If you’ve been out and about on Utah’s roads lately, you may have noticed that your fellow drivers are sporting some new looks– familiar specialty plates are getting new designs, a new standard-issue plate has joined the lineup, professional sports teams can now sponsor plates, and the popular black historical plate is changing too.
These visible changes are part of a broader overhaul of Utah’s license plate system. Recent legislation, a statewide redesign effort, and changes to production, eligibility, fees, and funding have reshaped both the plates available to drivers and the system behind them. Buckle up and join us for a quick tour through all these new developments.
From Two Plates to One
Even before the recent wave of redesigns, Utah began modernizing its license plate system to improve cost efficiency and save drivers some time. Under S.B. 45, “License Plate Revisions” (2024 General Session) the state shifted from issuing two plates per vehicle to only one. Vehicles now need only a rear plate, though drivers may request a second plate for an additional fee. This legislation also centralized distribution, so that plates are now mailed directly to customers through the U.S. Postal Service, eliminating an extra trip to the DMV. Separate month and year stickers became a single decal, new plates moved to flat-printed characters, and plates now feature an embossed edge.
Who’s Behind the Plate?
After updating the underlying production and distribution process, the state launched a major redesign effort. As of August 2026, Utah has redesigned 66 plates and introduced one new standard-issue plate.
Thanks to S.B. 45 and H.B. 481, “Transportation Modifications” (2026 General Session), the effort follows a more formal review process. S.B. 45 created a three-member License Plate Design Review Board and provided funding for the Tax Commission to contract with a vendor to design license plates. The Tax Commission entered a five-year design contract in January 2025 and spent approximately $17,000 in FY 2025 and $26,000 in FY 2026 on design services.
As for H.B. 481, this bill reorganized and expanded the framework for reviewing and approving new license plate designs. The legislation placed the Design Review Board in its own section of statute (41-1a-1611) and assigned the Governor’s Office of Economic Development the responsibility of proposing or accepting proposals to change the design of a standard license plate, identifying which existing design would be replaced, and submitting the design to the Design Review Board.
The Limited-Edition America 250 Plate
Utah also introduced the America 250 standard-issue plate to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. In August 2026, the Tax Commission reported that approximately 76,000 plates had been issued since the design debuted on June 1. The plate will remain available through July 31, 2027.
A White Classic Plate Joins the Lineup
During the 2025 General Session, Utah’s popular black historical plate gained a counterpart through H.B. 324, “Special Group License Plate Amendments.” The legislation directed the DMV to create a classic support special-group plate with a white background, black characters, and the word “Utah.” Applicants pay a $25 contribution, which is transferred to the General Fund.
The Historic Black Plate & College Plates
Since the introduction of the historic black plate, these plates have taken over Utah highways and city streets. Currently, the black historical plate carries a $25 voluntary contribution, scheduled to increase to $50 beginning on January 1, 2027, with the passage of S.B. 91, “Motor Vehicle Registration Services Amendments” (2026 General Session). See the revenue breakdown below:
The 2025 legislation also expanded how Utah colleges and universities may use contributions generated by their plates. Previously limited to academic scholarships, the money may now also support an institution’s intercollegiate athletics program by compensating student-athletes for the use of their name, image, or likeness.
2026 legislation clarified that an institution may sponsor separate plates for academic scholarships and intercollegiate athletics, so drivers may now find that they have two options for supporting their preferred school.
A New Path for Creating Specialty Plates
H.B. 481 significantly changed how a new sponsored special-group plate moves from an idea to production. Rather than collecting 500 completed preorders and contributions, a sponsoring organization applies to the DMV and pays service fees covering start-up, implementation, programming, and design. The DMV then maintains a list of interested vehicle owners. Joining the list does not require a fee or deposit, and design work may begin once at least 250 people have expressed interest.
The bill also allows the DMV to charge an ongoing service fee for an existing sponsored plate with fewer than 250 subscribers. For those low-volume plates, the service fee becomes part of the amount an applicant pays to obtain or renew the plate. This ties the cost of operating a smaller plate program more directly to its users.
Specialty Plates Face More Oversight
As Utah’s plate lineup evolves, lawmakers have added new review, cost-recovery, and reporting requirements. H.B. 481 revised the rule for discontinuing a low-volume sponsored plate. Instead of discontinuing a plate after three consecutive years with fewer than 500 registered vehicles, the DMV now discontinues a plate after two consecutive calendar years with fewer than 50 registered vehicles. Discontinuance begins 90 days after the annual review is completed.
The State Tax Commission must also submit an annual report to the Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee by November 1 showing the revenue allocated from each plate, the recipients and amounts, and the number of each plate type in circulation.
The Legislature also expanded who may sponsor a Utah plate. H.B. 324 added corporate-brand plates and a category for Utah-based major league sports teams to the state’s sponsored special-group plate program.
Sports-themed plates are not entirely new—readers may be familiar with an existing Utah Jazz plate—but the law created a broader framework for qualifying major league teams. That framework has since supported additional offerings, including the Utah Mammoth plate, which became available on August 18, 2026.
Contributions from corporate brand plates go to the Transportation Fund. A Utah-based major league sports team may direct its plate contributions either to an eligible charitable purpose or to the Transportation Fund.
Faded Plates and Readability
H.B. 481 also addressed the condition of plates already on the road. Drivers must keep plates in good repair and replace plates that have faded, peeled, or discolored enough to become illegible. The DMV must waive the replacement fee when deterioration is caused by a manufacturing defect, although the law presumes that deterioration on a plate that is at least five years old is not a manufacturing defect.
More Than a New Look
Utah’s license plate overhaul has streamlined distribution, expanded plate choices and sponsorships, changed how revenue is allocated, and strengthened oversight of specialty and unreadable plates.
Together, these changes affect drivers, sponsoring organizations, and the public funds that receive plate contributions—and the results are visible every day on Utah roads.
Drivers can explore the current lineup of standard-issue and special-group plates in the Utah DMV license plate catalog.