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Gold Star Plates — Grandparents Count, and the Plate Is Not Free

Wyo. Stat. § 31-2-229 opens distinctive gold star plates to the parents, grandparents, spouse, children or siblings of a member of the armed forces who died in service or as a result of service. Eligibility is certified by the Wyoming veterans’ commission, the plates are issued by the county treasurer, and the statute routes the applicant through the $30 personalised-plate fee.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

Wyo. Stat. § 31-2-229 opens distinctive gold star plates to the parents, grandparents, spouse, children or siblings of a member of the armed forces who died in service or as a result of service. Eligibility is certified by the Wyoming veterans’ commission, the plates are issued by the county treasurer, and the statute routes the applicant through the $30 personalised-plate fee.

What it's worth: A distinctive plate at the $30 personalised-plate fee, plus the ordinary registration fees

  • § 31-2-229(a): "Only parents, grandparents, spouses, children or siblings of a member of the United States armed forces who died while in service or who died as a result of the service shall be eligible to receive the gold star plates."
  • The applicant applies to the Wyoming veteran’s commission for a written statement of eligibility, and applies at least 30 days before the vehicle’s registration expires.
  • The plate may go on any motor vehicle owned or leased by the applicant that is not a commercial vehicle or a multipurpose vehicle.
  • § 31-2-229(a) requires payment of "the fee required in W.S. 31-3-102(a)(viii)". Wyo. Stat. § 31-3-102(a)(viii) was read this session and reads "Personalized license plates, payable only if plates are issued .... $30.00".
  • § 31-2-229(c): "Except as provided in this section, application for, issuance and renewal of gold star license plates shall be subject to the same requirements and fees as provided in this article." No registration fee or county fee is waived by the section.
  • § 31-2-229(b): plates issued under the section shall be displayed only on the vehicle for which they are issued.
  • § 31-2-229(d): the department prescribes the design in consultation with the Wyoming veteran’s commission, the plates are subject to redesign on the same schedule as all licence plates, and "The license plates shall be issued by the county treasurer of each county."
  • § 31-2-229(f) requires the department of transportation to report in its biennial budget request the actions taken and monies expended under the section for the preceding two fiscal years.
  • The section contains no remarriage condition.

Who is entitled to it

  • The plate belongs to the family of a member of the armed forces who died.
  • Your home is in Wyoming.

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

Deadline: At least 30 days before your registration expires
  1. 1Go to the Wyoming veterans’ commission first. The statute makes a written statement of eligibility from the commission the thing the county treasurer acts on.
  2. 2Check the relationship list before assuming you are out. Grandparents and siblings are both named, and neither is usual.
  3. 3Apply at least 30 days before the registration expires. That is a statutory deadline, not an office preference.
  4. 4Budget for $30. The section points at the personalised-plate fee in W.S. 31-3-102(a)(viii), and subsection (c) leaves every other fee in this article payable as normal.
  5. 5The plate cannot go on a commercial vehicle or a multipurpose vehicle, and it stays on the vehicle it was issued for.
  6. 6Collect the plates from the county treasurer. Subsection (d) puts issuance there rather than with the department.
Form
Application to the Wyoming veterans’ commission for a statement of eligibility, then to the county treasurer
File with
Wyoming Veterans Commission, then your county treasurer
Annual
Claimed once a year.
CorrectionThe gold star plate is not a free plate in Wyoming. The statute sends the applicant to the personalised-plate fee of $30 and then leaves the ordinary registration fees in place. Several states in this corpus waive registration for a bereaved family; Wyoming does not.
Worth knowingGrandparents are named in the eligibility list. That is uncommon enough that a grandparent applying should quote subsection (a) at the counter rather than accept a first refusal.
Worth knowingThe section says nothing about remarriage. A spouse’s eligibility is not written to end on remarriage the way it is in the surviving-spouse plate provisions of several other states.

Sources

Why only one source type: The section states eligibility, the certifying body, the issuing office, the deadline and the fee cross-reference, and the fee schedule it points at was read in the same document; the Wyoming Veterans Commission publishes no application page that was reachable this session.

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