Single license plates

AN ACT Relating to single license plates for certain vehicles; 1
amending RCW 46.16A.200 and 46.17.200; and creating a new section.2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 46.16A.200 and 2024 c 84 s 1 are each amended to 4
read as follows: 5
(1) Design. All license plates may be obtained by the director 6
from the metal working plant of a state correctional facility or from 7
any source in accordance with existing state of Washington purchasing 8
procedures. License plates: 9
(a) May vary in background, color, and design;10
(b) Must be legible and clearly identifiable as a Washington 11
state license plate; 12
(c) Must designate the name of the state of Washington without 13
abbreviation; 14
(d) Must be treated with fully reflectorized materials designed 15
to increase visibility and legibility at night; 16
(e) Must be of a size and color and show the registration period 17
as determined by the director; and 18
(f) Before July 1, 2010, may display a symbol or artwork approved 19
by the former special license plate review board and the legislature. 20
Beginning July 1, 2010, special license plate series approved by the 21
S-0744.1
SENATE BILL 5440
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators MacEwen, Chapman, and Gildon
Read first time 01/22/25. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
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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 vehicle registered 13
under RCW 46.17.350(1) (j) or (n) or a vehicle registered under RCW 14
46.17.355 that is 12,000 pounds or less gross vehicle weight. A 15
person who obtains one license plate under this subsection must pay 16
all applicable fees as if the vehicle had been issued two license 17
plates; or18
(iii) One license plate if the vehicle is a trailer, semitrailer, 19
camper, moped, collector vehicle, horseless carriage, or motorcycle.20
(b) The director may adopt types of license plates to be used as 21
long as the license plates are legible. 22
(5)(a) Display. License plates must be: 23
(i) Attached conspicuously at the front and rear of each vehicle 24
if two license plates have been issued; 25
(ii) Attached to the rear of the vehicle if one license plate has 26
been issued; 27
(iii) Except as provided in subsection (7)(c)(ii) of this 28
section, kept clean and uncovered and be able to be plainly seen and 29
read at all times unless an exception in (b) of this subsection 30
applies; and 31
(iv) Attached in a horizontal position at a distance of not more 32
than four feet from the ground. 33
(b)(i) The Washington state patrol may grant exceptions to this 34
subsection if the body construction of the vehicle makes compliance 35
with this section impossible. 36
(ii) If the applicable requirements of (b)(iii) of this 37
subsection are met, the display of a single license plate properly 38
attached to a vehicle that has two license plates properly attached 39
in accordance with (a)(i) of this subsection may be temporarily 40
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obstructed by one or more of the following devices or by the cargo 1
the device is carrying: 2
(A) A trailer hitch; 3
(B) A wheelchair lift or wheelchair carrier; 4
(C) A trailer being towed by the vehicle, provided the trailer 5
meets any applicable trailer license plate requirements under this 6
chapter; or 7
(D) A bicycle rack, ski rack, or luggage rack. 8
(iii) The obstruction of a single license plate under (b)(ii) or 9
(((b)))(iv) of this subsection is only authorized if the following 10
requirements are met: 11
(A) The device is installed according to manufacturer 12
specifications or generally accepted installation practices; and13
(B) The device or cargo the device is carrying does not prevent 14
the license plate from being read from one or more accessible viewing 15
angles when the vehicle is parked, except if the device is a trailer 16
that meets the trailer license plate requirements under this chapter.17
(iv) If the applicable requirements of (b)(iii) of this 18
subsection are met, the display of a single license plate attached to 19
a trailer in accordance with (a)(ii) of this subsection and meeting 20
any applicable trailer license plate requirements under this chapter 21
may be obstructed by a device for transporting a forklift used for 22
product delivery purposes. For purposes of license plate visibility, 23
the single trailer license plate obstructed by a device for carrying 24
a forklift may be relocated on the trailer or the towing vehicle to a 25
position that is more than four feet from the ground.26
(6) Change of license classification. A person who has altered a 27
