Defective license plates

AN ACT Relating to defective license plates issued by the 1
department of licensing; amending RCW 46.17.200 and 46.16A.200; 2
adding a new section to chapter 46.17 RCW; creating new sections; and 3
providing an effective date. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The department of licensing sells license 6
plates, and sometimes those license plates weather quickly and become 7
illegible. The manufacturer has indicated the license plates will be 8
useable for a number of years, so when the plates delaminate, 9
purchasers are justifiably upset when the replacement for the 10
defective license plate requires payment of fees and taxes. The 11
department of licensing cannot ignore statutory requirements to 12
collect fees and taxes associated with replacement plates. The 13
legislature intends to improve the department of licensing's ability 14
to provide customer service when a license plate fails to last the 15
expected life span by making clear that fees and taxes that were 16
collected when a license plate is initially purchased do not apply 17
when a defective license plate is being replaced.18
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 46.17 19
RCW to read as follows: 20
H-2427.2
HOUSE BILL 2114
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Engell, Hill, Bernbaum, Abell, Low, Hall, Simmons,
Barkis, Barnard, Zahn, Dufault, and Graham
Prefiled 12/08/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Transportation.
p. 1 HB 2114
(1) A person who has been issued a license plate that is 1
defective may request replacement license plates for use on the same 2
vehicle within five years of the issuance date. The defect must 3
render the license plate not functional such as, but not limited to, 4
the numbers are no longer legible or the paint is peeling or 5
bubbling. The department may require the defective plate to be 6
removed from the vehicle and submitted with the request for 7
replacement license plates. 8
(2) If the request for replacement occurs on or before the last 9
day of the 24th month from the date of the license plate issuance, no 10
fees or taxes are due. If the request for a replacement license plate 11
occurs after the last day of the 24th month from the date of issuance 12
through and including the five year anniversary of the date of the 13
issuance, the department may collect the cost of the license plate or 14
set of license plates, the filing fee in accordance with RCW 15
46.17.005, the license service fee in accordance with RCW 46.17.025, 16
the service fee in accordance with RCW 46.17.040(1)(b), and the cost 17
of the tabs depicting the month and year of registration, unless the 18
transaction would otherwise be exempt from such fees, then the 19
exemption still applies. 20
(3) The department is not required to provide a replacement 21
license plate in accordance with subsection (2) of this section in 22
the following circumstances: 23
(a) The license plate has been tampered with by manual means or 24
was damaged in a vehicle collision with another vehicle, building, or 25
object; 26
(b) The defective license plate was associated with a vehicle 27
registered as stolen and the person requesting the plate is not the 28
owner or registered person of the vehicle; 29
(c) The person has already received a replacement for the license 30
plate within five years; 31
(d) The person has applied for or is submitting an application to 32
transfer the license plate to a different vehicle; or33
(e) The department determines the license plate is not associated 34
with a valid registration for the specific vehicle.35
(4) A person with one defective license plate is eligible to 36
receive a replacement set of license plates unless only one license 37
plate is required by law. 38
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(5) For purposes of this section "license plate" includes all 1
license plates that are not temporary plates issued to vehicle owners 2
by the department or by an authorized entity for vehicle licensing.3
Sec. 3. RCW 46.17.200 and 2022 c 182 s 202 are each amended to 4
read as follows: 5
(1) In addition to all other fees and taxes required by law, the 6
department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by 7
the director shall charge: 8
(a) The following license plate fees for each license plate, 9
unless the owner or type of vehicle is exempt from payment or a 10
defective plate is being replaced in accordance with section 2 of 11
this act: 12
13 FEE TYPE FEE DISTRIBUTION
14 Original issue $50.00 RCW 46.68.070
15 Reflectivity $2.00 RCW 46.68.070
16 Replacement $30.00 RCW 46.68.070
17
18
Original issue,
motorcycle
$20.00 RCW 46.68.070
19
20
Replacement,
motorcycle
$12.00 RCW 46.68.070
21
22
Original issue,
moped
$1.50 RCW 46.68.070
(b) A license plate retention fee, as required under RCW 23
46.16A.200(9)(a), of $20 if the owner wishes to retain the current 24
license plate number upon license plate replacement, unless the owner 25
or type of vehicle is exempt from payment. The $20 fee must be 26
deposited in the multimodal transportation account created in RCW 27
47.66.070. 28
(c) A $10 license plate transfer fee, as required under RCW 29
46.16A.200(8)(a), when transferring standard issue license plates 30
from one vehicle to another, unless the owner or type of vehicle is 31
exempt from payment. The $10 license plate transfer fee must be 32
deposited in the motor vehicle fund created in RCW 46.68.070.33
(d) Former prisoner of war license plates, as described in RCW 34
46.18.235, may be transferred to a replacement vehicle upon payment 35
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of a $5 license plate fee, in addition to any other fee required by 1
law. 2
(2) The department may, upon request, provide license plates that 3
have been used and returned to the department to individuals for 4
nonvehicular use. The department may charge a fee of up to $5 per 5
license plate to cover costs or recovery for postage and handling. 6
The department may waive the fee for license plates used in 7
