The Missouri Back the Blue license plate is available to any Missouri vehicle owner through the Department of Revenue for a $15 annual specialty fee, a one-time $10 contribution to the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, and your regular registration costs. The plate carries a thin blue line design with the words “BACK THE BLUE,” and Missouri waives the usual personalization surcharge if you want to choose your own characters.
Who Can Get the Plate
Under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 301.3175, any vehicle owner in the state can request Back the Blue plates for a vehicle they own solely or jointly. Two categories are excluded: apportioned vehicles (those registered in multiple states for interstate commerce) and commercial vehicles licensed above 24,000 pounds gross weight. For every other vehicle classification the Department of Revenue normally plates, Back the Blue is on the table.
What It Costs
Three charges apply when you order the plate:
- A one-time $10 contribution to the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation. You can pay it directly to the foundation or let the Department of Revenue collect it with your application.
- A $15 specialty plate fee. This covers production and is billed again every year at renewal.
- Your standard registration taxes and any transfer fees, which still apply on top of the specialty costs.
Only the $15 fee and your regular registration repeat annually. The $10 foundation contribution is paid once.
How to Apply
Complete Form 1716, the Application for Missouri Personalized and Special License Plates, available as a downloadable PDF from the Department of Revenue. The form asks for your name and address, your current plate number, and vehicle details including year, make, model, and VIN.
Submit the form with your $15 fee (check or money order payable to the Missouri Department of Revenue) and either a receipt from the foundation for your $10 donation or the $10 payment itself. You can mail the package to:
Motor Vehicle Bureau
301 West High Street, Room 370
PO Box 569
Jefferson City, MO 65105-0569
You can also drop the paperwork at a local license office, which will forward it to Jefferson City. The Department of Revenue offers an online reservation tool for Back the Blue plates, so you can check whether the characters you want are available before you file.
Personalizing the Plate
Section 301.3175 waives the personalization surcharge that normally applies to Missouri specialty plates. You still pay the $15 specialty fee, but picking your own letter and number combination costs nothing extra.
Character limits are a little tighter than on a plain personalized plate because of the thin blue line emblem. You get up to six characters, or up to five characters plus a dash, space, or apostrophe. If the plate also carries a wheelchair symbol, the limit drops to four characters, or three plus a separator.
The Department of Revenue will reject any combination that is obscene, profane, offensive to a racial or ethnic group, or that conflicts with the regular license numbering system. If your first choice is taken or denied, you resubmit with a different combination.
After You Apply
Once the department confirms your application and the character configuration is available, manufacturing takes roughly six to eight weeks. You will get a notification letter when the plates arrive at your designated local license office.
Bring that letter to pickup, along with money for any transfer fees to move the plate onto your vehicle’s registration. You surrender your old plates at that appointment. The license office holds new plates for a limited period, so don’t put off the trip: driving on an expired registration while your new plates sit uncollected can result in a citation.
Renewing the Plate
The $15 specialty fee is due every year at renewal, along with your regular registration. Renewals can be handled by mail or at a Missouri license office. Online renewal is not currently available for specialty plates. The $10 foundation contribution does not repeat.