61-3-301. Registration -- license plate required -- display. (1) (a) Except as provided in 61-4-120, 61-4-129, and subsection (1)(b) of this section, a person may not operate a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer upon the public highways of Montana unless the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer is properly registered and has the proper license plates conspicuously displayed on the motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer. A license plate must be securely fastened to prevent it from swinging and may not be obstructed from plain view.
     (b) A motorcycle, quadricycle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer must have a single license plate displayed on the rear of the vehicle. A custom vehicle or street rod registered under 61-3-320(1)(b) or (1)(c)(iii) may display a single license plate firmly attached to the rear exterior of the custom vehicle or street rod. All other motor vehicles must have one license plate displayed on the front and one license plate displayed on the rear of the motor vehicle.
     (c) A person may not display on a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer at the same time a number assigned to it under any motor vehicle law except as provided in this chapter.
     (2) A person may not purchase or display on a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer a license plate bearing the number assigned to any county, as provided in 61-3-332, other than the county where the vehicle is domiciled or the county where the trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer is domiciled at the time of application for registration.
     (3) It is unlawful to:
     (a) display license plates issued to one motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer on any other motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer unless legally transferred as provided by statute;
     (b) repaint old license plates to resemble current license plates; or
     (c) display a prior design of standard license plates including military, veteran, and amateur radio license plates, or any license plates that have been issued for 5 or more years after the replacement of the license plates is required under 61-3-332(3)(a), except as provided in 61-3-332(3)(c) and (3)(d), 61-3-448, or 61-3-468.
     (4) For the purposes of this section, "conspicuously displayed" means that the required license plates are obviously visible and firmly attached to:
     (a) the front bumper and the rear bumper of a motor vehicle equipped with front and rear bumpers, except for a custom vehicle or street rod as provided in subsection (1)(b); or
     (b) a clearly visible location on the rear of a trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or travel trailer.

     History: En. Subd. 6, Sec. 1, Ch. 158, L. 1933; re-en. Sec. 1759.5, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 154, L. 1937; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 73, L. 1941; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 127, L. 1969; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 18, L. 1974; R.C.M. 1947, 53-119; amd. Sec. 31, Ch. 421, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 15, Ch. 516, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 148, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 525, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 15, Ch. 409, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 23, Ch. 515, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 280, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 458, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 65, Ch. 542, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 48, Ch. 596, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 55, Ch. 44, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 24, Ch. 329, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 413, L. 2009.