Pennsylvania License Plates

From supporting wildlife conservation to protecting your teen driver, your Pennsylvania license plate can convey more than just numbers.
Written by John Davis
Edited by Sarah Gray
When you register a car in
Pennsylvania
, you have several license plate design options to choose from—ranging from the standard blue, white, and yellow to logos promoting causes or designating a military background. 
  • With over 280 designs to choose from, Pennsylvania is one of the best places to customize your motor vehicle’s license plate.
  • All vehicles with license plates must be registered, and plates must be renewed yearly. 
  • Custom license plates must still meet the state’s plate regulations, and there are limits as to what can be included on a personalized plate. 

The purpose of your Pennsylvania license plate

At their core, license plates and stickers are identification tags for your vehicle. In Pennsylvania, license plates are also called “registration plates”—you are required by law to display a license plate as soon as you register your car. 
In addition to verifying your vehicle registration status, your license plate also makes it easier to determine fault after a collision and helps law enforcement track down your vehicle if it’s ever stolen. 
Unlike
some states in the U.S.
, Pennsylvania does NOT require drivers to display a second
license plate on the front
of the vehicle. But since you will need to have that rear license plate visible at all times—let’s take a look at your options! 

Pennsylvania license plate options

Drivers from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh can express themselves by either specializing their plates with pre-existing designs or personalizing their numbers and letters. In the Keystone State, you can choose to display the following types of license plates: 
  • Standard issue plates
    : These are the classic blue, white, and yellow state plates that include the official visitPA.com tourism URL on the bottom. These base plates have been in circulation since 1999 and replaced all previous bases by 2002. Unless you’re shopping for specialized plates, this is the type you’ll get. 
  • Special fund
    : Proceeds for purchasing this type of special plate will support a specific cause or initiative. 
  • Specialty
    : There are currently two standard specialty plate options, as well as a limited-time option that commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 
  • Military
    : Military members or their families can show patriotic pride with a wide range of designs specific to military branches and military awards. 
  • Special organizations
    : Special Org plates serve as an individualized means for approved organizations to advocate their causes.  
  • Personalized
    : Custom plate design limited to numbers and letters.  
When choosing a plate that is not the standard issue, be mindful that you will need to calculate additional costs based on your vehicle’s gross weight. Check the Pennsylvania DMV website for more information. 

Standard license plates 

The standard Pennsylvania license plate today only comes in one style—that’s the blue, white, and yellow with “Pennsylvania” up top and “visitPA.com” embossed on the bottom banner. There are older designs of the Pennsylvania plate (prior to 2003) without the tourism site listed, which are still viable for road use.

Special fund license plates 

In Pennsylvania, there are a number of vehicle plates that allow drivers to promote a specific cause. Here are just a few special funds that offer license plates: 
  • Wild Resource Conservation Fund: Since 1999, the Wild Resource Conservation Fund plate has been supporting the management of the state’s flora and fauna.  
  • Pennsylvania Zoological Council Fund: Proceeds from the Zoological Council Fund plate go toward Pennsylvania’s six partner zoos. 
  • Preserve Our Heritage: $15 from each Preserve Our Heritage plate sold goes to educational programs at Pennsylvania’s Historical and Museum Commission.
  • Pennsylvania Monuments: Proceeds from this plate go toward the Veteran Trust Fund and help pay for restoring, repairing, and cleaning Pennsylvania’s historical monuments. 
  • Honoring Our Veterans: Additionally available for motorcycles, “Honoring our Veterans” comes with an “Honoring Our Women Veterans” option, as well. $15 from each plate sold goes toward the Veterans Trust Fund. 
  • Pennsylvania Share the Road: This plate donates its funds toward efforts to enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety on the road.  
  • Pennsylvania Distracted Driving Awareness: Available for vehicles and motorcycles alike, this registration plate provides funding to outreach and education programs aimed at preventing
    distracted driving

Specialty license plates

Available specialty license plates include: 
  • Teen Driver: If you have a
    teen driver
    in your household, you can get a special logo to warn other drivers to “please be courteous.”
  • In God We Trust: This plate comes with “In God We Trust” on the lower banner in place of the standard tourism website and a bald eagle logo on the left side.
  • Let Freedom Ring: Only available through 2026, the Semiquincentennial plate replaces the tourism site with “Let Freedom Ring” and has the liberty bell on the left side.
  • Vintage plates: Antique, classic, and vintage vehicles may use a “period-issued” registration plate (from 1906 to 1976) that corresponds with the vehicle’s manufacture year. The fee to display this plate is $84. 

Military license plates

If you’re a military member in Pennsylvania, you’ll have a plethora of options to display your branch, which war you participated in, and any awards you’ve received. Here are just a handful of your options: 
  • Ex-Prisoner of War
  • Korean War Veteran
  • Medal of Honor
  • Merchant Marine 
  • Pearl Harbor Survivor
  • Purple Heart 
  • U.S. Air Force 
  • U.S. Army 
  • U.S. Coast Guard 
  • U.S. Marine Corps
  • U.S. Navy
  • Veteran 
  • Vietnam War Veteran 
  • World War II
  • Disabled veteran
To receive these plates, you’ll typically need to send in official documentation proving your connection to the branch you’re requesting. If you’re seeking an award-specific plate, you’ll need to send in a legible photocopy of your DD214 form indicating that the award in question was issued. 
Specific requirements vary depending on the license plate, so be sure to check in with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to see what forms, fees, and documentation you will need to submit. 

Special organization license plates

In Pennsylvania, you can also display a distinctive registration plate from an
approved non-profit organization
licensed in the state. This license plate will bear the organization’s name across the bottom of the plate and its logo or emblem on the left. 

Personalized license plates

If you really want to make your Pennsylvania license plate your own, you can always apply for a personalized new license plate. 
You must choose a combination of up to seven letters and/or numbers that are
unique from other drivers
. You are allotted one space or hyphen in that combination, but you cannot use special characters or create any configuration that could be viewed as inappropriate. 

Non-passenger plates

In addition to Pennsylvania’s passenger car plates, the state also produces several license plates for non-passenger vehicles. Some of the non-passenger plates you might see while cruising the Keystone State include:
  • School bus plates
  • Motor home plates
  • Motorcycle plates
  • Commercial truck plates
  • Dealer plates
  • Snow plow plates

How to get a Pennsylvania license plate

You can get a free, standard-issue Pennsylvania license plate pretty easily—just
register your vehicle
!
To register your vehicle in Pennsylvania, you’ll need the following: 
Checks and money orders can be made out to the “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Additional processing fees
and sales tax fees may apply depending on the county. 
If you’ve already registered your vehicle and you’d like to enhance your plates with a more custom design, you can send in the applicable fees and forms at any time or wait until you renew your registration. 
Jerry
got me insured through Allstate with $100 of savings each month compared to my previous insurance. The customer service was excellent, and they even detected an error my previous insurer didn’t!” —Warren H.

FAQs

Pennsylvania has more options for license plate customization than all but two other states in the country—with around 280 plate designs. It should be noted, however, that while some of these plates are still viable on the road, they may no longer be in circulation.
No! Pennsylvania is one of 19 states that only requires you to display a license plate on the back of your passenger vehicle.
Are you overpaying for car insurance?
Compare quotes and find out in 45 seconds.
Try Jerry

Easiest way to compare and buy car insurance

√
No long forms
√
No spam or unwanted phone calls
√
Quotes from top insurance companies
Find insurance savings