Specialty License Plate Development Process

View applications that have been submitted by organizations in order to develop new specialty license plates.

NOTE: The provisions listed below shall not apply to any specialty license plates which bear an emblem or insignia of a branch of the U.S. military or a military organization. Such plates will be authorized through the legislative process.

1. Initial Application

The sponsoring organization must submit the following items to the Missouri Department of Revenue by June 30th in order for the specialty license plate to be considered for approval the following year.

EXAMPLE: Any application received by June 30, 2023, would be forwarded to the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight (Committee) for consideration during the 2024 legislative session. Any application submitted on or after July 1, 2023 would be forwarded to the Committee for consideration during the 2025 session.

1. A completed Specialty License Plate Development Application (Form 5052)
2. Proof of the organization’s status as a not-for-profit entity:
   1. A letter from the Internal Revenue Service verifying that the organization is not-for-profit; or
   2. A copy of the organization’s Sales Tax Exemption letter issued by the Secretary of State.
      NOTE: The organization must be registered with the Department as a non-profit organization.
3. A fee of $5,000 to defray the cost for design, development, production and distribution of the plate, and programming the implementation of the specialty license plate.
4. A list of 200 potential plate purchasers; and
5. The name of at least one current member of the General Assembly who is a "sponsor" of the plate.

2. Media and Public Notification

1. Upon receipt of the organization’s application to create a specialty license plate, the Department will:
   1. Post the application on the Department’s website;
   2. Make copies available to the media and the public; and
   3. Post a copy on a bulletin board located in the Harry S Truman State Office Building, Room 370, 301 West High Street, Jefferson City, MO.
2. The Department will collect written comments (for and against the proposed plate) through November 30th. These statements shall contain the printed name, signature, address, phone number, and email address, if applicable, of the individual giving the statement.

3. Legislative Approval

1. When the legislative session starts, the Department will forward the application, along with any written comments received, to the Committee for review and approval.
2. The Department will notify the applicant of the Committee’s determination.

4. Specialty License Plate Mock-Up

If the organization’s application to create a specialty license plate is approved by the Committee, a mock-up of the specialty plate must be submitted to the Department for approval within 60 days of the Committee’s approval.

5. Applications and Fees to be Submitted by Organization

Once the specialty license plate design is approved by the organization and the Department (and prior to the issuance of any specialty plates), the organization must collect, and submit to the Department for processing, the following:

1. 200 completed copies of the Application for Personalized and Special License Plates (Form 1716);
2. The $15 specialty license plate application fee submitted to the organization by each applicant for their plate. (This is above and beyond the $5,000 plate development fee paid by the organization); and
3. A completed Emblem Use Authorization Statement (EUAS) issued by the organization, for each applicant, as proof of the applicant’s required minimum donation to the organization.

6. Plate Production

1. Actual production of the plate will begin when the Department receives 200 completed applications and appropriate fees. The organization will collect the applications and—when it has 200—will forward them to the Department for processing.
2. Once production begins, subsequent applicants will submit their specialty license plate requests directly to the Department.

Pending Applications