Amends and adds to existing law to establish a white and black license plate.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE SENATE SENATE BILL NO. 1325 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AN ACT1 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSE PLATES; AMENDING SECTION 49-402, IDAHO2 CODE, TO PROVIDE FOR A CERTAIN FEE AND TO MAKE A TECHNICAL CORRECTION;3 AMENDING CHAPTER 4, TITLE 49, IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SEC-4 TION 49-417G, IDAHO CODE, TO ESTABLISH WHITE AND BLACK LICENSE PLATES;5 AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.6

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

SECTION 1. That Section 49-402, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby8 amended to read as follows:9 49-402. ANNUAL REGISTRATION. (1) The annual fee for operating each10 pickup truck, each neighborhood electric vehicle and each other motor ve-11 hicle having a maximum gross weight not in excess of eight thousand (8,000)12 pounds and that complies with the federal motor vehicle safety standards as13 defined in section 49-107, Idaho Code, shall be:14 Vehicles one (1) and two (2) years old .........................$69.0015 Vehicles three (3) and four (4) years old ......................$57.0016 Vehicles five (5) and six (6) years old ........................$57.0017 Vehicles seven (7) and eight (8) years old .....................$45.0018 Vehicles over eight (8) years old .............................$45.0019 There shall be twelve (12) registration periods, starting in January20 for holders of validation registration stickers numbered 1, and proceed-21 ing consecutively through December for holders of validation registration22 stickers numbered 12, each of which shall start on the first day of a calen-23 dar month and end on the last day of the twelfth month from the first day of24 the beginning month. Registration periods shall expire at midnight on the25 last day of the registration period in the year designated by the validation26 registration sticker. The numeral digit on the validation registration27 stickers shall, as does the registration card, fix the registration period28 under the staggered registration system for the purpose of reregistration29 and notice of expiration.30 A vehicle that has once been registered for any of the above-designated31 periods shall, upon reregistration, be registered for the period bearing the32 same number, and the registration card shall show and be the exclusive proof33 of the expiration date of registration and licensing. Vehicles may be ini-34 tially registered for less than a twelve (12) month period, or for more than a35 twelve (12) month period, and the fee prorated on a monthly basis if the frac-36 tional registration tends to fulfill the purpose of the monthly series reg-37 istration system.38 (2) For all school buses operated either by a nonprofit, nonpublic39 school or operated pursuant to a service contract with a school district for40 transporting children to or from school or in connection with school-ap-41 proved activities, the annual fee shall be twenty-four dollars ($24.00) and42

2 shall be subject to staggered registration for the purpose of reregistration1 and notice of expiration.2 (3) For all motorcycles and motor-driven cycles that comply with the3 federal motor vehicle safety standards, operated on the public highways, the4 annual fee shall be nineteen dollars ($19.00) and shall be subject to stag-5 gered registration for the purpose of reregistration and notice of expira-6 tion.7 (4) For operation of an all-terrain vehicle, utility type vehicle or8 motorbike, excluding a motorbike with an engine displacement of fifty (50)9 cubic centimeters or less, on city, county or highway district roads or10 highways open to such use, a restricted vehicle license plate fee pursuant11 to section 49-450, Idaho Code, shall be paid. In addition, the certifi-12 cate of number fee specified in section 67-7122, Idaho Code, shall be paid13 as provided in section 67-7122, Idaho Code. The certificate of number and14 restricted vehicle license plate exemption provided in section 49-426(2),15 Idaho Code, applies to all-terrain vehicles, utility type vehicles, motor-16 bikes and motorcycles used for the purposes described in section 49-426(2),17 Idaho Code. Nonresidents shall be allowed to purchase a restricted vehicle18 license plate and validation sticker pursuant to section 67-7124, Idaho19 Code, for an all-terrain vehicle, utility type vehicle, or motorbike.20 (5) For all motor homes, the fee shall be as specified in subsection (1)21 of this section and shall be in addition to the fees provided for in section22 49-445, Idaho Code.23 (6) Registration fees shall not be subject to refund.24 (7) A financial institution or repossession service contracted to25 a financial institution repossessing vehicles under the terms of a secu-26 rity agreement shall move the vehicle from the place of repossession to the27 financial institution's place of business on a repossession plate. The28 repossession plate shall also be used for demonstrating the vehicle to a29 prospective purchaser for a period not to exceed ninety-six (96) hours. The30 registration fees for repossession plates shall be as required in subsection31 (1) of this section for a vehicle one (1) and two (2) years old. All other32 fees required under chapter 4, title 49, Idaho Code, shall be in addition to33 the registration fee. The repossession plate shall be subject to staggered34 registration for the purpose of reregistration and notice of expiration.35 (8) A wrecker or towing business engaged in the process of towing motor-36 ized vehicles that have been wrecked, abandoned, salvaged or may be disabled37 may apply for a wrecker plate to be displayed on those vehicles being towed,38 provided the power unit is properly registered under this chapter. The reg-39 istration fees for wrecker plates shall be as required in subsection (1) of40 this section for a vehicle one (1) and two (2) years old. All other fees re-41 quired under chapter 4, title 49, Idaho Code, shall be in addition to the reg-42 istration fee and shall be subject to staggered registration for the purpose43 of reregistration and notice of expiration.44 (9) In addition to the annual registration fee in this section, there45 shall be an initial program fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) and an annual46 program fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) for all special license plate pro-47 grams for those license plates issued pursuant to sections 49-404A, 49-407,48 49-408, 49-409, 49-414, 49-416, 49-418 and 49-418D, Idaho Code. For special49 plates issued pursuant to sections 49-417E, and 49-417G, Idaho Code, there50

