The Kansas Department of Revenue announced a new design for personalized license plates, but Kansans who don’t care for the personalized plates or the standard plates can still choose from more than 50 options.
Most Kansans just go with the standard plates, which accounted for 73,601 of the 89,486 plates issued in Kansas in 2023. Personalized plates are the second most common option at 2,452.
The remaining license plates issued are distinct license plates. For a royalty fee between $25 and $100, people can get a distinct license plates with the proceeds going to charitable organizations. Distinct license plates raise more than $2 million cumulatively every year for these organizations.
Distinct license plates must receive 250 orders before it enters production, and it must have continual support or it risks being cycled out. If a plate doesn’t get 125 orders over a two-year period, it will be discontinued.
Most popular school license plate
There are 10 institutions of higher learning that offer distinct license plates, with the most popular being the Kansas State University and the University of Kansas.
Washburn University in Topeka also offers a personalized plate, but comparatively few people got one in 2023 compared to other institutions. Garden City Community College is the least in-demand plate, with zero orders in 2023.
The additional fees to get a distinct license plate goes to alumni associations at the colleges and universities.
Military license plates
The military veteran license plate made up more than half of the total distinct military license plates in the state. Veterans who served in certain conflicts may also get license plates that specify the war they served in.
The plates for branches of the military are only available for active duty servicepersons, with the most common being the Army at 250 plates and the least common being Space Force with just one order in 2023.
Organizational license plates
Nonprofits, municipalities and certain fields of work have distinct license plates in the state.
The Kansas Rifle Association’s Gadsden Flag design is the most popular of the organizational license plates, which is trailed by those purchased by firefighters and one for the city of Wichita. Topeka also has a distinct license plate, but it didn’t go into production until 2024 after the last report on license plate orders.
New license plates
The Kansas legislature approved eight new distinct license plates in 2024 that could take up a share of what’s currently the most popular. License plate proposals throughout the legislative session were combined into Senate Bill 39, which passed both the Kansas House and Senate with overwhelming support.
The new license plates will be available on Jan. 1, 2025, and include distinct plates for the following:
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The Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Kansas City Royals.
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Sporting Kansas City.
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The Kansas City Current.
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Sedgwick County Zoo.
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Topeka Zoo.
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First City of Kansas.
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Support the troops.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas license plates ranked by popularity, including KU and K-State
