to display in plain view on the rear of the motor vehicle a license plate that displays 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 when required by and issued under Ohio R.C. 4503.19 and 4503.191. However a commercial tractor shall display the license plate on the front of the commercial tractor.
(2) The license plate shall be securely fastened so as not to swing, and shall not be covered by any material that obstructs its visibility.
(3) No person to whom a temporary motor vehicle license registration has been issued for the use of a motor vehicle under Ohio R.C. 4503.182, and no operator of that motor vehicle, shall fail to display the temporary motor vehicle license registration in plain view from the rear of the vehicle either in the rear window or on an external rear surface of the motor vehicle.
(4) No person shall cover a temporary motor vehicle license registration by any material that obstructs its visibility.
(ORC 4503.21(A); (A.O.))
(b) 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.
(c) No person shall operate or drive upon the public streets or highways within this Municipality a motor vehicle acquired from a former owner who has registered the same, while such vehicle displays the distinctive number or identification mark assigned to it upon its original registration. (ORC 4549.11)
(d) No person who is the owner of a motor vehicle and a resident of Ohio shall operate or drive such motor vehicle upon the public streets or highways within 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 Ohio relating to the registration and identification of motor vehicles. (ORC 4549.12)
(e) No person shall operate or drive any vehicle upon any public street or highway within this Municipality upon which is displayed an expired license plate or an expired validation sticker.
(f) No person shall operate or drive a motor vehicle upon the public streets or highways within the Municipality if it displays a license plate or a distinctive number or identification mark that meets any of the following criteria:
(1) Is fictitious;
(2) Is a counterfeit or an unlawfully made copy of any distinctive number or identification mark;
(3) Belongs to another motor vehicle, provided that this section does not apply to a motor vehicle that is operated on the public streets and highways within this Municipality when the motor vehicle displays license plates that originally were issued for a motor vehicle that previously was owned by the same person who owns the motor vehicle that is operated on the public streets and highways during the thirty day period described in Ohio R.C. 4503.12(C).
A person who fails to comply with the transfer of registration provisions of Ohio R.C. 4503.12 and is charged with a violation of that section shall not be charged with a violation of this section. (ORC 4549.08; Ord. 16-00. Passed 3-6-00.)
(g) Whoever violates Section 335.09(a), (b) or (e) is guilty of a minor misdemeanor; whoever violates Section 335.09(c) or (d) is guilty of a minor misdemeanor on the first offense and a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on each subsequent offense; whoever violates Section 335.09(f) is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on the first offense and a misdemeanor of the third degree on each subsequent offense.