§53. Proper equipment required on vehicles; display of plate

A.(1) No person shall drive or move, nor cause or knowingly permit any vehicle owned or controlled by him to be driven or moved, on any highway of this state, at any time, any vehicle or combination of vehicles which is in such unsafe condition as to endanger any person or property, or which does not contain those parts or is not at all times equipped with such lamps and other equipment, in proper condition and adjustment, as required in this Chapter, or which is constructed or equipped in any manner in violation of this Chapter, and no person shall do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required under this Chapter.

(2) The permanent registration license plate assigned to a trailer, semitrailer, motorcycle, or other motor vehicle shall be attached to the rear thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the permanent registration license plate assigned to any truck having a gross vehicle weight in excess of ten thousand pounds or to any dump truck may be attached to either the front or rear thereof. For the purposes of this Section, dump truck means any truck with a bed that raises to dump a load. The permanent registration license plate shall be so displayed during the current registration year, except as otherwise provided herein.

(3) Every permanent registration license plate shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle to which it is assigned, so as to prevent the plate from swinging, and at a height not less than twelve inches from the ground, measuring from the bottom of such plate, in a place and position to be clearly visible, and shall be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible. Unless authorized by the commissioner, a person shall not apply a covering or any substance to the license plate or use an electronic device or electrochromatic film that obscures from any angle the numbers, characters, year registration sticker, or name of the jurisdiction issuing the plate.

(4) The provisions of this Section shall not be construed to prohibit placing a permanent registration license plate on a rear fender as long as it is facing to the rear of the vehicle.

B. Nothing contained in this Chapter shall be construed to prohibit the use of additional parts and accessories on any vehicle not inconsistent with the provisions of this Chapter.

C. The provisions of this Chapter with respect to equipment on vehicles shall not apply to implements of husbandry, nor to vehicles used solely in building highways when they are temporarily upon the highways, except as herein made applicable. These exceptions shall not exclude any vehicle or combination of vehicles not used primarily for this purpose, or ordinary commercial vehicles upon which are placed removable machinery for such purposes, or vehicles designed for the purpose of evading the limitations of this Chapter.

D. No person shall drive a vehicle upon highways within this state, or permit or allow any vehicle owned by him or under his control to be driven on said highways, unless and until such vehicle bears an inspection tag showing it to have been inspected and approved as required by the provisions of R.S. 32:1301 through1310, if such vehicle is required to be so inspected.

Acts 1962, No. 310, §1; Acts 2014, No. 148, §1; Acts 2017, No. 46, §1.