OAR 735-046-0010: Custom Plates: Application and Standards

(1) A person who wishes to obtain custom plates must submit an application for custom plates and all applicable fees to DMV. Custom plate choices: (a) May not be reserved in advance of application and payment of required fees; and (b) Are approved and assigned by DMV on a first-come, first-served basis. When two or more applications requesting an identical plate choice are received, DMV will consider for approval the first one received with the required fees, without regard to whether the first application received is an original application for a custom plate or an application for renewal of a custom plate that has been expired for more than 180 days. “Application,” as used in this subsection, may include application by phone or electronic submission, provided DMV is in possession of the required fees. (2) An applicant for custom plates must qualify for Oregon title and registration for the vehicle listed on the custom plate application. (3) A custom plate choice is assigned to a vehicle at the time the plate is issued by DMV. (4) A custom plate choice must: (a) Be compatible with DMV's computer system; (b) Not be identical to any plate configuration reserved for: (A) Qualified Congressional Medal of Honor recipients; (B) Current Oregon office holders; (C) An Honorary Consul as defined in ORS 805.117; or (D) The Governor, unless the custom plate is issued under the provisions of OAR 735-046-0050; (c) Not begin with the letters CMH, MOH, ORE, SEN, REP, USS, or USR and be followed by numbers; (d) Be alphabetic or numeric characters, or alphanumeric characters, without any punctuation or symbols other than a dash or space; (e) Include at least one alphabetic or numeric character; (f) Be limited to no more than six alphabetic characters, numeric characters, spaces or dashes, except that a seventh character may be a space or dash; (g) Except as provided in section (5) of this rule, not be identical to any other plate configuration in current use. The use of a space or a dash within a plate choice is not considered when determining whether the plate is identical to another plate configuration. (5) In addition to other provisions of this rule, all of the following apply to approval of a plate choice that is identical to a plate configuration that is in current use: (a) DMV may approve a plate choice that conflicts with a plate configuration currently in use for motor vehicles registered under ORS 803.420(6)(a) (i.e., passenger plated vehicles) if: (A) The specific plate configuration requested has previously been issued and is not still in inventory or reserved for future issuance; (B) The previously issued plates bearing the plate choice are surrendered to DMV with the custom plate request, or are no longer in circulation. If there is any question about such plates being in circulation, it is the applicant's responsibility to satisfy DMV that the plates have been destroyed, surrendered to DMV or another jurisdiction, or are not available for use on a vehicle; and (C) The plate choice is to be assigned to a vehicle that qualifies for registration under ORS 803.420(6)(a). (b) For motor vehicles other than those registered under ORS 803.420(6)(a), specifically, vehicles that are not passenger plated vehicles, DMV may approve a plate choice that is identical to a plate configuration that is in current use if: (A) The vehicle to which the custom plates are to be issued is of a different type than the vehicle to which the plates bearing the identical plate configuration are in current use or could be issued. For example, a plate choice that is identical to a disabled veteran plate configuration (for example D00001) will not be assigned to a custom plate issued to either a passenger vehicle or motor home. A plate choice that is identical to a motor home plate configuration (for example H00001) will not be assigned to a custom plate issued to a motor home but DMV may allow the configuration to be assigned to a custom plate issued to a passenger vehicle; (B) The plate choice requested is not currently assigned to a registration plate; and (C) The plate choice requested will not be assigned to a future plate series. (6) DMV will not approve a custom plate choice, including plate choices that would do so by means of foreign or slang words or phrases, by use of phonetic, numeric or reverse spelling, or by being viewed in mirror image, that: (a) Would have the effect of alarming, threatening, offending or misleading a reasonable person. Such choices may include, but are not limited to, combinations of letters, numbers or both that: (A) Refer to intimate bodily parts or to sexual or excretory acts or functions; (B) Refer in an alarming or offensive manner to a person or class of persons on the basis of race, color, gender, ethnic heritage, national origin, or other characteristic; (C) Suggest that the vehicle to which the custom plate is issued is an official vehicle of a public agency or official, when it is in fact not such a vehicle; or (D) Refer to illegal acts. (b) Refer to alcoholic beverages, or controlled substances or paraphernalia used in the consumption thereof by combinations of letters, numbers or both. (7) DMV may use any reliable lexicological source to determine the meaning of any word, symbol or phrase. (8) When reviewing a plate choice for approval, DMV need not consider the applicant's subjective intent or declared meaning.