​California did not issue temporary license plates for new vehicle purchases until 2019. Prior to 2019, California was unusual among the U.S. states in not requiring any form of temporary license plate. Vehicle dealers were still required to electronically report sales of new vehicles to the DMV, but they were only required to print out a DMV report-of-sale form at the time of sale.
Newly purchased vehicles typically drove around for a month or more with nothing but a dealer's advertisement or logo on a paper plate insert where the license plate would go, and the DMV report-of-sale form was instead taped to the windshield.
This made the new vehicle essentially "untraceable" both by plain visual observation by persons, and by automated means such as license-plate reading systems, red light cameras, and automatic number plate recognition. 

​This led to an epidemic of drivers of newly purchased vehicles cheating tolls on bridges and toll roads where a transponder system is used instead of toll booths, causing the state to lose $15–19 million per year. Because of this, new state legislation was adopted in 2016 requiring temporary license plates in California beginning in 2019. The DMV's reporting system was modified so that dealers could print out the temporary license plates on special paper. The law was inspired by the hit-and-run death of a pedestrian who was struck by a car with dealer paper inserts, and because it had no temporary plates it was impossible to trace the suspect.  
California's previous lack of a temporary plate requirement was jokingly known as the "Steve Jobs loophole" due to the one-time Apple CEO's habit of keeping rolling six-month leases on a series of Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMGs specifically to avoid having to put license plates on the cars.  
California's previous lack of temporary plates was also taken advantage of by criminals, who knew that a car driving with a dealer ad paper insert was both untraceable and did not raise suspicion. 

Florida Animal Friend has been helping animals in the state of Florida since 2006. In 2016, they decided to celebrate their 10-year anniversary by re-designing their plate. The overarching goal of the redesign was to attract more attention to their cause and increase plate purchases and donations. And it worked.
The Animal Friend redesign has had a significant impact on specialty license plate sales. Since its introduction in late 2016, there has been a 35% increase in revenue, from $457,425.00 to $620,900.00. Biennial Fees have also doubled from $65,200.00 in 2016 to $128,800.00. New plate sales have increased each year since the introduction of the new design, from 2,496 to 4,256.
Due to the increased number of plate sales, FAF was able to award over $547,450 in grants to 25 organizations across the state in 2018. All those donations helped reduce pet overpopulation and save lives.
​Most specialty plates see a decline in sales after their 10th anniversary due to the ease at which people can get out of their specialty license plate. The state charges a $28.00 new metal plate fee to switch license plates unless the person has had the plate for 10 years (and has paid the $2.80 "advance replacement fee" during that time). The plate can then be switched out at no cost.

​HB 1135, sponsored by, Rep J.W. Grant (R-Tampa), which was filed on 1/7/20, passed its first committee stop (Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee 13Y 2N) and second stop, in the Transportation and Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee (10Y 0N)on 1/28/20. The Senate companion bill, SB 412 is on the agenda for Infrastructure and Security on February 3, 2020 at 4.00pm. SB 108 (Florida State Beekeepers Association specialty license plate), SB 314 (Toastmasters), SB 322 (Gopher Tortoise), SB 328 (Orlando United), SB 956 (Solar Power) and SB 1454 (Highwaymen) are all on the same agenda.  HB 1135 is now in State Affairs.

In the Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee hearing, a table amendment filed by Rep Geri Thompson (D-Orlando) to include a further 8 specialty license plates for African-American fraternities and sororities failed to pass. A second attempt to group those plates under a Divine Nine amendment failed in the subsequent committee stop.

​Michael Dobson, President/CEO and Executive Director of The Dream Foundation, Inc. waived in opposition to the proposed amendments to the distribution of funds for the Live the Dream specialty license plate, which reduces the administration, promotion and marketing to 5 percent and increases to 60% the distribution of funds to the sickle cell organizations that are Florida members of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.; and 30% to the Miami-based Chapman Partnership, Inc. The Florida chapter of the March of Dimes and the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions are deleted as beneficiaries and up to 5% may be distributed by the DHSMV to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., based in Atlanta, as a royalty for the use of the image on the license plate. In the second committee, Mr Dobson testified and objected to the 5% cap on marketing and Administration and argued for the funds to be distributed for a One Church One Child program and for an in-house program that centers around Amendment 4, Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative. Amendment 4 passed in 2018 after support from Floridians for a Fair Democracy raised $25.3 million and spent $21.5 million. Before this, Florida was one of four states (Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia) where convicted felons do not regain the right to vote, until and unless a state officer or board restores an individual's voting rights. Approval of Amendment 4 meant that Florida joins 19 other states that restore the right to vote after prison time, parole, and probation are completed.  Representatives Joseph Geller (D-Dania Beach) and Bobby DuBose (D-Fort Lauderdale) urged Rep Grant to work with Dobson to discuss the inclusion of those programs as beneficiaries of the Live the Dream specialty license plate.

