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Tag: license plate

  • Starting Oct. 1, getting a driver’s license or vehicle title will be more expensive

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    If you head to a Wisconsin DMV after Oct. 1, don’t be surprised if you’re asked to pay more for a brand-new or renewed driver’s license.

    That’s because fees for driver’s licenses, vehicle titles, heavy trucks and lost or destroyed license plates are going up at the start of October.

    Those fee hikes were approved as part of Wisconsin’s 2023-25 state budget passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in July.

    The fee hikes will generate millions of dollars for the state Department of Transportation to improve roads, bridges and other infrastructure, Evers said.

    In total, the budget will produce nearly “nearly $200 million in additional revenue to improve the sustainability of the transportation fund,” Evers wrote.

    Wisconsin vehicle title fee increases to $207

    The fee for a motor vehicle title or title transfer will increase from $157 to $207. The fee is waived if the owner has died and the vehicle is being transferred to an immediate family member.

    The increase to vehicle title fees is expected to generate around $116 million over the next two fiscal years.

    Initially, Evers proposed increasing the vehicle title fee by $120.

    Wisconsin driver’s license fee increases to $32.50

    The fee for a “Class D” motor vehicle license, which covers operation of automobiles, light trucks and mopeds, will increase to $32.50, up from $24.

    The fee will apply whether the driver is being issued a license for the first time or renewing their license.

    That increase is expected to generate $7.6 million in revenue over the next two years.

    Wisconsin trucks over 6,000 pounds will see a 10% increase in license fee

    Fees for trucks with a gross weight of more than 6,000 pounds will increase 10%.

    The state has several tiers of annual fees for trucks based on weight. Currently, trucks between 16,000 and 20,000 pounds have a fee of $356, for example. That will go up 10%, to around $392.

    Wisconsin fee for lost or destroyed plates rises $2

    If a license plate gets lost, destroyed or becomes illegible, the driver must apply to the DOT for a replacement. Each replacement plate will now be $6, an increase from $4. For a set of two plates, it’s $12.

    More: Blackout, retro license plates approved in Wisconsin state budget. When can you get one?

    More: Here’s how Wisconsin students can get free driver’s education classes

    State budget increased some other fees in Wisconsin

    The state budget increased several other fees in Wisconsin, including bingo and raffle licenses and nonresident camping and admission fees at state parks.

    • An annual bingo license in Wisconsin now costs $10, with a $20 license fee for each bingo occasion.

    • An annual raffle license is now $50.

    • Nonresident camping fees at state parts are now $50 per night, up from $45.

    • Additional fees for campsites with electricity go up $5-$10 at certain state parks.

    • Nonresident annual vehicle admission stickers are now $49.50, up from $37.50. Fees for nonresident buses also go up several dollars.

    Together, those increases are expected to generate about $181 million more in revenue over the next two years, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

    This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Fees for Wisconsin driver’s licenses, vehicle titles go up Oct. 1

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  • The history of the Florida license plate, from paper to leather to porcelain to tin

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    Editor’s note: This story first ran in Eliot Kleinberg’s Florida Time column in July 2019.

    Between 1938 and 1975, Florida assigned each of its 67 counties a number that was based on its population rank in the 1935 census. That number was integral to the state’s license plate numbering system. Over the years, counties fluctuated in size, but the numbers stayed untouched.

    Here were the top 10:

    • 4. Pinellas (St. Petersburg)

    • 8. Volusia (Daytona Beach)

    • 10. Broward (Fort Lauderdale)

    Former Gov. Claude Kirk displays a vanity automobile license plate in 1970.

    Also: Alachua (Gators) was 11. Leon (Seminoles) was 13. Adjacent Manatee and Sarasota were 15 and 16, respectively. St. Johns, one of the first two counties historically, was 20. Monroe (the Keys) was 38. Tiny Liberty, in the Panhandle, was 67.

    A 90 on the plate indicated a duplicate, replacing a lost or stolen one. A 68 meant you got your tag at the state agency in Tallahassee.

    Here’s some more on the history of license plates:

    In 1905, the state required car owners to register their vehicles and issued paper certificates to be displayed on the vehicle. The first plate, made of leather, was issued in 1906. It went to metal in 1910, porcelain in 1912 and tin in 1918. Plates became the responsibility of counties in 1911. The state took over registration in 1917, giving everyone two plates. That was reduced to one plate in 1922. During the Depression, stealing plates was common because people couldn’t afford them.

    “Sunshine State” first appeared in 1949. A grapefruit in a corner, done in 1935, lasted only a year; it looked too much like a bomb.

    “Disabled veteran” started in 1951. That same year, a “Keep Florida Green” slogan was tried; it lasted only a year because some said it sounded like the state wanted all the tourists’ money.

    In 1957, “Horseless Carriage” was adopted for vehicles whose bodies and engine — not just kits — were at least 35 years old and which were driven for historical exhibitions. The 1965 tag marked the 400th anniversary of the first European encounter with Florida. “National Guard” was added that year as well. A wheelchair plate was added in 1974.

    Florida has many specialty plates to choose from.

    Florida has many specialty plates to choose from.

    Beginning in 1963, tags were required for mobile homes, house trailers and campers.

    In 1972, the state began allowing people to pick their own “vanity plate” number-letter combination for a $12 surcharge. In 1975, to cut costs, the state began issuing renewal decals instead of all-new plates. In 1978, Florida went to a mandatory alphanumeric system to allow for more combinations.

    In the 1980s and 1990s, the state began adding notations such as “U.S. Reserve,” “Ex-POW,” “Pearl Harbor Survivor” and “Medal of Honor.” The first specialty plate, to honor the Challenger astronauts, was issued in 1987. State universities followed that same year and private ones after that. The state also added such specialty plates as “Save the Manatee,” “Florida Panther” and “Choose Life,” which encourages adoption.

    Seminole and Miccosukee motorists get free license plates, which are issued directly by tag agencies of the two tribes.

    Sen. Gayle Harrel, R- Jupiter, smiles and holds the Jimmy Buffet specialty license plate prototype inside the Florida Capitol, Jan. 25, 2024.

    Sen. Gayle Harrel, R- Jupiter, smiles and holds the Jimmy Buffet specialty license plate prototype inside the Florida Capitol, Jan. 25, 2024.

    Eliot Kleinberg is a former staff writer for The Palm Beach Post and the author of numerous books about Florida and its history.

    This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The history of the Florida license plate, from 1905 to present

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