Are Blackout Plates Finally Coming To Wisconsin? Two Interesting New Plate Options Proposed

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers made his pitch earlier this week for his budget plan for the state for the next two years, and a couple of the items highlighted include a pair of license plate designs.

The popularity of specialty license plates has exploded in recent years, with a vast majority of them being tied to charitable causes, nonprofits, and other organizations.

Wisconsin has about 60 specialty plate options that range from first responder plates to options dedicated to the Musky Clubs Alliance, Lions Club, Ice Age Trail, and the state's pro sports teams.

The two new designs Evers proposes appear to be just a couple of new options for Wisconsin drivers that would allow them to add some specialty flair to their vehicles while adding an additional revenue stream for the state.

One of the proposed designs is inspired by a concept already quite popular in other states while the other is very unique to Wisconsin. Here's a look at the two design concepts.

Proposed Design 1: A Wisconsin "Blackout" Plate

NOTE: There is no proposed official blackout plate design yet. The above design is just a mock-up using the original Wisconsin plate design for illustrative purposes.

States like Minnesota and Iowa have added blackout plate designs in recent years, being very popular choices in both states.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Minnesota's blackout plates have generated nearly $2 million in revenue for the state as demand for the simple black design with white lettering has been notably high.

Get our free mobile app

The idea of a blackout plate for Wisconsin isn't new, having been proposed by legislators before. With Governor Evers behind the cause, it might help push the concept to reality.

Wisconsin does already have something somewhat like a blackout design, called the "Elkhart Lake's Road America" plate. This plate is an ode to the Wisconsin racetrack by the same name.

There is no official design yet for the proposed new blackout plates, but it would likely be similar to the Road America plate, just without the Road America message and racetrack shape on the plate.

Proposed Design 2: "Butter-Themed" Plate

I mean, besides cheese, how much more "Wisconsin" does it get? (No, that isn't the actual design.)

Like the proposed blackout plates, there was no design concept for what a "butter-themed" license plate would look like, but it would reportedly have a yellow background. That makes sense, right?

Wisconsin does already have a plate that has a yellow background - the Green Bay Packers plate, which has a yellow background, black lettering, and the Packers logo on it. The Packers plate money raised goes toward maintenance and operating costs for Lambeau Field.

I'd hope the new butter-themed plate is considerably more different than just removing the Packers parts of the Packers plates and calling it the "butter plate".

Regardless of what design they end up going with, I do feel like they're missing out on a prime opportunity. Why not an official cheese plate? I mean, come on!

They could probably do better than the quick mock-up I just slapped together, but it seems all too perfect to me!

How much do specialty plates cost in Wisconsin?

If one of the proposed designs excites you or if you want to take advantage of one of the dozens of specialty designs Wisconsin already has, they do cost a little more than the standard-issue plate.

Current specialty plates have an additional issuance fee/donation fees associated with them. There is a $15 issuance fee tied to most of the state's specialty plates. Those related to causes also have a donation, generally around $25 annually.