vehicle that makes the current license plate or plates invalid for 28
the vehicle's use shall: 29
(a) Surrender the current license plate or plates to the 30
department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by 31
the director; 32
(b) Apply for a new license plate or plates; and33
(c) Pay a change of classification fee required under RCW 34
46.17.310. 35
(7) Unlawful acts. It is unlawful to: 36
(a) Display a license plate or plates on the front or rear of any 37
vehicle that were not issued by the director for the vehicle;38
(b) Display a license plate or plates on any vehicle that have 39
been changed, altered, or disfigured, or have become illegible;40
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(c)(i) Except as provided in (c)(ii) of this subsection, use 1
license plate holders, frames, covers, or other materials that 2
conceal, obstruct, distort, change, alter, or make a license plate or 3
plates illegible; 4
(ii) License plate frames may be used on license plates only if 5
the frames do not obscure license tabs or identifying letters or 6
numbers on the plates and the license plates can be plainly seen and 7
read at all times; 8
(d) Operate a vehicle unless a valid license plate or plates are 9
attached as required under this section; 10
(e) Transfer a license plate or plates issued under this chapter 11
between two or more vehicles without first making application to 12
transfer the license plates. A violation of this subsection (7)(e) is 13
a traffic infraction subject to a fine not to exceed $500. Any law 14
enforcement agency that determines that a license plate or plates 15
have been transferred between two or more vehicles shall confiscate 16
the license plate or plates and return them to the department for 17
nullification along with full details of the reasons for 18
confiscation. Each vehicle identified in the transfer will be issued 19
a new license plate or plates upon application by the owner or owners 20
and the payment of full fees and taxes; or 21
(f) Fail, neglect, or refuse to endorse the registration 22
certificate, except as authorized under this section.23
(8) Transfer. (a) Standard issue license plates must be replaced 24
when ownership of the vehicle changes, pursuant to subsection 25
(9)(a)(i) of this section, but the registered owner may retain the 26
license plates and transfer them to a replacement vehicle of the same 27
use. In addition to all other taxes and fees due upon change in 28
ownership, a registered owner wishing to keep standard issue license 29
plates shall pay the license plate transfer fee required under RCW 30
46.17.200(1)(c) when applying for license plate transfer.31
(b) Special license plates and personalized license plates may be 32
treated in the same manner as described in (a) of this subsection 33
unless otherwise limited by law. 34
(c) License plates issued to the state or any county, city, town, 35
school district, or other political subdivision entitled to exemption 36
as provided by law may be treated in the same manner as described in 37
(a) of this subsection. 38
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(d) License plate replacement is not required when a change in 1
vehicle ownership is the result of one or more of the following 2
circumstances: 3
(i) When adding a lienholder to the certificate of title or 4
removing a lienholder from the certificate of title;5
(ii) When a vehicle is transferred from one spouse or registered 6
domestic partner to another; 7
(iii) When removing a deceased spouse or registered domestic 8
partner from the certificate of title; 9
(iv) When a vehicle is transferred by gift or inheritance to one 10
or more members of the registered owner's immediate family;11
(v) When a vehicle is transferred into or out of a trust in which 12
the registered owner or one or more immediate family members of the 13
registered owner is the beneficiary; 14
(vi) When a leaseholder buys out the leased vehicle; or15
(vii) When a person changes his or her name. 16
(9) Replacement. (a) Except as provided in subsection (8)(a) of 17
this section, an owner or the owner's authorized representative must 18
apply for a replacement license plate or plates: (i) When taking 19
ownership of the vehicle; (ii) if the current license plate or plates 20
assigned to the vehicle have been lost, defaced, or destroyed; or 21
(iii) if one or both plates have become so illegible or are in such a 22
condition as to be difficult to distinguish. An owner or the owner's 23
authorized representative may apply for a replacement license plate 24
or plates at any time the owner chooses. The department shall offer 25
