State Of Iowa Vanity Plates

State of Iowa Vanity Plates

Iowa vanity plates, also known as personalized license plates, allow drivers to display a custom message or design on their vehicles. These plates offer a unique way to express individuality, support a cause, or commemorate a special event.

To obtain a vanity plate in Iowa, drivers must submit an application to the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). The application must include the desired plate message, which can contain up to seven characters, including spaces and hyphens. The DOT will review the application to ensure that the message meets certain criteria, such as not being offensive or vulgar.

Once the application is approved, drivers will be issued a vanity plate with their custom message. The cost of a vanity plate in Iowa is $35 in addition to the regular registration fee.

Types of Iowa Vanity Plates

Iowa offers a variety of vanity plate options to choose from, including:

Standard vanity plates: These plates allow drivers to display a custom message of up to seven characters.
Specialty vanity plates: These plates feature a specific design or theme, such as college logos, military emblems, or environmental messages.
Personalized message plates: These plates allow drivers to display a longer message of up to 15 characters on two lines.
Motorcycle vanity plates: These plates are designed specifically for motorcycles and have a smaller size.

Guidelines for Iowa Vanity Plates

When creating a vanity plate message, drivers must adhere to the following guidelines:

The message must not be offensive or vulgar.
The message must not contain any symbols or special characters, except for spaces and hyphens.
The message must not be likely to be confused with an official government plate.
The message must not promote a commercial product or service.

Availability of Iowa Vanity Plates

The availability of vanity plate messages is determined by the DOT on a first-come, first-served basis. Drivers can check the availability of a specific message online or by contacting the DOT.

If the desired message is not available, drivers may be able to request a special exemption from the DOT. Exemptions are typically granted for messages that have a special significance to the driver, such as a family name or a military service record.