New Oregon 'Pacific Wonderland' License Plates to Debut

Commemorative series will be available March 1 and is only for passenger cars.

Oregon's new custom place is almost a direct continuation of the Pacific Wonderland plates issued many years ago. 40,000 will be made.

(SALEM, Ore.) - A new version of the classic Oregon “Pacific Wonderland” vehicle plate will be available starting March 1 from Oregon DMV.

40,000 sets of these commemorative plates will be stamped, and they are only available for passenger vehicles, so you can't put them on travel trailers, motor homes, motorcycles, or other vehicles.

The plates, which will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, will have a $100 surcharge in addition to the $23 plate manufacturing fee and vehicle registration fee.

The current two-year passenger vehicle registration fee is $86. In addition, customers replacing their plates prior to expiration of their vehicle registration must pay a $10 plate replacement fee, or wait until their registration renewal date and pay a $5 plate replacement fee, according to DMV spokesman David House.

"For example, a vehicle owner with current Oregon plates who wishes to switch to the new Pacific Wonderland plates would pay a total of $133 – $100 surcharge, $10 replacement fee and $23 plate manufacturing fee."

House says the $100 surcharge is a one-time fee and is not charged again to renew the registration for Pacific Wonderland plates.

The plates may be ordered through the mail by enclosing the fee and a completed Application for Registration Form 268, which can be downloaded and printed at OregonDMV.com. The plates also may be purchased in person at DMV field offices.

House said, "The 2009 Legislature established this limited series of plates to commemorate Oregon’s 150th anniversary of statehood. The first series, issued from 1959 to 1964, was created for the state’s 100th birthday."

Like the original series, the new plate uses yellow letters and numbers on a blue background, and bears the phrase “Pacific Wonderland” at the bottom. The new series also uses the plate numbering system of the era: a number and a letter, followed by a dash and four numbers – for example, 9P-0001.

To produce the 40,000 sets of plates specified in the legislation, the series is to start with 9P-0001 and continue through 9T-0004. There is no system in place for customers to order a specific plate number.

Unlike the original series, the new “Pacific Wonderland” plate bears a small “Oregon 150” logo in the upper-left corner, House said.

Money generated by the Pacific Wonderland surcharge will be split evenly between the Oregon State Capitol Foundation (www.leg.state.or.us/capinfo/foundation.htm) and the Oregon Historical Society (www.ohs.org). For more information and current vehicle license plate options and fees, visit OregonDMV.com.

Source: Oregon DMV