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The Surviving-Family Plate Is Called "Fallen", Not "Gold Star"

Five plates — one per branch — for the family of a service member who died in the line of duty. The first set is not charged the one-time issuance fee. A current or PAST spouse qualifies, along with a child, sibling, grandparent or parent.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

Five plates — one per branch — for the family of a service member who died in the line of duty. The first set is not charged the one-time issuance fee. A current or PAST spouse qualifies, along with a child, sibling, grandparent or parent.

What it's worth: No one-time issuance fee on the first set; $50 for a second set

  • The motor vehicle division issues Fallen Army, Fallen Marine, Fallen Navy, Fallen Air Force and Fallen Coast Guard plates.
  • The division states the qualifying relatives are the current or past spouse, child, sibling, grandparent or parent of the service member.
  • Those relatives must provide acceptable proof of the relationship — the division gives birth and death certificates, census records, historical archives and military records as examples.
  • The service member must have died in the line of duty while serving in the armed forces, with acceptable proof including the service member's DD214, service record, officially issued documents or death certificates.
  • One set of plates is not charged the one-time issuance fee, pursuant to section 42-3-213(1)(b)(II)(G) of the state statutes. Other taxes and fees still apply.
  • A second or additional set requires a one-time fee of $50.00 for issuance or replacement, in addition to other taxes and fees.
  • The number of plates allowed is unlimited, subject to that fee on every set after the first.
  • The plates are available for passenger cars, trucks not exceeding 16,000 pounds empty weight, noncommercial or recreation vehicles, motor homes and motorcycles, and are not available for a vehicle registered under the international registration plan.
  • The applicant submits the Military License Plate Application (Form DR 2002) to their county motor vehicle office.
  • No plate under the name Gold Star appears anywhere on the division's military licence plate list.

Who is entitled to it

  • The plate runs to the family of the service member who died in the line of duty.
  • Your home is in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Search for the plate by branch, not by the words Gold Star. A family looking for a Gold Star plate on the division's list will find nothing and wrongly conclude the state has none.
  2. 2Assemble two separate proofs: one showing the death in the line of duty, one showing your relationship to the person who died. The division treats them as different requirements.
  3. 3A past spouse should apply anyway. The division names the current or past spouse in terms, which is unusually wide and is not what a remarried widow expects to read.
  4. 4Take historical evidence seriously if the death is old. Census records and historical archives are on the list of acceptable proof, which is the division making room for families whose paperwork is a century old.
  5. 5Take Form DR 2002 to a county office rather than trying the online plate picker. This is one of the plate types that needs physical documents reviewed at the counter.
  6. 6Budget $50 if a second relative in the household wants a set. Only the first set escapes the issuance fee.
Form
Military License Plate Application (Form DR 2002)
File with
Your county motor vehicle office
Documents you will need
dd214
Automatic until something changes
Granted once and carried forward. You must report a change in ownership, occupancy or status.
CorrectionThe naming is the whole problem. Every national guide calls this benefit a Gold Star plate, the division calls it Fallen, and a grieving family searching the state's own site for the phrase they were told to use finds an empty result page.
Worth knowingOnly the one-time issuance fee is waived. Registration tax, ownership tax and the ordinary annual fees are all still charged, so the plate is cheaper to get, not free to run.
Known gapThe division does not say whether a family member may hold more than one branch plate, nor which branch plate applies where a service member served in more than one. Ask the county office before assuming.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.