​In the second Committee, bill sponsor Grant suggested that some license plates' marketing provisions were little more than a 'slush fund' for lobbyists, who had ongoing contracts. He suggested that all plates should be capped at 10% to avoid this. He said others had no marketing funds and was asking to limit the Live the Dream plate to 5%.

For the In God We Trust specialty license plate, the bill revises the distribution of the annual use fees to allow the foundation to use up to 10 percent of the proceeds to offset marketing, administration, and promotion, and the remainder of the proceeds to address the needs of the military community and the public safety community; provide educational grants and scholarships to foster self-reliance and stability in Florida’s children; and provide education in public and private schools regarding the historical significance of religion in American and Florida history. Rep Adam Hattersley (D-Riverview) questioned the proposed changes and the bill sponsor, Rep J.W. Grant (R-Tampa) stated that one of the reasons was to allow the organization to ship feminine products to female service members, which was not allowed under the existing version. Susan Goldstein appeared on behalf of the In God We Trust Foundation and waived in support.

The proposed Auburn University specialty plate was again the subject of discussion and Rep Grant, an Auburn alumni, stated that it is not unusual to have an out of state college license plate since there were "many existing tags that currently fund out of state organizations." But no examples were given.

Rep Grant, an Auburn graduate, has introduced a version of this year’s bill every year since 2017, after a previous failure in another year to amend another bill to create the plate. Twice he convinced the House to approve the measure only to see it die in the Senate.

December 2019 total revenue from sales of specialty license plates increased over 7% to $3,890,930.00 from $3,632,383.00 in December 2018.
New specialty plate sales also increased over 7% to 18,103 from 16,940 in December, 2018.
Endless Summer led the way in new plate sales with a 14% increase to 1,387 from 1,214 in December, 2018.
Miami Heat was next with a 19% increase to 1,080 from 904 in December, 2018.
Helping Sea Turtles Survive saw a 21% increase to 907 new plates, compared to 746 in December, 2018.
University of Florida saw a decline in new plate sales (654 compared to 659).

The Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Bureau of the California Department of Public Health has designed a specialty plate to celebrate the health benefits of bicycling. The plate is expected to raise millions of dollars for bicycle education and encouragement programs, such as earn-a-bike programs for at-risk youth, middle and high school programs, advocacy for bicycles as transportation, and safety and share the road education programs for drivers and cyclists.

The Department of Motor Vehicles will issue the plate only after 7,500 people have placed pre-orders. Then, the bicycle plate will be available to everyone as a choice whenever they register their car each year. 

Florida specialty plate revenue increased from $33,509,016.00 in 2018 to $34,898,951.00 in 2019, according to the latest statistics issued by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Six specialty plates raised over $1 million, two of which raised over $2 million - University of Florida and Endless Summer. Endless Summer now looks set to surpass UF in 2020 if sales continue to grow and UF sales continue to stagnate.

Total plate sales increased to 1,504,955, nearly getting back to the pre-increase in DMV fees that were imposed in 2009, when total specialty plate sales was 1,534,608.

However, actual total annual revenue increased to $34,898,951.00, which surpassed the 2008 revenue, pre-increase in DMV fees that were imposed in 2009, when total specialty plate revenue was $34,383,254.65, 

This was first posted on 2/24/2015.​

​According to the Florida DHSMV, (information provided by Alvin Speights), the cost to the DMV for a regular Florida license plate is $1.62 and, for a personalized regular Florida license plate, it is $1.82.
The cost to the DMV for a specialty Florida license plate is $2.82 and for a personalized Florida specialty license plate it is $3.07.
The estimated cost to the DMV of the renewal/decal is 43 cents.
For Florida specialty license plates, the state charges a $5.00 annual specialty license plate processing fee and the state charges a $28.00 'metal plate replacement fee' for all new plates. Subsequently, it is covered either by a $28.00 payment or, if a customer has retained their existing plate for 10 years, that cost is covered by the annual $2.80 'advance plate replacement fee' that the customer has paid. If someone switches plates before the expiration of the 10-year plate replacement cycle period, there is no pro rata allocation of those fees. The DHSMV also takes an annual administration fee to cover all their costs out of the retained biennial fees, calculated on a pro rata basis per specialty license plate.

