Alaska Specialty License Plates: Full List & Fees

How to Apply for a Specialty Plate

An application for a specialty plate follows the same path as any other plate request. See Alaska License Plates for more. The owner files Form 803 with the registration paperwork and names the design. Proof goes with the form when the design calls for it. The counter reviews the packet and sends the plate by mail in most cases.

Form 803

Form 803 is the plate application for every design on this page. It asks for the vehicle, the owner and the design by name. A personalized combination goes in the same space, with six characters at most. File the form at a DMV office or by mail with the registration paperwork attached.

Proof and Signatures

Proof and signatures depend on the design. Military plates need a service record, disability plates need Form 861, and fraternal plates need the organization’s name. The owner signs the application, and a joint owner signs too when the registration lists two names. A missing signature is the most usual reason a packet comes back.

After the Plate Arrives

The plate arrives by mail with the registration paperwork. Mount it on the rear of the vehicle and remove the old plate from the record. A specialty plate that replaces a standard plate leaves the standard plate with the state. Keep the registration card in the vehicle and the receipt with the household papers.

Changing Designs Mid-Cycle

An owner can change designs before the registration comes due. File a fresh Form 803 with the new design name and the current registration. The state issues the new plate and retires the old one from the record. A swap in the middle of a cycle may change what the state collects, so check the table before you switch.

• Name the design exactly as the state lists it
• Attach proof for military, disability or fraternal designs
• Sign the form, and have a joint owner sign too
• Mount the new plate and retire the old one

What Counts as a Specialty Plate

A specialty plate is any design the state issues beyond the three standard styles. The group shares one trait: the plate carries art or text tied to a program, a cause or a group. The state treats these plates as optional, so the owner asks for one by name on Form 803. The fee table on this page lists every design in the group.

Six Characters, One Format

Every specialty design keeps the six-character passenger field. Letters and numbers are allowed, symbols are not, and the decency rule in 2 AAC 92.120 applies to personalized requests. The artwork sits around the serial rather than through it. A specialty plate with a personalized combination still shows six characters at most, so the design does not buy extra room.

What Sits Outside the Group

Standard Gold, Blue N Gold and Grizzly Bear plates sit outside the specialty group. So do disability plates, which follow Form 861 rather than a design choice. Historic, farm and commercial plates follow vehicle class instead of owner preference. A buyer who wants one of those should read the page for that group, since the paperwork differs.

• Support plates tied to a cause or a stance
• Cause plates tied to a health fund or charity
• Military and veteran designs tied to service
• University, fraternal and service designs

Plate Frames and Display

A specialty plate goes on the rear of a passenger vehicle, and the front stays bare under the single-plate rule. A frame can dress up the edges but must not cover the state name or the serial. Mirrored covers and tinted shields break the display rule on any plate, specialty or standard. Keep the frame narrow enough that every character stays visible at a distance.

Support-Based Plates

Support-based plates carry a message the owner chooses to display. The group holds five designs: Support Our Troops, Choose Life, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice and NRA. Each one uses the standard passenger blank and the standard serial pattern. The table below sets out what each design asks at issue and at renewal, so a buyer can compare them side by side.

Support Our Troops

The Support Our Troops plate shows a message of support for service members. It uses the same six-character field as every other passenger design. Buyers order it on Form 803 and name the design in the space provided. The plate suits owners who want the message visible on a daily commute and are ready to keep it for several renewal cycles.

Choose Life, Pro-Family and Pro-Choice

These three designs carry a stance in their names. The state treats them as message plates, so the application asks for the design name and nothing more. Each one keeps the standard serial layout and the same reflective finish. Owners who change their mind later can move to another design at renewal without a new vehicle record.

NRA Plates

The NRA plate ties to a national organization and carries its mark beside the serial. The amount at renewal differs from the amount at issue, which makes this row worth a second look in the table. The plate uses the standard passenger blank. Buyers who want the organization’s mark on a truck or an SUV should confirm the vehicle class before filing.

