Beautiful Ohio ousts sunburst as state plate
6/7/2010COLUMBUS - The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles is going out with the old and bringing in the new, by discontinuing the use of the red, white, and blue sunburst plate in favor of the Beautiful Ohio license plate.
The design is being replaced with the Beautiful Ohio license plate as Ohio's standard-issue vehicle identification plate, BMV spokesman Lindsay Bohrer said.
New registrations will continue to have the option of using sunburst or Beautiful Ohio plates in standard-issue combinations until Nov. 30, the BMV reports.
"We typically design a new standard license plate every five years," Ms. Bohrer said. "Five years is about the life expectancy of a license plate, especially in the northern part of the state, where the weather is tough on the plates."
The overwhelming retail success of the multicolored Beautiful Ohio license plate moved the design up the state's roster at BMV offices across the state, Ms. Bohrer said.
With the end of the sunburst plate, the state now offers the Beautiful Ohio plates with team logos and personalization.
Ms. Bohrer said the replacement of the sunburst plate doesn't mean Ohio drivers have to change license plates.
"Ohio vehicle owners can still get the sunburst plate, and they are under no obligation to replace their license plates with the Beautiful Ohio plate as long as their license plates are in good condition," Ms. Bohrer said.
The Ohio BMV reports the Beautiful Ohio license plate has outsold the sunburst license plate 3-1, resulting in sales of nearly 800,000 plates during its first four months of release.
The cost of the plates is $7.50, in addition to other applicable fees, including the $3.50 deputy registrar fee, 25-cent county sticker fee and 25 cents per plate "reflectorization" fee, which covers the costs associated with using reflective sheeting on the plates. For more information, visit bmv.ohio.gov.