Is it illegal to not have a front License Plate in california?

My dad has a 2006 Honda Civic Si. He recently installed a expensive body kit. He hates it that he has to drill holes in the new body kit in the front bumper. Can the car be driven without a front license plate? Or can you put it in the front windshield of the driver's side?

You can do anything you want with your license plate, but if some cop is looking for an excuse to stop you, a improperly displayed plate (like one in a windshield) will get your dad in a jam. Yes you need a front plate in CA and it needs to be displayed in the proper position, My Friend got a wild hair one day, did some research and in the course of his research found out there was no law against an upside down license plate. So in protest he put it on, upside down, and promptly received an 80 dollar ticket for improperly displayed license plate (there's a law against THAT) I'm with your dad, but not the cops, so better to not stand out on the freeway, blend in and go with the flow. Bumper or grill, windshield is not an option Law: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=5201.
" License plates shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging, shall be mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible, and so that the characters are upright and display from left to right, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible."

Wife's New Beetle went 8 years before getting a ticket for having no front plate.
On my smart Fortwo I have the front plate mounted to the tow bolt hole.
Otherwise he can mount the plate from the underside forward and up. He should have thought of that before blowing all that money on a useless body kit. You are correct. California law requires all passenger vehicles to have plates displayed on both the front and rear of the vehicle.

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=5200

Bumper or grill, windshield is not an option

Law: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=5201.
" License plates shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging, shall be mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible, and so that the characters are upright and display from left to right, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible."

Wife's New Beetle went 8 years before getting a ticket for having no front plate.
On my smart Fortwo I have the front plate mounted to the tow bolt hole.
Otherwise he can mount the plate from the underside forward and up.

He should have thought of that before blowing all that money on a useless body kit.

You are correct. California law requires all passenger vehicles to have plates displayed on both the front and rear of the vehicle.

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=5200