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Motorists have two new license plate options

The 2004 Idaho Legislature added two new special interest license plates to help promote Historic Lewiston and Idaho School Transportation Safety Awareness.

These new plates are scheduled to go on sale at local county auto-licensing offices beginning Monday (Jan. 10).

An initial program fee of $35 will be charged when a plate is purchased. Each subsequent renewal costs $25. These program fees are in addition to all other applicable annual registration fees, county administrative fees and plate fees. All but $10 of the special program fees goes to each plate’s special interest fund.

The Historic Lewiston plate supports the Lewiston Historic Preservation Commission. Funds will be used for the preservation and interpretation of Idaho history and Lewiston’s role as Idaho’s first territorial capitol through educational, economic and outreach programs

Funds generated from the sale of School Transportation Safety Awareness plates will be used by the Public Transportation Support Program to purchase “Buster” buses, an interactive robotic school bus used for training students about school transportation safety.

“Idaho school bus drivers too often report near misses or injury related to student-automobile incidents involving students crossing a street on their way to school or a school bus stop,” said Rodney McKnight, State Department of Education Supervisor of Transportation Services.

“The specialized plate will serve to continually remind motorists and school-aged children that the law requires motorists to stop for a school bus while it is in the loading-unloading process.”

The new plates may be displayed on passenger vehicles only, light trucks with a maximum gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds, motor homes and camper trailers (excluding horse, car, and cargo trailers with living facilities). “School buses” which have a combined gross weight of 60,000 pounds or less and are used exclusively to transport students also may display the School Safety Awareness plate.

These special plates can be personalized with up to five letters and/or numbers for an additional $25. The renewal fee for a personalized plate is an additional $15 per year.
Individuals also can purchase sample versions of the new plates from the transportation department for $30.

Twenty dollars of each sample plate sale goes to the plate’s special interest fund. Sample plates can be personalized at no additional cost. These plates cannot be displayed on motor vehicles, but they do make unique gifts for friends and family.

Standard issue, sequentially numbered license plates are only available at county assessor’s offices after they are released for sale. Personalized and sample plates are only available by mail or fax from the ITD office in Boise. All future renewals for the new plates will be processed at county auto-licensing offices.

Idaho offers 40 different special interest, eligibility and recognition plates.