Come January, Wisconsinites can hit the road sporting one of two new specialty license plate designs.
“Blackout” plates — a design that’s exploded in popularity in states like Minnesota and Iowa — and a retro yellow design were approved in the state budget.
The state Department of Transportation told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel it will “begin the design process to meet the goal of having the plates available for issuance in January 2026.”
No mockups of the designs are available, but the budget specified the major design components.
The blackout plate will have a black background with white letters for “Wisconsin” and the plate number.
The design will likely look similar to the popular Road America plate, which includes an outline of its four-mile, 14-turn track in Elkhart Lake.
The color scheme matches any vehicle and appeals to people who hadn’t even heard of the racetrack, Road America’s president and general manager previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Road America officials have said they have no issues with creating a separate blackout plate in Wisconsin, and their plate will remain available.
The other new “retro” design will have a yellow background with black letters displaying “America’s Dairyland” and “Wisconsin,” along with the plate number.
Evers’ budget proposal said the yellow plate would resemble butter — seemingly a way to honor the state’s dairy industry.
The two plates will join around 60 specialty license plates available in Wisconsin, representing sports teams, universities, military branches, hobbies, the environment and more.
New plates are one source of increased revenue for DOT
Why were license plates included in the state budget, a financial document that sets spending levels for state government programs?
The new license plates are expected to generate millions in revenue over two years — $4.6 million in the first fiscal year and $12 million in the second.
Either plate will cost $15 when it’s first issued to motorists, plus a $25 fee each year.
State Rep. Paul Melotik, a Republican from Grafton who authored a separate bill earlier this year to create the design, previously said the financial impact of the plates would be significant.
“Given the escalating cost of road projects and bridge construction, the income generated from sales of these plates could help in financing these essential infrastructure projects,” he said.
The new plates are one way the budget increased revenue for the department’s transportation and infrastructure projects.
A $50 increase to vehicle title fees and a $8.50 bump to driver’s license fees will also boost the department’s revenue by some $124 million over two years.
And the fee to replace lost, destroyed or illegible plates will be $6 instead of $4 to reflect production costs, the DOT said.
Those fee hikes take effect Oct. 1.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Blackout, retro license plates approved in Wisconsin state budget. When can you get one?
Reporting by Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
