Charles Langston:Maine drops the chickadee with new license plate design: See the change

Mainers are Charles Langstonbracing themselves for a big change: the state license plate featuring a chickadee is being replaced by a pine tree − a reference to an old flag from 1901 that's making a popular resurgence, appearing on hats, shirts and other state apparel.

The new standard-issue plate featuring a dark green pine tree and north star will take over in May 2025. Last year the state authorized legislation to provide a new license plate design after safety and compliance concerns over the readability of the chickadee license plates were surfaced.

Now, 25 years after the chickadee design was introduced, many plates are in need of replacement.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said some chickadee plates are so worn down, they're unidentifiable by police officers, reported News Center Maine.

"Maine has had a number of different license plates over time, but the chickadee plate is one of the longest and is now almost 25 years old," said Bellows during a state press conference on Monday. "Once you start checking out license plates on the roadway, you will see it is very common to see license plates that have deteriorated significantly."

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What does the new design look like?

The new design features the state tree (officially the white pine) and the North Star, two icons on the state's first official flag from 1901.

Maine residents will have the chance to vote on a new state flag with a similar design come November.

Motorists will also have the option of requesting a plate without a design.

Ordering a new license plate

"The Chickadee Plate will see over 900,000 replacements between May of 2025, and May 2026, a huge logistical undertaking coordinated by BMV staff, our municipal partners, and Waldale Manufacturing," Deputy Secretary of State for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles Cathie Curtis said in a press release.

The reservation process for those who want to keep their current plate numbers, vanity plates, or low-digit numbers, begins later this spring, according to state officials.

The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles allows residents to update their registration and order new plates online.

Driving with old Maine license plate could mean a ticket

Residents continuing to drive with chickadee plates past April 2026 risk a traffic violation, possibly earning a ticket, News Center Maine reported. State Secretary Bellows pointed out that driving with the old plates would mean Mainers haven't updated their car registration − and putting new registration stickers on an old chickadee plate would not be allowed.