Kentucky motorists with some special license plates will be required to pay an additional charitable donation to the organization represented on the plate. Currently, $10 donations are optional, but as of Monday, Dec. 30, the $10 donation is required.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said in a news release that the change affects 29 special license plates.
Most special plates already have a donation requirement that won’t change.
The change also requires approved nonprofit organizations to maintain at least 500 registrations annually for the cabinet to continue producing the plate design.
New fees for the 29 special plates will be $44 when first purchased and $44 at annual registration renewal.
The plates with a new donation requirement are:

• Alzheimer’s Awareness
• Autism Awareness
• Breast Cancer Awareness
• Kentucky Chiropractic Association
• Choose Life
• WHAS Crusade 4 Children
• Curing Childhood Cancer
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
• Kentucky Firefighter Association
• Friends of Coal
• Juvenile Diabetes
• Keeneland Association
• KEEP Foundation
• Kentucky Colonel
• Kentucky Dental Association
• Kentucky Library Association
• League of Kentucky Sportsmen
• Linemen
• Louisville Zoo
• Masonic Order of KY
• Norton Children’s Hospital
• Quail Unlimited
• Rock Cares
• Ryder Cup
• Share The Road
• Smallmouth Bass
• Trust for Life
• National Wild Turkey Federation

The administrative and pricing adjustments are being made to comply with legislative changes made during the spring General Assembly.
The majority of special license plates such as military plates, university/collegiate plates and nature plates, already have a donation requirement that will not change according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet press release.

Montana’s selection of more than 250 license plates may shrink after the new year as changes passed by the 2019 Montana Legislature go into effect.
Sponsored plates — ones with special designs that raise money for organizations of all kinds — will be discontinued if fewer than 400 Montana drivers choose those plates.
“It’s now that you have to not only meet that 400, but you have to maintain it throughout the existence of the plate sponsorship,” said Joann Loehr, the vehicle services bureau chief at the Montana Motor Vehicle Division.
The change comes from Senate Bill 353, which revised a variety of license plate and other vehicle-related laws. Making the plates easier to read for law enforcement officers, Loehr said, was part of the reason for the change.
Right now, Montana has 266 specialty license plates. All kinds of organizations sponsor plates: food banks, colleges, veterans associations and a variety of nonprofits. For some, the plates are a minor source of income and losing the revenue the plates bring wouldn’t be a big deal. For smaller and lesser-known organizations, it may mean scaling back operations and programs.
“We’re going to be phased out at the end of 2020 if we don’t have 400 plates,” said Brad Benne, who works with the Rocky Mountain Hemophilia & Bleeding Disorders Association. “That’s five, six grand. For us, a small nonprofit, it’s a big deal.”
All sponsors of specialty plates received a letter notifying them of the change in the fall of this year. Benne said the organization would be okay without the income from the plates, but that it may have to cut its scholarship program.
“Will we be fine if it goes away? Yes, absolutely,” he said. “But I think some folks out there really count on it. We’ve only had [the plate] for two years. I would love a little more time.”
The number of plates required to continue isn’t the only change stemming from the bill. Previously, sponsors only needed to certify once to be approved for a specialty plate. Now, that certification will need to happen annually. Another change is that at least 75% of the revenue that comes from the plate sales must be spent in Montana.
Project WET, a water education and resource nonprofit based in Bozeman, only recently received approval for its sponsored plates. Morgan Close, Project WET’s vice president of projects and programs, said since the plates were so new, the state is giving the organization a little more time to hit that 400 mark.
“My understanding is that we have three years, because ours was just released,” Close said. “It’s amazing to see the revenue that some organizations are bringing in. We’re hopeful that ours will get up there after it’s been available for a little bit longer.”