August 07, 2026
Kevin R. Wexler/USA Today via Reuters Connect
New Jersey is creating a new license plate design commemorating America's 250th anniversary. The state's Revolutionary War sites will benefit from the proceeds. Above, New Jersey's Capitol Building in Trenton.
New Jersey will move forward with plans to create a special license plate for the nation's 250th anniversary despite failing to get the measure approved before the Fourth of July. Proceeds from the commemorative plate will support preservation of the state's historic Revolutionary War sites.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the legislation among a slew of bills that reached her desk Thursday. The General Assembly passed the bill on June 30, but its requirements prevented Sherrill from being able to sign it to mark the holiday. Lawmakers stipulated that public funds could not be used for the initial design and production of the license plate, and the state's Motor Vehicle Commission and Historic Trust also required private backing for the project with a minimum off 500 paid applicants.
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The bipartisan bill was introduced by a group of five lawmakers from across the state, which has more Revolutionary War sites than any of the other original colonies.
"The story of the birth of this great nation is told through our 150-plus historic sites," Assemblymen Alex Sauickie (R-12th) and Rob Clifton (R-12th) said in a joint statement in March. "Our outsized role in the American Revolution deserves recognition and remembrance. This license plate will serve as a symbol of pride for New Jersey drivers who travel past the battlegrounds and landmarks that earned us the title, 'Crossroads of the Revolution,' while preserving the history of our fight for independence."
The passage of the law will now start the design process for the license plate, which New Jersey residents will be able to request through the MVC. Drivers will pay a $50 application fee and an annual $10 renewal fee for the plate. Proceeds will go into a fund used to support projects at historic sites.
Officials have not said how soon the license plates will be available. New Jersey has several other special license plates, including one honoring the USS New Jersey Battleship and another for the Pinelands National Reserve. Pennsylvania began issuing redesigned license plates last year featuring the Liberty Bill and the slogan, "Let Freedom Ring." The state also has its own set of specialty plates and unveiled a new heritage design this year recognizing the architectural history of bank barns.
New Jersey's position between New York City and Philadelphia made the state a central theater of the Revolutionary War. Hundreds of battles and skirmishes were fought in the state, most significantly during the Ten Crucial Days from Christmas 1776 to Jan. 3, 1777. General George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey, scoring a victory at the Battle of Trenton before advancing to Princeton. The Americans defeated a larger British force that ultimately surrendered at Nassau Hall, the oldest building on Princeton's campus.
New Jersey also was the site of the Battle of Monmouth in 1778 and the Battle of Springfield in 1780, and the Continental Army had a series of large encampments in Morristown, which became home to the country's first national historical park in 1933. The federal property includes four sites in Monmouth and Somerset counties.
The state invested about $130 million in upgrades to historic parks ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary. Major projects include a nearly $29 million project to build a new visitor center at Washington Crossing State Park in Mercer County. The facility is expected to open in the fall. Princeton's Battlefield State Park, Trenton's Old Barracks Museum and Somerville's Wallace House — one of Washington's headquarters — also received money for upgrades this year, among other historic sites.
