Wrongfully ticketed for failure to display valid tags

[JMullane]

What is the name of your state? DC

My car was parked on-street legally in an unzoned parking area. I was ticketed 3 times for $100 each for "FAIL TO DISPLAY VALID TAGS", and the ticket lists my registration expiration as "Feb 2008". At the time of ticketing the Feb 2010 sticker was correctly displayed on the windshield, and the expired sticker was still displayed on the rear license plate. I would guess that the traffic cops saw the plate sticker, but ignored the windshield sticker.

I recently came to the District of Colombia to work temporarily. My car is registered in Connecticut and I renewed the registration in December 2007. The new registration expires in Feb 2010.

Connecticut recently switched from license plate stickers to windshield stickers. The sticker came with instructions that said you may remove the expired plate sticker (which is VERY difficult) or black the old sticker out with a marker, but you are not obligated to do so and properly displaying the windshield sticker is sufficient.

I have heard that DC will ticket cars registered in DC that fail to remove expired stickers. However, can DC enforce that law on a car with a CT registration? It seems like if I followed the directions that came with my registration sticker, I should be fine.

If they can enforce their registration display rules on cars from other states, isn't that open to major exploitation of out-of-staters. What about states that issue different instructions about where to put the plate or window sticker?

I'd like to fight these tickets ($300 is a lot of money). Does anyone have any suggestions as to what evidence to bring with me? I have the instructions that came with my car registration sticker that say I am under no obligation to remove the expired sticker, I have the registration itself, and I suppose I can take a picture of the sticker on my windshield (though I have no way to prove the sticker was displayed at the time I was ticketed - and I don't know how to prove that I didn't apply the sticker after the ticket was issued).

I worry that they will accuse me of putting the windshield sticker on after I got the ticket, or say that I am subject to fines for displaying the expired sticker while in DC despite the display rules that apply in Connecticut.What is the name of your state?