A custom license plate in New York costs $60 upfront for a standard personalized passenger or commercial plate, plus $31.25 per year on top of your regular registration fee. Motorcycle personalized plates are cheaper at $35 initial and $18.75 annually. Picture plates with a pre-designed logo start at the same $60, but if you want to personalize the letters and numbers on a picture plate, the initial cost jumps to $91.25 and the annual fee to $62.50.1New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Personalized Plate Numbers
Standard Personalized Plates
A personalized plate uses the standard New York plate design with a letter-and-number combination you choose yourself. The pricing is straightforward:
- Passenger and commercial vehicles: $60 initial, $31.25 per year
- Motorcycles: $35 initial, $18.75 per year
These charges sit on top of your regular vehicle registration fee, which varies by vehicle weight.1New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Personalized Plate Numbers
Picture Plates
Picture plates carry a logo or image for a sports team, cause, or organization. What you pay depends on whether the DMV assigns your plate number or you pick it yourself. Using the New York Giants plate as a typical example:
- DMV-assigned number: $60 initial, $31.25 per year
- Personalized number: $91.25 initial, $62.50 per year
The higher price for a personalized picture plate is two fees stacked together: the picture plate fee and the personalized plate fee.2New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. New York Giants Custom Plate
Specialty Picture Plates Cost More
Some picture plates run above the standard $60. The Ducks Unlimited plate, for example, is $85 initially and $56.25 per year with a DMV-assigned number. Personalizing that plate raises the initial cost to $116.25 and the annual fee to $87.50. Pricing varies by plate, so check the specific plate’s page on the DMV website before you order.
What Else Affects Your Total
The custom plate fee is only one line on your bill. Your regular registration fee, based on vehicle weight, is added to it. On top of that, residents of New York City and several surrounding counties pay a vehicle use tax. In all five NYC boroughs the use tax is $15 per year, or $30 for a two-year registration. Other counties charge their own use taxes based on vehicle weight. These supplemental charges apply to any registration, not just custom plates, but they push the total higher than the custom plate fee alone suggests.3New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Passenger Vehicle Registration Fees, Use Taxes and Supplemental Fees
Renewal Cost
New York registrations run on a two-year cycle, and the custom plate renewal fee is built into your registration renewal statement.2New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. New York Giants Custom Plate So the $31.25 annual fee on a standard personalized plate shows up as $62.50 every two years when your registration comes due. You can renew online, by mail, or at a DMV office.4New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew a Registration Because the custom plate fee is added to your standard registration fee, expect the renewal total to be noticeably larger than a plain registration renewal.
Transferring to Another Vehicle
If you sell a car or buy a new one, you can move your personalized plates to another vehicle rather than paying the initial fee again. On most personalized picture plates, the $31.25 annual personalized fee and the $31.25 custom plate fee both transfer with the plates.5New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Replace or Transfer Personalized Plates The transfer is handled through the DMV, either online for some plate types or in person using Form CP-30.
Ordering Requirement
One prerequisite affects when you can pay: your vehicle needs a valid New York registration that is not set to expire within 60 days. If it is, renew the registration first, then place the custom plate order.1New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Personalized Plate Numbers