BMV's Personalized License Plate Program Will Resume

INDIANAPOLIS -- Hoosiers will once again be able to get a personalized license plate from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, beginning Friday.  The program resumes nearly three years after a lawsuit led the BMV to shut it down.

A Greenfield police officer filed a lawsuit in 2013 after the BMV denied his personalized plate reading “O1NK” – or “oink.” The agency shut the entire program down during the ensuing legal battle.  The Indiana Supreme Court in November resolved the case, ruling in favor of the BMV.  Now, five months later, Commissioner Kent Abernathy says the program will resume.

“We wanted to make sure we had all the processes in place to be able to handle the anticipated volume and to do it in a fair and accurate way," Abernathy said. "So that’s the biggest reason why we took the time to make sure we had it right.”

The lawsuit created questions about how the BMV decides which plates are acceptable.  Examples of seeming inconsistencies include denials of “NOBAMA” and “SEXYGRMA” while allowing “GOBAMA” and “FOXYGRMA.”  The BMV’s approval system for personalized plates will not change.