Muda69 Posted July 22, 2025 Posted July 22, 2025 https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/07/22/indiana-bmv-unveils-new-blackout-license-plates-available-starting-august/?emci=77dfc484-5b66-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=ea966839-ef66-f011-8dc9-6045bda9d96b&ceid=577105 Quote Indiana drivers will soon have a new option at the license branch: the state’s first all-black license plate. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles officially revealed the “blackout” plates on Monday, joining a growing number of states offering the “minimalist” design. Beginning Aug. 8, the plate will be available for all Hoosier drivers registering a passenger car, light truck under 11,000 pounds, motorcycle, or RV. A disability-accessible version will be released at a later date, according to agency officials. “It’s very simple in its design, but it really gives car drivers and vehicle owners an opportunity to express themselves in a way that they haven’t had,” BMV Commissioner Kevin Garvey said at Monday’s launch event, held at the Indiana Government Center in downtown Indianapolis. “It’s a form of expression for them.” ...' Bill author Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, said earlier this year that blackout plates would give Hoosier more options at the BMV and provide the state with “really simple” additional revenue that could total into the millions. “The feedback that we have gotten from Hoosiers would tell me it’s going to be popular,” Garvey said. “But we really want to try to wait and see.” The blackout plate will carry an annual fee of $45, with an additional $45 fee if drivers opt for a personalized plate number. Personalized messages can contain up to seven characters and one space. Drivers don’t have to wait for their current plate to expire, though; they can swap to the blackout plate early for an additional $9.50 fee. ... Unlike most specialty plates, which largely cover only production costs, the blackout plate is expected to generate upwards of $3 million in revenue for the state in the first year of availability. The BMV will collect a bulk of the fees from each blackout plate — far more than the $5 the agency gets from other specialty plates, Garvey said. A legislative fiscal analysis showed that most of the revenue — $34 — will go to the BMV Commission Fund to support agency operations. The remaining amount is split between the Motor Vehicle Highway Account ($7) and the Crossroads 2000 Fund ($4). Of the share sent to the highway account, $4.34 will benefit the Indiana Department of Transportation, while $2.66 will be distributed to local governments. Garvey was cautious, however, about forecasting exact revenue potentials but said the agency anticipates around 100,000 blackout plates to be sold over the next 12 months. ... “This is a revenue source for the bureau,” Garvey said. “We’re excited about the potential to reinvest that revenue back into our employees, but also into the agency.” ... It's pretty clear where the direction of the Indiana BMV is now headed. Extracting wealth from Indiana citizens to fund an ever growing state bureaucracy. Sickening.
Recommended Posts