Starting July 1, Nevada motorists will have to replace their vehicle license plates every eight years. A bill approved by last year's Legislature to address law enforcement agencies' complaints about many plates being unreadable. Â
Officials with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles say license plates begin to fade or burn within 5-10 years.
"Your reflectivity, your visibility, your legibility of a license plate degrades over time and it is a safety component," Sean McDonald, Central Services and Records Division Administrator for the Nevada DMV said. "Law enforcement had requested that we have license plates that were more legible."
Department of Motor Vehicles officials say license plates fade from exposure to the elements. They are supposed to be readable from about 100 feet away. The standard "sunset" license plates will be replaced for $8. Motorists with specialty plates that support causes will not have to pay a replacement cost because they already have a $10 levy for renewal.
However, state officials are not applying the replacement law to a few specific license plates.
"The old-style blue plates with the painted and debossed, as well as the 150th and 125th license plates will be exempt from that re-issuance," McDonald said.
The blue plates are exempt if they were issued before June, 2015. The replacement law also include things like trailers and motorcycles. McDonald says there are 720,000 Nevada license plates, or 360,000 sets, that are at least eight years old. That could create an initial backlog, which the DMV is working through, over three years.
"We are looking to find a way to methodically re-introduce those plates," McDonald said. "So, you may have a license plate right now, that is eight years old, but it may take another year or so before you get that notice in the mail."
The DMV will send notices out, starting July 1. By August, they will begin issuing new license plates. Drivers will be able to keep the same number and style as their current plates. They will be sent through the mail, just like annual registration renewals, although the plates and expiration decals will be sent separately.
