MassRMV Special Low Plate Lottery

07:55AM / Sunday, February 22, 2026Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON— The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is celebrating President's Day by announcing a special?low number lottery featuring the state's new 250th Anniversary Plate.

Residents can apply starting today, Feb. 16, at 9:00 a.m. and have until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026. Further information is available at Mass.Gov/MA250Plate.

The "Massachusetts 250 Years of Independence" plate is emblematic red, white, and blue and is now the most popular specialty plate in the Commonwealth with?more than 57,000 issued in just over seven months, said a press release.

The plate features a blue background, with the year "1776" surrounded by 13 stars and the phrase "250 Years of Independence" at the bottom. There are 1000 plates available through the lottery, numbered from 1-999 and including the symbolic 1776.

"Massachusetts is a state of many firsts, and it is only appropriate that we celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary honoring our shared history with the opportunity to celebrate civic pride with a commemorative low number license plate through a lottery. This is a fun but meaningful and visible tribute to the historic occasion, allowing residents to participate in this once in a lifetime event," said Interim MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng.

"Since last May, the RMV has offered the patriotic-themed higher number plates (online) as part of the Massachusetts 250 festivities. We are so excited to continue this celebration of American and state history by enabling all qualified Massachusetts residents a chance to win a coveted low number on the popular commemorative plate. The RMV is thrilled to partner with the Massachusetts State Lottery and benefit from their lottery expertise. And thank you to the RMV team for their incredible efforts in planning this event," shared Registry of Motor Vehicles Registrar Colleen Ogilvie.

"This event represents a unique opportunity to combine historical recognition with public engagement in a way that aligns with the Lottery's mission. A commemorative low lottery plate is likely to generate strong interest from residents across the state while honoring an extraordinary milestone in our state's history," said Massachusetts State Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken.

Applications for the special 250th Anniversary Plate low number lottery will be available at myRMVOnline Service Center(located under the Plates button) beginning at 9:0 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026. To be eligible for the low number lottery applicants must apply by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026. Requests for specific plate numbers will not be honored. Plates will be awarded using an electronic random number generator system.

Applicants should note that there is no fee to apply for the lottery. All specialty plates have a biennial $40.00 special plate fee, along with a registration fee of $60.00. The initial registration fee may vary depending upon the applicant's current plate expiration date and the expiration date of the winning plate number.

Customers are encouraged to visit the RMV's website or follow @MassRMV on X (formerly Twitter) for additional details about the lottery. In addition, lottery plate applicants will be sent a notification from the RMV to the email address they provided with lottery event details. The lottery winners will be announced on May 7, and residents will be able to watch the event online via the RMV website. Following the event, results will be available on the RMV website.

RMV Low Plate Lottery Rules and Eligibility Requirements

A person (known as "applicant") who applies for the Massachusetts 250 Low Number License Plate Lottery must be a Massachusetts resident with a current active, Massachusetts registered, and insured passenger motor vehicle.
As a condition of the application process, applicants consent to their name, zip code, and any other information that is required be released in accordance with the Massachusetts Public Records law.
Only one entry per applicant will be accepted, regardless of the number of active passenger motor vehicle registrations the applicant has on file with the RMV.
The following are ineligible to participate:
- Companies and corporations
- Commercial vehicles and motorcycles
- Any employee of MassDOT, including but not limited to executive level employees, RMV, Highway, MBTA, Rail and Transit, Aeronautics, all shared services within MassDOT, and contract employees
- Any employee of Mass Lottery, including but not limited to executive level employees and contract employees
- Immediate family members of any MassDOT employees (as described above) and Mass Lottery. This includes parents, spouses, children, and siblings.
- An applicant whose Massachusetts registration is not in an active status (i.e., in a non-renewal, suspended, or revoked status) at the time of entry, at the time of the lottery, or at the time of the plate swap.
- An applicant with outstanding violations or obligations reported to the RMV
Requests for specific plate numbers will not be honored. Plates will be awarded using an electronic random number generator system.
Submission deadline: Online entries will be accepted beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026, and must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026.
Lottery results, such as winner's name, place of residence, and winning plate number, will be available on the RMV website (Mass.Gov/RMV) within 5 business days of the lottery event, which will occur in May.
All winners will be notified by mail with instructions on how to transfer their current registration to their new lottery plate. Winners will have until Friday, August 28, 2026, to pay for and swap their plates.
Unclaimed plates by the deadline are considered forfeited by the initial winners, and those plates will be awarded to the pre-selected alternate winners after Friday, August 28, 2026.
Plates will be registered only to the winning applicant specifically named on the application and cannot be transferred to anyone else.
All plates remain the property of the RMV, including after registration.

