Code of Vermont Rules › Agency 14 - AGENCY OF TRANSPORTATION › Sub-Agency 050 - MOTOR VEHICLES DEPARTMENT › Chapter 025 - DMV RULE NO. 16 - REGISTRATION PLATES › Section 14 050 025 - DMV RULE NO. 16 - REGISTRATION PLATES

Current through June, 2024
Section I
			 Special Plates
(a) Special number plates
			 marked with initials, letters or combination of numerals and letters (vanity
			 plates) are available for all number plate types except U. S. House and U. S.
			 Senate, State House and State Senate, State Speaker, zone, safety
			 organizations, service organizations, Veterans, Pearl Harbor, Purple Heart,
			 former prisoner of war (POW), vehicles registered under the International
			 Registration Plan (IRP), Amateur Radio Operator, snowmobiles and
			 boats.
(b) There are seven (7)
			 spaces on Vermont plates and the applicant may request any combination of
			 letters and numbers with the following exceptions:
(1) No more than two (2) numbers allowed in
			 combination with letters. The department considers an "O" as a zero except that
			 special Amateur Radio Operator plates may be issued with one (1) zero (0),
			 slashed as a number and any number of "O's" (oceans) as required up to a
			 maximum total of six (6) characters.
(2) No dots, dashes, hyphens, apostrophes,
			 ampersands, or number signs are allowed on special plates. Only letters,
			 numbers, or spaces are allowable. A special plate must begin with a letter, or
			 number, or space. No special plate may begin with "Z".
(3) When a plate is issued that contains the
			 letter "I" the department will not issue the same combination of letters with a
			 number "1" in place of the "I". For example: "EIEIO" and "EIEIO".
(4) The small letter "c" is allowed on
			 special plates as long as the plate does not begin or end with this letter.
			 Exception: It may not be issued for small trailers, motorcycles, mopeds or
			 ATV's.
(5) Antique and exhibit
			 vehicle special plates are limited to 4 characters which cannot consist of one
			 alpha and two numeric or one alpha and three numeric.
(6) State plates are limited to 5
			 characters.
(7) Vehicle
			 registration plates smaller than 6" x 12" in size, which can only accommodate 6
			 characters/spaces.
(c) A
			 special (vanity) plate may be issued to each series of plate types, for
			 example, as a pleasure car plate and also as a truck plate if it displays a
			 "TRK" designation on the left edge of the plate or any other plate type except
			 those listed in (a) above.
(d)
			 Special plates are available for vehicles qualifying for disabled plates
			 (wheelchair symbol). Up to a maximum of five (5) spaces are allowed since the
			 wheelchair symbol takes up one and one-half spaces. If the plate has been
			 issued for a regular plate the department will not issue it as a disabled plate
			 also, unless the registrant has a change of status and surrenders the previous
			 special plate.
(e) To retain the
			 same initial or letters each year, the application and fee must be received by
			 the department within 60 days after expiration.
(f) The primary purpose of motor vehicle
			 registration plates is to identify motor vehicles. The special plate is a
			 nonpublic forum. Nothing in the issuance of a special plate creates a
			 designated or limited public forum. All new applications for special plates
			 will be carefully reviewed and will be issued only when it has been established
			 within reasonable means that the requested number or letters and/or combination
			 of letters, numerals, and spaces are appropriate for display on a motor
			 vehicle. The following is a non-exhaustive list of combinations that will not
			 be issued:
(1) Combination of letters, or
			 numbers with any connotation, in any language, that is vulgar, derogatory,
			 profane, scatological or obscene;
(2) Combinations of letters, or numbers that
			 connote, in any language, breast, genitalia, pubic area, or buttocks or relate
			 to sexual or eliminatory functions. Additionally, "69" formats are prohibited
			 unless used in combination with the vehicle make, for example, "69
			 CHEV";
(3) Combinations of letters,
			 or numbers that connote, in any language:
(i)
			 any illicit drug, narcotic, intoxicant, or related paraphernalia;
(ii) the sale, the user, or the purveyor of
			 such a substance; or
(iii) the
			 physiological state produced by such a substance;
(4) Combination of letters, or numbers that
			 refer, in any language, to a race, religion, color, deity, ethnic heritage,
			 gender, sexual orientation, disability status, or political affiliation;
			 provided, however, the commissioner shall not refuse a combination of letters
			 or numbers that is a generally accepted reference to a race or ethnic heritage
			 (for example, IRISH);
(5)
			 Combinations of letters, or numbers that suggest, in any language, a government
			 or governmental agency;
(6)
			 Combinations of letters or numbers that suggest, in any language, a privilege
			 not given by law in this state;
(7)
			 Combinations of letters or numbers that form, in any language, a slang term,
			 abbreviation, phonetic spelling or mirror image of a word described in (1)
			 through (6).
An applicant whose request for a specific combination has been
				denied will receive written notice of the denial, the basis for the
				denial.
(g) If a
			 special plate has been issued that is found to be described in (1) through (7)
			 above that plate may be revoked. The registrant will be issued written notice
			 of the revocation. The notice shall be made in the same manner as license or
			 registration suspensions or revocations set forth in
			 23 V.S.A. §
											204, and shall include the right to a
			 pre-revocation hearing. When a special plate is revoked pursuant to this
			 section, the registrant may select a different, appropriate special plate at no
			 extra cost or may select a regular plate and receive a refund of the special
			 plate fee.