New “Kentucky…It’s that Friendly” License Plate Fact Sheet

• Kentucky’s new license plate design is the result of a partnership between the Tourism Development Cabinet, Transportation Cabinet and the Governor’s Office.

• The new plate is designed to promote Kentucky’s new tourism marketing program…“Kentucky, It’s that friendly.”  The “friendly” theme was developed after extensive market research revealed that people outside of the state rank the friendliest of Kentuckians as the state’s number one attribute.

• The smiling sunrise over the Kentucky hillside provides a backdrop for a very friendly and readable license plate that serves as a traveling billboard that promotes the message of “Kentucky, It’s that friendly.”

• There are over 130 different types of license plates in Kentucky. The enclosed license plate option sheet shows some of the different types available.

• The new plate design will appear on the regular passenger plate, the disabled parking plate and the recreational vehicle plate.

• On Saturday, January 4th and on Monday, January 6th, approximately 700,000 new license plates will be distributed to county clerks statewide.

• Kentuckians will receive the new plate when they renew their motor vehicle tags during or one month before their birth month. Instead of getting a sticker for their plate, they will receive a new “Kentucky…It’s that friendly” plate.

• When the plate is issued to the driver, he/she will pay $15, which is the same as the annual fee to renew vehicle tags.

• In 2000, legislation was passed to provide a funding mechanism for creation of the new license plates. Each year, 50 cents comes out of the $15 license renewal fee and is placed into a restricted account. These funds are used to make the new license plates every five years. No road fund money is used to make the new plates.

• The Transportation Cabinet is mandated by law to re-plate passenger vehicles every five years. There is evidence that supports the fact that registrations will increase due to changing the graphic image on the plate.  This provides a deterrent to individuals trying to evade annual registration and property tax fees on vehicles. For the next five years, these license plates will not only function as a tracking system for vehicle identification, but they will also serve as traveling billboards that advertise the hospitality and friendliness of the Commonwealth.