Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Announces Digitally Printed License Plate

Since 2024, the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse license plate has appeared on vehicles throughout the state. It depicts the century-and-a-half-year-old red and white light station with a background of colorful sunset hues. As an official state charity plate, a portion of the proceeds from registrations and renewals benefit Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. This all-volunteer non-profit organization continues to restore and maintain the historical landmark and offers seasonal tours to visit the 7-room house, now transformed into a maritime museum.

“We’re happy to announce that now Rhode Islanders have the opportunity to obtain a Pomham Rocks Lighthouse plate that fully shows the lighthouse,” notes Alex Dias, president of The Friends.With the state’s recent conversion from embossed to digital license plates, more area is available on the plate to allow the printing of five or six-digit registrations without overlapping the lighthouse artwork.

The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) started issuing six-digit license plates in 2007. Due to the embossed design of previous license plates, some registration numbers were printed over part of the lighthouse design that appears on the right side of the charity plate.

Rhode Islanders with new or existing passenger registrations can support historic preservation of this important maritime museum by ordering the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse license plate. The Charity Plate costs $43.50, with $20 of that going to Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse for continued maintenance and restoration. The remaining $23.50 goes to Rhode Island DMV. If you would like to order a new digitally printed plate to replace an embossed one with registration numbers that overlap the lighthouse design, it can be ordered from the DMV for $33.50. Renewals every two years are $33.50, of which $10 goes to Pomham Rocks. Plates can be ordered on the RI DMV website at https://dmv.ri.gov/registrations-plates-titles/license-plates/charity-plates/currently-production.Information is available on the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse website at pomhamrockslighthouse.org. License plates will be sent to registrants in the mail.

A chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is reaching out to all Rhode Islanders to support this unique state landmark. The Lighthouse was built in 1871 on a half-acre island off the coast of Riverside to protect mariners as the shipping traffic increased to the Port of Providence. It is the last surviving lighthouse of the four that once protected East Providence and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.