(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 the distinctive number and registration mark, including any county identification sticker and any validation sticker issued under R.C. §§ 4503.19 and 4503.191, furnished by the Director of Public Safety, except that 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, manufactured home, mobile home, trailer, or semitrailer shall display on the rear only. A motor vehicle that is issued 2 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. 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. All license plates shall be securely fastened so as not to swing, and shall not be covered by any material that obstructs its visibility.
(2) 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.
(R.C. § 4503.21(A))
(B) Except as otherwise provided by R.C. §§ 4503.103, 4503.173, 4503.41, 4503.43, and 4503.46, no person who is the owner or chauffeur of a motor vehicle operated or driven upon the public roads or highways shall fail to file annually the application for registration or to pay the tax therefor.
(R.C. § 4503.11(A))
(C) 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.
(R.C. § 4549.11(A))
(D) 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.
(R.C. § 4549.12(A))
(E) (1) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(R.C. § 4503.21(B))
(2) Whoever violates division (B) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(R.C. § 4503.11(D))
(3) Whoever violates division (C) of this section is guilty of operation of a motor vehicle bearing license plates or an identification mark issued to another, a minor misdemeanor on a first offense and a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on each subsequent offense.
(R.C. § 4549.11(B))
(4) Whoever violates division (D) of this section is guilty of illegal operation by a resident of this state of a motor vehicle bearing the distinctive number or identification mark issued by a foreign jurisdiction, a minor misdemeanor on a first offense and a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on each subsequent offense.
(R.C. § 4549.12(B)) Penalty, see § 70.99