March 19, 2025

By Lane Kimble

New license plates in Wisconsin wouldn’t just catch your eye, they could capture millions of dollars for the Transportation Fund.

The so-called “blackout plates” would feature an all-black background with white letters.

The bill, introduced by State Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee), would offer the blackout plates as a special registration, costing owners a one-time $15 issuance fee and $25 annually to renew.

A Legislative Fiscal Bureau report released Monday estimates the plates would generate about $8.6 million in their first year while costing WisDOT about $3.4 million to create them.

The plates have soared in popularity in places such as Iowa and Minnesota.  Wisconsin’s LFB report predicts the new plates would generate more than $14 million for the Transportation Fund by their third year, based on Iowa drivers’ purchases.

Republicans in Wisconsin introduced a similar bill last session but it never made it out of committee in the Assembly or Senate.  That bill’s co-authors (Rep. Paul Melotik and Rep. Dan Knodl) signed on as co-sponsors to Tomcyzk’s bill this year.