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Delaware Code Title 21. Motor Vehicles § 2140U. Delaware's celebration of America's 250th anniversary special license plate

Current as of January 01, 2026 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

<Section expires December 31, 2026.>

(a) The owner of any vehicle described in subsection (b) of this section may apply to the Division of Motor Vehicles (“Division”) for a special Delaware 250 license plate.  The Division shall issue the plate only if the Division receives at least 200 applications for the plate.

(b) This section only applies to the following:

(1) A private passenger vehicle.

(2) Subject to paragraph (b)(2)b. of this section, a motor vehicle or trailer with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating (“GVWR”) of 26,000 pounds or less.

a. The motor vehicle or trailer described in this paragraph (b)(2) may be owned by an individual or an artificial entity, including a corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, society, or joint-stock company.

b. A motor vehicle that qualifies to register for the International Registration Plan (“IRP”), individually, or as part of a combination of vehicles, may not be issued a special plate under this section.

(c)(1) On the initial application for a plate to be issued under this section, a 1-time fee of $50, which includes an administrative fee of $15, is required in addition to the annual registration fee required by this title.

(2) The initial application fee under paragraph (c)(1) of this section is required for any person applying for the plate, including a member of a nonprofit organization, even if the member is exempt from registration fees under § 2159 of this title.

(3) A replacement plate may be obtained on payment of a fee to be set by the Division, which must cover the cost of the plate.

(d) The Division shall deposit the 1-time administrative fee collected under subsection (c) of this section into a special fund and use the fund for the purpose of promoting the sale of the plate and administering this section.  Proceeds remaining after the Division has covered the costs of promoting the sale of the plate and administering this section must be applied under subsection (e) of this section.

(e)(1) The funds derived by the State from the portion of the 1-time fee of $50 under subsection (c) of this section, other than the funds spent by the Division under subsection (d) of this section, must be deposited by the Division with the State Treasurer and must be specifically set aside in the name of Delaware 250 Fund for use by Delaware 250 in support of Delaware's celebration of America's 250th anniversary.

(2) Delaware 250 may determine how to spend the moneys in the Delaware 250 Fund, including which expenditures support Delaware's celebration of America's 250th anniversary.

(f) The design for all plates issued under this section must be submitted by Delaware 250 for final color and design approval by the Division, and are subject to the following:

(1) The wording, “The First State”, may be dropped and substituted with the wording “Delaware 250”.

(2) A plate may not be solely black and white in color.

(3) The Division may refuse any design that it believes would cause a public safety enforcement problem.

(g) The numbers, letters, or both, assigned will be the same as the license plate assigned to the owner's vehicle at the time of the application for the plate.

(h) The Division may promulgate regulations as required to administer this section.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Delaware Code Title 21. Motor Vehicles § 2140U. Delaware's celebration of America's 250th anniversary special license plate - last updated January 01, 2026 | https://codes.findlaw.com/de/title-21-motor-vehicles/de-code-sect-21-2140u/

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