License Plates for Production Use

The Texas Film Commission maintains an inventory of cleared Texas license plates provided by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TXDMV). These plates are available free of charge for temporary use by Texas-based projects and have been authorized for filming purposes only. Please allow for at least 1–2 business days turnaround time for license plate requests. If filming outside of the Austin area and shipping is required, please allow at least 4-5 business days turnaround. Please note, due to limited availability of license plates, we cannot guarantee license plates will be available for all projects.

Program Rules & Requirements

Please review all below rules to determine project eligibility. Please note that failing to abide by these rules may impact your ability to borrow plates on future projects:

All license plates must be returned within 30 days after wrap in comparable condition to check-out. Permanent or temporary alterations to borrowed license plates are not allowed.
License plates must not be left on unattended vehicles at any time and must be removed from vehicles and stored securely overnight.
License plates are provided only to projects with filming dates in Texas and may not be shipped outside the state.
Plates may not be loaned out to a production or company for repeated use on multiple projects. License plates may only be borrowed for one production at a time and must be returned upon conclusion of filming.
The TXDMV cannot provide alphanumeric recommendations for the creation of prop plates. Per Texas Government Code 504.946, the manufacture of a deceptively similar license plate is a felony.
Should any plates be lost or stolen, the production must immediately complete the following:

File a report with local law enforcement where the loss/theft occurred.
Contact the Texas Film Commission at 512-463-9200. A copy of the police report will be required for our records.

Please be advised that drivers of vehicles bearing plates reported as lost/stolen or being used outside of production purposes may be subject to detention by law enforcement.

Agreement Details

If your production is eligible to borrow plates based on the above rules, the Texas Film Commission will generate a rental agreement that will include project details and contacts responsible for the successful return of the plates. In addition to the primary borrower, the agreement must also be signed by two aditional production representatives with the following positions:

Transportation Captain/Coordinator
Production Supervisor
UPM
Producer

License Plate Styles

Below are the license plate styles available to borrow that range from period to contemporary. Please indicate the preferred style(s) of plates in your request.

Contact Us

If you have questions or have an eligible project and would like to inquire about borrowing license plates, please contact us. Please allow for at least 1–2 business days turnaround time for license plate requests.