Everything You Need To Know About Georgia License Plate Options!

In Georgia, residents can pick from many types of license plates, and each type has its own purpose. The license plate belongs to the state; when the vehicle is sold, the owner still owns the license plate.

They must give their license plates to another car within 30 days, or they will have to return them to the state department. In 2019, the Motor Vehicle Division gave out close to 2.5 million license plates. In this article, we will see Georgia license plate options and how they are designed.

Table of Contents

Standard License Plates

A typical license plate in Georgia is marked as the “Peach State” plate, after Georgia’s well-known fruit. During the years, the main plates have been updated many times to mirror Utah’s distinctive character.

The design of Georgia’s standard license plate is as follows:

Peach Symbol: A very prominent peach photograph, symbolising Georgia’s nickname, “The Peach State.”
Name of State: The word “Georgia” is displayed at the top of the plate.
County Name or Motto: The county where this plate is registered. Additionally, vehicle owners can replace the county name with a motto, “In God We Trust,” just by paying a $1 fee.

Specialty License Plates

Georgia also issues a wide range of specialty license plates, mostly for organisations, good causes, support causes or honour service. These plates are issued for private passenger vehicles and trailers. Some of the categories of these specialty license plates are:

Collegiate Plates

Collegiate plates are issued for individuals who are interested in showing support for their favourite college or university, both in Georgia and out-of-state schools. These plates also feature school colors, mascots, or logos. The design of the collegiate plate is as follows:

The typical design of collegiate plates has the official colors and logo (or mascot) of a school.
Among the most popular options for schools are the University of Georgia and Georgia State University..
Interestingly, a generous portion of the fee is contributed to scholarships and financial aid programs to support students.

Military Plates

Military license plates are only limited to people who meet the criteria and have enough documents to prove that they are either active-duty personnel, veterans, retirees, or their families. Some examples of military plates are:

Veteran Plates
Purple Heart Plates
Medal of Honor Plates
National Guard Plates

Since these plates honor service members, veterans, and specific military campaigns or their achievements, therefore, they have zero-fee or much reduced fees. The average design of a military plate includes:

Mainly the branch of the army (for instance, Army, Navy, or Marines)
If they served in any war/conflict (for instance, World War II, the Vietnam War)
If they have received an award for their service (Purple Heart, Medal of Honor)

Organizational Plates

These plates are specifically for members or supporters of various organizations, cause clubs, and non-profits such as:

Freemasons
Lions Clubs
Rotary Clubs

However, the eligibility requires the owner to prove their membership or affiliation to the said organization or club. The design usually includes the organization’s emblem (or logo) along with its name.

Wildlife and Environmental Plates

Georgia offers a wide range of Wildlife and Environmental specialty license plates for its residents to showcase the state’s commitment to natural heritage and its conservation. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources usually issues these wildlife and environmental plates:

Wildlife Series Plates: These plates are designed only to show the importance of species that are important. It helps organizations to make people aware of the conservation of wildlife animals, and a contribution of these plates goes to fund noble causes. Examples of wildlife series plates are:

Bald Eagle Plate
Trout Unlimited Plate
Bobwhite Quail Restoration Plate.
Butterfly Plate
Marine Habitat Plate

Environmental and Conservation Plates: As the name suggests, these plates are for organizations or individuals associated with working on environmental protection causes and other environmental themes, such as:

DNR Law Enforcement Plate
Recycle 4 Georgia Plate

Other Themed Plates

Georgia offers themed plates supporting different causes, interests, and organizations. These plates are not only personalized but also have a meaningful contribution to initiatives across the state. Some of these themed plates are:

Breast Cancer Awareness: These plates are issued to healthcare organizations or non-profit organizations to show their support and ongoing struggle to help people fighting breast cancer. It features an iconic pink ribbon, symbolizing the fight against breast cancer.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta: These plates are designed to show support for Georgia’s pediatric healthcare providers, who are contributing their time and energy to the treatment and care of children. Its design has the logo of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Support Education: These plates are designed to support and fund scholarships and financial resources for students and educators in Georgia. They often feature books or graduation caps, showcasing the importance of education.

Prestige (Vanity) Plates

Georgia allows vehicle owners to apply for prestige plates, which are also sometimes referred as vanity plates. These plates are more of customized plates with your choice of combination of letters and numbers. However, that comes with a specific criterion to fulfil:

The combination will have up to seven characters (including spaces)
The combination will not conflict with existing plate numbers
The combination will include offensive or obscene language

To get your personalized license plate, you need to check its availability on Georgia’s online Prestige Plate Reservation System before applying. The design of vanity plates is a standard peach background and a combination of numbers or letters.

