The Coastal Carolina University plate is the Conway school’s entry in South Carolina’s collegiate series, issued as class CUCO1 at seventy dollars every two years in addition to registration. Of that special fee, forty dollars is directed to the university for scholarships, and thirty dollars goes to the state highway fund.
Two things make this design different from the other college plates in the catalogue. SCDMV’s listing carries no personalized version, so the face is fixed, and the plate therefore lives or dies on how it is mounted and kept legible. This page covers the class, the display rules that apply to it, the fee, the ordering channels and what happens to the design over the life of the car.
The Coastal Design and Its Class
The plate belongs to the university rather than to a private foundation, and the state treats it as one of the standard collegiate products. The class code is the piece of information that identifies it on the record, and it also fixes the amount and the vehicle types.
Class CUCO1
SCDMV files the Coastal Carolina University design under class CUCO1. The code appears on the registration record and on the receipt, and it is what a clerk searches when a driver asks for the plate by name. Because several collegiate designs share the same seventy-dollar fee, the class is the only reliable way to tell them apart in the system. A driver ordering at a counter should check that the receipt shows CUCO1 rather than a neighbouring college class.
Who Controls the Face
State law allows each school to submit the emblem, seal or symbol it wants on its plate, and to request a change once the existing stock has been used. The design on the Coastal plate is therefore the university’s choice rather than a state template, and it can be revised when the school asks. The SCDMV gallery shows the version currently in production. An older plate seen in a car park is not evidence of what a new order will produce.
How It Sits Beside the Other College Plates
Clemson, the University of South Carolina and South Carolina State all hold their own classes at the same seventy-dollar fee. What separates Coastal is the absence of a personalized listing and the smaller number of related designs carrying the school name. There is no championship variant and no lettermen variant in the catalogue entry. A driver comparing the four should compare the artwork first and the class code second, since the money is divided the same way.
Which Vehicles Can Carry It
The design is issued for private passenger vehicles and light trucks with an empty weight of nine thousand pounds or less and a gross vehicle weight of eleven thousand pounds or less. A heavy truck or a commercial vehicle falls outside the programme. Motorcycles are registered on a separate plate of a different size. A driver should confirm the weight from the title before ordering, because a plate produced for a vehicle outside the limits cannot simply be moved to another class.
Mounting and Display Rules
South Carolina issues one plate per vehicle, and the law is specific about where it goes and how it must look. Those rules matter more on a specialty design than on a plain one, because the artwork is part of what a reader is expected to recognise.
The Rear of the Vehicle
State law requires the plate to be attached to the outside rear of the vehicle, open to view, except on truck tractors and road tractors, where it goes on the outside front. It must be fastened securely in a horizontal and upright position so that it cannot swing. A plate wedged behind a grille or displayed in a rear window does not satisfy the requirement. The mounting point the manufacturer provides is usually the correct one.
Height and Legibility
The bottom of the plate has to sit at least twelve inches above the ground and in a position that is clearly visible from behind. It must also be kept free of foreign material and in a legible condition, which covers mud, rust and anything else that obscures the characters. A plate that has been bent flat against a bumper or lifted by a hitch accessory can fail the visibility test even when it is bolted on. The measure is easier to check with the car parked on level ground.
Frames, Decals and Covers
A frame or a decal is lawful as long as it does not obscure any letter or number, and a trailer hitch may cover no more than two inches of the plate. A tinted cover is a different matter: the statute prohibits covers and other material placed above or upon the plate that are not issued by SCDMV for validation. A dealer frame with a thick lower lip often hides the bottom row of characters, which turns a decorative item into a violation.
Damage and Cleanliness
A plate that has lost its reflectivity, cracked through a character or rusted at the bolt holes should be replaced rather than repaired. A separate page describes the Clemson license plate. Cleaning with a soft cloth and mild soap is enough for road film, while abrasive polish can take the finish off the face. Because the Coastal design is printed rather than stamped with a simple pattern, a damaged area is more obvious than it would be on a standard tag. A replacement is produced to order, so a driver should start the request early.
