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The Disabled American Veteran Plate — Two Cars and a Motorcycle, a Dollar Each

A Mississippi veteran rated 100% permanent and total, or rated 70% or above without permanence, and the unmarried surviving spouse of such a veteran, may buy TWO motor vehicle plates and ONE motorcycle plate each year, at one dollar in total cost each, in the county of legal residence. Vehicles registered this way are exempt from all ad valorem and privilege taxes. Several award plates go further: the Silver Star, Medal of Honor and Ex-POW plates are exempt from all fees and taxes, and the Purple Heart plate is free.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

A Mississippi veteran rated 100% permanent and total, or rated 70% or above without permanence, and the unmarried surviving spouse of such a veteran, may buy TWO motor vehicle plates and ONE motorcycle plate each year, at one dollar in total cost each, in the county of legal residence. Vehicles registered this way are exempt from all ad valorem and privilege taxes. Several award plates go further: the Silver Star, Medal of Honor and Ex-POW plates are exempt from all fees and taxes, and the Purple Heart plate is free.

What it's worth: Two car plates and a motorcycle plate a year, $1.00 each, and the vehicles exempt from ad valorem and privilege taxes

  • SB 2187 of the 2023 regular session became Chapter 457, effective 1 July 2023. It sets the entitlement at two motor vehicle plates and one motorcycle plate annually.
  • The department states the price as "one dollar ($1.00 each) in total cost", which is the whole charge rather than a discount off the tag fee.
  • Vehicles and motorcycles registered under this provision are exempt from all ad valorem and privilege taxes — which is worth far more than the three dollars paid.
  • The plates are issued in the county of legal residence.
  • A veteran on the 70% nonpermanent route must present an updated VA benefits letter at each renewal, showing the rating has not fallen below 70% nonpermanent. The 100% permanent and total route does not carry that burden.
  • An unmarried surviving spouse may apply for or retain the plates and renew the full two-plus-one entitlement for as long as they remain unmarried — including where the veteran never applied for them.
  • SB 2052 of 2025 became Chapter 343, effective 1 July 2025, authorising the tags to be labelled '100% DISABLED VETERAN' or 'DISABLED VETERAN'.
  • Section 27-19-56.444 offers a distinctive tag at regular cost to service-connected veterans below these thresholds, which is the fallback for a veteran rated under 70%.
  • The weight reflects the ordinary Mississippi tag and privilege tax avoided across three registrations, rather than the three dollars paid.

Who is entitled to it

  • The plate runs to the veteran and to the unmarried surviving spouse of one.
  • A rating of 70% or above is inside the department’s stated threshold.
  • 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

  1. 1Two routes to the same plate: a 100% permanent and total service-connected rating, or a rating of 70% and above that is not permanent and total. The second route is the one most lists leave out.
  2. 2Ask for the full entitlement: TWO motor vehicle plates AND ONE motorcycle plate a year, at $1.00 each. It is not a choice between a car plate and a motorcycle tag — that was the position before 1 July 2023.
  3. 3If the county tells you it is one plate, cite SB 2187 (2023), Chapter 457. The state veterans agency's own benefits page still describes the old one-plate position, so being told the old answer twice does not make it right.
  4. 4Confirm the vehicles are recorded as exempt from ad valorem and privilege taxes. That exemption, not the dollar, is what this plate is actually worth.
  5. 5On the 70% nonpermanent route, bring an updated VA benefits letter to every renewal showing the rating has not fallen below 70% nonpermanent.
  6. 6An unmarried surviving spouse may apply for or keep the full entitlement while unmarried, even if the veteran never applied. Proof of marital status is required.
  7. 7Rated below the thresholds? Ask about the distinctive tag at regular cost under 27-19-56.444 instead.
  8. 8Check whether an award plate serves you better before settling for the disabled plate. The Silver Star plate is exempt from all fees and taxes and may be retained by an unremarried surviving spouse; the Congressional Medal of Honor and Ex-Prisoner of War plates are exempt from all motor vehicle registration fees and privilege taxes; and the Purple Heart plate is one free distinctive plate, with a surviving spouse able to retain it exempt from taxes and fees.
  9. 9The Reserve, National Guard, Merchant Marine and retired plate is issued at NO ADDITIONAL COST to those who completed an active duty career, to active and retired Guard and Reserve members, to WWII-era merchant mariners, and to their surviving spouses.
  10. 10Bring official written proof for any award plate. Every award plate in the schedule requires documentary proof of the decoration.
  11. 11The ordinary veteran plate is not free: the Veteran, Veteran Motorcycle and most award plates carry an additional annual $30 tag fee, of which $24 goes to indigent veterans in the state veterans nursing homes.
Form
Apply at the county tax collector with VA proof of rating
File with
County tax collector, under Mississippi Department of Revenue rules
Documents you will need
va benefit summary letter
Annual
Claimed once a year.
CorrectionMississippi is often listed as requiring 100% for a disabled veteran plate. The department’s own schedule sets two thresholds: 100% permanent and total, OR 70% and above where the rating is not permanent and total. A veteran at 70% who was told they did not qualify was told wrong.
CorrectionDo not read "veteran plates are free in Mississippi" from this record. The general Veteran and Veteran Motorcycle plates carry an EXTRA $30 annual tag fee on top of ordinary charges. The near-free plates are the disability plate at $1.00 and the specific award plates — Purple Heart, Silver Star, Medal of Honor, Ex-POW.
Worth knowingThe $30 surcharge on most veteran and award plates is not a state revenue grab: $24 of it is earmarked for indigent veterans living in the state veterans nursing homes and, on some plates, the State Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Known gapThe Department of Revenue’s own plate pages could not be read this session — dor.ms.gov failed TLS certificate verification from here — so the plate schedule is recorded from the veterans department’s benefit book. Confirm the current price and the proof required with the county tax collector.

Sources

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