To get the Georgia In God We Trust license plate sticker, ask for it at your county tag office when you register a vehicle or pick up a new metal plate. It’s free, there’s no separate form, and it goes in the same spot on your plate as the county name decal.1Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-9 – Space for County Name Decal
How to Request the Decal
You request it in person at your local county tag office. Under O.C.G.A. 40-2-9, the Department of Revenue must provide the decal “free of charge to any person requesting it,” and tag agents are required to offer you a choice between the standard county name decal and the national motto decal whenever a new metal license plate is issued.1Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-9 – Space for County Name Decal If the agent doesn’t bring it up, just ask.
There’s no application, no eligibility screening, and no explanation required. O.C.G.A. 40-2-31 directs the commissioner to keep tag agents stocked with both county decals and national motto decals at no cost, so your county office should have them on hand.2FindLaw. Georgia Code 40-2-31 – License Plate Design, Revalidation and County Decals If yours is somehow out, ask when the next shipment is expected or try a neighboring county office.
You don’t have to wait for a brand-new plate to get one. The statute says the decal is available to anyone who requests it, so if you already have a plate on your car and want to swap the county decal for the motto decal, you can stop in and ask.
Where It Goes on Your Plate
The motto decal is the same size as the county decal and occupies the same space. Georgia law allows it to be displayed “in the space reserved for the county name decal in lieu of the county name decal.”1Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-9 – Space for County Name Decal That’s an either-or choice. You can’t display both, and the decal must not cover your plate number, your validation sticker, or any other required marking.
If a county decal is already on your plate, peel it off before applying the new one. Stacking stickers tends to lead to peeling and smudging later, and a decal that ends up obscuring plate information can create a legal problem of its own.
Keeping Your Plate Legal
Two Georgia statutes matter once the sticker is on your car. O.C.G.A. 40-2-41 requires every license plate to be fastened to the rear of the vehicle, plainly visible, and legible at all times. You can’t cover a plate with anything other than a colorless, transparent material, and you can’t attach a device that blocks readability. A violation is a misdemeanor.3Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-41 – Display of License Plates
O.C.G.A. 40-2-6 is stricter. It’s a misdemeanor to willfully change, deface, or conceal any number, letter, county designation, or other marking on a plate, and it’s a misdemeanor to drive a vehicle with a plate that has been altered that way.4Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-6 – Alteration of License Plates, Operation of Vehicle With Altered or Improperly Transferred Plate The statute carves out authorized modifications with the phrase “except as otherwise provided in this chapter,” which is where the motto decal program fits. Placing the decal in its designated spot is legal. Putting a sticker over your tag number or validation decal is not.
If your motto decal starts to peel, fade, or lift to the point where it interferes with other plate markings, replace it. A new one is free at your county tag office, same as the original.
If You’ve Moved From Another State
Roughly 20 states offer some version of an “In God We Trust” plate or decal, and the specifics vary. Some states sell it as a full specialty plate design with its own fee. Georgia’s version is a small decal that replaces the county name, and in Georgia it’s always free and always requested through your county tag office during registration. Don’t assume the process from another state carries over.