With a unanimous Ohio Senate vote Wednesday, the state is now closer to legalizing and offering trendy blackout vehicle tags.
Introduced by Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville), Senate Bill 358 establishes the new license plates. They have black backgrounds and white lettering, as well as fewer logos than Ohio standard-issue plates, which feature the “Sunrise in Ohio” design rolled out in 2021.
The “Blackout” plate would cost $40, with an additional administrative fee of $10.
Several other states offer similar blackout vehicle tags, from Colorado to Iowa to Kansas. Neighboring state Indiana legalized them in August 2025, selling more than 40,000 and collecting more than $1.3 million in revenue within months, according to an Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles news release
“Really, I think this is giving people what they want quite frankly,” Manning testified Wednesday, “and also is going to raise some good money for the Highway Safety Fund.”
The idea was originally in the biennial state budget until it got removed. “I did have a few angry constituents reach out to me,” Manning said.
SB 358 is now off to the House for consideration.
