PURPOSE: This rule establishes categories of special license plates as well as the procedure for application for and issuance of the special license plates.

1. (1) For the purpose of this rule, “special license plates” includes all personalized, military, collegiate, helping schools, and special organizational license plates that contain letters and/ or numbers and may include one apostrophe (’), one space, or one dash (—).

2. (2) All special license plates are available in the following plate categories—

   1. (A) Passenger;
   2. (B) Recreational Vehicle (RV);
   3. (C) Local and Beyond Local 6;
   4. (D) Local and Beyond Local 12;
   5. (E) Motorcycle/Motortricycle;
   6. (F) Local and Beyond Local 18;
   7. (G) Local and Beyond Local 24;
   8. (H) Shuttle Bus—regular personalized plates only;
   9. (I) Van Pool—regular personalized plates only; and
   10. (J) Historic—regular personalized plates only.
3. (3) No special license plate will be issued which will conflict with any license number used or to be used in the regular license plate numbering system.
4. (4) Special license plates are not assigned to a particular vehicle until the plates are actually issued to the owner of that vehicle by the Department of Revenue.
5. (5) Special license plates will not be transferred from one (1) owner to another unless provided by law, except that the holder of a special plate may follow the procedures established by the director in order to display their special plate on a vehicle leased by the holder after approval by the director, and they will not be transferred from one (1) vehicle category to another. This includes any request for transfer by gift, trust, will, or judicial proceeding.
6. (6) The director of revenue reserves the right to approve or disapprove any request for special license plates or the transfer of license plates from one (1) vehicle to another in the same category.
7. (7) Special license plates issued to members of the United States Congress, Missouri State Senate, and Missouri House of Representatives; honorary consulars; and the following statewide elected officials: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, and attorney general, which are issued in accordance with section 301.453, RSMo, will expire in January of each year. Passenger, RV, 6,000 and 12,000 lb. Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV), Shuttle Bus, Van Pool, and Personalized Historic special license plates will expire in July of each year. Registrations for special license plates will be issued for a minimum of six (6) months except as otherwise determined by the director. Applicants who purchase a biennial registration will extend the registration another year with the total registration not to exceed thirty
8. (30) months.
9. (8) Initial applications for special license plates will be made on appropriate forms and accompanied by any special license plate fee and additional documentation as required by law.
10. (9) Applicants who apply for a biennial registration at the time they pick up or renew their special license plates must submit a second emblem-use authorization statement indicating the minimum donation or the original emblem-use authorization statement indicating twice the annual minimum donation, if applicable.
11. (10) Special license plates for which the Department of Revenue has not received a reapplication (renewal) will be held for at least sixty (60) days from the date of expiration before being issued to a new applicant.

AUTHORITY: sections 301.144, 301.449, and 301.453, RSMo 2016, and section 301.130, RSMo Supp. 2025.* Original rule filed Aug. 14, 1978, effective Nov. 13, 1978. Amended: Filed April 11, 1979, effective July 11, 1979. Emergency amendment filed Oct. 30, 1979, effective Nov. 9, 1979, expired Feb. 18, 1980. Amended: Filed Oct. 30, 1979, effective Feb. 11, 1980. Emergency amendment filed March 9, 1982, effective March 19, 1982, expired July 16, 1982. Amended: Filed May 20, 1982, effective Sept. 13, 1982. Amended: Filed Feb. 24, 1984, effective June 11, 1984. Amended: Filed Nov. 18, 1986, effective March 12, 1987. Amended: Filed July 17, 1989, effective Oct. 27, 1989. Amended: Filed Oct. 30, 1989, effective March 26, 1990. Emergency amendment filed Sept. 16, 1991, effective Sept. 26, 1991, expired Jan. 23, 1992. Amended: Filed Sept. 16, 1991, effective Jan. 13, 1992. Amended: Filed Sept. 1, 1995, effective Feb. 25, 1996. Amended: Filed Jan. 31, 2000, effective July 30, 2000. Amended: Filed Oct. 8, 2008, effective April 30, 2009. Amended: Filed Oct. 25, 2018, effective May 30, 2019. Amended: Filed Aug. 18, 2025, effective Feb. 28, 2026. *Original authority: 301.130, RSMo 1939, amended 1947, 1949, 1951, 1969, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018; 301.144, RSMo 1977, amended 1979, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2016; 301.449, RSMo 1989, amended 1995, 2012, 2013; and 301.453, RSMo 1993, amended 1995, 2002.