What do I need to do to get a single 'Z' and low-numbered license plates? | Ask the DMV
Q: I have been inquiring about a single "Z" and a low number since November 2021.
When I have inquired on the phone about availability, I have been told that I will be contacted via email.
While I read in your column in The Providence Journal that these plates are available again, I am still waiting on a response from RI DMV.
What do I need to do to get a single "Z" and a low number?
— Krista Z.
A: The plate you are looking for is a Governor’s Preferred Plate. Governor’s Preferred Plates are out of the DMV’s control.
This is the information we have on our website (dmv.ri.gov) regarding Governor’s Preferred Plates:
Preferred plates are requested through the Office of Governor, State House Room 144, 82 Smith St., Providence, RI 02903. Phone: (401) 222-2080. Fax: (401) 222-8096. Email: preferredplates@governor.ri.gov
Preferred plates are passenger plates with 1 letter with 1-3 digits; 2 letters with 1-2 digits; and 1-4 digits (1-9999). Commercial, combination, and motorcycle plates with 1-4 digits (1-9999); and Antique plates (1-2000). Suburban and veteran plates with 1-3 digits (1-999), and National Guard and public plates with 1-2 digits (1-99).
In our registration forms we have the “Application for Preferred License Plates.”
It appears you did all the right steps in requesting a plate.
If you should get a plate from the Governor’s Office, you will receive a letter and card from that office. You would need to come in and do a Plate Change once you receive both. The steps to register a Governor’s Preferred Plate for the first time are:
▪ Make a reservation for the Cranston DMV to do a Registration transaction. Instructions on how to make a reservation can be found on the front page of our website. Please bring in your old plates, a completed TR-1 form (Title and Registration Application), and the card and letter from the Governor’s Office.
▪ Upon entering the Cranston DMV, please proceed to the Plate Office located on the lefthand side of the first floor.
▪ Once the Plate Office confirms that the plate is in the building, proceed to the second-floor check-in booth to have your paperwork reviewed and to receive a number/ticket.
▪ After the plate has been registered to you, go back to the Plate Office on the first floor to pick up your plates.
Q: I have veteran license plates that have started peeling and will ultimately become illegible. The vehicle is registered until February 2024. However, when I looked online to replace these damaged plates, the RI DMV wants to charge me $35 for plates I already paid for and are damaged due to faulty production and no fault of my own.
Can you shed any light on this please?
— Greg C.
A: First, thank you for your service to our country. The DMV appreciates our veterans, and we have created a special tab in our website (www.dmv.ri.gov) dedicated to our veterans and active military. It provides important information on credentials, registrations, plates and additional contact information for other veteran organizations.
I have not heard of any veteran plates having defective material. Just so you know, there is not a fee for the veteran plates when you first received them, but there is a fee for veteran plate remakes. Also, veteran plates are not part of the state’s reissuance program that begins at the start of the new year, so they will not be replaced upon your registration renewal like all the blue “wave” plates.
You can pay $35 for the online remake, which includes a $2.50 convenience fee, fill out the “Application for Plate Remake” and mail in a check or money order for $32.50, or you could do a “Plate Change” transaction that is $22.50 and receive a stock plate. All DMV fees are found in legislation.
Chuck Hollis is assistant administrator of the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles. Please email your questions to cars@providencejournal.com with “Ask the DMV” in the subject field.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: How do I get a "Z" and low numbered license plates? | Ask the RI DMV
