A long-time goal of the Pennsylvania Equine Council has come to fruition with the issue of a specialty license plate for horse enthusiasts. While drivers have been able to express their support for colleges, natural resource conservation, state zoos, and much more, horses have never been an option—until now.

The specialty plates support the Pennsylvania Equine Council. Of the $35 registration, $24 goes to the state and $11 goes to the Pennsylvania Equine Council to support equine educational programs including the Equine Learning Center, the Trail Stewardship Program, the Young Leader Program, Legislative Awareness Programs and more. The PEC is a 100% volunteer organization devoted to making it easier and safer to enjoy equine activities here in Pennsylvania.

Specialty plates are issued in sequential order and must be purchased through the Pennsylvania Equine Council. Purchasing the PEC plate does not automatically renew your registration. You will not be paying twice by purchasing the specialty plate as the one-time $35 fee covers the cost of the new plate, not the annual registration fee. If your registration expires within the next few months, the PEC recommends you renew your registration first. Once your new sticker arrives, put it on your current plate. At that point, apply for the PEC plate. This ensures that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles is not processing both your registration renewal and application for a new plate at the same time. When your new plate arrives, it will come with a new sticker and registration card (showing your new license plate number). Your new sticker expiration date will coincide with your current registration.

The PA Bureau of Motor Vehicles will not process applications that come directly to them. The PEC must process your application then forward it to the Bureau. If you lease your vehicle, you will need to fill out an additional form that gives you ownership of the plate. That is a MV-1L form and can be downloaded from the PennDOT web site www.dot.state.pa.us.

For more information about this specialty license plate or to request an application form, visit www.pennsylvaniaequinecouncil.org.