Oregon's Requirements

The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues two license plates to registered vehicles that are to be displayed on the front and back of each vehicle. For motorcycles, mopeds, campers and some other vehicles, including antique vehicles, only one plate is issued and only one must be displayed.

Oregon vehicle plates must not be altered or covered by any material that alters appearance. This includes license plate frames or holders, which must not prevent the numbers, letters, or stickers from being read.

Oregon has a catalog of available specialty plates on the license plates page. Scroll down to License Plate Manual, and a link will provide this catalog.

Standard Plates

The main, Regular-issue plates are as follows:

• Tree

• Salmon

• Crater Lake

• Cultural

• HAM amateur radio operator

• Antique vehicle

• Special interest

There are also a number of other plates, including Veteran and service-related, higher education, and non-profit plates, all of which are viewable online at the Oregon DMV's plates page.

New license plates come along with vehicle registration in Oregon if it is a new vehicle, new to Oregon, existing plates are damaged or unreadable, or a change in plates is desired.

Fees for plates are based on the type of vehicle, and type of plate chosen, with the standard plates costing $5 for a set of two. Other fees may be found on the Oregon DMV's fee site.

Specialty plates come with extra charges that provide funding for various causes:

• The $100 additional charge every two years on custom plates goes to the Oregon passenger rails program.

• The $15 per plate fee per two years for Salmon plates is divided between the Governor's Watershed Enhancement Board and State Parks and Recreation Fund.

• The $10 additional per plate fee for Crater Lake plates goes to the National Park Foundation for Crater Lake National Park projects.

• The additional $15 per plate fee for Cultural plates supports the Trust for Cultural Development for arts, heritage, and humanities.

• Additional fees for group plates support the various organizations.

Antique Plates

Oregon offers two types of special plates for older vehicles:

• Antique plates are for vehicles manufactured in 1954 or before. The vehicle must be maintained as a collector's item, and may only be used for antique exhibitions, parades, and related activities.

• Special interest plates are for vehicles that are at least 25 years old and maintained as a collector's item. This designation also applies to vehicles or replicas that qualify as "street rod" vehicles, as well as manufacture dates before 1949. Lastly, this category works for vehicles classified as "special interest" by an established antique vehicle organization.

To apply for either type of plate, complete the appropriate form and submit it to a DMV office.
Both antique and special interest vehicles require only one plate to be displayed, so only one plate will be issued. The plate costs $3 in conjunction with a new registration, or $5 if you're changing or replacing a current plate.

Personalized Plates

Customized, or vanity plates for vehicles in Oregon may be obtained by following these steps:

• Complete the Application for Registration, Renewal, Replacement or Transfer or Plates and/or Stickers, and Custom Plate Application and submit to DMV with fees.

• Pay the fee of $25 per registration year, $25 if current registration has less than one year left, $50 for two-year registration if current registration has between one and two years left; some vehicles may also qualify for $100, four-year registration.

• Pay the $5 fee for two plates, or $3 fee for single plate.

Customized plates typically take between eight and 10 weeks to receive, and if the requested plate is not available, customers will be notified.

Your personalization can have between one and six characters plus one extra space or hyphen. Each character block can have a letter, number or hyphen, or you can leave some blank. However, there are no special characters or punctuation marks allowed.

You cannot personalize a group plate, such as a college or veteran plate. Also, your message cannot be obscene, explicit, or otherwise offensive. See the DMV website for details.

Disability Parking Placards

To obtain a disabled placard, you must provide a valid Oregon driver license or ID Card and a completed Application for Disabled Person Parking with a licensed physician's signature to the DMV, as outlined on the DMV site.

Oregon does not issue disabled license plates, except for disabled veteran plates, which do not give you disability parking privileges.

Surrendering Your Plates

You are not required to surrender your license plates when you move out of state, but it's still a good idea. Surrendering the plates helps protect your identity, and allows Oregon to recycle the plates.

Once you've got your new plates in hand, mail the Oregon plates to:

• DMV Headquarters

• 1905 Lana Ave. NE

• Salem, OR 97314

If you sell your vehicle and do not transfer the plates, surrender them to your nearest DMV location.

You are required by law to maintain insurance on your vehicle, so if you or your provider cancels your policy, surrender your plates to the DMV.

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