DMV release – SALEM — Oregon DMV will start issuing a new design for the Crater Lake license plate for passenger cars on Sept. 9. When and how Oregonians apply for the new plate determines which plate design they will receive. To guarantee receiving the new design, vehicle owners need to apply ON OR AFTER Sept. 9, 2022: online at DMV2U, by mail, or in person at a DMV office. Orders online or in a field office BEFORE Sept. 9 will receive the original plate design. You CANNOT order the new plate in advance. Orders received from customers through the mail and from vehicle dealers (who file paperwork to DMV on behalf of customers) will be based on when DMV processes the transaction and issues the plates, not when the customer submitted their application themselves or through a dealer. The plate’s surcharge of $30 will remain the same, due only when you first obtain the plates. The surcharge is in addition to regular title and registration fees, plate manufacturing or replacement fee, and county registration fees if the customer lives in Clackamas, Multnomah or Washington Counties. The surcharge goes to the Crater Lake National Trust (https://craterlaketrust.org). You can order plates when you apply for Oregon title and registration when buying a car, when you renew your existing registration, or if you want to replace your current plates during your vehicle’s registration period — not at renewal. If you already have Crater Lake plates and want to replace them with the new design, you will not need to pay the $30 surcharge, but you will pay additional fees for plate manufacturing and replacement. The Crater Lake plate is eligible for passenger vehicles only. If you have Crater Lake plates, your current plate will remain valid for as long as you continue to renew registration. The Oregon Legislature established the Crater Lake plate in 2001, and it first became available in August 2002. Since its launch, Oregonians have ordered about 400,000 sets of Crater Lake plates, and there are about 250,000 currently valid on vehicles today.
