December 6, 2023 |
Photo – Sweetwater County test plate – Courtesy Sweetwater County Treasurer’s Office
Starting in 2025, all Wyoming motorists will be required to use the state’s new license plate design.
Wyoming Department of Transportation Public Affairs Officer Doug McGee said state law requires WYDOT to change the state’s license plate every eight years.
In 2017, WYDOT created the license plate we’re all familiar with: Lower Green River Lake and Square Top Mountain with white text in the foreground.
For the 2025 change, WYDOT has chosen to simplify the design of the state’s license plates. Gone is Square Top Mountain. McGee said the new plates feature the Wyoming state flag in navy-blue with white text. Steamboat, the bucking horse, is still a fixture.
The new plates are designed for law enforcement officers to easily read.
WYDOT is legally obligated to create a new license plate design every eight years. McGee said the entire organization comes together to brainstorm new design ideas.
McGee said the top three designs are printed on test plates and presented to the state’s Transportation Commission for approval. McGee said the final designs must be legible on the reflective aluminum plates.
Public reaction to the new plates has been mixed. Some people have called the new plate ugly and decried the absence of any Wyoming scenery. McGee said he believes the public is reacting to a poorly taken photograph of the license plate.
McGee said WYDOT decides on a new plate design years before they are issued to drivers. McGee said it takes that long to ensure the new plates are available for the 976,255 registered cars, trucks, motorcycles, and trailers in Wyoming.
Carbon County has already received the new license plates. Speaking at the November 21st Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Treasurer Lindsey West said vehicles registered in 2024 will receive the updated license plates.
