Hotly Anticipated New Retro Michigan License Plates Have a Release Date

Product drops are often 'a thing' in the retail world. A new piece of tech? An anticipated movie or game release? Some people will line up to be the first to get something.

Would you believe the same could be said for something as mundane and utilitarian as a license plate?

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With recent releases of retro plates from the 1960s, the 'blue and gold' Water-Winter Wonderland and the 'green and white' Water Wonderland plates, they've become favorites for many drivers.

Now more retro plates are on the way, and they'll be on Michigan roads soon.

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The state's legislature passed a law in 2023 that authorized three more retro plates. A white on black plate from the late 1970s, and 80s-90s vintage Great Lakes blue plate and a re-release of the popular 1976 bicentennial plate updated for 2026's national 250th birthday.

Buried in that law is the date by which these new license plate options must be offered for sale to Michigan drivers.

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The bill states that the Secretary of State must offer these new plates by one year after the effective date of the law. That date was February 13, 2024 meaning that on or before February 13, 2025, the new plates must be available.

The topic of retro license plates came up recently on Reddit, where a commenter claimed to have confirmed the release date with the SoS. We've reached out to the Secretary of State and received confirmation that both the blue and black plates will be available on February 1, beating the February 13 deadline.

The 1976 reissue will only be available in 2026, so that means the two other retro plates will join the rest of the offerings from the Secretary of State in mid February.

A misconception that many people have is that one must wait until their current tags are due for renewal to get new plates. That's not true. Any driver can swap plates at any point in the year for a nominal fee. It can be done in person, online or by mail.