Don't like your license plate? KY has new ones available

Published: Apr. 2, 2015 at 2:40 PM CDT|Updated: Apr. 4, 2015 at 5:00 AM CDT
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(KFVS) - Live in Kentucky and don't like your current license plate?  Well know you have a couple of new choices which will help personalize your vehicle.

Specialty plates for the Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks' Trust For Life and the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation, featuring an image of the smallmouth bass, are now available for purchase.

Kentucky's standard license plates are the "Unbridled Spirit" and "In God We Trust".

But the Commonwealth offers more than 100 specialty plates, most of which promote a cause and enable nonprofit organizations to receive donations from the public. 

According to a release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet those purchasing a specialty plate can donate up to $10 to the organization it represents. The money is passed directly to the organization.

Kentucky offers dozens of plates promoting everything from military service and love of nature to coal and horses. Any owner of a non-commercial motor vehicle under 10,000 pounds required to be registered for use on Kentucky highways can purchase a specialty plate at the county clerk's office in their county of residence. 

The costs vary. A complete list of plates and their prices is available at http://mvl.ky.gov.

The smallmouth bass and Trust For Life specialty plates offer the public two more options for supporting nonprofit organizations. 

The cost of purchase for either plate is $34. In addition, those purchasing the plates can donate up to $10 to the circuit clerks' Trust For Life fund or the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation, accordingly.

“Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation's smallmouth bass license plate commemorates the world record smallmouth caught in Kentucky waters by David L. Hayes in 1955 from Dale Hollow Lake,” said Chad Miles, the foundation's executive director. “Donations to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation fund youth fishing projects in the Commonwealth. Kentucky is blessed with so many fishing opportunities throughout the state, with 123 lakes exceeding 50 acres in size. Kentucky has 220,832 acres of fishing water with 4,125 miles of shoreline.”

Before a specialty license plate goes into production, the state requires organizations to submit an application outlining the mission of the organization and the way in which donations from the plate will be used. 

Once the application and plate design are approved, the organization is required to gather the signatures of 900 people who pay $25 each in advance for a plate.

Once the plates are available, those 900 people receive a $25 credit when they order the plate at a county clerk's office. For an additional $25, a specialty plate can be personalized.

For more information on Trust For Life, visit www.trustforlife.org/kentucky. For more information on Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation, visit www.kentuckywildlife.com/kentucky.

There are more specialty plates in the works which will honor the various U.S.. military academies – with release expected by June 1 for passenger vehicles and motorcycles. 

Plates will be available for the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point and U.S Air Force Academy.

Eligibility is restricted to academy graduates and current students. If unsure of eligibility, contact Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs at (502) 564-9203 or 1-800-572-6245. 

Military academy plates will have a mandatory contribution fee of $5.  All donations go to the Veterans Trust Fund.  For more information, visit http://veterans.ky.gov/.   

In addition, a Gold Star Sibling plate will also be released on June 1.

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