Utah License Plates, Explained

You may be spending more time on Utah roads as you head to holiday festivities this season. Have you noticed more black-and-white plates recently? It got me thinking: What kind of license plate do you have, and what does it say about you?

Standard Issue

We have four standard issue plates that include the OGs: “In God We Trust,” “Life Elevated Skier,” and “Life Elevated Arches.” Plus, there’s the lesser-known “Off-Highway Vehicle.” There are also four plates that are no longer issued but are still valid for use, including “Utah Centennial,” Ski Utah!,” “Olympic,” and the cream and black “Utah.”

Special Group

You may be unaware of special group plates. These raise money for causes through an annual contribution and can be used to honor or recognize certain groups of people — from autism awareness to Zion National Park.

Historic

The Historic Black & White is like the Posh Spice of license plates — incredibly chic and somehow a little bit bitchy (in the best way possible, of course). It benefits the Historical Society of Utah with an annual contribution of $25.

Great Salt Lake

The Special Great Salt Lake license plate is the new kid on the block. It was sponsored by Utah State Sen. Jen Plumb and Rep. Paul Cutler at this year’s legislative session to help preserve the Great Salt Lake. They need 500 people to sign up before the DMV will send them out, so apply if you’re interested!

If you could choose, what would your perfect Utah license plate look like?