WASBA

At long last, the Washington honey bee and pollinator plate will be available February 25th! The Department of Licensing says manufacturing and preparations are on track for a February 25th release. As soon as the Department of Licensing is ready, WASBA will widely publicize the link to find the plates online.

But YOU can have a chance to reserve a desirable low-numbered, first issue plate! As the sponsoring organization, WASBA has been allocated a group of plates, beginning with the famous First Plate Issued, “BE00001” for early availability. WASBA will sponsor an online auction for low number plates starting Saturday, February 14th through Saturday, February 21st, before the plate’s official release to the public.

We will be auctioning the right to choose the plate you want from those assigned to WASBA. The available plates will be listed in the auction, starting with “BE00001.” Winners of each plate in the auction will be contacted directly by the Department of Licensing to arrange payment for the plate and shipping. The auction is to choose which plate you want; DOL gives no free plates away. You must have a car, pickup, or motorcycle that can be licensed in Washington to qualify for the plate.

These first edition, low-numbered plates are an extremely cool addition to any vehicle, and will provide much-needed support for pollinator research and education in Washington.

All this is possible because of the work of honey bee and pollinator advocates. Thanks so much to all who signed, gathered signatures, and promoted the new plate.

The auction will happen Saturday, February 14th through Saturday, February 21st before the plates are available to the public on February 25, 2026. Keep an eye on wasba.org and your email inbox for details!