Finally, Utah's new retro black specialty license plate hits the streets

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SALT LAKE CITY — Two years ago, we spoke to Marc Briggs — a car owner frustrated he could not get a Utah specialty plate with a retro black look for his pickup truck.

"It's attractive on a vehicle," he told us at the time.

By law, he has been entitled to outfit his truck with the plate. Five years ago, lawmakers passed a bill that required the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles to design a license plate with a black background, white lettering, and include the word, "Utah."

But when car owners asked the DMV for that plate, for years they were rebuffed.

"This is what is supposed to happen," Briggs said about getting the black license plates. "The bill was crystal clear on that. And to just make a choice to not follow the law that has been passed doesn't seem right."

At long last, that retro plate is finally coming to Utah.

"The legislative process can be slow," Jason Gardner, the DMV's director of policy, planning, and public affairs said.

The issue, he said, is that issuing black plates broke a different Utah law.

"There was a conflict in the law that required a fully reflective plate face," Gardner explained. "And black, by its very nature, is not reflective."

From 2021:

And reflective is important. Without it, law enforcement has a harder time doing its job such as tracking down stolen cars. So, what changed? Well, the Legislature passed a new law stating the plate does not need to be reflective — just the letters and the numbers on the plate.

"Which is really the important part," Gardner said. "That's what people need to see. That's what matters on the license plate. And because of that change, the letters are going to be white, which is easily made reflective. And we're all ready to go."

Ready to go, indeed. In the weeks since the plate hit the street, the DMV said it has seen tons of people requesting one. And people opting for the retro black plate will make an annual donation to the Utah State Historical Society at $25 per year.

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Matt Gephardt

You might say that Matt Gephardt was born into journalism. On the day he arrived at the Indiana hospital, his father, a reporter, had to quickly rush away after the delivery in order to front a news report. Matt’s television debut came a few years later when, as a toddler, he was used by an Indianapolis reporter to demonstrate how prescription drugs can be mistaken for candy. Matt’s “professional” career in the business began when he was 17 years old, attending high school in Los Angeles, and he landed a summer-job as a teleprompter operator in the Salt Lake City market. He moved to Utah, enrolled at the University of Utah, and never looked back. In the more than 20 years since, Matt has worked virtually every newsroom job: production crew, video editing, video photography, producing, executive producing. In 2010, Matt made the jump in front of the camera as an investigative “watchdog” reporter. Matt’s reporting has not only earned him several journalism awards, it has also led to law and policy changes at local, state and federal levels. When not investigating on behalf of Utah consumers, Matt enjoys “urban hiking” with his wife and three children – setting out on foot towards Sugarhouse or Downtown hoping to run into a friendly group of people gathered at a park, a festival or a new store or restaurant to try out. Matt is absolutely thrilled to be working at KSL where the commitment to ethical journalism, fairness and community is in lockstep with his own ideals.