State waives mandatory fee for new license plates

While the proposed mandatory renewal fee has been scrapped, plans to issue new license plates featuring the iconic Montauk Lighthouse are still moving forward as planned.

A spokesperson from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed to The Long Island Times on Wednesday that the DMV will still issue new license plates with the design that New Yorkers voted for, starting April 1 next year.

But a mandatory $25 fee will no longer be included in the 2020 design rollout, making it a free upgrade. The DMV will stop issuing the ‘Empire Gold’ plates once the new ‘Excelsior’ plates arrive.