- A new law will give Michiganders another license plate option
- The animal welfare fundraising plate will benefit homeless and abused animals
- Proceeds will address overcrowding in animal shelters across the state
Michigan drivers will soon be able to support animal shelters every time they renew their license plates under a new law that also strengthens protections for abused and neglected animals.
The animal welfare legislation, approved earlier this month in bipartisan votes and signed into law Monday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, would add to a growing list of special cause fundraising license plates available in Michigan.
“Pets are beloved members of our families, and when times are hard, they suffer alongside the people who love them,” Tanya Hilgendorf, chair of the Michigan Pet Alliance, said in a statement celebrating the new law.
“Too often, that means more homeless animals relying on Michigan’s already overwhelmed shelters and rescues.”
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Revenue from license plate sales would also help shelters spay or neuter animals to reduce overcrowding and support staff who care for vulnerable animals, Whitmer’s office said in announcing she’d signed the bill.
Like other options, the new fundraising plate will cost motorists $35 on top of their vehicle registration fee. That money would be set aside in a new Protecting Michigan’s Pets Fund, which the state would then send to the Michigan Pet Alliance each quarter.
It’s not immediately clear when the plate might be available. The law tasks the Department of State with designing and producing the new plate, a roughly $90,000 expense the Michigan Pet Alliance would have to cover, according to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency.
There were roughly 5.8 million dogs and cats in shelters across the nation in 2025, a slight decline from the prior year, according to Shelter Animals Count, a national animal shelter database.
“These humane societies and shelters are struggling,” said Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, who sponsored the legislation. “This is coming just at the right time, to (help) rescue the animal shelters that rescue our much loved animals.”
Whitmer also signed two other bills Polehanki sponsored to modify current state law and require individuals convicted of animal cruelty or neglect to pay restitution that would be put toward animal care and rehoming the animal.
“In animal cruelty and neglect cases, as the court case plays out, a lot of times, these animals are left in humane societies and rescues that are footing the bill for their care, sometimes for years,” Polehanki said.
In Michigan, people under investigation for animal neglect or cruelty may have their pets seized while the case is pending and are required to post a bond to cover the cost of the animals’ housing and care.
Those who fail to do so may forfeit ownership of their animals, allowing them to be transferred to another agency.
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