New Georgia License Plates Available Monday

Beginning Monday, May 7, new Georgia license plates will debut.

The Georgia Department of Revenue announced the new, digitally printed plates are available in all 159 counties.

Linda Sosebee's design was selected during a 2011 contest in which more than 500 designs were submitted. Two voting periods were held to select the winning design. The first vote was discarded after after confusion over whether or not the statement “In God We Trust” was intended to be part of the plate design.

According to the Georgia Department of Revenue, the new tags are less expensive and faster to produce than previous plates because they have a flat design. Older plates (those issued prior to Dec. 1, 2003) will gradually be phased out and will be replaced at the time of registration renewal or first-time registration at a county tag office. Plates issued after Dec. 1, 2003, will be phased out beginning in May 2013.

Starting July 1, vehicle owners will have the option of adding an "In God We Trust" sticker for free instead of a sticker identifying the county where they live.