State also drops vehicle registration stickers, moves toward permanentlicense plates
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
The Idaho Transportation Department released a number of updates in the week leading up to the Fourth of July, inviting public comment on planned road, bridge and safety projects, as well as changes to vehicle registration and license plate policies.
Public comment is being gathered through Friday, July 31 on projects in ITD’s seven-year investment program, which have been reprioritized based on changes in transportation funding.
According to officials, $200 million is currently allocated toward pavement and $100 million toward bridges each year. In mid-June, the Idaho Transportation Board reviewed recommendations from staff geared toward establishing project priorities and balancing the budget as part of an update to the Idaho Transportation Investment Program.
The current draft ITIP includes about 20 projects throughout Bonner County scheduled from 2027 to 2032, as well as a handful that are unfunded and in the preliminary stages. Among them are bridge replacements and rehabilitation work on Whiskey Jack Road over the Boyer Slough and on U.S. 2 in the Priest River area — both scheduled between 2030 and 2031.
The bulk of the local entries in the draft ITIP are pavement resurfacing, along with some widening and safety improvements around the county including resurfacing and restoring U.S. 95 from the Long Bridge to Piehl Road in Ponderay, scheduled for 2032.
Go to itd.idaho.gov/funding to review the full draft ITIP and submit a comment through the portal. Email comments to [email protected], call 208-334-8063 or mail to Brianna Fernandez at P.O. Box 7129, Boise, ID 83707.
Paper copies of the draft are available at regional offices and provided on request by calling ITD at 208-334-8284.
Comments received by the July 31 deadline will be reviewed by the board with an approved ITIP planned for September.
Meanwhile, Idaho drivers should expect to see some changes to vehicle licensing and registration, after the DMV announced that new proof of identity requirements went into effect on July 1 following updates to Idaho statute during the 2026 legislative session.
Dufort Road. Photo by Ben Olson
According to the new policy, users of the DMV system will now have to present a form of valid, government-issued identification including their full legal name, birthdate and a photograph in order to create a profile with the department.
New customers to the Idaho DMV will have to present that identification in-person when they create their profile. Valid ID includes Idaho and out-of-state driver’s licenses and ID cards, U.S. Department of Homeland Security documents, U.S. military IDs, U.S. and foreign passports, Idaho concealed weapons permits, Native American photo identification, corrections-issued ID cards and Mexican Consular IDs.
Certified birth documents will also be accepted, but only when paired with photo ID. Some provisions will be applied to minors, with more info at dmv.idaho.gov or by calling 208-584-4343.
Finally, also on July 1, Idaho ended its longtime practice of requiring registration stickers on state-issued license plates and transitioned to permanent plates. That change came following House Bill 533, which the Legislature passed to eliminate the issuance or requirement of annual registration stickers on vehicle plates.
Going forward, a valid plate and current vehicle registration now fully meet state law. Officials stated that transitioning away from registration stickers and toward permanent plates will save about $300,000 a year in materials and production.
“Drivers must still register vehicles and are encouraged to keep a printed copy of their registration in their vehicles,” ITD stated.
Drivers will now only need to replace their plates if they are damaged or too deteriorated to be read by law enforcement. There is no more need under Idaho law to purchase new plates on a fixed cycle.
Registration stickers will no longer be mailed or required on any Idaho license plate, other than small plates on vehicles regulated by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, such as off-highway vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, motorbikes and others that still must have a Parks and Rec sticker.
Despite the changes, enforcement policies will not change, with officers continuing to verify registration electronically during traffic stops or other checks, and drivers who fail to register their vehicles on schedule could face a citation of $101.
For more info on vehicle registration and license plates, go to dmv.idaho.gov.
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