CUSTOMER NUMBER: This is your Oregon driver license, instruction permit or identification card number. A business
or organization should use the customer number assigned by DMV.
HOW TO APPLY: Mail this application, a title or registration application, fees, and any other requirements to DMV, 1905
Lana Avenue NE, Salem OR 97314, or take them to a local DMV office. Title and registration applications are available at
all DMV offices and on our website at www.oregondmv.com. If you purchase a car from a dealer, they may submit the
application for you.
APPLICATION PROCESSING: Your custom plate will be sent to you as soon as it is received from the manufacturer.
The processing time is a minimum of 6-8 weeks.
CUSTOM PLATE FEES: Custom plates cost $50 per year of the registration period at initial issuance and with each
renewal. This is in addition to the registration fee, the plate fee and any applicable surcharge for special plate
backgrounds. The extra fees you pay for custom plates fund Oregon passenger rail programs.
CUSTOM PLATE: A custom plate lets you choose the letters and numbers you want, within certain limits. DMV will not
issue more than one set of plates with the same combination of letters and numbers. DMV will deny requests for
combination of letters and numbers that may be viewed as objectionable. Objectionable combinations include those that
would, by means of foreign or slang words or phrases, by use of phonetic, numeric or reverse spelling, or when viewed
as a mirror image, have the effect of alarming, threatening, offending, or misleading a reasonable person. Such choices
may include, but are not limited to, combinations of letters and/or numbers that:
• Refer to intimate bodily parts or to sexual or excretory functions;
• Refer in an alarming or offensive manner to a person or class of persons on the basis of race, color, gender,
ethnic heritage, national origin, or other characteristic;
• Suggest that the vehicle to which the custom plate is issued is an official vehicle of a public agency when it
is not;
• Refer to illegal acts; or
• Refer to alcoholic beverages or controlled substances or paraphernalia used in the consumption thereof.
(This long standing restriction remains in place for all backgrounds, including Wine Country.)
YOUR PLATE CHOICE WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO OTHER APPLICANTS IF:
•
You do not renew your custom plate promptly after it expires; or
Your custom plate and registration are canceled by DMV for reasons other than the above; or
You surrender your custom plate to DMV.
•
•
SALE OF VEHICLE: If you sell a vehicle that has custom plates and you want to keep the plates, you must remove them
from the vehicle. If you leave the plates on the vehicle when it is sold, the plates will remain on that vehicle and if the
registration is still valid, you will not be able to have the same plate configuration.
SURRENDERING CUSTOM PLATES: Custom plates may be surrendered and exchanged for regular registration plates
at any time. We do not refund or credit you for any unexpired portion of the custom registration, so you may wish to
surrender or exchange a custom plate when you are due to renew your registration.
PLATE SURCHARGES:
Trail Blazers: Depending on the length and spacing of your configuration, it may cover the logo. View sample plates at
www.oregondmv.com. If you have 5 characters or less, you can ask for it to be justified to the right.
PLATE INFORMATION:
For more information call DMV Customer Assistance at (503) 945-5000 or (503) 299-9999 (Portland),
Statewide relay: 7-1-1 or www.oregondmv.com.
Crater Lake: $30 surcharge at initial issuance.
Salmon, Wine Country: $30 surcharge at initial issuance and every renewal. $60 Salmon surcharge at four-year initial
issuance.
Gray Whale, Pollinator Paradise, Trail Blazers, Smokey Bear, UO Duck, Watch for Wildlife: $40 surcharge at
initial issuance and every renewal.
Cultural: $50 surcharge at initial issuance and every renewal.