Is your Indiana license plate “aesthetic” enough? What if you could procure a blacked-out plate to match a matte black paint job?
If you’ve ever pondered either of these critically important and on-trend questions, you’re the target market for a new state revenue boost.
Beginning Aug. 8, the Indiana Department of Motor Vehicles says it will offer a new “blackout plate” replete with a “clean, modern aesthetic” that will help Hoosier motorists “express their individuality.”
The blackout plate is as it sounds: A black, rectangular license plate bordered by a thin, white stripe featuring stamp-pressed white text.
The unveiling of the new design brought Indiana in line with several other states that began offering blacked-out plates in recent years, including Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota and Mississippi. Officials say they’re popular with the motoring public and particularly among enthusiasts.
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ new blackout plate, featuring a black background with white characters, will be available to Hoosier drivers starting August 8, 2025.
A disability-accessible version of the blackout plate is in the works, according to BMV officials.
For bill author Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, blackout plates provide the state with a “really simple” additional revenue stream at a time when Indiana is slashing government spending and extending new property tax credits to homeowners.
According to the BMV, blackout license plates will be available to all Indiana residents registering motor vehicles, light trucks weighing less than 11,000 pounds, motorcycles or recreational vehicles.
The black-and-white theme cannot be merged with any of the state’s other specialty license plate designs. Blackout plate numbers can still be personalized in exchange for the standard $45 fee.
Speaking of fees, here’s how the cost will break down once the BMV begins offering blackout license plates Aug. 8:
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Alternate license plate design fee: $45
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Optional personalized license plate message fee: $45
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Replacement plate fee (before renewal): $9.50
You can learn more by reviewing the BMV’s blackout plate “frequently asked question” page.
If other states’ experience with blackout plates are anything to go by, the rollout could be a hit: Not long after Iowa unveiled its own blackout design in 2019, state motorists purchased so many stocks quickly ran low, the Des Moines Register reported.
“Nothing has ever really been like this,” Iowa Department of Transportation official Paul Cornelius told the newspaper with regard to the distinctive-but-simplistic design. “We haven’t had any other plates that have been this significant and, I would say, have been this popular, this fast.”
Indiana BMV Commissioner Kevin Garvey has said the feedback he’s gotten from Hoosiers shows the new plate design will be popular.
“This is going to be really, really exciting, and we’re certainly looking forward to seeing what happens,” Garvey said.
Houston may be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Indiana will roll out ‘blackout’ license plates. What to know.