Fee, Eligibility and the Order
The cost structure follows the collegiate rule rather than an organization-specific one, and the eligibility test is the vehicle record. The table sets out the lines a driver will see, with the registration separated from the special fee.
| Line | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Special plate fee, class CUCO1 | $70 | Every two years, in addition to registration |
| University scholarship share | $40 | Forwarded to the school for academic scholarships |
| State highway fund share | $30 | Not a university contribution |
| Passenger car registration | $40 | Two-year charge, set by vehicle class |
| Typical total at first issue | $110 | Special fee plus registration |
| Personalized version | Not listed | No personalized class appears in the catalogue |
| Replacement plate | $6 | State charge for a duplicate or exchange |
The Seventy Dollars
The special fee is seventy dollars for a two-year period and it returns with every renewal rather than being paid once. SCDMV lists that amount for the design and applies it to any qualifying vehicle that carries the plate. It is separate from the registration charge and from any county tax obligation. The fee is non-refundable after processing, so a driver who orders and then sells the car does not recover the unused portion.
No Alumni or Membership Check
SCDMV’s entry for the Coastal plate names no sponsor membership requirement, no alumni number and no letter of affiliation. A graduate, a parent, a fan and a driver with no tie to the university follow the same route. That places the design with the open collegiate plates rather than with the proof-based ones, where a missing document can hold an order for weeks. The branch checks the vehicle record, not the driver’s history with the school.
Online, Branch or Mail
The gallery marks this design as one that can be bought online, and it can equally be ordered on Form MV-95 at a branch or by post to the Specialty Plates address in Blythewood. The USC license plate is described on its own page. Online ordering depends on a clean vehicle record and a current address. A branch visit suits a car that has just been bought or a registration that has recently changed. The mailed route is the slowest but leaves a paper trail of everything sent.
What the Receipt Confirms
The receipt should show the design name, class CUCO1, the vehicle and the two amounts, with registration separated from the special fee. A driver who sees a single total has no way to prove later that the special fee was paid. The class is worth checking closely, because a neighbouring college class produces a plausible receipt for the wrong product. Corrections are far easier before the plate is manufactured than after it arrives.
Why There Is No Personalized Coastal Plate
Personalization is not a feature of every specialty design, and the Coastal plate is one of the designs that does not carry it. That is a property of the catalogue entry rather than a temporary gap, and it changes how a driver should plan the order.
What the Listing Shows
SCDMV’s description of the Coastal Carolina University plate sets out the fee, the vehicles and the application form, and stops there. It contains no personalized option and no character limit, while the Clemson and USC entries include both. The personalized application form likewise lists a set of designs that accept text, and Coastal is not among them. The absence in two places is the evidence, and it is stronger than a single missing line.
How Personalization Works Elsewhere
On a design that does allow it, the driver submits Form MV-96 with the requested text, an description of its meaning and two fallback choices. The SC State license plate is described on its own page. Text is limited to six characters including spaces on a specialty plate, and the ampersand is permitted. The personalization charge of thirty dollars is added to the special fee, which is why the personalized collegiate classes are listed at one hundred dollars. Review happens before production, and a duplicate or an offensive reading is refused.
If Chosen Text Matters
A driver who wants specific characters on the plate has two realistic options. One is to choose a design that supports personalization, such as the general university plate at another school. The other is to keep the Coastal design and accept the standard numbering that SCDMV assigns. A branch cannot add text to a class that does not offer it, and no amount of description at the counter changes the catalogue. The gallery is the place to confirm which designs accept text today.
Numbering and Availability
Plates in a non-personalized class are numbered in sequence as they are issued, so the driver does not choose the characters. Availability depends on the stock the state holds rather than on a reservation system. A driver who wants a particular number should not expect the branch to hold one. The number on the plate is simply the next one in the series for that class at the time of production.
Waiting, Fitting and the First Renewal
Once the order is accepted, the plate has to be manufactured, and the car stays on its current registration until the new metal is fitted. Planning for that gap is the difference between a smooth changeover and a fortnight of uncertainty.
Production and Delivery
Specialty plates are made to order, so the wait is measured in weeks rather than in minutes. A design that has been in the catalogue for years usually moves faster than one that has just been approved, and a postal address that is about to change adds a risk of its own. The registration card and sticker travel with the plate or follow shortly after. The branch can confirm whether an order has reached production.
Covering the Gap
The existing plate remains valid while the order is open, and it should stay on the car until the replacement is in hand. A driver whose current plate is damaged or whose registration is about to lapse should ask about a temporary tag rather than drive without a plate. Surrendering the old plate at the counter before the new one arrives creates exactly the gap a temporary tag exists to fill. The temporary tag does not carry the university design.
If the Plate Arrives Damaged
A plate that arrives scratched, bent or misprinted should be photographed before it is fitted, and the packaging kept until the question is settled. Fitting a damaged plate weakens the argument that the damage happened in transit. The branch can start a replacement on Form 452 and advise whether the state charge applies in that case. Waiting a few days for an answer is cheaper than paying for a second plate and then trying to recover the first payment.