Cause Plates

Cause plates tie a design to a health program or a charity fund. The group covers Breast Cancer, Children’s Trust and Blood Bank designs. Each one sends a share of the plate charge to the named fund, and each one keeps its own terms at renewal. Buyers who care where the money lands should read the table row for the design before they commit.

Breast Cancer Plates

The Breast Cancer plate carries a health message and ties to a cause fund. Owners order it by name on Form 803, and the state prints it on the standard passenger blank. The design suits drivers who want the message visible on a daily route. The table below gives the amount at issue and the amount at each renewal for this design.

Children’s Trust Plates

The Children’s Trust plate supports a fund for children’s programs. It sits in the cause group and uses the same six-character field as the rest of the lineup. The state prints the design around the serial, so the plate reads clearly at a distance. A buyer who wants a matching pair for two vehicles should order both on the same day and name the design twice.

Blood Bank Plates

The Blood Bank plate marks blood donors and ties to a donation program. It stays in the cause group and keeps the standard passenger format. The state lists it in the fee table with the other cause designs, and the renewal row matters for anyone who plans to keep the plate for years. Donors often move this plate from one car to the next.

Choosing a Cause Design

Three cause designs sit close together on the form, and the choice often comes down to the fund rather than the artwork. Read what each fund supports before you pick, since the message on the plate points to the program behind it. A household with two cars can carry two designs and support two funds. The table shows how each row behaves at renewal, which matters over a long hold.

Specialty Plate Fees

The table below lists every specialty design covered on this page. See Alaska bear plate for more. The first column names the design, the second shows the amount at issue and the third shows the amount at each renewal. Read the two money columns together, since a low first figure can hide a steady yearly charge. Amounts follow the state plate schedule.

How the Table Reads

Issue means the first plate for a vehicle. Renewal means each later cycle when the registration comes due. A zero in the renewal column means the design adds nothing at that point. The last row covers a transfer between vehicles, and the counter confirms whether the category qualifies.

Renewal and Transfer

A specialty plate renews with the vehicle registration, and the notice shows the design with the amount due. The owner can drop the design at renewal and take a standard plate instead. A plate moved to another vehicle goes through the transfer stage with Form 814. Some categories sit outside the transfer figure, so ask the counter before paying.

Military and Veteran Specialty Plates

Military and veteran specialty plates honor service and mark a branch, a unit or an award. The group asks for proof with the application, which sets it apart from the cause plates above. The state prints each design on the standard blank with the service mark beside the serial. A veteran who owns several vehicles can spread the designs across them.

Branch Designs

Branch designs carry the seal of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard. Each one asks for proof of service with the application. A discharge paper or a copy of the service record covers the requirement in most cases. The state prints the branch name and seal beside the six-character serial.

National Guard and Unit Designators

National Guard plates mark Guard service, and unit designator plates print a specific unit on the face. Both ask for the unit name on the form. A shortened unit name gets the application sent back, so copy the wording from the orders. The unit designator design stays with the owner through a transfer to another vehicle.

Award Plates

POW, Purple Heart, Pearl Harbor Survivor and Gold Star plates mark an award or a family loss. The state issues them as recognition rather than as a purchase, and the fee table shows how that works out. Proof of the award or the family status goes with the application. These designs carry the strongest meaning in the lineup and draw the closest review at the counter.

Veteran Commemorative Plate

The Veteran Commemorative plate is a separate design in the military group. It carries a commemorative mark rather than a branch seal and uses the standard passenger blank. The application asks for proof of service, the same as a branch plate. An owner who wants a branch seal on one vehicle and the commemorative design on another can hold both at once.

Renewing a Military Plate

A military plate renews with the registration, and the proof on file usually carries forward. The state may ask for a fresh copy when the record ages or when the owner moves the plate to a new vehicle. Branch and unit plates keep the same serial through a transfer. Award plates stay with the owner and follow the same renewal cycle as the rest of the group.

