Are license plate sprays and covers that are advertised and sold to prevent photography of plates by photo detection cameras prohibited by law?
Depending on the product, they may be illegal. Arizona law (ARS 28-2354) requires that, “A person shall maintain each license plate so it is clearly legible.” The sprays and covers themselves are not illegal. The act of displaying an illegible or obscured license plate is against the law. An officer who observes a vehicle with a license plate that is not clearly readable may issue a ticket for this offense. In addition to this, many of the products on the market are ineffective in obscuring the license plate from being legible in photographs taken by cameras with today’s digital technology and procedures. Q: I get the feeling that photo enforcement is “big brother” watching me all the time. A: The only time a photograph is taken is if a violation is detected. Unless you commit a violation, the system will not activate and take your photograph. If a photo is taken, the faces of any passengers are redacted as a matter of policy. Photo enforcement systems do increase the certainty that th
