Minnesota’s New Blackout License Plates Available Monday

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There are several new laws set to take effect in Minnesota in 2024, and one of them will allow you to get your hands on one of the new 'blackout' license plates.

When the Minnesota State Legislature adjourned its 2023 session back in May, it passed several new bills that will take effect on January 1st, 2024. And one of them-- HF 2887, if you're curious-- legalized a new 'blackout' license plate for the first time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Blackout license plates have been available for several years already in other states like Colorado, Mississippi, and Iowa. According to this MPR story, Gov. Walz was a big fan of Iowa's blackout plates, saying last summer that they were 'one thing Iowa got right.'

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After HF 2887 passed in May, these new blackout plates were then added to Minnesota State Statutes Chapter 168 and were authorized to contain white lettering on an all-black background, MPR noted. The law said they must be available for Minnesotans to purchase starting on January 1, 2024, for passenger vehicles, light trucks, RVs, and motorcycles.

And now that we're under two weeks until the new year, we have more information about how you can get your hands on these new blackout plates. While MPR says they'll be available for order on the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Driver & Vehicle Services website.

According to a post on the Faribault DMV / Motor Vehicle Office Facebook page, the new blackout plates will be available on January 2nd, 2024.

• We will have them available in our office starting on January 2!
• You can replace your plates any time of year. Or you can upgrade to these plates when you renew your tabs next. 
• In addition to your registration and a plate fee, displaying these plates will also require an annual $30 premium on your registration fees. 

They also noted that these new blackout plates CAN be personalized and that if you already have a personalized license plate, you can transfer the current plate to the new blackout version.

Here's the catch, though: these new blackout license plates WILL cost you more money. Axios Twin Cities says there's an extra $30 annual fee to purchase them, in addition to all the other normal taxes and fees that apply to your vehicle.

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