Is it legal to tow a vehicle with no plates?

[stradivaribe]

Hi,

I've taken the tags off my Jeep, and need to tow it off the property its on. Obviously its illegal to drive a car without tags, so I want to get a towbar, and tow it somewhere. But it doesn't have tags. Is this legal? All wheels will be on the ground. It also doesn't have insurance.
We're in the state of Florida, if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

 

[JeepMonkey]

I'm in CA, and I'm pretty sure that if all the wheels aren't on a trailer the vehicle needs to be tagged. I'm not sure about insurance as that may fall under your tow vehicle policy. Call the highway patrol to make sure. They're usually the ones that are most knowledgeable since they're the ones that are probably going to stop you.

 

[jeepjoesXJ98]

hey i use to live in florida and i tryed to do wat you wanna do ill tell you this much dont do it they will impound your truck and charge you a ton of money to get it back. you best bet is to go to a u-haul place and rent a car dully for like 50.00 for a few hours if you dont wanna get tags for the truck...

 

[TerryMason]

The only thing I could find is the article below, which seems to say you can just use a 15 foot long rope to tow, as long as you have a white flag. I personally would never try anything like that, but hey, it's florida!

Limitations on Towing

The following rules apply to the drawbar or towing connection:

• It must be strong enough to pull all towed weight.
• It must not be more than 15 feet long unless you are towing poles, pipes, machinery, or other objects that cannot be easily taken apart.
• If a chain, rope, or cable is used as the towing connection, you must have a white flag at least 12 inches square attached to it.

State of Florida.com - Class D Licenses

There's probably more than this, but I couldn't find it.

 

[David]

I looked in the Florida Statutes. Here are links to the most applicable statutes that I found:

http://www.flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0316/SEC530.HTM&Title=->2007->Ch0316->Section%20530#0316.530 (towing requirements),
http://www.flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0316/SEC605.HTM&Title=->2007->Ch0316->Section%20605#0316.605 (licensing requirements), and
http://www.flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0324/SEC021.HTM&Title=->2007->Ch0324->Section%20021#0324.021 (financial responsibility laws--definitions).

I agree with the advice posted above--check with the Highway Patrol. Note two other issues: (1) if you have oversized tires, you're going to have a problem renting a tow dolly or trailer for your vehicle, since the way they're secured is by straps going over the tires, which aren't designed for large off-road tires; and (2) you should also check with your insurance company to be sure that they will cover you if you get into an accident towing a vehicle that's not otherwise insured--especially if that vehicle is the "cause" of the accident (e.g., what happens if it comes off the tow hitch and hits another vehicle?).

 

[stradivaribe]

Thanks for all the replies.

We have a towbar, and the place were towing it to is only about 20 minutes down the road. So we were thinking of making a run for it, so to speak. I can't afford to rent dollys and such, its a YJ with 33 inch tires on it, so they may not work anyways. Basically, I live in an apt complex that is threatening to tow it, because we're not allowed 3 vehicles. And we removed the tags because we got a third vehicle and didnt want to pay insurance on all 3, especially since we won't be driving the YJ.

Or, if we want to be really risky, we could put plates on it from another car. But thats like, a felony.

 

[Dry suit diver]

Thanks for all the replies.

We have a towbar, and the place were towing it to is only about 20 minutes down the road. So we were thinking of making a run for it, so to speak. I can't afford to rent dollys and such, its a YJ with 33 inch tires on it, so they may not work anyways. Basically, I live in an apt complex that is threatening to tow it, because we're not allowed 3 vehicles. And we removed the tags because we got a third vehicle and didnt want to pay insurance on all 3, especially since we won't be driving the YJ.

Or, if we want to be really risky, we could put plates on it from another car. But thats like, a felony.

thats not like a felony it is a felony

 

[David]

Contact your insurer. Often, they can cover a vehicle for one trip for a nominal fee.

 

[TerryMason]

I would take the ticket for no plates, but I'd pony up for insurance on both vehicles. Even if you just keep it for a month.