Proof of Service

Proof takes one of several forms, and the counter accepts a copy rather than the original in most cases. The document must show the branch and the service dates. A name change since service needs a supporting paper with it. Veterans who filed a plate years ago may need a fresh copy if the old record has aged out of the system.

• Discharge paper showing branch and dates of service
• Service record copy for an active member
• Award citation for a Purple Heart or similar honor
• Family documentation for a Gold Star plate

University Plates

University plates carry a campus name and mark and sit in their own part of the specialty group. The state prints the school name in full beside the serial. Designs follow the school’s colors and current mark. Alumni, staff and fans order them by name on the same Form 803 used for any other plate.

Campus Artwork

Campus artwork changes when a school updates its mark. An older plate on a used car can look different from a new one bought this year. The state prints the campus name in a fixed spot, so the serial stays readable. Buyers who want two plates to match should order them together rather than months apart.

Ordering and Renewal

A university plate renews with the vehicle registration like any other design. The renewal notice lists the design and the amount due, and the table below covers the numbers. An owner who moves the plate to a new vehicle files Form 814 first. The design stays available as long as the state lists it.

Fraternal and Membership Plates

Fraternal and membership plates mark a lodge, an order or a licensed hobby. See Alaska military plates for more. The group covers fraternal orders, amateur radio operators and service organizations. Each design asks for a membership detail or a license number with the application. The state prints the emblem beside the serial on the standard passenger blank.

Fraternal Orders

Fraternal plates tie to a lodge or an order and carry its emblem. The application asks for the organization’s name and the member’s standing. The state keeps a list of recognized orders, so a buyer should confirm the exact name before filing. These plates suit owners who want the lodge visible on the road.

Amateur Radio and Service Designs

Amateur radio plates mark a licensed operator and include the license details on the application. Firefighter/EMS and Iditarod plates sit in this part of the list too. Each one ties to a role or an event rather than a cause fund. The state prints the mark beside the six-character serial and keeps the design in the standard format.

Keeping a Membership Plate Current

A membership plate depends on the group behind it, so a lapse in membership can end the design at renewal. Update the record when a lodge merges or changes its name. An amateur radio operator who lets a license expire should expect the plate to end with it. The state checks the group tie when the plate comes up for renewal, so keep the paperwork current.

• Fraternal order name and member standing
• Amateur radio license details
• Firefighter or EMS department affiliation
• Iditarod design requested by name

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions cover the points that come up most often at the counter. Each answer is short, and the sections above hold the detail. A buyer who reads the table first usually has fewer questions at filing.

Do specialty plates cost more than standard plates?

Some do and some do not. The table on this page lists the amount at issue and at renewal for each design, and a few rows show zero in both columns. Standard plates carry no separate design charge. Compare the two money columns rather than the first figure alone, since a design can look cheap at issue and cost more each year.

Can I move a specialty plate to another vehicle?

Yes, through the state transfer process. File Form 814 to release the plate from the old vehicle, then register the plate on the new one. The transfer row in the table shows the amount, and some categories are exempt. A plate that has been off a vehicle for more than 60 days loses its personalized combination.

Can I switch back to a standard plate later?

Yes. Ask for a standard design at renewal or file a new plate application. The state issues Standard Gold, Blue N Gold or Grizzly Bear and retires the specialty plate from the record. A personalized combination returns to the pool after it has been off a vehicle or expired for more than 60 days.

Does a specialty design change the plate number?

No. The serial follows the same ABC 123 pattern used since January 2010, or the personalized combination the owner requests. The design sits around the serial and does not alter it. A plate moved from one vehicle to another keeps its serial, which is why collectors watch the prefix letters.

Do I keep proof paperwork in the vehicle?

No. Proof of service, medical certification and fraternal membership stay with the application, not in the glove box. The registration card is the document a roadside check asks for. Keep a copy of the proof at home in case a renewal asks for it again. The state does not require the original document in the car.