The state Department of Motor Vehicles is reminding New Yorkers of changes to the law that now bans the sale of license plate covers and increases penalties for those convicted of obscuring a license plate to avoid detection or toll collection.

The new sections of the law took effect on September 1 and are part of ongoing enforcement efforts under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s direction, including the establishment of a multi-agency task force to crack down on “ghost” plates and “ghost” cars using fake or altered plates.

“These changes to the law are meant to make sure that everyone who makes use of public infrastructure is paying their fair share to use them,” said Mark Schroeder, state DMV commissioner and chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. “Toughening the law will also help authorities crack down on criminals who try to avoid detection when committing crimes by making use of ghost plates or license plate coverings.”

The new law increases penalties for covering a license plate with a glass or plastic covering, or with any kind of material or substance that could distort a recorded or photographic image of the plate taken by a traffic camera or electronic toll reader.

Fines are increasing from not less than $100 to no more than $500, and anyone convicted of purposely obscuring their plate with a cover or special material will have to surrender that cover or material. Repeat plate covering offenders with three or more convictions within five years will now face a 90-day suspension of their vehicle registration.

It is also now illegal to sell or distribute those materials and covers, or any material designed to look like a lawful license plate but has not been legally issued by the state DMV or similar agencies in other states.