WYDOT Says New License Plate Is Dark Blue, Not Black

Good news for people who hate the color of the new Wyoming license plate. It's actually blue, not black. WYDOT says it's the same color of the Wyoming state flag.

JO
Jimmy Orr

October 31, 20222 min read

New license plate 10 28 22
(Cowboy State Daily Staff)

Good news for people who don’t like Wyoming’s new black license plate.

It’s not black.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation on Monday told Cowboy State Daily that the color of the license plate isn’t accurately represented on a sneak peak of the plate released by Sweetwater County.

The license plate is actually blue, said Doug McGee, spokesman for the Wyoming department of Transportation (WYDOT).

“Just as a point of clarification, the new license plates for 2025 are navy blue, not black,” McGee said. “They are the same blue color as the State flag.” 

“I believe that image that folks are seeing online is a photo that did not properly capture the color of the plate,” he said.

That could change the reaction of some’s perception of the new plate. Social media reaction on Cowboy State Daily and other sites hasn’t been overwhelmingly positive.

Bob Ernst, a former Gillette resident, emailed Cowboy State Daily on Monday morning to say he could take solace in leaving Wyoming due to the “black” license plate.

“I finally found a reason to partially make up for missing Wyoming … the new license plates,” Ernst wrote. “Thankfully, I now don’t have to put that ugly piece of scrap metal on my vehicles!”

Others appeared to agree with Ernst. Curt James, on Cowboy State Daily’s Facebook page, called for the termination of the designer.

“The background is terrible,” James wrote. “It’s too dark and dreary. Who designed this disaster? Fire them now.”

Not everyone hates it. 

Kole Chatriand said he approves of the new look.

“I dig it! I like how the state flag is incorporated into the design while keeping the steamboat from the old design,” he wrote.

Authors

JO

Jimmy Orr

Executive Editor

A third-generation Wyomingite, Jimmy Orr is the executive editor and co-founder of Cowboy State Daily.