Wisconsin: Denied Personalized License Plates

Good afternoon,
Thank you for submitting your open records request to the DMV. The business area responsible for the requested records is working on compiling a response-this is the notification that your request was received.

Thank you,

Julie Goldsmith
Executive Staff Assistant
DOT - Division of Motor Vehicles
4822 Madison Yards Way S206.28
Madison, WI 53705
PH: 608.267.4550

Good afternoon Adam,

Your open records request was forward to me and I have been working on getting the info to you. I wanted to make sure this email address would be sufficient enough to respond to your request with the info. If you have a different email address you would like us to respond to with the info, please let me know right away so I can give you the info.

Thank you,

Monica Worzala
Special Plate Supervisor
Title and Registration Processing Unit
Department of Motor Vehicles
4822 Madison Yards Way-S303.22
Office: 608-261-2575

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license/ID and plate renewals
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Good morning,

I was out last week and apologize for the delay in this information to you.

Here are the answers to your questions:

1. If one is kept, a copy of the current list of prohibited or automatically denied vanity or personalized license plates.

* I have attached the copy of list of our objectionable plates to the email for you-OBJPLATE.csv

2. A copy of any list of requested vanity or personalized plates denied in 2021 or 2022.

* List of plates denied from January 2022 through current March 2022 is attached-Denied plates 1-22 thru 3-22

3. For any denied application for vanity or personalized plates, a copy of the application and any correspondence sent to the applicant. This request is limited to denials after January 1, 2022.

* I have attached a generic letter for any recalled plates for customers. Unfortunately, If you are wanting copies of individual applications you would have to fill out an MV2896 Vehicle/driver record request form and pay for each record which is $5.--MV2896 Vehicle/Driver Record Information Request (wisconsindot.gov)<https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/formdocs/mv2896.pdf>

4. If a system is maintained for soliciting or receiving complaints concerning vanity or personalized license plates, a copy of any complaint received in 2021 or 2022.

* Customers can email any complaints to the Special Plates unit. The processors respond to the customer that it will be reviewed and then it is reviewed. We unfortunately don't have a system where we keep copies of these complaints.

5. If any vanity or personalized license plates have been revoked since January 1, 2021, any records related to the revocation.

* I have attached a list of the plates we have revoked but if you want the records for these, you would need to fill out the MV2896 for these applications-Recall plates 2021

6. A copy of any statute or regulations concerning what combinations of vanity or personalized license plates are permitted or prohibited.

* Section 341.145 (7), Wisconsin Stats. The department may refuse to issue any combination of letters or numbers, or both, which may carry connotations offensive to good taste or decency, or which would be misleading, or in conflict with the issuance of any other registration plates. All decisions of the department with respect to personalized registration plate applications shall be final and not subject to judicial review under ch. 227. Section 341.145 (8), Wisconsin Stats. The department may cancel and order the return of any personalized registration plates issued which contain any combination of letters or numbers, or both, which the department determines may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency or which may be misleading. Any person ordered to return such plates shall either be reimbursed for any additional fees they paid for the plates for the registration year in which they are recalled, or be given at no additional cost replacement personalized registration plates, the issuance of which is in compliance with the statutes. A person who fails to return personalized registration plates upon request of the department may be required to forfeit not more than $200

7. A list of all personalized or vanity license plates now in circulation. Alternatively, a list of such plates issued since January 1, 2018.

* This list is very large and time consuming and would require IT requests for us to get. If you would like us to do this, let us know. We have literally 10's of 1,000s of plate messages on the road currently.

8. A copy of any directions, guidelines, or training materials concerning review of vanity or personalized plates provided to staff members responsible for reviewing such applications.

* I have attached the sheet our objectionable policy our processors review when determining objectionable and if it should be reviewed.

* This is the procedure the processor is to use when they come across something that might be objectionable:

Objectionable

* W:\TARPS\SPU\Personalized Plates\PP Review - (SHOW PLATE).msg<file://mad00fpg/w5sharevr/TARPS/SPU/Personalized%20Plates/PP%20Review%20-%20(SHOW%20PLATE).msg>
* If you believe that a requested message is objectionable (see criteria below) check the following:
* You will need to check FIRST in Inquiry to see if the plate is already objectionable. Search the plate message with plate history, if you see the message populate with the phrase "Objectionable" next to it, you can simply move on to issuing the next message in order or write your Special Plates letter (see below) asking for more choices.
* Here is an example of a plate history search showing a message already being objectionable:

[cid:image004.png@01D8441F.D31E1A70]

* If it is not already objectionable, use urbandictionary.com to see if the message appears objectionable there. Urban Dictionary, March 1: wooder<https://www.urbandictionary.com/>

* In addition, below is the criteria we use to determine if it is objectionable:

CRITERIA FOR OBJECTIONABLE OR MISLEADING PERSONALIZED PLATES:

1. Critical or derogatory message to the general public.

2. Message denoting violence directed toward someone or something.

3. Sexual message.

4. Racial or ethnic slur.

5. Terms or names of subversive organizations.

6. Gang related terms.

7. Illegal drug terms (watch for "420" in messages).

8. Identifying as a law enforcement official: P0LICE, BADC0P.

9. Number 69 used or interpreted as a sexual reference.

10. Use of Hate or H8 toward individuals and/or persons.

11. Use of SUX, SUC or SUK e.g.: SUX4U, 55SUXS

12. Similar letter or number combinations that are difficult to distinguish:

MWMWMWM, XKKXXKX

13. White Supremacist/Nazi references. (For example, the numbers 14 and 88

used alone or together, the letters SS alone or with other German war

references).

Please let me know if you have any further questions on the policy or any other aspects of the personalized plate process.

Thank you,

Monica Worzala
Special Plate Supervisor
Title and Registration Processing Unit
Department of Motor Vehicles
4822 Madison Yards Way-S303.22
Office: 608-261-2575

[cid:image003.png@01D8441F.D1118190]<https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/online-srvcs/renew-licens/enotify-default.aspx>
Sign up to receive your driver
license/ID and plate renewals
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