Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced a program to retire the State’s current motor vehicle plate design for individual motor vehicles (such as cars and light trucks). Designs for a new license plate were unveiled on Tuesday, November 15. The new license plate features Abraham Lincoln’s head, supplemented by a silhouette that is framed by outlines of the Illinois State Capitol dome in Springfield and the Willis Tower in Chicago.
Secretary of State White expressed the hope that the new plates could be stamped starting next year. Starting to stamp new plates could make it possible to replace the older plates being used by some vehicles in active use in Illinois. Under a tentative schedule released by the Secretary of State and his Office of Vehicle Services, plates made in calendar years 2000 and 2001 would be scheduled to be replaced first, in calendar year 2017, at no additional cost to motorists. Under the proposed plan, persons requesting the new plates ahead of schedule would be able to submit requests starting in January 2017 for a replacement fee of $29.