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Lanesborough Looks to the Future of Zoning Bylaws

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Monday, July 27, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Planning Board is reviewing the town's zoning bylaws with an eye to amending zones to align with planning documents and projects.

Members started at last week's meeting to at priority zoning projects that align with the Open Space and Recreation Plan and the Master Plan that was adopted last year. Earlier in the meeting, the board accepted the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's draft of the OSRP, which the Select Board accepted late last month.

Town planner Andrew Groff informed the board of upcoming projects that will need to be looked at for zoning purposes to try and stay ahead of the bylaws that aligned in both the OSRP and Master Plan.

"Principally, would be going back and thinking about this idea of a mixed-use zoning district for the northern part of town that's responsive to the growth of outdoor recreation as it is really an industry. So you've got Shaker Ridge, you've got the folks at Donnybrook that proposes a glamping resort, Ramble Wild, and Brodie Mountain just over the town line in New Ashford with some new ownership and expanded interest in some development there, so that's one item that's called for in both."

Groff also explained they need to look into agriculture zones to help local farmers

"Seeing if we can't do something to better support our farms because we have a couple great little farm clusters in Lanesborough. You know, zoning for agriculture is pretty expansive in Massachusetts. The exemption for agriculture is pretty wise, but we want to take a closer look and talk to some of our farmers and figure out there's some tweaks we can do that would make their lives easier."

He also brought up how they can help fix the zoning bylaws around the lake that are nonconforming and want to look into grant funding to help.

"Work that's going to be done to further protect Pontoosuc Lake, and we have a lot in our master plan regarding the zoning issues on Pontoosuc from the issue that you had mentioned to me, bringing back the citizens who were concerned about building heights down there, but you know, more fundamentally identified in the master plan is the problems with how everything is basically nonconforming. The zoning doesn't conform to what the actual built environment is. That's something we probably want to look into talking with folks in the community planning office," he said.

Groff mentioned there is a ballot question that, if it passes, would mean changing zoning regarding public water and sewer, and affect properties near the lake.

"There is going to be on the ballot in November a question that will essentially require any community in Massachusetts that has built an environment that's on public water/sewer, you're going to have to reduce your lot sizes to 5,000 square feet. So I feel like if that passes, that has massive implications for that part of town. So, just another one to put out there, but maybe we want to wait to really tackle that with some grant funding once we know what the Legislature's done."

Chair Leanne Yinger said she lives in that area and it already seems very congested, meaning that the passage of the ballot question could have big implications.

She also mentioned another implication for the health of the lake she would like to see happen.

"I would like to see us ban pesticides and people treating their lawns," she said. "Part of the problem of the health of the lake is that when I say that out loud, and I'm saying it out loud to anybody who will listen to me, it is not a popular thing to say. But it is killing the lake."

Yinger said she would like to clarify who governs the sewer system around Pontoosuc Lake, noting the new owner of a friend's house needed to purchase access to the sewer from a private party. Groff said he couldn't remember if it is water district or town, but that there is something "funky" about the governance over there.

"I need to understand what that looks like, because the way it came down was interesting. The line comes in from Pittsfield, but there are people claiming that they have rights to it because they bought into it originally. I just want to understand what that's like and who's saying you're in charge with it, because it seems to me that that's a town-managed situation," Yinger said.

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