Whiskey Plates

You’ve probably seen them. Black and white license plates. They look different than normal Minnesota license plates. But what do they mean? These plates, commonly referred to as “whiskey plates,” are issued to certain individuals that are charged with a DWI in Minnesota. Not all DWI offenses require that a driver get this type of plate, but the majority of them do. It is not just a requirement for the vehicle that was being driven either. Along with the vehicle that was being driven, any vehicle that is titled in the driver’s name is also required to have them.

On top of that, once the requirement is there, the vehicles cannot be transferred to a family or household member. This means that if a parent gets a DWI, and their child’s vehicle is titled in their name, their child will be required to have whiskey plates. Because their child is a family member, they would be unable to transfer the title to the child to avoid them having to display the whiskey plates. So not only does the offender get punished, but their family does as well.           

Introducing Whiskey Plates to Minnesota

When whiskey plates were first introduced in Minnesota, they gave police officers carte blanche to pull people over. Basically, if you had these plates on your vehicle, a police officer could pull you over simply because they were on your vehicle. That was very quickly deemed unconstitutional by the Minnesota Supreme Court. At that point, whiskey plates became obsolete. Since police officers could not just pull a vehicle over simply for having whiskey plates, they no longer served a purpose, right?

While that is true, Minnesota did not get rid of them. Rather, they kept them around as a type of scarlet letter. Other than being very embarrassing for the person with them on their vehicle, they do nothing. Minnesota does, however, make money off them. If you are required to have whiskey plates, you must pay $50 to get the plates, and another $50 when it’s time to get regular plates back. That is per vehicle that is required to have the plates. So, if you have 3 vehicles in your name, you end up paying $300, once all is said and done, to get your regular plates back.

Recent Law Changes

In the last few years, Minnesota law regarding whiskey plates changed. While they are still required in the majority of cases, they are avoidable now. So long as a driver gets an ignition interlock installed in one of their vehicles. Once the interlock system is installed in one of the driver’s vehicles, all the vehicles titled in the driver’s name are eligible for regular license plates. However, Minnesota didn’t want to lose out on all of the revenue that comes from whiskey plates. So, if a driver is required to have whiskey plates, but they get ignition interlock installed in one vehicle, they can get regular license plates, but they must pay $100 per vehicle to do so. This means that the person with 3 vehicles would still have to pay that $300 like they would have before.

DWI’s are very complicated and can be very confusing. Not only is there a criminal charge that must be dealt with, but there is also a license revocation and the possibility for whiskey plates. If you are facing this type of offense, you need to consult with an experienced DWI attorney. Contact Cody M. Wright today to set up a free consultation.