Vanity License Plates That'll Be Illegal on Maine Roads

In Maine, if you have an offensive license plate, it might soon be bleeped.

To put in place a measure approved last year to allow her office to reject or recall more vanity plates due to profanity, sexually explicit slogans, or references to genitalia, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has produced a draft rule.

Incitement to violence, profanity, ethnic, racial, religious, or other slurs, or reference to illegal or criminal activity, all of which unfortunately can be seen on Maine license plates are all clearly against the public interest, according to Bellows. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom to display any bumper sticker you choose, but it does not oblige the state to give official license plates that contain vulgarity or profanity.

The state is one step closer to banning obscene or disparaging stickers from the road according to the draft rule, which is still subject to public review.

The regulation outlines the requirements and the evaluation procedure for brand-new vanity plate applications. Additionally, it codifies the procedures for disputing an existing license plate and contesting revocations.

How to find the right plate for your car or how not to fall for the bait? Maine license plate lookup tool will come in handy.

Illegal License Plates on Maine Roads

The committee will recall or disapprove plates that:

• falsely imply affiliation with a government, a public institution, or a government agency;
• copy a different plate;
• due to the language used or the way that the letters and numbers are arranged, the plate encourage violence or leads to an act of violence or other illicit action;
• are vulgar or offensive;
• allude to someone's age, race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry or country of origin, religion, or physical or mental disability in a negative manner;
• reference to genitalia or sexual activity;
• even if expressed in a language other than English, contain words or a combination of characters that comprise slang phrases, acronyms, phonetic spellings, or mirror reflections of a word or term that is forbidden.

You'll receive notice by mail if your current vanity plate is recalled, and you'll have 14 days to ask for a hearing or apply for a new vanity plate. Anyone whose application is denied will be able to request an administrative hearing. You will immediately receive a new registration and standard plate if you don't.

Maine Illegal Vanity Plates History

There are more than 119,000 vanity license plates on the road, and a quick search revealed at least 119 of them to include the most typical "four-letter" words.

In 2015, we saw a relaxation of vanity plate regulations in Maine. In place of general vulgarity screening, only plates that were likely to encourage violence were rejected or recalled.

However, a persistent stream of complaints forced politicians to take action, and the Legislature drafted this bill last year with a focus on legal action in mind.

In Maine, which has a population of nearly 1.3 million, there are over 121,000 vanity license plates out on the road. State officials had previously predicted hundreds of them, but it's unknown how many could be taken out.

Maine Vanity License Plates Rules

Number of Characters: Your personalized plate in Maine can have a maximum of 7 characters. Any combination of the letters A to Z, spaces, dashes, ampersands, and numbers 0 to 9 are acceptable.

Limitations: The Maine Secretary of State's Bureau of Motor Vehicles must approve custom vanity license plates before they can be issued.

What is the Price for a License Plate in Maine?

Once the vehicle registration is completed, getting a license plate in Maine is a rather straightforward procedure. The type of license plate you choose for your car will undoubtedly affect how much it costs. For example, disability license plates cost $35, but most specialty license plates cost $20 and an additional $15 for renewal.

Which License Plates Are Used in Maine?

If you live in Maine, you can choose between two types of license plates:

Typical plates: the "Chickadee Plate" that has been in use since 1999. This is the plate that will be on your vehicle if you don't want to pay extra and don't have a need for a specialty plate. These can be used by vehicles that fall under a specific category, such as buses, motor homes, or commercial vehicles.

Specialty license plates: Maine offers over two dozen specialty license plates, many of which are either extra-expensive or only available to those who meet particular requirements.

For example, the conservation plate only adds $20 to the price, but the purple heart plate demands that you have earned that award while serving in the U.S. army.