3 shall be an initial program fee of seventy dollars ($70.00) and an annual1 program fee of fifty dollars ($50.00). For special plates issued pursuant to2 sections 49-406 and 49-406A, Idaho Code, there shall be an initial program3 fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) but there shall be no annual renewal fee.4 For special plates issued pursuant to sections 49-415D, 49-417, 49-417A,5 49-417B, 49-417C, 49-417D, 49-418A, 49-418B, 49-418C, 49-419, 49-419A,6 49-419C, 49-419E, 49-420, 49-420A, 49-420B, 49-420C, 49-420D, 49-420E,7 49-420J, 49-420K, 49-420L, 49-420M, 49-420N, 49-420O, 49-420P, 49-420Q,8 49-420R, 49-420S, and 49-420T, and 49-420T 49-420U, Idaho Code, and unless9 otherwise expressly provided for in this chapter, any new special plate10 program effective on and after January 1, 2013, pursuant to section 49-402D,11 Idaho Code, there shall be an initial program fee of thirty-five dollars12 ($35.00) and an annual program fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00). The fees13 contained in this subsection shall be applicable to all new special plate14 programs and shall be subject to staggered registration for the purpose of15 reregistration and notice of expiration. The initial program fee and the16 annual program fee shall be deposited in the state highway account and shall17 be used to fund the cost of administration of special license plate programs,18 unless otherwise specified by law.19 (10) Any vehicle that does not meet federal motor vehicle safety stan-20 dards shall not be registered and shall not be permitted to operate on public21 highways of the state, as defined in section 40-117, Idaho Code, unless oth-22 erwise specifically authorized.23 (11) In addition to annual registration fees as provided in this sec-24 tion, registrants may pay a fee to purchase an Idaho state parks passport25 authorizing resident motor vehicle entry into all Idaho state parks. Reg-26 istrants may pay the fee for a one (1) year or two (2) year period of time.27 The fee shall be ten dollars ($10.00) for one (1) year and twenty dollars28 ($20.00) for two (2) years. All fees collected pursuant to this subsection29 shall be deposited into the park and recreation fund and shall be subject to30 appropriation. Fees collected pursuant to this subsection shall not be con-31 sidered a motor vehicle registration fee as provided in section 17, article32 VII of the constitution of the state of Idaho.33

SECTION 2. That Chapter 4, Title 49, Idaho Code, be, and the same is34 hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and des-35 ignated as Section 49-417G, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:36 49-417G. WHITE AND BLACK LICENSE PLATES. (1) On and after July 1, 2026,37 any person who is the owner of a vehicle registered under the provisions of38 section 49-402, Idaho Code, or registered under any other section of law for39 which the purchase of special plates is allowed, may apply for and, upon de-40 partment approval, receive special white and black license plates in lieu of41 regular license plates.42 (2) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any vehicle with43 a registered maximum gross weight over twenty-six thousand (26,000) pounds.44 Availability of the white and black license plates for other vehicles shall45 be subject to the rules, policies, and procedures of the department.46 (3) In addition to the regular registration fee required pursuant47 to this chapter, the applicant shall be charged a fee of seventy dollars48 ($70.00) for the initial issuance of plates and fifty dollars ($50.00) for49

4 each succeeding annual registration. Five dollars ($5.00) of the initial1 fee and five dollars ($5.00) of the renewal fee shall be deposited in the2 state highway account and shall be used to fund the cost of administration3 of this special license plate program. Sixty-five dollars ($65.00) of each4 initial fee and forty-five dollars ($45.00) of each renewal fee shall be5 transferred by the state treasurer to the Idaho law enforcement fund created6 pursuant to section 67-2914, Idaho Code, and shall be used exclusively for7 the purposes described in section 49-454(3), Idaho Code.8 (4) Whenever title or interest in a vehicle registered under the pro-9 visions of this section is transferred or assigned, the owner may transfer10 the special plates to another vehicle upon payment of the required transfer11 fees. The owner may only display the plates on another vehicle upon receipt12 of the new registration from the department.13 (5) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 49-402C, Idaho Code, the14 white and black license plate shall have a white background and black charac-15 ters. The design shall be approved by the department, utilizing a numbering16 system as determined by the department. Initial costs of the plate program,17 including costs of plate design, shall be paid by the Idaho law enforcement18 fund.19 (6) The white and black license plate established in this section shall20 be exempt from the requirements of section 49-402D, Idaho Code.21 (7) Sample white and black license plates may be purchased for a fee of22 thirty dollars ($30.00), five dollars ($5.00) of which shall be deposited in23 the state highway account and twenty-five dollars ($25.00) of which shall be24 transferred to the Idaho law enforcement fund and shall be used exclusively25 for the purposes described in section 49-454(3), Idaho Code. No additional26 fee shall be charged for personalizing sample plates.27

SECTION 3. An emergency existing therefor, which emergency is hereby28 declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after29 July 1, 2026.30