Maine’s new license plate deadline has passed. What drivers should know
Maine’s statutory deadline for issuing replacement plates to vehicles required to receive them passed on July 31, 2026. But as of August 3, the public information reviewed from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles does not provide a final tally or direct confirmation that issuance to every required vehicle was complete.
That distinction matters for drivers who still have a Chickadee plate. The law required the Secretary of State to begin issuing a new general plate no later than May 1, 2025, and to complete issuance before July 31, 2026. The deadline concerns issuance to vehicles covered by the law; it does not necessarily establish that every replacement had been physically delivered to an owner by that date.
What Maine law required
Title 29-A, Section 451 requires the Secretary of State to provide a new general issue of registration plates, begin issuing them no later than May 1, 2025, and complete issuance before July 31, 2026 “to all vehicles required to obtain new plates.”
The BMV says the rollout covers about 1.2 million Chickadee plates, or roughly 71% of all plates in Maine. The agency says the older plates had aged, entered disrepair and lost reflectivity. The replacement designs are the Pine Tree plate and, for eligible registrations, the Classic No Tree plate.
The BMV’s public Pine Tree Plate page and customer FAQs explain how the program works, but the materials reviewed do not state that statewide issuance was completed by the July 31 deadline. They also do not publish a remaining-case count or a current backlog figure.
Who is affected
The replacement requirement applies to Chickadee plates across the affected plate classes, not just ordinary passenger plates. The BMV says specialty plates are not covered by the law’s Chickadee replacement requirement. Owners of specialty designs generally do not need to replace them solely because of this rollout.
For most affected vehicles, the new plate is issued when the owner renews the vehicle’s registration. Drivers renewing online receive the plate by mail. Passenger-class registrants may choose the Pine Tree design or, where eligible, the Classic No Tree design.
Some classes require extra processing. Bus, Hire, Low Speed and Street Rod registrations must be completed through a BMV branch after the owner pays excise tax locally. Horseless Carriage registrations are handled through the BMV’s administrative process; a branch may issue a temporary plate, registration and stickers while the new Horseless Carriage plate is mailed later.
The BMV also says Disabled Motor Vehicle, or WX, plates are being replaced by Motor Home, or MH, plates. Owners affected by that change were to receive information from the registration section, including an issued handicapped placard if the registrant did not already have one.
What to do if you still have a Chickadee plate
Do not assume that the sight of a Chickadee plate after July 31, 2026 by itself shows whether a particular vehicle is out of compliance. Check whether the vehicle’s registration renewal, plate issuance or mailing is pending.
The BMV’s customer guidance says that when a replacement plate has been reserved and is being mailed, the driver may continue using the Chickadee plate until the new plate arrives. Once the replacement plate has arrived, the old Chickadee plate is no longer valid for use on that vehicle.
If the registration was renewed online, the confirmation receipt — printed or displayed on a phone — is valid proof of registration until the paper registration, stickers and plates arrive. The BMV FAQ also says a registration document and replacement plate may arrive separately, especially when a driver reserved a plate number.
That guidance does not amount to a public extension of the statutory deadline or a statement that every remaining Chickadee plate is acceptable indefinitely. Drivers with an unresolved case should confirm their vehicle’s status with the BMV.
Keeping the same number costs $25
Drivers who want to keep a familiar, vanity or low-digit Chickadee number can reserve it for a one-time $25 printing-set-up or issuance fee. The charge is for preserving the number and producing the replacement plate; it is not a general replacement fee.
Reserved plates are mailed during the month the vehicle’s registration is due. Until the replacement arrives, the BMV says the driver may continue using the Chickadee plate in the circumstances described in its FAQ.
Seven-digit numbers and vanity plates with seven characters may have design limitations. The BMV recommends the Classic No Tree plate for those formats because a Pine Tree design could cause a number or letter to print over the tree image. Numbers containing seven characters plus a space or dash may be printed only on the Classic No Tree plate, which is available only for Passenger Class registrations.
If a registration has already expired, the BMV says the owner must renew it before reserving the current Chickadee number. Once a driver receives the new plate, the old Chickadee plate should no longer be used for that vehicle.
Where to ask about a delayed plate
Drivers with a Chickadee plate after the deadline should check their registration status, renewal date, plate class and mailing address. Questions about delayed plates or unresolved cases can be directed to the BMV Registration Section at (207) 624-9000, extension 52149, or registrations@maine.gov.
The practical question for many owners is not whether Maine has a new plate design. It is whether the state has issued the required replacement for their specific vehicle and what documentation applies while a replacement is being processed or mailed. Maine’s public BMV materials explain the renewal, reservation and mailing process, but as of August 3, 2026 they do not provide a public final tally confirming that issuance to every vehicle covered by the law was complete by July 31.
Sources
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