OLYMPIA, Wash. — It might cost Washingtonians a bit more to renew their Washington state personalized license plate in coming years.
That's because the state Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a request to increase the cost to renew from $42 to $52 at its Aug. 9 meeting.
Personalized license plate fees are a major revenue driver for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Per state law, $10 of each renewal are entered into the fish and wildlife account for "the management of resources associated with the nonconsumptive use of wildlife." $2 goes to the wildlife rehabilitation account and the remainder is used for "the preservation, protection, perpetuation, and enhancement of nongame species of wildlife."
The requested increase will now be decided by lawmakers. The presentation to the Fish and Wildlife Commission stated that it believes increasing the fee to align with the $52 initial fee for a personalized license plate would not reduce continuation and renewal of people's plates.
The presentation also estimates the additional revenue will be $1.6 million every two years.
The proposal would not affect special design plates, like those with college logos, military or other organizations.
The Department of Licensing's website still shows that it is experiencing a "significant delay" in the ability to issue personalized and specialty plates. The department says it doesn't have a timeline for when the production schedule will return to normal.