educational projects and may, by rule, provide standards for the fee 8
waiver and restrictions on the number of license plates provided to 9
any one person. The fee must be deposited in the motor vehicle fund 10
created in RCW 46.68.070. 11
(3) $40 of the original issue license plate fee imposed under 12
subsection (1)(a) of this section and $16 of the original issue 13
motorcycle license plate fee imposed under subsection (1)(a) of this 14
section must be deposited in the move ahead WA account created in RCW 15
46.68.510. 16
(4) $20 of the replacement license plate fee imposed under 17
subsection (1)(a) of this section and $8 of the replacement 18
motorcycle license plate fee imposed under subsection (1)(a) of this 19
section must be deposited in the move ahead WA account created in RCW 20
46.68.510. 21
Sec. 4. RCW 46.16A.200 and 2024 c 84 s 1 are each amended to 22
read as follows: 23
(1) Design. All license plates may be obtained by the director 24
from the metal working plant of a state correctional facility or from 25
any source in accordance with existing state of Washington purchasing 26
procedures. License plates: 27
(a) May vary in background, color, and design;28
(b) Must be legible and clearly identifiable as a Washington 29
state license plate; 30
(c) Must designate the name of the state of Washington without 31
abbreviation; 32
(d) Must be treated with fully reflectorized materials designed 33
to increase visibility and legibility at night; 34
(e) Must be of a size and color and show the registration period 35
as determined by the director; and 36
(f) Before July 1, 2010, may display a symbol or artwork approved 37
by the former special license plate review board and the legislature. 38
Beginning July 1, 2010, special license plate series approved by the 39
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department and enacted into law by the legislature may display a 1
symbol or artwork approved by the department. 2
(2) Exceptions to reflectorized materials. License plates issued 3
before January 1, 1968, are not required to be treated with 4
reflectorized materials. 5
(3) Dealer license plates. License plates issued to a dealer must 6
contain an indication that the license plates have been issued to a 7
vehicle dealer. 8
(4)(a) Furnished. The director shall furnish to all persons 9
making satisfactory application for a vehicle registration:10
(i) Two identical license plates each containing the license 11
plate number; or 12
(ii) One license plate if the vehicle is a trailer, semitrailer, 13
camper, moped, collector vehicle, horseless carriage, or motorcycle.14
(b) The director may adopt types of license plates to be used as 15
long as the license plates are legible. 16
(5)(a) Display. License plates must be: 17
(i) Attached conspicuously at the front and rear of each vehicle 18
if two license plates have been issued; 19
(ii) Attached to the rear of the vehicle if one license plate has 20
been issued; 21
(iii) Except as provided in subsection (7)(c)(ii) of this 22
section, kept clean and uncovered and be able to be plainly seen and 23
read at all times unless an exception in (b) of this subsection 24
applies; and 25
(iv) Attached in a horizontal position at a distance of not more 26
than four feet from the ground. 27
(b)(i) The Washington state patrol may grant exceptions to this 28
subsection if the body construction of the vehicle makes compliance 29
with this section impossible. 30
(ii) If the applicable requirements of (b)(iii) of this 31
subsection are met, the display of a single license plate properly 32
attached to a vehicle that has two license plates properly attached 33
in accordance with (a)(i) of this subsection may be temporarily 34
obstructed by one or more of the following devices or by the cargo 35
the device is carrying: 36
(A) A trailer hitch; 37
(B) A wheelchair lift or wheelchair carrier; 38
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(C) A trailer being towed by the vehicle, provided the trailer 1
meets any applicable trailer license plate requirements under this 2
chapter; or 3
(D) A bicycle rack, ski rack, or luggage rack. 4
(iii) The obstruction of a single license plate under (b)(ii) or 5
(b)(iv) of this subsection is only authorized if the following 6
requirements are met: 7
(A) The device is installed according to manufacturer 8
specifications or generally accepted installation practices; and9
(B) The device or cargo the device is carrying does not prevent 10
the license plate from being read from one or more accessible viewing 11
angles when the vehicle is parked, except if the device is a trailer 12
that meets the trailer license plate requirements under this chapter.13
(iv) If the applicable requirements of (b)(iii) of this 14
subsection are met, the display of a single license plate attached to 15
a trailer in accordance with (a)(ii) of this subsection and meeting 16
any applicable trailer license plate requirements under this chapter 17
may be obstructed by a device for transporting a forklift used for 18
product delivery purposes. For purposes of license plate visibility, 19
the single trailer license plate obstructed by a device for carrying 20
a forklift may be relocated on the trailer or the towing vehicle to a 21
position that is more than four feet from the ground.22
(6) Change of license classification. A person who has altered a 23
vehicle that makes the current license plate or plates invalid for 24
the vehicle's use shall: 25
(a) Surrender the current license plate or plates to the 26
department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by 27
the director; 28
(b) Apply for a new license plate or plates; and29
(c) Pay a change of classification fee required under RCW 30
46.17.310. 31
(7) Unlawful acts. It is unlawful to: 32
(a) Display a license plate or plates on the front or rear of any 33
vehicle that were not issued by the director for the vehicle;34
(b) Display a license plate or plates on any vehicle that have 35
been changed, altered, or disfigured, or have become illegible;36
(c)(i) Except as provided in (c)(ii) of this subsection, use 37
