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Health & Fitness

You're Getting New License Plates!

The Department of Transportation provides the following information:

 LICENSE PLATE REISSUANCE, SUMMER/FALL 2013

 

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    1.
What is license plate reissuance?

 

Reissuance is the replacement of a complete series of license plates that have exceeded their life cycle.  Once a license plate series has been identified for reissuance, it occurs automatically at renewal, and is done at no cost to the motorist.

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  1. What license plates will be reissued?

 

DMV will reissue all sesquicentennial plates and all remaining auto plates that have red letters.  Auto plates with black letters are not being replaced at this time.  Both plate types will be replaced with a standard, black-letter auto plate of the current “sailing farmer” design.

 

        

 

DMV is also developing priorities for replacing other series of license plates.  Sesquicentennial and red letter auto plates are the oldest plates currently in circulation and are most in need of replacement.

 

  1. When will this happen?

 

DMV will begin reissuance of sesquicentennial and red letter auto plates with October 2013 renewals.  Renewal notices for these plates will begin to be mailed the last weekend of August.  The reissuance process occurs automatically when a registration renewal is completed.

 

  1. How will a motorist know his or her plates are getting reissued?

 

Motorists who have plates that are scheduled for reissuance will receive a renewal letter rather than a postcard, explaining the reissuance process.

 

  1. Why aren’t sesquicentennial plates being replaced with new sesquicentennial plates?

Sesquicentennial plates were a limited edition series of license plates created to commemorate Wisconsin’s 150th birthday.  They were available for a limited period from 1996-1998 at which time the statutory authority to issue sesquicentennial plates was automatically repealed.

 

From 1998 – 2008, DMV used the remaining stock of sesquicentennial plates for replacement purposes.  Since 2008 DMV has not issued ANY sesquicentennial plates.   In an absence of statutory authority to issue sesquicentennial plates, and in the interest of public safety, it is the right time to retire this limited edition series.

 

  1. Why are we doing this?

 

Both the sesquicentennial and red letter series of plates are beyond their projected life cycles.  As license plates age their reflectivity decreases and they fade.  Reduced reflectivity means the plate is less visible to other motorists at night and faded license plates become difficult for law enforcement to read.

 

        

 

The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators provides standards for license plate design.  AAMVA recommends that license plates be designed with white backgrounds and black letters in order to provide the best contrast and visibility to law enforcement.  Red letters are the least desirable as recommended by AAMVA. 

 

  1. What is the process?

 

For renewals done by mail or internet: The motorist will be mailed a certificate of registration, but in lieu of an expiration sticker there will be an informational insert explaining that his or her

 

license plates were reissued and will be arriving via USPS.  License plates will be mailed separately and will include the necessary sticker kit along with an additional informational insert explaining why the motorist has received new plates.

 

For renewals done by DMV third party agents:  The motorist will receive his or her sticker and certificate of registration from the agent as normal.  The motorist will receive the new license plates along with the necessary sticker kit in the mail in 7-10 days. An informational brochure will be provided to the agents to assist in answering questions regarding reissuance.

 

For renewals done at DMV service centers that issue license plates:   DMV operates 28 full service centers that perform license plate renewal services.  Motorists renewing their license plates at one of these centers will receive their new license plates with the necessary sticker kit over the counter from the DMV agent.  DMV centers that are not full service will not perform registration renewals or reissuance of license plates.

 

  1. How many plates will be reissued?

 

In total, about 160,000 sesquicentennial and 130,000 red letter auto plates will be reissued.  Beginning with October ’13 renewals, DMV expects to reissue on average about 25,000 sets of plates per month.  Reissuance of these series of plates will be completed when an entire renewal cycle has passed in September of 2014.

 

  1. What happens to the old plates?

 

Motorists can keep the old plates as mementos or they can discard / recycle them.  They do not need to return them to the DMV.  They should not bring them to DMV customer service centers to turn them in.  They must not continue to display them on their vehicles once they receive their new plates, as they will become invalid at that time.

 

  1. Duplicate Personalized Plate Messages

When the Sesquicentennial plates were first issued, the same personalized message could be issued to different subscribers on different plate types.  While DMV no longer does this, there are 715 personalized Sesquicentennial plates that have the same message as standard issue personalized plates issued to other customers.  The DMV will contact each affected Sesquicentennial plate holder beginning in early August to assist in selecting a new personalized message.  On average, about 14 customers will be affected by this each week over the next year, until the reissuance process is complete.

 

 

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