With nearly 20,000 plates sold since first becoming available July 1, the demand for Iowa’s new blackout license plates still remains high. 

The black and white plates, approved during the 2019 legislative session, sold quickly with most counties running out or running low in the initial month after their release. 

Iowans can exchange any plates for non-personalized blackout license plates at local county treasurer’s offices, which saves the two- to three-week order processing time if the plates are ordered online or by mail. 

The new blackout license plates will not have the same letter and number combination as your current plates. 

If you currently have a personalized plate and would like to switch your personalized message from that plate to the new blackout plate design, you will need to complete the mail- in form found at iowadot.gov/mvd/vehicleregistration/vehicleregistration/plates/blackout.

The blackout plates are considered a specialty plate, so they are subject to an additional fee. 

The new plate will cost $35 for a non-personalized, alpha-numeric plate and an additional $25 (for a total of $60) for a personalized plate.  

An additional fee of $10 for non-personalized and $15 for personalized plates will be added to renewal registration fees.  

Funds collected for the blackout plate will go to the Road Use Tax Fund, which funds state, county and city road and bridge projects throughout Iowa.

Treasure hunt

Every year, there are millions of dollars turned into the state treasurer’s office as lost or abandoned property.  

This property comes in the form of safe deposit box items, dormant financial accounts, unclaimed utility refunds, uncashed checks and stock certificates and dividends.  

The state treasurer’s office becomes the holder of these assets until the missing owner can be found.  

Owners are located through mailings, publications and listings that are displayed at the Iowa State Fair.  

There is no time limit to file a claim, and there is no fee assessed once the property or money has been returned the owner.

To date, the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program has returned over $267 million in unclaimed property to more than 592,000 people since Treasurer Fitzgerald created it in 1983. 

To see if you have unclaimed property or money, visit greatiowatreasurehunt.gov.