license plate holders, frames, covers, or other materials that 38
conceal, obstruct, distort, change, alter, or make a license plate or 39
plates illegible; 40
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(ii) License plate frames may be used on license plates only if 1
the frames do not obscure license tabs or identifying letters or 2
numbers on the plates and the license plates can be plainly seen and 3
read at all times; 4
(d) Operate a vehicle unless a valid license plate or plates are 5
attached as required under this section; 6
(e) Transfer a license plate or plates issued under this chapter 7
between two or more vehicles without first making application to 8
transfer the license plates. A violation of this subsection (7)(e) is 9
a traffic infraction subject to a fine not to exceed $500. Any law 10
enforcement agency that determines that a license plate or plates 11
have been transferred between two or more vehicles shall confiscate 12
the license plate or plates and return them to the department for 13
nullification along with full details of the reasons for 14
confiscation. Each vehicle identified in the transfer will be issued 15
a new license plate or plates upon application by the owner or owners 16
and the payment of full fees and taxes; or 17
(f) Fail, neglect, or refuse to endorse the registration 18
certificate, except as authorized under this section.19
(8) Transfer. (a) Standard issue license plates must be replaced 20
when ownership of the vehicle changes, pursuant to subsection 21
(9)(a)(i) of this section, but the registered owner may retain the 22
license plates and transfer them to a replacement vehicle of the same 23
use. In addition to all other taxes and fees due upon change in 24
ownership, a registered owner wishing to keep standard issue license 25
plates shall pay the license plate transfer fee required under RCW 26
46.17.200(1)(c) when applying for license plate transfer.27
(b) Special license plates and personalized license plates may be 28
treated in the same manner as described in (a) of this subsection 29
unless otherwise limited by law. 30
(c) License plates issued to the state or any county, city, town, 31
school district, or other political subdivision entitled to exemption 32
as provided by law may be treated in the same manner as described in 33
(a) of this subsection. 34
(d) License plate replacement is not required when a change in 35
vehicle ownership is the result of one or more of the following 36
circumstances: 37
(i) When adding a lienholder to the certificate of title or 38
removing a lienholder from the certificate of title;39
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(ii) When a vehicle is transferred from one spouse or registered 1
domestic partner to another; 2
(iii) When removing a deceased spouse or registered domestic 3
partner from the certificate of title; 4
(iv) When a vehicle is transferred by gift or inheritance to one 5
or more members of the registered owner's immediate family;6
(v) When a vehicle is transferred into or out of a trust in which 7
the registered owner or one or more immediate family members of the 8
registered owner is the beneficiary; 9
(vi) When a leaseholder buys out the leased vehicle; or10
(vii) When a person changes his or her name. 11
(9) Replacement. (a) Except as provided in subsection (8)(a) of 12
this section, an owner or the owner's authorized representative must 13
apply for a replacement license plate or plates: (i) When taking 14
ownership of the vehicle; (ii) if the current license plate or plates 15
assigned to the vehicle have been lost, defaced, or destroyed; or 16
(iii) if one or both plates have become so illegible or are in such a 17
condition as to be difficult to distinguish. An owner or the owner's 18
authorized representative may apply for a replacement license plate 19
or plates at any time the owner chooses. The department shall offer 20
to owners the option of retaining the current license plate number 21
when obtaining replacement license plates for the fee required in RCW 22
46.17.200(1)(b). 23
(b) The application for a replacement license plate or plates 24
must: 25
(i) Be on a form furnished or approved by the director; and26
(ii) Be accompanied by the fee required under RCW 46.17.200(1)(a) 27
unless it is a defective license plate replacement issued pursuant to 28
section 2 of this act. 29
(c) When a vehicle is sold to a vehicle dealer for resale, the 30
application for a replacement plate or plates need not be made until 31
the vehicle is sold by the vehicle dealer. 32
(d) The department shall not require the payment of any fee to 33
replace a license plate or plates for vehicles owned, rented, or 34
leased by foreign countries or international bodies to which the 35
United States government is a signatory by treaty.36
(10) Replacement— Exceptions. The following license plates are not 37
required to be replaced as required in subsection (9) of this 38
section: 39
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(a) Horseless carriage license plates issued under RCW 46.18.255 1
before January 1, 1987; 2
(b) Medal of Honor license plates issued under RCW 46.18.230;3
(c) License plates for commercial motor vehicles with a gross 4
weight greater than 26,000 pounds. 5
(11) Rules. The department may adopt rules to implement this 6
section. 7
(12) Tabs or emblems. The director may issue tabs or emblems to 8
be attached to license plates or elsewhere on the vehicle to signify 9
initial registration and renewals. Renewals become effective when 10
tabs or emblems have been issued and properly displayed.11
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Section 2 of this act is exempt from the 12
rule of strict construction, and shall be liberally construed to give 13
full effect to the objective and purpose of replacing defective 14
license plates in a manner that is consistent with fairness to the 15
person that purchased the license plates.16
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. This act takes effect January 1, 2027.17
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