Are Minnesota's Whiskey Plates On Their Way Out in 2025?

Could Minnesota’s whiskey plates, those black-and-white markers of past DUI offenses found on vehicles across the state, be headed for history this year?

As state lawmakers get set to convene at the state capitol in St. Paul for this year's Minnesota state legislative session, it's possible those odd license plates could once again face scrutiny over whether they serve actually as a deterrent to driving intoxicated, or are instead just a relic of the past.

Just what are 'whiskey plates?'

I have to admit that I had no idea what 'whiskey plates' even were when I first moved to Minnesota over a decade ago. I'd lived behind the Cheddar Curtain over in Wisconsin my entire life, where there is no such thing as 'whiskey plates'. You've likely seen them, they're the plain white license plates the state of Minnesota makes you put on your car if you get a DWI, right?

The state of Minnesota calls them 'special registration plates'

Technically, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety / Division of Vehicle Services, they're called 'special registration plates' and you have to put them on your vehicle if the state, in addition to convicting you of an enhanced DWI violation, also impounds your vehicle's regular license plates.

Minnesota's Special Registration Plates (MN Dept Public Safety/Div. Vehicle Services)

According to this Ask A Trooper column, they're commonly referred to as 'whiskey plates' because they start with the letter W. They were introduced in the mid-'90s as a way to let everyone else know-- including law enforcement officers-- that you (or whoever owns the car with the whisky plates on them) were convicted of driving drunk, the story says.

But those 'whiskey plates' were once thought to be going away. Could they again?

We'd heard a few years ago, in July of 2021, that might be going away here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Several sources (like this KIMT-TV story) said that the Minnesota Legislature passed a provision in 2021 that would replace 'whiskey plates' with an ignition interlock system for those convicted of a DWI violation. (According to the Minnesota Legislature website, it was part of HF63 which passed in late May of 2021.)

The Minnesota DPS/DVS says ignition interlock devices prevent a vehicle from starting if it detects a certain alcohol concentration level after the driver blows into the tube. They've actually been around in Minnesota since 2011. And the new law that was passed in 2021 does provide an alternative to those infamous plates. But not entirely, though.

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KIMT said back then that the new law does allow current and future 'whiskey plate' holders to get rid of those plates if they request to join the new interlock program. (And still pay an extra $100 for new license plates, of course.) But those familiar white plates WILL still be around in Minnesota.

But here's why you might still see 'whiskey plates' in Minnesota

According to Kans Law Firm, DWI and defense attorneys based in Minneapolis, "If you decide not to participate in the ignition interlock program, or fail to complete the program, you will still have to use the special plates," its website noted. So 'whiskey plates' ARE still a part of Minnesota's DWI laws, but that's why you don't see them nearly as often as we once did across the Bold North.

Will the 2025 Minnesota state legislature take a look at discontinuing whiskey plates this year? This year's session is scheduled to begin on January 14th and will end on May 19th. And while topics expected to be debated this year include legalizing sports betting, affordable housing, and tackling waste, fraud, and financial abuse, so far it doesn't appear that whiskey plates are an issue that is on many lawmakers' radars. We'll keep our eyes peeled, however.

Whiskey plates are just one unique aspect of living here in the Bold North. But how many more strange facts about Minnesota are you aware of? Keep scrolling to take a look at 10 facts you probably didn't know about our fair state!