Vehicle license plates will have a new look starting Tuesday astax offices begin issuing new car tags to motorists, tax officialssaid.

“Everybody gets a new tag this year,” said Deputy Tax CollectorVicki McCullough as she and Tax Assessor-Collector Nancy Jordandiscussed new license plate plans.

When people come in to renew their car tag beginning Oct. 1,they will be given a new plate featuring a new graphics design andnumbering sequence. The old design will be phased out nextyear.

Lincoln County had not received all of its license plate orderas of Monday morning. Some of the county’s tag shipment arrivedlast week, and Jordan said the rest of the plates were expectedbefore noon Monday.

“They’ve promised me they’ll have them ready for Tuesdaymorning,” Jordan said.

Patsy Brown, director of motor vehicle licensing with the statetax commission, said new tags cannot be issued until Tuesday. Shedid not anticipate any problems in getting tags to county taxoffices before that day.

Brown said the state ordered 512,000 tags for cars and passengertrucks, which should be enough for a three-month supply. Also, over105,000 specialty tags were ordered for counties based on theirindividual tag totals.

“It was a huge order,” Brown said.

For motorists with vanity plates, Brown said the statepre-ordered tags with the vanity messages on the new design. Thetags will be delivered to county tax offices and will be availablewhen vanity plate owners come to renew their tag.

“We didn’t wait them to have to wait,” Brown said.

While the old tag had a yellow and green design, the new tagswill feature blue- and green-shaded areas across the top and bottomof the plate. Also, the new tag design will have three numbersfollowed by three letters whereas the old tag had letters first andthen numbers.

Old tags will be around for another year or so as they arechanged out to the new design. Jordan said next September should bethe latest that old tags will be seen.

“You will see old and new,” Jordan said.

Lincoln County has about 40,000 vehicles, Jordan said, notingthat October is one of the busiest months for tag renewals.

Vehicle license plate designs are changed every five years.Brown said there is a state law requiring the design change, andthere are law enforcement benefits to the periodic changes.

“It makes it more obvious if people haven’t renewed,” Brownsaid.