Personalized and special group license plates - frequently asked questions

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  • Automobiles (including SUVs, vans and mini vans)
  • Pick-up trucks (up to 8,000 pounds)
  • Autocycles (you will get 2 normal sized plates if you are getting any special plate other than standard personalized)
  • Motorhomes
  • Motorcycles (bi-annual)
  • Farm plated-vehicles (12,000 pound bi-annual plates only).

Collector and Hobbyist plates (only) can also be issued to pick-up trucks over 8,000 pounds, mopeds, buses, and tractor trailers.

Messages that are:

  • Profane
  • Denote violence towards someone or something.
  • Sexually explicit terms
  • Prejudicial terms
  • References to illegal acts or substances
  • Falsely identifying as law enforcement or government organizations
  • Messages that are difficult to distinguish
  • Messages that are already issued (cannot be duplicated)

WI Statutes 341.145 (7) and 341.145 (8) give the Department the right to refuse a message and to recall an inappropriate message respectively.

The vehicle must be titled to you in the state of Wisconsin. If the vehicle is not titled to you in Wisconsin, you will need to apply for title and registration through eMV Public or mail.

It cannot have any disqualifying brands:

  • Salvage
  • No Op WI Roads
  • Title Only [TO] Defective title.

Vehicles/Customers that have the following must resolve them before applying for special plates:

  • Administrative suspensions (bad check)
  • Traffic Violations (TVRP)
  • Safety Responsibility/Damage Judgement (SR/DJN),
  • BR suspension on registration (license plates)
  • Tampered suspension (TMPD)
  • Emissions suspension (IM)
  • Not eligible for product suspension (NEP)

You will need to submit an MV2428, Personalized License plate application (regardless of the type of plate you will want later), and $15. You will receive confirmation via email or mail notifying you that the message is reserved for 2 years. This process cannot be done online or over the phone and must be mailed in.

When you want to order the physical plate, you will need to submit the reservation slip with the appropriate special plate application (based on the plate type that you want). If you do not request the physical plate within the 2 year time frame, you will need to re-reserve the message to retain it for another 2 years.

$15 annually

$30 for motorcycle and farm plates every even year and $15 every odd year as these are biannual plates.

You can search if a message is available by clicking here. To ensure an accurate result, omit spaces when searching (you can request spacing when you apply).

Normally, it takes 4-6 non personalized special plates, and 6-8 weeks for personalized special plates to be processed, made, and received. You can click here to Check processing time for DMV products and verify what date we are currently working on applications received.

Yes. Contact the Special Plates Unit for specific information.

No. You can apply for personalized or special group license plates at any time. However, it is more cost effective to apply three months before your current plates are renewed. The $15 personalized plate fee, and any special group license plate that requires a donation, is charged at renewal time each year. If your current plates are due to expire within three months, send your regular registration renewal fee (including wheel tax, if applicable) with the personalized or special group license plate application and fee.

Send a copy of the certificate of registration with a request to receive regular license plates. If your current plates expire within three months, add the regular registration renewal fee (including wheel tax, if applicable).

No. If your plates have been damaged or if you want to change your special group license plate decal, you must apply for a replacement/duplicate set OR submit an application with your new request.

No. Regardless of if there is a space or no space, if it's the same characters it will not be allowed.

Example: WIST and WI ST are the same, even though one has a space, and one does not.

If you need to replace your generic Wisconsin plate, but would like to keep the same number, you will need to apply for that number as a personalized message. You will then have that same number assigned to you and will be charged $15 personal plate fee every year. Otherwise, if you replace the generic plate, you will get a new number.
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Special Plates Unit
Email Wisconsin DMV email service
Phone (608) 266-3041
Fax (608) 267-5106