What is a Connecticut License Plate?
The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles issues all license plates and manages vehicle registration throughout the state. Residents register in person at central and branch DMV offices, through licensed dealers at point of sale, or online for registration renewal.
Standard Connecticut license plates feature blue letters on a white background, a clean design the state has used for over two decades. Plates remain the property of the state per C.G.S. § 14-18(d) and must be returned or canceled within ten days of registration expiration without renewal.
Types of License Plates in Connecticut
- Standard plates are assigned at registration and come in series for passenger, combination, and commercial vehicles. The plate fee is $5 at issuance.
- Over 50 special plates support causes, organizations, and military units. Ready-made special plates cost $60 through the CT DMV special plates page; converting a current number to a special background costs $85.
- Vanity plates allow up to six characters on a standard or special background. New vanity plate orders on a special background cost $154, with an additional $15 fee at each renewal.
- Flag veteran plates cost $27.50 and cover ten military designations. Gold Star Family plates have no fee. Disabled veteran registration per C.G.S. § 14-254 is issued free, and widows retain the plates.
- Classic vehicle plates are available for older passenger cars, trucks, and motorcycles for a registration fee of $120 with a plate fee of $7.
The full catalog is available on the Connecticut DMV special and vanity plates page.
What Vehicles Require License Plates in Connecticut?
Every vehicle operated, towed, or parked on Connecticut highways must be registered per C.G.S. § 14-12. New residents have 90 days from establishing residency to register.
- Passenger cars, SUVs, and vans have two plates and pay $120 for registration plus $5 for the plate, $25 for the title, a $10 administrative fee, a $15 Clean Air Act fee, a $24 Passport to the Parks fee, and a $15 greenhouse gas emissions fee, where applicable.
- The registration fee for motorcycles is $63, which have one rear plate. The same administrative, Clean Air Act, and Passport to the Parks fees apply.
- Regular trailers pay $28.50 for registration plus $5 for the plate. The title fee of $25 applies only when GVWR exceeds 3,000 pounds. Semitrailers cost $40 annually.
- Registration for trucks and tractors scales by GVWR; heavy units pay $326 annually.
- Electric passenger cars pay the same base registration of $120 as gasoline cars but are exempt from the Clean Air Act fee, slightly reducing the total.
License Plate Rules in Connecticut
- Two plates are required on every vehicle issued a pair, one in front and one in back. Vehicles issued one plate place it in the rear. C.G.S. § 14-18(a) governs both rules. Motorcycles, campers, and commercial trailers receive one plate.
- Plates must be “substantially unobstructed,” horizontal, and fastened so they do not swing. C.G.S. § 14-18(c) prohibits attaching anything to the vehicle or its plates that covers or impairs the visibility of numbers and letters. The 2025 amendment (P.A. 25-19) changed the standard from “completely unobstructed” to “substantially unobstructed,” defined as legible to a reasonable person or electronic device capable of photographing the plate.
Is Driving Around with No License Plate in Connecticut Illegal?
Operating an unregistered vehicle on any highway is a violation per C.G.S. § 14-12(a). A Connecticut resident caught driving a vehicle they own with out-of-state plates faces a $250 fine, though the fine is waived for a first-time offender who obtains proper registration before sentencing.
Forging or altering a plate, or using a registration on a vehicle for which it was not issued, falls under a separate statute. C.G.S. § 14-147 divides these actions between infractions and class D felonies depending on severity.
What is the Penalty for Driving Without a License Plate in Connecticut?
License plate and registration fines in Connecticut start as infractions and escalate to felony level when forgery or fraud appears.
- Missing or obstructed plate per C.G.S. § 14-18(g) is an infraction. Infraction fines are set annually by Superior Court judges and typically range from $35 to $90 plus a surcharge.
- Intentional damage or destruction of a plate is also an infraction under the same subsection, with the same fine range.
- Forging a plate, altering registration, or selling a forged plate is a class D felony per C.G.S. § 14-147(a), punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine up to $250 (C.G.S. §§ 53a-36, 53a-42).
- Using a registration on a vehicle for which it was not issued is a separate infraction under C.G.S. § 14-147(c).
- Fines for expired registration are in C.G.S. § 14-12(a): driving with expired registration (within 60 days of expiration) is an infraction for failure to renew, while a resident driving with out-of-state plates faces the $250 fine described in the display rules above.