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Committee hears sponsor and DOT on proposed ‘blackout’ license plates; questions about fees and production remain
Summary
Senate Bill 21-33 would add a black-background license plate option; DOT and the bill sponsor said the design has been popular in other states, but committee members questioned a proposed initial fee and the annual $25 surcharge that currently applies to special plates.
Senate Bill 21-33 would authorize a solid-black background vehicle license plate with white lettering as an optional plate type for qualifying vehicles and motorcycles. The House Transportation Committee heard from the bill sponsor and the Department of Transportation; committee members raised questions about production costs, fee structure and how the plate would be distinguished from similar plates in neighboring states.
Sponsor Senator Kirsten Rohrer told the committee the plate was requested by a constituent in Horace who liked Minnesota’s blackout plates. "The intent behind it is to be black background, white writing, simple, clean plate," she said, adding she asked DOT to align fees with current statute rather than create a new fee scheme.
Brad Schafer, Director of Driver and Vehicle Services at the North Dakota DOT, said other states have issued blackout plates in large numbers: Iowa issued nearly 500,000 in the first three years and Minnesota issued more than 250,000 in its first year. For North Dakota the DOT estimated more than 760,000 qualifying vehicles and over 42,000 motorcycles could be eligible. Schafer told the committee plate production costs were estimated at $7 for a full-size blackout plate and $5.95 for a motorcycle plate, with shipping charges.
Committee members focused on fees in the bill as drafted. The bill contemplated an initial $15 production fee and a $25 annual special-plate fee (the committee discussed how that $25 is collected for many special plates and, in some cases, split between DOT and an organization). Representative Koppelman and others questioned charging the $25 annual special-plate fee for what would otherwise be a standard plate (random numbers on a black background), and suggested lowering or reworking initial and annual charges for smaller motorcycle plates.
Law enforcement readability was discussed briefly. Senator Rohrer said she and others contacted law enforcement, and she was told the black-and-white plates were not expected to reduce legibility; DOT staff at the hearing also said regional law-enforcement representatives raised no objections and in some cases find blackout plates easier to read.
No committee vote was taken during the hearing. Members asked DOT to follow up with production and fee alternatives; DOT staff said they would provide additional information to the committee as the group considers the rate structure.
Ending: The committee closed the hearing after DOT and the sponsor fielded questions about fees and production constraints and asked DOT to provide follow-up cost and production details for committee consideration.
