GOVERNMENT & POLICY

Indiana BMV channels $12.9M from optional 'blackout' plates into five‑year modernization plan

Indiana Capital Chronicle reported Oct. 5, 2026 that sales of the optional 'blackout' license plate have generated $12.9 million toward a five‑year Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) modernization plan after more than 380,000 blackout plates sold since the design launched in August 2025.

BUSINESSINDY BRIEFBy BusinessIndy Editorial StaffCommentsPublished October 5, 2026 at 12:33 PM EDTLiving story · 2 sources

AI-generated illustration of the topic: Indiana BMV channels $12.9M from optional 'blackout' plates into five‑year modernization plan — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

Indiana Capital Chronicle reported Oct. 5, 2026 that the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles has collected $12.9 million from sales of an optional “blackout” license plate, introduced in August 2025. The agency told the paper it has sold more than 380,000 blackout plates and that roughly 314,000 are on the road, a figure provided by BMV spokesman Greg Dunn.

The Capital Chronicle said the revenue is being directed to a five‑year modernization effort ordered by Gov. Mike Braun last year to replace 20‑year‑old tracking and record‑support software. The report says the agency has bought new payment machines that accept tap‑to‑pay and digital wallets, added more 24/7 BMV Connect kiosks, and plans pay raises for many customer‑facing employees; the paper noted that sale totals include both new purchases and renewals.

WHY IT MATTERS

What changed and who this affects: The BMV’s optional “blackout” plate adds a $45 fee to initial registration and annual renewals, and those extra fees have produced $12.9 million that state officials say will be spent on people and technology. The BMV handles vehicle registrations and driver records; the available fee is a direct, user‑paid revenue source that the agency can allocate to modernizing systems and customer service.

How the mechanism works, step by step: Hoosiers choose the blackout plate when they register or renew a vehicle and pay the $45 surcharge. That surcharge revenue has been tallied by the BMV and, according to the Capital Chronicle’s reporting, is being applied to a five‑year plan Gov. Mike Braun ordered in 2025 to update aging tracking and records software. The agency has already bought new payment machines that accept tap‑to‑pay and digital wallets and expanded 24/7 BMV kiosks, and the paper reports planned pay raises for many front‑line employees.

What to watch next: The source attributes the funding to a multi‑year modernization directive, so the next milestones to track are the BMV’s published timelines and progress updates on the five‑year modernization plan and specific spending reports for the $12.9 million in revenue.

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