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Gold Star Plate — No Contribution, and Four Ways to Prove the Award

An honour special group plate for the family of a member killed while serving. There is no contribution to make, initial or annual — the cost is the ordinary plate fees: $8.25 standard plate fee, $5.00 special group plate fee and $4.00 for the registration certificate, with $3.00 more for a set. The documentation list is wide: a classification of death, a casualty report, a telegram from the Secretary of Defense, or any other document verifying the Gold Star award.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: No contribution; $8.25 plate fee, $5.00 special group fee, $4.00 registration certificate

The initial contribution and the annual contribution are both stated as $0.00 — unusual for a special group plate here.
The trailer plate fee is $7.25 and the motorcycle plate fee $6.75; the plate is not available for off-highway vehicles.
A set costs $3.00 more than the figures above, and a shipping fee is applied.
The applicant must be a recipient of the Gold Star award issued by the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
The plate may be personalised with up to six alphanumeric characters, or four on a motorcycle.

Who is entitled to it

You are family of a member killed while serving.
Your home is in Utah.

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

1Gather any ONE of the four accepted documents: a document showing the classification of death as listed by the Secretary of Defense, a casualty report, a telegram from the Secretary of Defense, or another document verifying the Gold Star award.
2Order at a division office, online, or by post — a postal application needs a copy of your current registration, the documentation, and a cheque covering the plate fee and any contribution.
3Check the arithmetic against the division’s own table rather than a guide. The contribution is nil; the charges are the $8.25 plate fee, the $5.00 special group plate fee and the $4.00 registration certificate, plus $3.00 for a set and shipping.
4Ordered plates are mailed rather than handed over, so allow for that if you need the vehicle plated immediately.

Form: Special group plate application with Gold Star documentation
File with: Motor Vehicle Division — any office, online, or by post to Salt Lake City
Documents you will need: dd214
Annual: Claimed once a year.

Worth knowingThe documentation list is the generous part. A family that never received a DD Form 1300 can qualify on a telegram or on any document verifying the Gold Star award, which is a much lower bar than most states set.

CorrectionZero contribution does not mean zero cost. The plate carries no charitable contribution at all, but the standard plate fee, the special group plate fee and the registration certificate still apply, and a set adds $3.00 plus shipping.

Known gapThe division’s page states no remarriage condition and does not define which deaths count beyond "killed while serving", leaving that to the Gold Star award itself. The statutory section was not readable — the legislature’s site refused every connection this session.

Sources

authority · published policyMotor Vehicle Division — Gold Star plate: eligibility, accepted documentation, and the plate fee table
operating · published policyMotor Vehicle Division — License Plates for Vehicles (Gold Star listed among the special group plates; ordering routes)

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