You mean a license plate frame? It's not really part of the license plate at all. I took mine off entirely when I moved states. That said some states (like Pen

You mean a license plate frame? It's not really part of the license plate at all. I took mine off entirely when I moved states. That said some states (like Pennsylvania) have their tourism department slogan or website on the standard plate (visitPA.com for Pennsylvania). So yeah, you're paying a subsidized rate to carry around an advertisement for your state.