Wyo. Code R. 045-0005-4
Motor Vehicles & Licensing
Chapter 4: Personalized Prestige License Plates
Effective Date: 09/21/2000 to 03/30/2009
Rule Type: Superceded Rules & Regulations
Reference Number: 045.0005.4.09212000
Personalized Prestige License Plates
These rules of practice and procedure are promulgated by authority of W.S. 31-1-201(a).
These rules are intended to provide a uniform and understandable interpretation of the undefined portion of W.S. 31-2-208 regarding application and distribution procedures for personalized prestige license plates.
Personalized prestige license plates may be obtained for use on all regularly registered motor vehicles except those held in inventory for sale or demonstration by licensed dealers (including dealer-owned and factory-new automobiles), vehicles with radio amateur license plates, vehicles apportioned under W.S. 31-18-201, and vehicles with specialty plates. Pioneer plates issued to antique or historic vehicles cannot be produced as prestige plates.
(a) Plates shall be issued using only capital letters and Arabic numerals. No other symbols or characters shall be allowed. Applicants may request a maximum of four letters or a combination of four letters and numerical digits. The letters and numbers shall be the same size as on regular license plates and shall be arranged in a straight horizontal line.
(b) Any combination that spells, connotes, abbreviates, or otherwise stands for obscene, vulgar, indecent, or pruriently suggestive language shall not be allowed. The letters I, O, and Q shall not be used when all other characters in the combination are numbers. Nor shall the numeral I be substituted for the letter I nor the zero (O) substituted for the letter O. No four-character combinations shall contain more than two W's or two M's. No combinations consisting of a number or numbers followed by a single, double, or triple alphabetic suffix shall be issued as a personalized prestige license plate. Nor shall combinations consisting entirely of numbers be issued for prestige plates.
(a) Applications for personalized prestige license plates shall contain all the following information:
(i) The name(s) of the vehicle owner or owners, as shown on the title, and the title number. If the vehicle is leased, the application shall include the names of both the lessor and the lessee.
(ii) The address of the owner or owners. (iii) The date. (iv) The telephone number of the applicant. (v) The current license plate number and month of expiration. (vi) The year, make, and model of the vehicle. (vii) The type of vehicle.
(viii) The combination(s) requested on the prestige license plate. More than one choice may be requested, but the first choice shall be granted if available.
(ix) A brief written definition or explanation for the requested combination.
(b) On first application for a prestige plate, the fee to order the plate shall accompany the application. The required fee is listed in W.S. 31-3-102(a)(viii).
(c) If the Department receives more than one original application for the same combination from the same county, it shall issue the combination to the person whose application was received first.
(d) For years in which new plates are not issued, prestige plate holders shall renew registration with the county treasurer and receive a validation sticker.
(e) For years in which new plates are issued, prestige plate holders shall reapply at least 60 days before the first day of the annual registration month for the vehicle and pay the fee listed in W.S. 31-3-102(a)(viii). (See Section 5[b] for information on ordering the plate.)
(f) Personalized prestige plate applications received after the reapplication period expires shall be issued the requested combination on a first-come, first-served basis.
(g) All applicants shall be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their applications.
(h) New applications may be filed with the Department at any time.
(a) Personalized prestige license plates shall be sent to the county treasurer of the county for which the applicant orders them. Upon payment of the regular registration fees, the county treasurer shall issue the prestige plates instead of regular plates. If the motor vehicle has a current regular registration, the applicant shall surrender the registration and plates to the county treasurer when the prestige plates are issued.
(b) When a combination has been issued but is subsequently not renewed during a single multi-year plate period, that combination may be reissued if the original owner surrenders the prestige plates and registration certificate to the Department accompanied by a statement relinquishing any further claim to the combination.
Personalized prestige license plates may be transferred in the same manner as regular license plates.
(a) Prestige plates ordered in a leasing company's name remain the property of the lessee when the lease agreement terminates. The plates may be transferred to a replacement vehicle of the same type whether the vehicle is owned or leased.
(b) A transfer may also occur upon termination of ownership when a vehicle is replaced by a leased vehicle of the same type if the transfer occurs within 45 days after ownership terminates.
If a personalized prestige license plate is lost or destroyed, the owner may obtain new duplicate license plates as provided in W.S. 31-2-212 by applying to the county treasurer in the county where the original plates were purchased and paying the duplicate license plate fee listed in W.S. 31-3-102(a)(vi)(A).
(a) Duplicate license plates for lost or stolen prestige plates shall not be displayed on the vehicle until the validation stickers on the lost or stolen plates have expired.
(b) Mutilated prestige license plates shall be returned to the county treasurer where the original license plates were purchased.
(a) Application fees may be refunded for the following reasons:
(i) If the personalized prestige license plate application is not processed.
(ii) If the applicant wishes to withdraw the application before the plates are produced.
(b) The application fee shall not be refunded if the application lists an incorrect vehicle type.
A county implementing staggered registration shall assign for all vehicles displaying personalized prestige license plates an annual registration month based on the first alphabetic character of the license plate as illustrated in the following table:
| FIRST ALPHABETIC CHARACTER | REGISTRATION MONTH | NUMBER OF MONTHS FOR WHICH TO COLLECT FEES |
|---|---|---|
| A,J | January | 13 months |
| B,K,S | February | 14 months |
| C,L,T | March | 15 months |
| D,M,U | April | 4 or 16 months (optional) |
| E,N,V | May | 5 or 17 months (optional) |
| F,O,W | June | 6 or 18 months (optional) |
| G,P,X | July | 7 or 19 months (optional) |
| H,Q,Y | August | 8 or 20 months (optional) |
| I,R,Z | September | 9 or 21 months (optional) |
Any person aggrieved by a decision of the Wyoming Department of Transportation is entitled to a hearing. The procedure for requesting a hearing is outlined in the Wyoming Department of Transportation Rules and Regulations, General Section, Chapter 3, Appeals and Hearings.