to owners the option of retaining the current license plate number 26
when obtaining replacement license plates for the fee required in RCW 27
46.17.200(1)(b). 28
(b) The application for a replacement license plate or plates 29
must: 30
(i) Be on a form furnished or approved by the director; and31
(ii) Be accompanied by the fee required under RCW 32
46.17.200(1)(a). 33
(c) When a vehicle is sold to a vehicle dealer for resale, the 34
application for a replacement plate or plates need not be made until 35
the vehicle is sold by the vehicle dealer. 36
(d) The department shall not require the payment of any fee to 37
replace a license plate or plates for vehicles owned, rented, or 38
leased by foreign countries or international bodies to which the 39
United States government is a signatory by treaty.40
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(10) Replacement— Exceptions. The following license plates are not 1
required to be replaced as required in subsection (9) of this 2
section: 3
(a) Horseless carriage license plates issued under RCW 46.18.255 4
before January 1, 1987; 5
(b) Medal of Honor license plates issued under RCW 46.18.230;6
(c) License plates for commercial motor vehicles with a gross 7
weight greater than 26,000 pounds. 8
(11) Rules. The department may adopt rules to implement this 9
section. 10
(12) Tabs or emblems. The director may issue tabs or emblems to 11
be attached to license plates or elsewhere on the vehicle to signify 12
initial registration and renewals. Renewals become effective when 13
tabs or emblems have been issued and properly displayed.14
Sec. 2. RCW 46.17.200 and 2022 c 182 s 202 are each amended to 15
read as follows: 16
(1) In addition to all other fees and taxes required by law, the 17
department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by 18
the director shall charge: 19
(a) ((The)) Except as provided in RCW 46.16A.200(4)(a)(ii), the 20
following license plate fees for each license plate, unless the owner 21
or type of vehicle is exempt from payment: 22
23 FEE TYPE FEE DISTRIBUTION
24 Original issue $50.00 RCW 46.68.070
25 Reflectivity $2.00 RCW 46.68.070
26 Replacement $30.00 RCW 46.68.070
27
28
Original issue,
motorcycle
$20.00 RCW 46.68.070
29
30
Replacement,
motorcycle
$12.00 RCW 46.68.070
31
32
Original issue,
moped
$1.50 RCW 46.68.070
(b) A license plate retention fee, as required under RCW 33
46.16A.200(9)(a), of $20 if the owner wishes to retain the current 34
license plate number upon license plate replacement, unless the owner 35
or type of vehicle is exempt from payment. The $20 fee must be 36
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deposited in the multimodal transportation account created in RCW 1
47.66.070. 2
(c) A $10 license plate transfer fee, as required under RCW 3
46.16A.200(8)(a), when transferring standard issue license plates 4
from one vehicle to another, unless the owner or type of vehicle is 5
exempt from payment. The $10 license plate transfer fee must be 6
deposited in the motor vehicle fund created in RCW 46.68.070.7
(d) Former prisoner of war license plates, as described in RCW 8
46.18.235, may be transferred to a replacement vehicle upon payment 9
of a $5 license plate fee, in addition to any other fee required by 10
law. 11
(2) The department may, upon request, provide license plates that 12
have been used and returned to the department to individuals for 13
nonvehicular use. The department may charge a fee of up to $5 per 14
license plate to cover costs or recovery for postage and handling. 15
The department may waive the fee for license plates used in 16
educational projects and may, by rule, provide standards for the fee 17
waiver and restrictions on the number of license plates provided to 18
any one person. The fee must be deposited in the motor vehicle fund 19
created in RCW 46.68.070. 20
(3) $40 of the original issue license plate fee imposed under 21
subsection (1)(a) of this section and $16 of the original issue 22
motorcycle license plate fee imposed under subsection (1)(a) of this 23
section must be deposited in the move ahead WA account created in RCW 24
46.68.510. 25
(4) $20 of the replacement license plate fee imposed under 26
subsection (1)(a) of this section and $8 of the replacement 27
motorcycle license plate fee imposed under subsection (1)(a) of this 28
section must be deposited in the move ahead WA account created in RCW 29
46.68.510. 30
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This act applies to vehicle registrations 31
that are due or become due on or after January 1, 2026.32
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