Placing the Sticker
The annual sticker goes in the corner indicated on the registration card, and it must sit flat without covering a character. A sticker applied over the artwork rather than in the marked area can obscure part of the design and, on a bad day, part of the number. The old sticker should be removed rather than layered over, because a stack of decals lifts at the edges. The registration card is the reference for which corner applies.
The First Renewal
The first renewal falls at the end of the registration month, two years after issue, and the special fee appears in the total alongside registration and any county charge. The design is not reprinted, so the same plate and number continue. Missing the notice costs the registration and requires reinstatement before the car can be driven legally. The university receives its forty-dollar share again at that renewal, which is how the plate functions as a recurring contribution.
Long-Term Ownership
Over several years the plate will outlast at least one vehicle for most drivers. The rules on transfer, replacement and retirement decide whether the design follows the driver or is left behind with the car.
Moving the Design to a New Car
A Coastal plate can move to another qualifying vehicle registered in the same name, and the remaining registration period travels with it. The special fee is not charged a second time for the move, because the design has already been paid for in that cycle. The receiving vehicle has to fall inside the weight limits and be of a type the class covers. The branch updates the record and prints a revised registration card.
Replacement After Loss or Damage
A lost, stolen or damaged plate is replaced on Form 452, with a six-dollar state charge for the replacement. A theft also needs a police report so the number can be flagged while the duplicate is produced. Because the design is not held at the counter, the replacement arrives by post. A plate damaged in a collision should be surrendered rather than straightened and refitted, since a bent face may no longer be legible.
If the Design Is Withdrawn
A school can ask for a new face, and a design can disappear from the catalogue when the remaining stock is gone. An existing plate keeps its number and stays valid until the next renewal, when the driver either moves to the current design or returns to a standard tag. A withdrawn design cannot be reordered, even by a driver who held it before. The gallery entry is the signal that a change has happened.
Giving Up the Design
A driver who no longer wants the plate can request a standard tag at renewal and stop paying the seventy-dollar fee from that point. The swap produces a new plate number, so parking permits, toll accounts and insurance records need updating. A change made in the middle of a period is handled as a replacement, and the special fee already paid is not refunded. The registration itself continues without interruption.
Records Worth Keeping
The receipt for the special fee, the registration card and the annual renewal notices together show that the university’s share was paid in each cycle. A driver who wants confirmation that the money reached the scholarship fund should ask the university rather than the branch, since SCDMV collects the fee and forwards it without issuing a separate acknowledgment. Photographs of the plate and the sticker also help if a camera or a parking operator later disputes the number.
Official SCDMV Sources
The class code, amount and display rules above follow SCDMV’s plate catalogue, the specialty application and the South Carolina statute on plate display. The catalogue entry is the only current check on the design, the fee and whether personalization is offered. Last verified: October of this year.
- SCDMV License Plateshttps://dmv.sc.gov/vehicle-owners/registration/license-plates
- SCDMV Specialty Plateshttps://dmv.sc.gov/vehicle-owners/registration/license-plates/specialty-plates
- SCDMV Feeshttps://dmv.sc.gov/fees
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions below cover the design, the display rules and the absence of a personalized version.
Does the Coastal Carolina plate allow personalized text?
No. SCDMV’s catalogue entry for class CUCO1 lists no personalized option, and the personalized application does not include the design among those that accept chosen text. Characters are assigned in sequence when the plate is produced, so the driver never chooses them.
How much does the Coastal Carolina plate cost?
Seventy dollars in special plate fee every two years, plus the forty-dollar registration charge for a passenger car in South Carolina. Forty dollars of the special fee goes to the university for academic scholarships and thirty dollars to the state highway fund.
Where must the plate be mounted?
On the outside rear of the vehicle, open to view, fastened horizontally and upright so that it cannot swing, with the bottom at least twelve inches above the ground. Truck tractors and road tractors carry theirs on the front instead of the rear.
Can a frame or cover be used on it?
A frame or decal is lawful when it hides no letter or number, and a trailer hitch may cover no more than two inches. A tinted cover is prohibited because the statute bars covers above or upon the plate that SCDMV did not issue.
Does the plate transfer if the car is sold?
The plate belongs to the registration rather than to the vehicle itself, so the seller keeps it. It can move to another qualifying car in the same name without paying the special fee again, and it should be removed before the handover.