Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding agriculture license plates.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE BILL NO. 663 BY TRANSPORTATION AND DEFENSE COMMITTEE AN ACT1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE LICENSE PLATES; AMENDING SECTION 49-417B, IDAHO2 CODE, TO REVISE PROVISIONS REGARDING AGRICULTURE PLATES COLOR AND3 DESIGN; AMENDING SECTION 49-402C, IDAHO CODE, TO EXEMPT AGRICULTURE4 PLATES FROM STANDARDIZED COLOR AND DESIGN; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY5 AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.6

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:7

SECTION 1. That Section 49-417B, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby8 amended to read as follows:9 49-417B. IDAHO AGRICULTURE PLATES. (1) On and after January 1, 2000,10 any Any person who is the owner of a vehicle registered under the provisions11 of section 49-402 or 49-434(1), Idaho Code, may apply for Idaho agriculture12 plates. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any vehicle with13 a registered maximum gross weight over twenty-six thousand (26,000) pounds.14 Availability of Idaho agriculture plates for other vehicles may be autho-15 rized by rule of the board.16 (2) In addition to the regular operating fee, the applicant shall be17 charged a fee of thirty-five dollars ($35.00) for the initial issuance of18 the plates, and twenty-five dollars ($25.00) upon each succeeding annual19 registration. Ten dollars ($10.00) of the initial fee and ten dollars20 ($10.00) of the renewal fee shall be deposited in the state highway account21 and shall be used to fund the cost of the administration of this special li-22 cense plate program. Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) of each initial fee and23 fifteen dollars ($15.00) of each renewal fee shall be transferred by warrant24 on a monthly basis by the Idaho transportation department to Idaho ag in the25 classroom created by the provisions of section 57-815, Idaho Code.26 (3) Whenever title or interest in a vehicle registered under the provi-27 sions of pursuant to this section is transferred or assigned, the owner may28 transfer the special plates to another vehicle upon payment of the required29 transfer fees. The owner may only display the plates after receipt of new30 registration from the department.31 (4) The Idaho agriculture license plate shall be of a color and design32 in accordance with the provisions of section 49-402C, Idaho Code. That por-33 tion of the design which features Idaho agriculture shall be that is accept-34 able to the Food Producers of Idaho, Inc. Idaho ag in the classroom board35 of directors and shall be approved by the department utilizing and utilize a36 numbering system as determined by the department. Initial costs of the plate37 program, including the cost of plate design, shall be paid from the Idaho ag38 in the classroom account.39 (5) Sample Idaho agriculture plates may be purchased from the depart-40 ment for a fee of thirty dollars ($30.00), ten dollars ($10.00) of which41 shall be deposited in the state highway account and twenty dollars ($20.00)42

2 of which shall be transferred by warrant on a monthly basis by the Idaho1 transportation department to Idaho ag in the classroom.2

SECTION 2. That Section 49-402C, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby3 amended to read as follows:4 49-402C. SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE PROGRAMS -- STANDARDIZED PLATE COLOR5 AND DESIGN. (1) It is the intent of the legislature that special license6 plates issued by the department be readily recognizable as plates from the7 state of Idaho without losing the uniqueness for which the special plate was8 designed and purchased. In addition, the legislature finds that the depart-9 ment can operate in a more efficient, cost-effective manner by conforming10 special plates to a basic color and design.11 (2)(a) No special license plates and no special license plate programs12 in existence on or before June 30, 1998, shall be affected by the pro-13 visions of subsections (2) through (5) of this section. On and after14 July 1, 1998, any new special license plate program authorized or any15 redesign of an existing special license plate shall use the same red,16 white and blue background as the standard issue of license plates de-17 scribed in section 49-443, Idaho Code, except that:18 (a) (i) The identification of county shall be omitted;19 (b) (ii) The word "Idaho" shall appear on every plate;20 (c) (iii) The inscription "Scenic Idaho" may be omitted without21 legislative consideration and approval; and22 (d) (iv) No slogan shall be used that infringes upon, dilutes or23 compromises, or could be perceived to infringe upon, dilute or24 compromise, the trademarks of the state of Idaho, including, but25 not limited to, "Idaho Potatoes®," "Grown in Idaho™," "Famous26 Idaho Potatoes™" or "Famous Potatoes®."27 (b) The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the plate de-28 signs issued pursuant to the provisions of section 49-417 or 49-417B,29 Idaho Code.30 (3) Any redesign required for a special plate to conform with legisla-31 tive intent and the provisions of this section may be done in a manner similar32 to that used to produce the original design.33 (4) The special plates shall conform in all other respects with the pro-34 visions of section 49-443, Idaho Code, relating to visibility requirements,35 display of registration number, time period for validity of plates, and36 reservation of plate numbers.37 (5) Unless otherwise specifically provided, no special license plates38 shall be issued to motor vehicles with a registered maximum gross weight in39 excess of twenty-six thousand (26,000) pounds, or any motor vehicle regis-40 tered under section 49-434(5), Idaho Code, or section 49-435, Idaho Code.41 (6) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, on and42 after July 1, 2020, no new special license plate or special license plate43 program shall be established for the benefit of any entity that is not the44 state of Idaho or an agency of the state of Idaho. With respect to any spe-45 cial license plate program that is in existence on July 1, 2020, that has a46 nonprofit agency as a recipient of the proceeds from the sales of such plate,47 if fewer than one thousand (1,000) plates are issued in the first year of48 the special plate program's existence, fewer than one thousand five hundred49

3 (1,500) plates are issued in the second year of the special plate program's1 existence, or fewer than two thousand (2,000) plates in the third or any sub-2 sequent year of such special plate program's existence, the department shall3 discontinue that special license plate program.4 (7) With respect to a special license plate that has been discontinued5 prior to July 1, 2020, or is discontinued after that date for any reason, any6 existing plates may be renewed upon their expiration until the physical li-7 cense plates must be replaced pursuant to section 49-443(2), Idaho Code. No8 duplicate or replacement plates will be produced if such plates are lost or9 damaged.10

SECTION 3. An emergency existing therefor, which emergency is hereby11 declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after12 July 1, 2026.13