Popular blackout plates offer license to express yourself 

So, what’s the deal with all those blackout Minnesota license plates? They seem to be everywhere.

“They look really cool, especially on black cars; they really pop,” said Darren Wercinski, who lives in Victoria and works in Eden Prairie. He has them on his black BMW X7 and recently talked about the plates during a pit stop at Eden Prairie’s Mister Car Wash on Flying Cloud Drive.

“I had seen black plates from several other states and thought they looked great,” Wercinski said. “I wondered why Minnesota was so far behind when everyone else seemed to have these cool plate options.”

In fact, Minnesota motorists have been clamoring for the blackout-plate option, said Greg Loper, vehicle services program director for Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), a part of Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety. “They are popular, and we knew they would be because they’ve been popular in other states, such as Iowa and Missouri.”

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Just how popular? Loper reported that, in July, the DVS issued its 130,000th blackout plate for 2024, and will be on track to have about 250,000 on vehicles by the end of the year, making it the state’s most popular specialty plate. Considering the plates only became available Jan.1, “I’d say that’s pretty popular,” Loper added.

DVS has issued more than 650,000 standard license plates so far this year, according to Loper. There are roughly 6.5 million Minnesota-registered vehicles on the state’s roads, and of those, “The vast majority of plates are still the standard blue and white plates.”

Loper speculated on why the blackout plates have proven to be such hot sellers. “Your car is the second most expensive thing that most people ever buy,” he said. “People like their car to look good; this is an inexpensive way to bling out your car.”

A $30 required contribution – basically a voluntary tax – is necessary when opting for the blackout plates, Loper explained. Other specialty and personalized plates are more expensive.

Loper did not say how much revenue is being raised by the high-demand plates, though he said “the revenue we are generating from the blackout plates is going to help us keep from raising filing fees as quickly.”

DVS does not get any state general revenue funds, according to Loper. All of DVS operations are paid out of a portion of the filing fees that motorists pay for items such as driver’s licenses, license plates and tabs. Further, the majority of what individuals pay for tabs and other items goes to the state’s Department of Transportation for roads and related expenses.

Beyond the blackout plates, Minnesota offers more than 120 specialty plates, ranging from colleges/universities and critical habitat plates to veterans/military service and state parks plates.

The state parks plates have been especially popular, Loper said, because the plates can get you into the parks, so you’ll no longer need a window sticker.

Tim Griffith, an Eden Prairie resident, said he and his wife “go to Minnesota state parks a lot and so we have the plates on both of our cars. … You don’t have to buy the passes anymore.”

Pro sports team plates are another popular option that also launched Jan. 1 for the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild and Lynx. The Loons soccer plate will launch later this year. Money raised by the team plates goes toward charitable foundations set up by each team.

“I got them right away in January when they first became available,” said Brian Johnson of Eden Prairie, referring to the Minnesota Vikings plates featuring the team’s purple logo on his SUV. Johnson said he is a Vikings season ticket-holder and is “excited to show my Vikings fandom.”

You can order specialty plates either online or in person at a local motor vehicle deputy registrar’s office.

True license plate geeks have noticed the blackout plates’ serial numbers all start with Z. Some kind of secret code? Nope. It’s simply the series that was available from the Department of Corrections, which manufactures the license plates, Loper said.