If you’ve spotted a pickup truck or sedan recently with a white license plate bearing a bold, black “WA” or “WZ” sequence, you know what it means: ”Whiskey Plates.” For decades, these special registration plates have been the visual hallmark of repeat DWI offenders in Minnesota.

But starting since Aug. 1, 2025, the way police handle these impoundments has fundamentally changed.

Under the newly enacted House File 2130, an officer who would have seized and destroyed the plates may instead invalidate them on the spot with a permanent sticker.

The New ”Sticker of Shame”

Previously, if a driver was arrested for a qualified DWI offense (such as having a blood alcohol content over 0.16 or a child in the car), the officer was mandated to physically remove the vehicle’s plates and destroy them.

Now, under the amended MN Statute 169A.60, officers can simply affix a permanent invalidation sticker directly onto the existing license plate text.

  • How it works: The sticker effectively “cancels” the plate instantly in the eyes of law enforcement databases.

  • The Penalty: Intentionally removing, obliterating or damaging the sticker is a misdemeanor.

How it works: The sticker effectively “cancels” the plate instantly in the eyes of law enforcement databases.

The Penalty: Intentionally removing, obliterating or damaging the sticker is a misdemeanor.

This change allows officers to clear the scene faster and avoids the “tool kit” hassle on the highway shoulder, but the legal effect is identical: that vehicle is no longer street-legal with those plates.

The ”20-Year Trap”

While the sticker is a procedural change, the most dangerous update for drivers is the new “lookback” period.

For years, Minnesota used a 10-year window to determine if a driver was a “repeat offender.” That is still the window for the criminal charge and for plate impoundment, but no longer for how long a license is revoked.

The 2025 Legislature extended the lookback to 20 years for deciding how long a license is revoked and whether the driver must use an ignition interlock.

  • The Impact: If you had a DWI in 2006 and are arrested today, that earlier incident can lengthen your license revocation and bring ignition interlock requirements. Plate impoundment and the criminal level of a DWI still look back only 10 years.

The Impact: If you had a DWI in 2006 and are arrested today, that earlier incident can lengthen your license revocation and bring ignition interlock requirements. Plate impoundment and the criminal level of a DWI still look back only 10 years.

The 14-Day Rule

The new law does offer one small leniency regarding paperwork. Drivers whose plates are impounded now have 14 days (increased from 7 days) to surrender their plates to law enforcement or apply for new special registration plates.

  • Note: If the vehicle is registered to someone other than the violator (e.g., a spouse or parent), the temporary permit remains valid for 45 days, giving the innocent owner time to transfer the title or get new plates.

Note: If the vehicle is registered to someone other than the violator (e.g., a spouse or parent), the temporary permit remains valid for 45 days, giving the innocent owner time to transfer the title or get new plates.

Bottom Line: Officers may now use a sticker instead of taking the plates, and an impaired driving incident from up to 20 years ago can lengthen a new license revocation.

Sources: MN House File 2130 (2025 Session Laws, Chapter 29), MN Statute 169A.60 (Administrative Impoundment of Plates)