Arkansas License Plates

Arkansas has five distinct license plate categories, many of which support schools and organizations like the state park or the Arkansas Rice Council.
Written by Jasmine Kanter
Edited by Sarah Gray
From the standard state-issued plates to 25 collegiate options,
Arkansas
has plenty of interesting license plates to ponder and admire.
  • Arkansas has five separate license plate categories: standard, college, special interest, disability, and military.
  • Some plates have special requirements and/or fees.
  • All license plates are issued by the Arkansas Office of Motor Vehicles (AR OMV), which maintains a list of available plates at arkansas.gov.

What are Arkansas license plates and why do I need them?

License plates are metal plates attached to vehicles for official identification purposes.
Arkansas’
vehicle registration
and license plate requirements date back to 1911, and remain in force for all passenger cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, motorhomes, and ATVs. If you drive with an expired license plate (or without any plates at all), you could be heavily fined and penalized for violating state laws.
If you’re new to the state, you’ll need to
register your car in the state of Arkansas
within 30 days. If you just bought a new car, the dealership will help you register it. Your new license plate must be mounted on the rear of your vehicle with a validation sticker displaying the registration’s expiry date.
Wondering what your options are? Let’s review the license plate offerings in the Natural State.

What license plates does Arkansas have?

Arkansas has five license plate categories:
  1. Standard plates bear the default, state-issued colors and a combination of seven letters and/or numbers.
  2. College plates let you show your support for 25 different colleges and universities across the state. Some are reserved for authorized fraternity or sorority members, while others are available for any alumni or proud parents wishing to apply.
  3. Special interest plates shine a light on the state’s many unique causes and organizations, including the Down Syndrome Association and the Humane Society of the Ozarks. Some designs make a great pairing with a
    classic car
    , an antique vehicle, or an
    Arkansas motorcycle license
  4. Disability plates carry the International Symbol of Access, signaling that the driver is eligible for an
    Arkansas handicap placard
    and associated driving privileges.
  5. Military plates are reserved for active-duty or retired military members.

Standard state license plates

The current standard-issue Arkansas license plates depict a blue-and-white gradient with a white diamond in the background. The top is labeled “Arkansas,” and the bottom “The Natural State”, both written in red. Every vehicle’s unique combination of seven letters and/or numbers is embossed in black in the center of each license plate.
Fun Fact The letters “U” and “V” were omitted from license plates in Arkansas between 1973 to 2015.

College license plates

Any motor vehicle owner may apply for a collegiate license plate by completing the
Request for Special Collegiate License Plate form (Form 10-320)
. You can find the
complete list of college specialty plates
on the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) website.
The university or college of your choice will charge a $25 fee per issued plate. In the case of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority or Kappa Alpha PSI fraternity, you must provide proof of membership.

Special interest license plates

Choose a special interest license plate and the associated cause or organization directly benefits from your support. There are 15 pages of specialty plate designs, including graphics for:
  • Arkansas Rice Council: The proceeds of sales of these plates go directly to the
    Arkansas Rice Council
    , which promotes U.S.-grown rice domestically and internationally.
  • Arkansas State Parks: True to its nickname, The Natural State, Arkansas is home to 52 state parks! Opting for this license plate directly benefits state efforts to preserve its natural, cultural, and historic assets.
  • Conservation license plate
    : The $35 fee for this plate is split between the DFA and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), which helps preserve fish and wildlife habitats across the state.
  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Every purchase donates $50 to
    the charitable commission of the same name
    , which upholds its namesake’s legacy through volunteer, leadership, mentorship, and educational initiatives across the state.
  • Organ Donor Awareness:
    The Organ Donor Awareness Education Fund
    receives $25 for each plate issued.
  • Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer:
    The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
    and the
    Arkansas Cancer Research Center
    split the sale fees for these plates to further cancer-related education, outreach, and research efforts.
If you’re looking for more ways to donate (and get a tax receipt in the process), try
donating a car in Arkansas
.

Disability license plates

To qualify for a permanent disability license plate,
visit an Arkansas DMV office
with the following documents in hand:
Aside from
the usual motor vehicle registration fees
, there’s no extra cost to obtain a disability license plate in the state of Arkansas.

Military license plates

There are 23 special military license plates in Arkansas, with unique designs for everything ranging from the Armed Forces to WWII. Find a lookup of
the complete list of military specialty plates and their requirements
on the DFA website.
Unfortunately, the DFA discontinued the “Veteran” design in favor of standard license plates, with a campaign sticker replacing the state nickname at the bottom. Disabled Veteran plates remain free, and eligible veterans or their surviving spouses may purchase additional plates for $3.89 each.

How do I register my vehicle and get an Arkansas license plate?

Every new registration in the state of Arkansas comes with a fresh vehicle license plate. To register, visit the
myDMV website
with:
Registering a vehicle in Arkansas
costs anywhere between $2-$26, which you can pay by credit card or electronic check.
The same holds for renewing the tags on your existing license plates. To stay on the road, visit
the Arkansas DFA vehicle registration renewal portal
with your mailed Renewal Reminder (including the Renewal Identification Number and Verification Code) in hand.
If you don’t have a Renewal Reminder, you’ll need:
  • The last four digits of your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
  • Your license plate number
  • Your ZIP Code
Once your registration is up-to-date, you’re free to browse and select any
available custom license plates
you like, so long as you qualify.

FAQs

Arkansas has 141 available license plate designs, split across five categories. Some specialty license plates have special requirements and/or registration fees.
No, you don’t need a front license plate in Arkansas. The Natural State is one of 21 states without a front license plate requirement.
Arkansas license plates read, “The Natural State”, at the bottom, a nod to the 52 state parks spread across its lands.
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