When you buy a new car, one of the things that get factored into the sticker shock is the cost of your license plates. Washington state has one of the highest taxes in the country and our car tabs are not excluded from the list of things that cost too much. Regardless of the cost of the license plate, sometimes we just want a cool special plate on the back of our ride.

Lucky for us, there are sixty-seven (67) different special license plates available in Washington state! Variety is the spice of life. We'll tell you next how to get your own special design created in Washington, a look into the cost of these specialty plates, and then have a look at each of the special license plates categories that we get to choose from.

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HOW TO GET A SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE DESIGN

In order to get a special license plate created in the state of Washington, there is a lot of rigamarole you have to go through first. Read about everything you need to do here. You also have to get a state legislator to agree to sponsor your design with their signature. (RCW 46.16A.200)

BEFORE YOU GO CRAZY COMING UP WITH WHAT TO PUT ON YOUR SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE…

Here are the things you can NOT have on your license plate in Washington state:

“You can't use:
Unusual characters: (#, %, &, @, +, !) etc.
Invalid letter and number combinations.
Vulgar, racial, ethnic, or indecent messages.” - Washington State Department of Licensing

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SEE ALSO: Car Tabs Expire Before The End Of The Month In Washington State

If you’ll pardon me for a moment, I need some consoling.

via GIPHY

HOW MANY TYPES OF SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES ARE AVAILABLE IN WASHINGTON STATE?

There are 6 categories of special license plates in Washington:

  • Colleges/Universities
  • Miscellaneous
  • Organizations
  • Special Interests
  • State Parks/Environmental
  • Veterans/Military

HOW MUCH DOES A SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE COST IN WASHINGTON?

Prices vary for every different category of license plate. Factors for the price include the type of vehicle the plate will go on as well as any additional taxes of the city and county of your residence. Each town varies in cost. I know from personal experience that to renew the tabs on my car that I purchased last year, it is $125. YIKES! I remember when renewing tabs cost $45.

This link will give you a head start on how much each of the special license plates cost by vehicle type and specialty type.

Here is a collection of all the Washington state specialized license plates available in 2023. Which one do you secretly want to get for your ride?

Look at the 67 Special License Plates of WA!

Washington Colleges & Universities Special License Plates

The universities and colleges that have special plates in Washington state include:

Miscellaneous Washington State Special License Plates

The following types of Veterans/Military special license plates in Washington state include:

Washington Special License Plates - Organizations

The following types of special organization license plates in Washington state include:

Washington State Parks and Environmental special license plates include:

The following types of State Parks and Environmental license plates in Washington state include:

Washington State Special Interests License Plates

The following types of special interests license plates in Washington state include:

Washington State Special License Plates - Miscellaneous

The following types of other miscellaneous special license plates in Washington state include:

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