New year, new license plate? See NC’s latest specialty design

The N.C. General Assembly approved only one specialty license plate in 2025, a tribute to the one of the state’s oldest predators.

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles issued a new specialty license plate featuring the toothy skeleton of Acrocanthosaurus, one of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences’ signature dinosaur specimens, known as the “Terror of the South.” The museum says orders began shipping at the end of September.

Of the $30 purchase price, $20 will go to the friends of the museum to support research, exhibits, education and conservation, with personalized plates available for an additional fee.

Here’s what you need to know.

NC specialty plates

NCDMV offers a wide range of specialty license plates highlighting everything from charities to hobby groups, with more than 100 designs available statewide.

Each plate carries an added fee beyond regular registration costs, and because they’re produced in limited quantities, they can be purchased online, by mail or in person at an NCDMV license plate agency.

Here’s how to order the dinosaur plate online:

• Go to payments.ncdot.gov, the NCDMV’s online registration and payment system.
• Click “Vehicle Services” and select “Order a Special or Personalized Plate.”
• Browse or search the list of options to find the NC Museum of Natural Sciences dinosaur plate.
• Enter your current license plate number and the last five digits of your vehicle’s title number.
• Review your order and submit payment.

NC venus fly trap plate

Last year, state lawmakers approved a specialty license plate honoring the Venus flytrap, North Carolina’s native carnivorous plant, ending years of legislative limbo after then-Gov. Roy Cooper signed the measure into law, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Advocates had collected nearly 800 prepaid applications starting in 2019, but the plate repeatedly stalled in the Senate despite unanimous House support, leaving supporters waiting years for authorization to move forward.

NC license plate changes

In 2023, state officials lifted longstanding restrictions on personalized vehicle plates in North Carolina, allowing drivers to use terms and designs that include dozens of LGBTQ-related words and phrases that were previously banned by NCDMV, the Observer reported.

Under the new policy, the DMV will no longer automatically reject plate requests containing specific LGBTQ terminology, provided the messages meet standard decency and appropriateness criteria that apply to all personalized plates.

The News & Observer’s Richard Stradling contributed to this report. Inspired by a story from the Kansas City Star in Missouri.

Evan Moore

The Charlotte Observer

Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.