November 30, 1999
License plate variety gives
personality to auto identification

Heidi Waldman
digital•iowa staff reporter
Drake University

DES MOINES, Iowa--License plates in Iowa now have personality and are more than a means of identification. Plates on automobiles have become a way to send a message to everyone on the road about of the person who is driving the car.

Margaret Howe, administrative assistant in the Office of Vehicle Services, said information on license plates is considered private, and in Iowa when people renew their plates, they are asked if they would like their information to be kept out of public records. What can be seen on the plates can reflect a person's choices in life, Cameron said.

There are over 25 types of plates Iowans can choose from.

The plates available to Iowa residents include military plates like those for members of the National Guard, winners of the Purple Heart and the Silver Star, and veterans of Pearl Harbor.

Irene Cameron, the second deputy treasurer of Polk County, said the Love Our Kids plate raises money for a fund to help prevent farm accidents. Mary Maloney, Polk County treasurer, said she thought Gov. Tom Vilsack had Love Our Kids plates on his car.

The state-supported colleges Iowa State University, University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa have scholarships created by funds generated from sales of the license plates in the colors of those schools. Other plates generate funds for special organizations.

Maloney said Luther College, a private college in Decorah, also has specialized tags. She added many organizations would be eligible to have their own specialized tag.

"You could have a Drake [University] license plate," Maloney said. "Drake would have to know they could sell 500."

Cameron acts as the manager for the Polk County registration office. She has license plates hanging up that people have never picked up or were mistakes. Some of the plates have sayings like OSHUTUP and URFIRED. One motorcycle plate says ZOO, which was supposed to say 200.

On any given day, dozens of plates are waiting to be picked up. Some plates are straightforward, like DR 2B and 16AGAIN. Cameron laughed at some she picked up, LILARMY and DR BUG being among them.

"Sometimes you look at the plates and wonder what people do for a living," Cameron said.

Personalized plates have stipulations as to what is allowed to be used, Cameron said.The application for Iowa special license plates has a list of stipulations. All personalized plates must have at least two characters, there can be no punctuation and plates "containing or suggesting profane, obscene or inflammatory words or phrases, those contrary to public policy of those that conflict with the regular license numbering system, will not be issued."

Plates that could conflict with the system of regular license plates right now would be plates with three letters and then three numbers, Howe said.

HoweÕs office also covers customer service in issuing license plates and is a county liaison. Howe said the office has a section of people who decide whether to approve a plate. The processing takes a very short time, Howe said.

"I have to give the section credit," Howe said. "In fact, I believe that what we got in the mail yesterday is what they are reviewing today."

In Iowa in 1998, there were 2,118,809 automobiles registered, Howe said. But she said no records are available for the number of specialized plates that have been issued statewide.

One concern of registration of vehicles, Maloney said, is the way the system is set up. Information cannot be captured on drivers who are leasing their vehicle. In the last five years there has been a move to one-third of all vehicles being leased. Because there is no information on how to contact people, often people who lease are unable to receive notices for when their registration fees and renewals are due unless the company leasing to them forwards that information, Maloney said.

"We want to improve our service to those who lease vehicles," Maloney said.

The Department of Motor Vehicles falls under the jurisdiction of the county treasurer. In the last year, Polk County alone, received over $2,205,000 from registration fees and vehicle taxes.

Plates have had a long history in Iowa and have changed somewhat over the years. The first plates were issued in July, 1911 and were 2-inch metal disks covered with leather and fastened to the dashboard. Since that time, automobile plates have been manufactured at the Men's Reformatory in Anamosa.