Temporary License Plates (TOPs)

Temporary license plates are specifically for those vehicles that have been newly purchased and are only valid for 45 days from the issuance date. These plates are not like traditional plates on a metal sheet; instead, it is printed on weatherproof material to display on the rear end of the vehicle. There are two types of temporary plates, which are as follows:

Dealer-Issued TOPs: These plates are issued to Georgia motor vehicle dealers during the time of sale, and remain valid only 45 days after the date of purchase. Its primary purpose is to allow the buyer to operate the vehicle legally while the dealer processes the title and registration.
County-Issued TOPs: These plates are issued when the dealer has not completed the title process within five days of expiration of the dealer-issued temporary plate. This plate has only one 30-day extension.

Standard Plate Fees and Their Renewals

Annual Registration Fee: Standard license plates have an annual registration fee of $20 for both regular passenger cars and lightweight pickup trucks.
Two-Year Registration Option: Individuals can also opt for two-year registration for standard license plates, which comes with a price of $40 for two years.

Specialty and Prestige Plate Fees

Specialty Plates: In addition to the regular registration fees of $20, individuals interested in obtaining specialty license plates must pay fees ranging from $25 to $35 for a one-time fee.
Prestige (or Vanity) Plates: Like specialty plates, these prestige plates have a one-time manufacturing fee of $35 along with annual registration fees of $20 per year. Remember that the annual renewal will include the $35 special tag fees.

Plate Display Requirements

In Georgia, there are certain restrictions or requirements for vehicle owners to obey. Otherwise, the authority or law enforcement agencies may reserve the right to take legal action against the vehicle owners who do not follow the instructions, such as:

Mandatory to have rear license plates (of any type) on your vehicle.
License plates must be securely mounted and clearly visible.
Temporary plates (TOPs) must only be clearly visible in the rear window.
No damage to plates, and they should be free from any kind of debris or mud.
Registration decal (which shows month/year) must be visible in the bottom right corner on the license plate.

Personalized Plate Restrictions

Like standard license plates, personalized or customized license plates have certain restrictions for owners to follow, such as:

No vulgar, offensive, or misleading combination of numbers or letters.
No duplication of existing plate numbers or formats
Must meet state and federal regulations.
Overview of Georgia License Plate Options

Here is the quick overview of Georgia License plate options:

License Plate Type	Purpose	Eligibility	Cost (Approx.)
Standard Plate	The default plate for all vehicles	All vehicle owners	$20/year (or $40 for 2-year registration)
Specialty Plate	Supports causes, colleges, the military, or organizations	Varies by category	$25–$35 + $20 annual registration
Collegiate Plate	Show school spirit/support education	All residents	$25–$35 + $20/year; supports scholarships
Military Plate	Honor military service	Active, retired military, or eligible families	Often free or reduced fees
Organizational Plate	Support non-profits, clubs, or associations	Membership or proof required	$25–$35 + $20/year
Wildlife/Environmental Plate	Support conservation and wildlife efforts	All residents	$25–$35 + $20/year; funds conservation
Other Themed Plates	Support various causes (e.g., breast cancer, education)	All residents	$25–$35 + $20/year
Prestige (Vanity) Plate	Personalized combination of letters/numbers	All residents, subject to approval	$35 one-time + $20/year + $35 renewal fee
Temporary Plate (TOP)	Short-term plate for new vehicle purchases	Buyers of new vehicles	Free; valid for 45 days
Special EV Plate	For fully electric vehicles	EV owners (not hybrids)	$213.70/year + standard registration

What Happens If You Lose Your License Plate?

If the vehicle owner has lost, had their license plate stolen, or damaged, they should immediately report to the law enforcement authorities or the county office. Not only that, they are also bound to immediately request replacement for license plates from the county tag office. More importantly, the replacement fees are up to the vehicle owner to pay for, which can be somewhere between $8 and $10.

Should I Transfer or Cancel My License Plate?

It’s totally up to you if you want to cancel your license plate or get it transferred to another vehicle. For instance, if you have sold your sedan and want to keep that license plate, you will only have 30 days to get it transferred to another vehicle.

In the same way, if you do not want to keep that license plate, you will have to get that title cancelled from the concerned bureau of motor vehicles. But, it is far more important to inform the concerned office in both situations, because if your previously-owned vehicle gets involved in any illegal activity, you might be called for investigation by authorities.

Are there any special provisions for electric vehicles?

Georgia has to offer specific privileges for license plates registered as a Special Electric Vehicle plate, which is given to vehicle owners of fully electric vehicles, and does not include hybrids. The key features of these plates are:

The plate design says “Alternative Fuel Vehicle” written on it.
You are allowed to use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. No matter how many passengers are onboard, you can use HOT lanes toll-free.
Special electric plates come with a cost, which is an additional $213.70 annual fee to accommodate revenue collection for lost fuel taxes.

Conclusion

Georgia has over 1.8 million registered vehicles in the last year, offering a large range of options to choose from for your desired license plate. You can have the standard personal, organizational, military, environmental, and vanity plates. Each plate category has something to prove.