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POW, Pearl Harbor and Purple Heart Plates — $10 a Year Instead of Registration

South Dakota issues POW, Pearl Harbor Survivor and Purple Heart plates for $10 AT ISSUE AND $10 A YEAR FOR THE RENEWAL DECAL, IN LIEU OF annual registration fees — so the whole registration bill becomes ten dollars. MEDAL OF HONOR PLATES CARRY NO ANNUAL REGISTRATION FEES OR ANY OTHER FEES AT ALL. None of these routes needs a disability rating; they turn on the status or the decoration. You must be a South Dakota resident with a state driver licence or non-driver ID.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

South Dakota issues POW, Pearl Harbor Survivor and Purple Heart plates for $10 AT ISSUE AND $10 A YEAR FOR THE RENEWAL DECAL, IN LIEU OF annual registration fees — so the whole registration bill becomes ten dollars. MEDAL OF HONOR PLATES CARRY NO ANNUAL REGISTRATION FEES OR ANY OTHER FEES AT ALL. None of these routes needs a disability rating; they turn on the status or the decoration. You must be a South Dakota resident with a state driver licence or non-driver ID.

What it's worth: $10 at issue and $10 a year in lieu of registration; Medal of Honor plates are free

  • POW, PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR AND PURPLE HEART plates: $10 initial issuance and $10 annual renewal decal, IN LIEU OF annual registration fees.
  • MEDAL OF HONOR plates: NO ANNUAL REGISTRATION FEES OR ANY OTHER FEES.
  • NO DISABILITY RATING IS REQUIRED on any route — these are status and decoration based.
  • SOUTH DAKOTA RESIDENCY with a state driver licence or non-driver ID is required under SDCL 32-5-156.
  • Statutory basis: SDCL 32-5-157 and 32-5-160.
  • "In lieu of" is the operative phrase: the $10 replaces the registration fee rather than being added to it.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • You meet one of the routes.
  • You were awarded the Purple Heart.
  • You were held as a prisoner of war.
  • You hold the Medal of Honor.
  • South Dakota vehicle registration.

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. 1Apply through the county treasurer with evidence of the status or decoration.
  2. 2Get a South Dakota driver licence or non-driver ID first — it is a condition under SDCL 32-5-156.
  3. 3Check the arithmetic: the $10 replaces your annual registration fee rather than sitting on top of it.
  4. 4Medal of Honor recipients pay nothing at all — ask for that plate specifically.
  5. 5Pearl Harbor survivors have their own named route; say so rather than applying as a general veteran.
Form
Application through your county treasurer
File with
Your county treasurer
Documents you will need
dd214
Annual
Claimed once a year.
Worth knowingPearl Harbor survivor is a named route in the statute. Given the dates it will now be a very small group, but it is there.

Sources

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