Ever notice how much is visually going on in a license plate? The basic Hawaii plate has a rainbow sparkling in the background, Alaska’s has an entire bear, Wyoming’s has (what else but) a cowboy at a rodeo, and several states feature a local mountain or mountains. Some of them are really quite busy, even though, at the end of the day, all they’re meant to be is some identifying letters and numbers.
Colorado’s basic plate, too, features a few mountains against a green background. But recently, a new plate has been blowing away expectations, becoming something of an automotive fashion statement. A throwback to the state’s 1945 plate, a clean, crisp, white-text-on-black-background specialty plate went on sale in January of 2023. This wasn’t supposed to be anything special: States release specialty plates all the time (some dumber than others, but some better), and this particular one debuted alongside otherwise identical red and blue options, as well as a green mountain range on a white background.
Yet it’s the black plate that has become a sensation. Maybe it’s that the 2D aesthetic has taken over from 3D in recent years, or maybe it’s that black is always cool, or maybe people like the Zen simplicity of a plate that is just a plate without any frills. Whatever the reason, its unexpected popularity comes with a fantastic bonus that other states should take note of.
Colorado’s black license plate raises extra revenue for the state
All four of Colorado’s retro plates, each referencing a specific era of the state’s historical plating, were intended for a specific purpose: Raising revenue for the Colorado Disability Funding Committee. Whereas the basic plate requires only an upfront fee, these plates require $25 up front and an additional $25 per year; that annual fee goes to the committee, which offers grants for assisting people with disabilites or supporting innovations to help them.
The blue, red, and green mountain range plates did their jobs, selling a few thousand each, as expected. That’s a nice amount of extra cash to support a good cause. It’s the black plate, though, that took off like a rocket: As of March 2025, it’s estimated to have sold a truly jaw-dropping 378,000 units. And while it may look cool on the road, it’s really great that a community that needs the support can raise dedicated funding that the state government can’t just snatch away.
Except, maybe it can. The Colorado state legislature is currently looking at ways to redirect that revenue toward other needs, which is explicitly not the point of dedicated fundraising like this. On the one hand, that’s going back on their word; on the other, maybe all that money can help the state in other ways. Have an opinion on that? Simply move to Colorado and vote for your local representatives. Maybe pick up a cool license plate while you’re at it.