Wisconsin Statutes
Wis. Stat. § 341.12 (2026)
Design, procurement and issuance of registration plates
✓ current as of July 2026
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341.12(1)(1) The department upon registering a vehicle pursuant to s. 341.25 or 341.30 shall issue and deliver prepaid to the applicant 2 registration plates for an automobile, motor truck, motor bus, school bus, motor home, or dual purpose motor home and one plate for other vehicles. The department upon registering a vehicle pursuant to any other section shall issue one plate unless the department determines that 2 plates will better serve the interests of law enforcement.
341.12(2)(2) The department shall purchase plates from the Waupun Correctional Institution unless otherwise approved by the governor. Subject to any specific requirements which may be imposed by statute, the department shall determine the size, color and design of registration plates with a view toward making them visible evidence of the period for which the vehicle is registered and the fee class into which the vehicle falls as well as making them a ready means of identifying the specific vehicle or owner for which the plates were issued.
341.12(3)(a)(a) The registration number assigned to the vehicle or owner. The registration number shall be composed of numbers or letters or both.
341.12(3)(c)(c) An indication of the period for which the specific plate is issued or the date of expiration of registration.
341.12(4)(a)(a) Subject to par. (am), all registration plates issued under s. 341.25 (1) (a) and for motor trucks having a gross weight of not more than 8,000 pounds shall be treated with a reflectorized material or substance. The department shall prescribe the term for the use of reflectorized plates.
341.12(4)(am)(am) Beginning with registrations initially effective July 1, 2022, all registration plates issued by the department shall be constructed with aluminum plates tempered to a hardness and thickness of approximately 0.027 inches and prismatic sheeting with embedded security features. Registration plate sheeting shall be of a type successfully used by the manufacturer in multiple jurisdictions and shall have an initial minimum coefficient of reflectivity of 150 candelas per lux per square meter and an initial minimum luminance factor greater than 55.
341.12(4)(b)(b) The department, in conjunction with the department of corrections and the department of administration, shall establish the specifications for the reflectorized material and invite bids for supplying reflectorized material. The department of administration shall establish a date for the opening of such bids and shall award the contract for supplying reflectorized material to the lowest responsible bidder. The specifications shall be drawn up for each base plate year.
341.12 HistoryHistory: 1971 c. 164 ss. 71, 83; 1975 c. 136; 1977 c. 29 ss. 1415, 1654 (7) (a); 1977 c. 418 s. 924 (18) (a); 1979 c. 34; 1989 a. 31; 1993 a. 16; 1999 a. 9; 2007 a. 11; 2021 a. 163.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6
cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1993–2025 · leading case: State v. Williams, 2001 WI 21 (Wis. 2001).
State v. Williams, 2001 WI 21 (Wis. 2001). “[7] See Wis. Stat. §§ 341.12 (1) and 341.15(1). See also American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, The Fast Track to Vehicle Services Facts, A Motor Vehicle Regulations and Procedures Information Guide 83 (1999).”
State v. Williams, 591 N.W.2d 823 (Wis. 1999). “[3] See Wis. Stat. §§ 341.12 (1) and 341.15(1). See also The Fast Track to Vehicle Services Facts, A Motor Vehicle Regulations and Procedures Information Guide (1999 ed.”
State v. Williams, 2010 WI App 39 (Wis. Ct. App. 2010). “reasonable person would have felt free to leave after a police squad's spotlight was directed at his or her vehicle, because even if we assume, without deciding, that a reasonable person would have felt restrained by the spotlight, the officers here were nonetheless justified in…”
George v. Badger State Indus. (BSI), 827 F. Supp. 584 (W.D. Wis. 1993). “Motor vehicle license plates are distributed exclusively to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, pursuant to Wis.Stat. § 341.12(2). Bicycle license plates are distributed exclusively to municipal governments.”
M J Nichols Co., Inc. & Michael J. Nichols v. Craig Thompson, in his Off. Capacity as Sec'y of the Wisconsin Dep't of Transp. (W.D. Wis. 2025). “at §§ 341.12(1) & 341.15. By default, Wisconsin license plates bear a random combination of six letters and numbers that comprise the 1 The only dispute the parties raised in their proposed findings of fact was to defendant’s reference to the language of certain Wisconsin…”
State v. Alan Nathan Carroll, Jr. (Wis. Ct. App. 2024). “§ 341.12(3)(a)-(c) (requiring that license plates display “[t]he registration number assigned to the vehicle or owner,” “[t]he name ‘Wisconsin’ or abbreviation ‘Wis.”
— Wis. Stat. § 341.12(1) — 2 cases
State v. Williams, 2010 WI App 39 (Wis. Ct. App. 2010). “reasonable person would have felt free to leave after a police squad's spotlight was directed at his or her vehicle, because even if we assume, without deciding, that a reasonable person would have felt restrained by the spotlight, the officers here were nonetheless justified in…”
M J Nichols Co., Inc. & Michael J. Nichols v. Craig Thompson, in his Off. Capacity as Sec'y of the Wisconsin Dep't of Transp. (W.D. Wis. 2025). “at §§ 341.12(1) & 341.15. By default, Wisconsin license plates bear a random combination of six letters and numbers that comprise the 1 The only dispute the parties raised in their proposed findings of fact was to defendant’s reference to the language of certain Wisconsin…”
— Wis. Stat. § 341.12(2) — 1 case
George v. Badger State Indus. (BSI), 827 F. Supp. 584 (W.D. Wis. 1993). “Motor vehicle license plates are distributed exclusively to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, pursuant to Wis.Stat. § 341.12(2). Bicycle license plates are distributed exclusively to municipal governments.”
— Wis. Stat. § 341.12(3)(a) — 2 cases
State v. Alan Nathan Carroll, Jr. (Wis. Ct. App. 2024). “§ 341.12(3)(a)-(c) (requiring that license plates display “[t]he registration number assigned to the vehicle or owner,” “[t]he name ‘Wisconsin’ or abbreviation ‘Wis.”
M J Nichols Co., Inc. & Michael J. Nichols v. Craig Thompson, in his Off. Capacity as Sec'y of the Wisconsin Dep't of Transp. (W.D. Wis. 2025). “at §§ 341.12(1) & 341.15. By default, Wisconsin license plates bear a random combination of six letters and numbers that comprise the 1 The only dispute the parties raised in their proposed findings of fact was to defendant’s reference to the language of certain Wisconsin…”
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