Washington’s license plates are dull, according to William Downing Jr. of Everett.
Why are license plates from smaller, more rural states “so much more diverse, clever, and attractive than the Wonder bread and mayonnaise thing Washington has been stuck with since about 1987?” Downing asked.
He’d like to see the state come up with something new, something colorful and attractive.
The basic design of the state’s license plate does indeed date back to 1987. In fact, it’s the plate the Department of Licensing used to mark the state’s 100th birthday in 1989.
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The current design – commonly called the “mountain plate” – was originally printed with the words “Centennial Celebration” across the bottom of the plate, says Brad Benfield, a Department of Licensing spokesman.
And now, 16 years later, Downing is getting his wish.
Until last year, state law required one standard background on all license plates, Benfield said.
That requirement ended when the Legislature created the Special License Plate Review Board, a new agency in charge of reviewing requests for the specialty license plates that Downing has asked for.
The new board makes recommendations to the Legislature on which specialty plates are acceptable and which are not. The Legislature has final say on whether a proposed plate fits the image the state wants to portray.
“Because the standard background requirement was dropped, groups who propose new license plate designs are not limited to using the standard mountain background anymore,” Benfield said.
But don’t look for a slew of new-look license plates just yet.
A handful of new-look plates are in the works, but they can’t be bolted onto a car near you until the beginning of next year.
“Over the next several years, more new plates will likely be approved and will provide citizens with more colorful license plate options for their vehicles,” Benfield said.
Illegal sandwich signs?
Question: Are the portable sandwich signs on the sidewalk at 164th Street SW and Larch Way legal?
There are a lot of kids who walk through that intersection to get to Martha Lake Park. The signs could make it difficult to see them.
Ron Nelson, Mill Creek
Answer: The signs are illegal but, because of a lack of resources, Snohomish County won’t remove them unless they block visibility for drivers. The county will ask business owners to remove such signs if a citizen calls to complain.
Tom Barnett, a planning and development services supervisor for Snohomish County
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