The in basket: Michael Drouin of Bremerton asks, “Why does the state charge for a plate reflectorization along with a plate replacement fee? Seems to me that when the state manufactures a license plate at its state facilities, the reflectorization is part of the manufacture.
The in basket: Michael Drouin of Bremerton asks, “Why does the
state charge for a plate reflectorization along with a plate
replacement fee? Seems to me that when the state manufactures a
license plate at its state facilities, the reflectorization is part
of the manufacture.
“Also, I seem to remember you answering this question before but
please refresh my memory,” Michael wrote. “Why is it mandatory to
change license plates every seven years? Out of the over 60
automobiles I’ve owned in my life, I’ve never had a license plate
wear out.”
The out basket: I wasn’t aware the state was itemizing the cost of
making their new plates reflective, so I asked Brad Benfield of the
state Department of Licensing.
“Yes, there is a separate fee for license plate reflectorization,”
he replied..
“Back in 1967, the state Legislature passed a law
requiring license plates to “be treated with fully
reflectorized materials designed to increase the visibility and
legibility of such plates at night,” The Legislature also
included within this law a fee of 50 cents per plate to cover this
cost. The law that covers the cost of replacing license plates
dates back to 1915.
“The separation of the two fees has become more visible for two
reasons. The first is that the fee was increased from 50
cents per plate to $2 per plate as part of the big 2005
transportation funding package that also increased fuel taxes and
introduced weight-based vehicle registration fees. The
second is the reintroduction of detailed fee breakdowns on our
new, full-sheet vehicle registration renewal notices.
“During the design of these new notices, we made space to fully
break down each separate fee and provide a description of where
each fee goes. Prior to doing this, the reflectorization fee was
simply not well known and we generally included it with the cost of
replacement plates to save room on our old, postcard-style renewal
notice.
“It shows up on the new renewal notice as a separate itemized
fee when plate replacement is required. Revenue from the plate
reflectorization fee is deposited in our state’s Motor Vehicle Fund
and is dedicated to pay for transportation-related needs,” Brad
says.
As for the why of it, the department believes that plates lose
their reflectiveness in 10 years, find it cheaper to issue new
plates than try to brighten old ones, and the police consider being
able to read a plate a night to be crucial to doing their job.
So a seven-year replacement cycle was established to make sure no
plates grow too dim to see in the dark.
I, too, have never had a plate “wear out”. What is the standard used to determine the proper amount of reflectivity?
Brad Benfield of the state Department of Licensing says; “the department believes that plates lose their reflectiveness in 10 years”.
Doesn’t DOL know for sure how long and by what amount?
It’s really not about the ‘reflectivity’ as much as it is about adding the two-dollar charge for each vehicle to help fund the transportation department.
If this fee/tax were to go away, someone would just have to come up with another creative way to extract money from us.
Hmmm… maybe “red light” cameras?
I have never had a problem reading a plate over 10 years old… or for that matter 40 years old.
I do know that reflectorization is necessary, ask any law enforcement officer.
If, lets just say, someone had just committed a crime and maybe was fleeing down Lake Flora, or some other road without many lights, and it just happened to be dark, and the bad guy decides to out run the cops chasing them, and maybe turn out their lights so they couldn’t be seen, the license plate reflection is verrrrrry important.
It could have even been your car that was stolen, or your home that was burglarized. Somehow $2 bucks don’t sound to bad to me every seven years to pay…even just it case.
I agree with Travis. Plates may get dirty, but they don’t wear out.
I steam cleaned traffic signs for years, and the paint would wear off before they ever became non reflective.
Where does the $2 fee come from?
My fee is $30 (min) for license, $10 for weight-based fee, $3.75 for fees, and yes in fact, $24.00 for the replacement plate (designated for road, street, and highway purposes?). $2? I wish !!!