Choose, Display, and Transfer a Kansas License Plate

Kansas plate selection and transfers: Choose a plate that fits the Kansas record

The Kansas Department of Revenue's license plate directory groups standard and distinctive plate programs, including collegiate, organizational, military, and other designs. A design shown in the catalog is not automatically available for every vehicle. Review the individual program's requirements before paying a sponsor or requesting a combination. The county must be able to issue that plate for the vehicle's registration classification and the applicant's documented eligibility.

Plate applications are handled through the county treasurer's motor vehicle office as part of Kansas's title and registration system. Bring the current registration when changing a plate on an already registered vehicle. For a new purchase, the county also needs the required ownership, tax, and insurance evidence. Selecting a design does not complete the title transfer, and an approved combination does not authorize driving before the registration transaction has been properly completed.

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Kansas plate selection and transfers: Understand ordinary rear-plate display

Under the Kansas plate-display statute, the assigned plate for an ordinary vehicle goes on the rear. The law identifies exceptions for particular classes, including truck tractors and specified heavy dump trucks, and permits certain personalized or antique plates at the front. Determine the rule for the actual vehicle instead of assuming that the presence of mounting holes requires a second standard plate.

A displayed plate must be securely fastened so it does not swing, positioned at least 12 inches above the ground as measured from the bottom, and kept clearly visible and legible. Clean accumulated mud and avoid installations that conceal the identifying characters. The registration renewal law also requires the applicable decal on the plate in the designated location. A decorative front plate or a recent payment receipt does not replace the correctly displayed, assigned rear plate for an ordinary passenger vehicle.

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Kansas plate selection and transfers: Apply the current personalization limits

The Kansas personalized-plate page allows up to seven letters, numbers, and spaces for an ordinary auto or truck combination and five for a motorcycle combination. Disabled personalized plates use a five-character limit for both sizes. Symbols are not allowed. Count spaces as part of the requested combination rather than treating them as free separators, and prepare another acceptable choice if the preferred combination is unavailable.

Personalized plates are available for qualifying autos, motorcycles, and trucks registered at 20,000 pounds or less. The applicant must have a Kansas title in the applicant's or leasing company's name and must satisfy the Kansas residency rule or the stated military-stationing exception. An antique personalized plate requires an antique title. The official TR-715 personalized application asks for the meaning of the combination and rejects combinations with prohibited meanings, so an available character sequence can still be disallowed.

The current personalization charge is $45.50, separate from normal registration, taxes, and any other plate-program charges. Distinctive personalized designs may also carry application or royalty amounts. The state describes five-year personalization cycles beginning in years ending in zero or five; this cycle does not eliminate annual registration obligations. Read the selected design's current charge listing and obtain the county's complete amount rather than treating the combination fee as the full vehicle bill.

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Kansas plate selection and transfers: Check distinctive and disability qualifications

Collegiate, organizational, and military designs can involve sponsor fees or supporting evidence. Use the specific listing in the catalog to determine the correct authorization before visiting the county. Some designs support personalization or a disability emblem while others have different options. The broader Kansas vehicle form library includes military affidavits, specialty applications, and other documents tied to particular plate programs. Submit the form for the selected category instead of relying on a general statement that the owner qualifies for a similar program.

Disability plates require the process described in TR-159, Certification of Disability. The current form restricts the disability license plate option to a person certified as permanently disabled and provides other choices for placards or a wheelchair-emblem decal. Certification must come from an authorized professional listed on the form. The plate record and the person's parking authorization have related but different requirements, so the county may need both medical certification and the appropriate vehicle ownership information.

For a disabled personalized request, TR-715 calls for a copy of the current disabled identification card or a completed TR-159 with professional certification. A personalized design should not be selected solely because its character limit accommodates a preferred phrase. First establish the disability qualification, then choose an allowable combination. Keep the personal disability identification document available as required when using the parking privilege rather than assuming the plate alone answers every eligibility question.

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Kansas plate selection and transfers: Transfer a plate after disposing of a vehicle

Kansas's new-vehicle plate-transfer instructions and used-vehicle transfer instructions require details about the old vehicle and its disposition. The existing vehicle must have been sold or otherwise disposed of, or be sold or traded within the applicable 60-day period after acquiring the replacement. Bring the current registration, the old vehicle's identification, and the buyer's name and sale date requested by the county. The name assigned on the new title must match the name on the previous vehicle registration under the state's transfer instructions.

The previous owner's plate is removed when the assigned vehicle is delivered to its purchaser. A plate transfer is then processed through the county; moving the metal plate between vehicles does not by itself change the registration assignment. Provide current insurance evidence for the transaction, including the new vehicle's details when required. If the sale involves an electronic title, follow the permitted temporary-operation arrangements rather than assuming a plate from another household vehicle can be borrowed.

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Kansas plate selection and transfers: Follow the embossed-plate replacement notice

Kansas has a specific standard embossed-plate replacement program. Affected renewals are flagged, and the state provides instructions for the temporary document and decal while the permanent plate is produced. The guidance says to keep that temporary tag and decal in the glove box and attach the decal to the new plate when it arrives. A different temporary permit issued for a purchase can have different display instructions, so read the documents supplied for the actual transaction.

The replacement program changes the old plate number and does not allow retention of its former sequence. It applies to standard embossed plates rather than automatically replacing every specialty design. The state expects the new plate within 30 days after renewal processing and directs owners with delivery problems to the county. Mailed plates are not forwarded; update the registration address before production and retain the receipt until the physical plate is received.

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Kansas plate selection and transfers: Keep the plate current and resolve missing items

The state registration questions explain renewals, missing decals, address changes, and refunds. If a plate is lost or stolen, use the county replacement process with the appropriate law-enforcement documentation. The TR-109 affidavit identifies the missing plate, permit, or decal and documents the report. Do not wait for the next annual renewal to address a missing identifier that the law requires the vehicle to display.

The duplicate-document statute provides the base fees for a replacement plate, decal, receipt, or title, while the county can explain the complete amount for the requested transaction. If you dispose of the vehicle and will not transfer its plate, review the refund procedure before simply discarding the metal. For a state-record issue the county cannot resolve, use the Kansas title and registration contacts with the plate number, VIN, and recent transaction receipt. Those records connect the physical plate to the vehicle and owner entitled to use it.

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Kansas plate selection and transfers: Common questions

How many characters fit a Kansas personalized passenger plate?
An ordinary auto or truck combination permits seven letters, numbers, and spaces, while disabled personalized combinations are limited to five.

Is the Kansas $45.50 personalized charge the full registration price?
It pays for personalization and is separate from registration, taxes, and any applicable distinctive-plate or sponsor charges.

Where does an ordinary Kansas passenger vehicle display its assigned plate?
The assigned plate is mounted at the rear, subject to the display law’s visibility, security, and height requirements.

Can I retain my old number when Kansas replaces an embossed standard plate?
The replacement program issues a different sequence and does not preserve the old embossed-plate number.

May a temporarily disabled Kansas applicant obtain a disability license plate?
TR-159 reserves the disability plate for permanent certification and provides temporary placard options for qualifying temporary conditions.

Does physically moving my Kansas plate complete a replacement-vehicle transfer?
The county must process the transfer and verify the vehicle, ownership, disposition, insurance, and timing requirements.

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More Kansas DMV guides

The other Kansas DMV guides, 52 of them: