Eighteen new specialty license plates are now available for any owner of a non-commercial motor vehicle required to be registered for use on Kentucky highways, Senate Transportation Chair Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, shared last week. Among the new specialty plates is one honoring prisoners of war (POW) or those missing in action (MIA).
“I’m pleased to see a license plate is available to honor and remember the sacrifices of American heroes who did not return home from the battlefield,” Higdon said. “While nothing we do can undo the pain and loss these military families have suffered, it is an additional gesture of gratitude for all our brave service members have given.”
The initial cost for the plate is $44. Personalization is an additional $25. Ten dollars of the initial and renewal fee goes to the Veteran’s Program Trust Fund (VPTF). The Kentucky General Assembly established VPTF as part of the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans’ Bonus Act on December 23, 1988. The purpose of the VPTF is to direct funding to projects and programs that help Kentucky’s veterans for which other funds are not available.
To find all available license plate options and to apply for yours, visit drive.ky.gov.
PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATE
Plate personalization requests are granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) reports it is a possibility that a character combination may become unavailable if the same request was received before your submission. The only valid characters are letters A through Z, numbers 1 through 9, spaces and dashes. Personalized plate character combinations may only appear on one plate at any given time.
SPECIALTY PLATE PROCESS
Any non-profit organization based in Kentucky or with a chapter in Kentucky may apply for a special license plate by emailing KYTC.SpecialLicensePlate@ky.gov. The organization will then receive a packet from Kentucky containing the documents you need to apply.
The non-profit must return the documents listed below to KYTC.SpecialLicensePlate@ky.gov, or mail them to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing, Special License Plates, P.O. Box 1014, Frankfort, KY 40622:
• A letter of request which should include the mission or vision of the organization, a list of all chapters within Kentucky, and any other pertinent information about your organization that you would like to share with the Committee.
• Form TC 96-333, Organization Application for a Special License Plate.
• Proof of non-profit status from the IRS or Articles of Incorporation from the Kentucky Secretary of State.
• Plate image, designed per enclosed specifications. Included in the packet is an Adobe Illustrator file (.ai), and an editable Adobe Document file (.pdf). You may use either format to submit your design.
Once KYTC receives the completed application, the Special License Plate Committee will review it at the next quarterly meeting. Submissions must be received at least 10 business days in advance. Any late submissions will be reviewed at the following meeting. KYTC will send the organization a notice of approval or denial within 30 days after the committee makes its determination. Once the committee approves the plate design, the organization will receive an invoice for the pre-production costs before the plate goes into production. The current cost is $2,500—although KYTC says that may change without notice. The cabinet returns the $10 mandatory contribution to the organization annually at the start of the following calendar year as soon as it receives an audit attestation.
KYTC requires 500 yearly registrations to keep the plate in active production. One probationary year is provided if the number of registrations falls below 500.
Questions concerning any of this may be directed to KYTC.SpecialLicensePlate@ky.gov.
NEW SPECIALTY PLATES
The following are additional specialty plates now available:
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
• Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
• Omega Psi Fraternity
• OHV4KY
• Masonic Order — Motorcycle
• Kentucky Nurses Foundation
• Kentucky CASA Network
• Kentuckians for the Arts
• Kappa Alpha Psi
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
• Friends of Hemp
• Be Kind
• Bardstown Community
• C.O.P.S.
• C.O.P.S. — Motorcycle
• Colon Cancer Prevention
• Congenital Heart Disease