Des Moines, Iowa — A Senate committee may soon debate the concept of leaving the county name off the bottom of SOME Iowa license plates.
Iowa is one of five states that have county names listed on the standard state license plate. Brad Epperly, a lobbyist for the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association, says the proposal would create the OPTION for a generic plate that doesn’t list the county where the vehicle’s owner lives.
Iowa offers 63 “specialty” license plates and only three list county names at the bottom. The Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association is opposed to the bill. Susan Daeman is the association’s statehouse lobbyist.
Daeman says a survey of county sheriffs in Iowa found 77 percent were opposed to the idea. Epperly says the proposal doesn’t remove county names from ALL Iowa license plates.
The Iowa DOT estimates it could save nearly a quarter of a million dollars over a 10 year period if ALL the standard-issue license plates were generic and county names were not imprinted on the bottom. The Automobile Dealers Association says a generic option could help with supply chain issues, as some counties don’t have an adequate supply of license plates stamped with the county name. The generic license plate concept has cleared a subcommittee and the bill is now eligible for debate in the Senate Transportation Committee.
