Aug 1, 2025 By Brad Hundt 3 min read

There are about 11 million vehicles registered in Pennsylvania, but only a little more than 27,000 of them have the new “Let Freedom Ring” license plates that have been issued to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. That works out to about 0.2% of the cars, SUVs, pickups and trucks across the commonwealth.

That percentage is likely to creep upward in the weeks and months ahead, though, as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is issuing those new plates to drivers whose plates are determined to be so old they need to be replaced.

Over the last month or so, the new plates, which first became available in June, have gone out to drivers whose old plates began with the letters D, E and F and were manufactured between 1999 and 2004. In a letter dated June 30 sent to vehicle owners by Stephen J. Madrak, the director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Motor Vehicles, he states that the plates “are at least 20 years old and are either weathered, damaged, unreadable or have lost most of their reflectivity.” Reflectivity allows license plates to be read in bad weather or in the dark or semi-darkness.

A new vehicle registration card is also being sent with the new plates.

Once drivers get the new plates, they are being told to put them on their vehicles as soon as possible, since the old plates have been made inactive in PennDOT’s system. PennDOT is also suggesting that old plates be recycled, destroyed or returned to the state.

There is no cost for the new plates, according to Aimee Inama, a spokeswoman for PennDOT. Vehicle owners who are not part of the reissuance program are being asked to pay $14 for a new plate. Inama explained that a license plate is warranted to last five years, but the lifespan is “greatly affected by use, such as where vehicles are kept and weather exposure.”

On Monday, Aug. 18, starting at 4 p.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is hosting an event at EQT Park, the stadium of the Washington Wild Things in North Franklin Township, where vehicle owners can find out if a plate is illegible and needs to be replaced. If it is, sheriff’s deputies will help them fill out paperwork needed for a replacement. A driver’s license and registration card are needed.

Those interested in attending can register online at https://www.reponeal.com/Form/Hard-to-ReadLicensePlateEvent2025.

The next plates on PennDOT’s replacement list are “Y” plates that have been issued to trucks, and that will get going this month, Inama said. License plates that start with G are being targeted for replacement by the end of 2025, with H, J and K following next year. Those plates are now being replaced by dealers during registration transfers to new vehicles.

Drivers interested in ordering new, standard-issue license plates or personalized plates can order them at /www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/vehicle-services/registration-plates. Military, specialty, special fund and special organization plates will be available in the coming months, according to PennDOT.