How Much Does a Custom License Plate Cost in CT?

A custom license plate in Connecticut costs anywhere from $50 for a basic off-the-shelf special interest plate to $159 for the priciest vanity design, and those fees sit on top of your regular $120 passenger vehicle registration. What you actually pay depends on three choices: a plain vanity plate versus a special interest design, an off-the-shelf pre-assigned number versus a personalized combination, and which specific design you pick.

Off-the-Shelf Special Interest Plate Prices

These are the cheapest custom option. You get a themed design, but the DMV assigns the number. Most fall between $50 and $70:

$50: Long Island Sound, Animal Population Control, Connecticut Greenways, Conserve Wildlife, Keep Kids Safe, United We Stand, Amistad, Police Memorial, and Cure Kids Cancer.
$60: Save Our Lakes, Support Our Troops, Celebrate Nursing, Cure Prostate Cancer, Hartford Whalers, and Borinqueneers (65th Infantry Regiment).
$70: Olympic Spirit.
$27.50: Flag-style veteran and Woman Veteran plates (replacement or remake).
No fee: Gold Star Family.

Vanity Plate Prices

Picking your own letters and numbers costs considerably more. The DMV points applicants to the application form for exact fees on a standard vanity plate, but the vanity surcharge on special interest designs is the practical benchmark, and vanity options on most plates start at $139.¹

For special interest designs, the vanity version runs:

$139 for vanity versions of $50 off-the-shelf plates.
$149 to $154 for vanity versions of $60 off-the-shelf plates.
$159 for the Olympic Spirit vanity plate, the most expensive option.
$96.50 for veteran plate vanity versions.
$69 for the Gold Star Family vanity option.

Collegiate and Remake Prices

The University of Connecticut plate costs $55 off-the-shelf, $75 for a remake, and $144 for a vanity version. The DMV lists plates for Central Connecticut State University, the University of Hartford, the University of New Haven, and Penn State as well, though fees vary by institution.¹

If you already hold a special interest plate and want a fresh copy carrying the same number, remake fees land between the off-the-shelf and vanity prices. Most remakes cost $70 to $90 depending on design.¹

Recurring Costs at Renewal

Custom plates carry a renewal surcharge on top of your standard registration renewal. Most special interest plates that list a surcharge charge $15 per renewal, with $10 of that going to the program the plate supports on designs like Animal Population Control and Cure Kids Cancer. The UConn plate is the notable outlier at $55 per renewal cycle.¹

Renewal also includes the Passport to the Parks fee, which applies to all non-commercial vehicle registrations. As of July 1, 2025, that fee is $8 per year, or $24 for a standard three-year renewal, and it covers free parking and admission at Connecticut state parks and forests.²

Character Rules That Affect Your Order

The DMV can reject a combination, and once you submit an online order it cannot be changed or refunded on cancellation. So it’s worth knowing the rules before you pay.¹

Standard vanity plates allow up to seven characters. Motorcycle plates max out at six characters plus one dot. Veteran and classic motorcycle plates are limited to five characters, or four characters plus a dot.

One dot is allowed, but not at the beginning or end.
No dashes or extra spaces.
No substituting the letter “O” for the number zero.
Plates with only one, two, or three digits will not be issued.

The DMV also reserves the right to deny any combination it finds objectionable or misleading. Have a backup ready.

How to Order and How Long It Takes

You need a valid Connecticut registration before ordering, and you cannot have outstanding compliance issues, which the DMV defines as delinquent property taxes on the vehicle, insurance violations, or failed emissions testing.³ Out-of-state and temporary registrations are not eligible.

The fastest route is the DMV’s online portal, where you can check availability and pay in one sitting. You can also mail Form M-22 with a check or money order payable to “DMV” to the Special Plate Unit at 60 State Street, Wethersfield, CT 06161-0504.⁴ In-person visits accept cash, personal checks, bank checks, credit cards, and most debit cards.⁵

Expect up to eight weeks for your plates to arrive. Requests are processed in the order received.¹

1
CT.gov. Get Special and Vanity DMV Plates: Custom License Plates
2
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. Passport to the Parks
3
State of Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Check for Compliance Issues
4
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Form M-22 – Special Order Plate Application
5
CT.gov. DMV Fees