Put Your Support on the Road
Show your passion for North Carolina’s coast while supporting dolphin research, conservation, and maritime education with a North Carolina Maritime Museum specialty license plate.
Protect Dolphins. Support the Museum.
A small addition to your vehicle can help make a meaningful difference along North Carolina’s coast.
The North Carolina Maritime Museum and the Cape Lookout Studies Program offer the “Protect Wild Dolphins” specialty license plate as a visible way to support coastal conservation.
Plate proceeds help advance research, conservation, and educational programs that increase our understanding of the bottlenose dolphins that frequent North Carolina waters.
Advance Research
Help support long-term studies that identify and track individual bottlenose dolphins along the North Carolina coast.
Strengthen Conservation
Contribute to work that expands knowledge of dolphin habitats, movements, associations, health, and populations.
Support Education
Help the Museum share coastal science and conservation information with students, visitors, and the broader community.
North Carolina Maritime Museum “Protect Wild Dolphins” specialty license plate.
About the Plate
$30 annual specialty plate feeThe specialty plate fee is paid in addition to your regular vehicle registration fee.
- $20 from each plate benefits the program annually
- Supports dolphin research, conservation, and education
- Available to eligible North Carolina vehicle owners
- Personalization may be available for an additional fee
- Renews annually with your vehicle registration
Please note: DMV fees, availability, personalization options, and application procedures may change. Confirm current requirements with the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles before submitting payment.
How to Order Your Plate
You may begin with the application available through the Friends, search for the plate through NCDMV, or visit a local North Carolina license plate agency.
Visit the NCDMV Website
Visit the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles website and locate the section for specialty or personalized plates.
Search for “Maritime”
Search the specialty plate listings using the word Maritime and select the Maritime Museum plate.
Complete the Ordering Process
Follow the online instructions, complete the downloadable application, or take the required information to your local license plate agency.
Display Your Support
Once received, your specialty plate becomes a traveling reminder of the importance of protecting dolphins and North Carolina’s coastal environment.
How Your Plate Helps Dolphins
The Cape Lookout Studies Program uses photographs of dolphin dorsal fins to identify individual animals. The scars, markings, and notches on each fin allow researchers to track dolphins over time and learn more about their movements, associations, and reproductive history.
Program staff and volunteers also participate in marine mammal stranding response and share research findings with scientists, students, Museum visitors, and the public.
Questions or In-Person Assistance
Contact NCDMV or visit a North Carolina license plate agency for current ordering requirements, fees, processing information, and plate availability.
Find a License Plate Agency
Search for the North Carolina license plate agency that is most convenient for you.
Take Your Support Wherever the Road Leads
Order a “Protect Wild Dolphins” specialty plate and help sustain research, conservation, and education connected to North Carolina’s dolphins and maritime environment.