Wisconsin's New License Plate Designs Are A Retro Blast From The Past

The United States has some of the most interesting license plate designs anywhere in the world. Aside from being instantly recognizable, thanks in no small part to movies and other popular media, the U.S. is one of the only countries that offers multiple different plate designs for a single state. As you may be aware, when you visit your state's DMV, you might get a choice of different license plate designs, and there are also different plate types depending on who you are and what sort of vehicle you're driving.

Vintage license plates in the U.S. are also very easily recognizable. Even before the era of stuff like river otters appearing in the background, they were recognizable because of the color scheme. California, for example, had yellow lettering against a black background, and it's something people associate with classic cars. If you have any old plates lying around, don't throw them away just yet. While most U.S. states don't offer such a license plate anymore, Wisconsin has taken it upon itself to bring back some classic license plate color palettes. 

For 2026, the state of Wisconsin is introducing two new plate designs, both of them retro-inspired. The Blackout style includes white lettering against a black background, and the state's name in the top center, as usual. The Retro style has black lettering against a yellow background, which state officials say was inspired by license plates in the 70s. The Retro style also includes the phrase "America's Dairyland" on the bottom center, similar to Idaho's Famous Potatoes tag.

Tony Evers, Governor of Wisconsin, stated, "These new specialty plates are a win-win for Wisconsin. They not only meet long-standing demand for new plate designs Wisconsinites can choose from, but will also provide new, ongoing resources so we can continue working to fix the darn roads across our state."

Both plates follow the same format, with three letters followed by four numbers. The yellow plates will start with Y, while the blackout plates will start with a Z, at least until they run out. State officials also confirm that the plates will carry a $15 insurance fee, as well as a $25 annual registration fee, and the rollout begins in early January 2026. Interestingly, there are no special requirements for you to have one of these plates; you don't need a classic car, or even a car built in a specific model year — the Blackout and Retro plates will be available to every resident of Wisconsin.