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Gold Star Plates — One Free Set, and No Clause That Takes Them Back on Remarriage

A surviving spouse, parent, child or sibling of a servicemember who died on active duty during a time of military conflict, or as a result of that service, may order registration plates bearing a gold star emblem. One set is issued at no charge — the $25 special-plate fee is disapplied by name. The Department of Veterans Affairs, not the Department of Transportation, is the office that confirms the lineage.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: One set of gold star plates at no charge; the $25 issuance fee is waived

The $25 figure is the ordinary special-plate issuance fee in §321.34(12)(a), which subsection 24(b) disapplies for one set of gold star plates.
The $5 annual validation charge on special plates in §321.34(12)(a) is not disapplied by subsection 24, and the ordinary annual registration fee still runs.
Personalised gold star plates fall under §321.34(12)(c) and carry their own charges; the free set is the letter-number designated plate.

Who is entitled to it

The subsection names the surviving spouse, parent, child or sibling of the deceased member.
A parent who died in service puts you inside the lineage the subsection describes.
You are 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

1Start at the veterans department, not the vehicle counter. Rule 761—401.6(1)"j" requires written approval from the Iowa department of veterans affairs confirming the lineage of the applicant to the deceased veteran AND documentation that the veteran is deceased due to military service. A county treasurer cannot supply either.
2Read the eligibility clause carefully, because it is wider than most people expect on one axis and narrower on another. It reaches the surviving spouse, parent, child OR sibling — but only where the member died while serving on active duty during a time of military conflict, or died as a result of such service.
3Ask for the free set explicitly. §321.34(24)(b) issues one set at no charge notwithstanding the $25 fee. That is one set, per approved owner, not one per vehicle.
4Expect the annual validation charge to continue. Subsection 24 waives the issuance fee; it does not waive the $5 special-plate validation or the ordinary registration fee.
5Do not assume remarriage ends it. Subsection 8(b), which governs the medal of honor plate, says in terms that a remarried surviving spouse must return the plates. Subsection 24 carries no equivalent sentence. If an office tells you otherwise, ask which paragraph they are reading.

Form: Written application to the Department of Transportation, with written approval from the Department of Veterans Affairs attached
File with: Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs first, then the Motor Vehicle Division
At each renewal: Claimed again whenever the underlying licence or registration renews.

Worth knowingThe condition that decides most gold star questions elsewhere — remarriage — is simply absent here. It was worth checking rather than assuming, because the same section imposes it two subsections earlier on a different plate, so the drafter plainly knew how to write it.

Worth knowingTwo gates, two offices. The lineage gate is the veterans department; the plate itself is the transportation department. Applications arriving at the vehicle counter without the veterans department approval come back.

Sources

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