Mainers have two more options for license plates.
The Maine secretary of state’s office unveiled a new design featuring a pine tree and north star, an homage to the 1901 state flag. The other is a plain design with blue identification number and letter combinations.
Lawmakers authorized those new designs under a bill — LD 1965 — that became law last year.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Deputy Secretary of State for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles Cathie Curtis unveiled the designs during a Monday morning press conference at the administrative offices for the BMV.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Deputy Secretary of State for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles Cathie Curtis unveiled the designs during a Monday morning press conference at the administrative offices for the BMV.
“The new Pine Tree Plate is a fresh approach to a classic design rooted in Maine history, but the ultimate purpose of license plates is for vehicle identification to ensure public safety on our roads and highways,” Bellows said. “Damaged or worn out plates on our roadways increase risks to the general public, and worn-out plates reduce law enforcement’s ability to be effective when handling crimes that could be prevented or solved through the identification of license plates.”
That comes as the standard-issue Chickadee plate has been in circulation for almost 25 years. Between May 2025 and May 2026, more than 900,000 of those plates will be replaced.
“Mainers who want to reserve their current plate numbers, including vanity plates and low-digit plates, should know that right now, they don’t need to act — but we’ll be starting a reservation process later this spring,” Curtis said.
The two new license plate designs will be available to choose from beginning May 2025.