New License Plates are Required in Montana Every Five Years

Do you ever learn something new and wonder how you got by for so long without knowing that information earlier?

That happened to me the other day when I got my vehicle registration renewal in the mail.

I suppose time flies when you're having fun, but I've owned my current vehicle for five years.

License Plate Replacement In Montana Notice on Your Registration Renewal

I mentioned the five-year mark because I noticed on my vehicle registration renewal form that I was required to get a new license plate.

This surprised me because my license plates are in fine condition.

I discovered that, according to Montana state law, you must replace your license plate every five years.

Since I'm always looking for interesting topics for articles, I decided to call the Department of Motor Vehicles and ask some questions.

Why You Must Replace A Montana License Plate Every Five Years

The reason you have to replace your license plate in Montana every five years is the reflective coating.

Evidently, some sort of reflective coating makes your license plate more visible to law enforcement, lights, cameras, and so on.

I'm guessing the powers that be have decided that the reflective coating started to wear off around five years ago.

So there you have it, the reason you're required to replace your license plate every five years in Montana.

Learn something new every day!

Read Next: This Is The Good Reason Behind Montana’s 2 Plate Law