Spoke with the traffic court clerks of the following counties: Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Francisco. Here's what they all said, "If
front plates are re-installed and signed off
by police within 30 days, only $10 administrative fee is required. If not corrected in time, $100.
My case was different, I was ticketed by CHP
and signed off by CHP so no admin fee since it's the same agency. It's still $100 if not
corrected within 30 days.
The traffic court supports several agencies
(i.e. police, sheriff, parking enforcement,
etc.) hence the admin fee.