GOVERNMENT & POLICY

Indiana BMV nets $12.9M from ‘blackout’ plate sales to fund five‑year modernization

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported on Oct. 5, 2026 that sales of the optional “blackout” license plate, launched in August 2025, generated $12.9 million earmarked for a five‑year Bureau of Motor Vehicles modernization plan; the plate adds $45 to registration and the BMV sold more than 380,000 in its first year.

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

AI-generated illustration of the topic: Indiana BMV nets $12.9M from ‘blackout’ plate sales to fund five‑year modernization — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported Oct. 5, 2026 that the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles collected $12.9 million from sales of the optional “blackout” license plate design, which began in August 2025. The blackout plates — white numerals and letters on an all‑black background — add $45 to initial registration and annual renewal fees. The BMV said it sold more than 380,000 blackout plates in the year since the design launched; about 314,000 are on the road. The agency reported nearly 22,000 sold in the first month and more than 90,000 by the end of 2025.

WHY IT MATTERS

What changed and who it affects: Indiana’s BMV turned a new optional plate design into a dedicated revenue source. The blackout plate costs an extra $45 at registration or renewal; the BMV reported those fees produced $12.9 million that the agency is directing toward a five‑year modernization program ordered by Gov. Mike Braun. That program follows a required comprehensive systems review completed last year and is intended to update the agency’s tracking, records and customer systems.

How the mechanism works, step by step: residents who choose the blackout design pay an additional $45 when they register or renew. That fee revenue is pooled by the BMV and allocated to modernization projects. The agency has already bought new payment terminals that accept tap‑to‑pay and digital currency, added more 24/7 BMV Connect kiosks statewide, and announced pay raises for many customer‑facing employees — all cited as uses for modernization funding.

What to watch next: monitor BMV updates on the five‑year modernization rollout and any detailed spending plans or timelines the agency publishes for system replacements, kiosk deployment or personnel changes.

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