United States license plate designs and serial formats

Generally in the United States, the appearance of license plates are frequently chosen to contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction. Formats for license plate numbers, which are usually alphanumeric, are designed to provide enough unique numbers for all motor vehicles a jurisdiction expects to register. For example, the small states Delaware and Rhode Island are able to use formats of 123456 and 123-456, respectively, while California uses the seven-character format 1ABC234, and several other populous states use a seven-character ABC-1234 formats.

In some states, information such as county of registration or month of expiration is incorporated into the number. The last number on a Massachusetts license plates indicates the month the bearer's registration expires (1234 AB would expire in April, the fourth month; zero is used for October expirations; and X and Y are used for November and December expirations, respectively, on commercial plates and pre-1978 passenger plates), as does the first number or letter on West Virginia plates (1-9 and O, N, and D for January through September and October, November, and December, respectively). In Alabama, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, a one- or two-digit number representing the county of issue begins a license plate number. Standard issue Idaho license plate numbers begin with a single-letter or a number-letter code representing the county of issue.

Several states — Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee — place the full name of the county of registration explicitly on their standard-issue plates but not as part of the plate serial. Although Florida will allow residents to choose "Sunshine State," instead of their county and in Miami-Dade County, all tags are issues with "Sunshine State" printed. Kansas plates carry a sticker bearing a two-letter county code, and Ohio plates a sticker with a two-number county code, but neither is a part of the plate serial. Texas places the county name on the windshield registration sticker, but it likewise is not part of the plate serial.

In most states, plates for vehicles other than passenger cars, such as trucks and trailers, may use different numbering formats, either with or without the type name appearing explicitly on the plate.

License plate numbers are usually assigned in ascending order, beginning with a starting point such as AAA-001. Thus, someone familiar with the sequence can determine roughly when the license plate was issued. In a few cases, numbers are assigned in descending order. For example, when Virginia switched to seven characters for its standard issue in 1993, numbers beginning with AAA-1000 were already in use for extra-cost, optional-issue plates; therefore, the new standard license plates were issued in descending order from ZZZ-9999. The "400th Anniversary" plate series, issued from 2003 until 2007, was numbered in ascending order from JAA-1000. South Dakota has used the sequence of county population size for the first numbers, and has also experimented with using county abbreviations as the prefix.

In the states, special plates are issued to persons with disabilities having the International Symbol of Accessibility on them, which entitle them to special parking privileges. Alternately, a placard, which in some jurisdictions can be hung from the rear view mirror, is issued and has the advantage of being transferred easily from vehicle to vehicle.

Current and future standard-issue passenger plate designs and serial formats

Plates with the following designs and serial formats are currently being issued in jurisdictions or have been announced for future issuance. Other designs and serial formats previously issued may still be valid in certain jurisdictions.

Jurisdiction	Description	Slogan	Serial format	Image
Alabama	red on reflective white reflective sheeting with screened blue bar with state name	Stars Fell On Alabama	Coded by county of issuance: 0A1234B 00A123B 00A1B2C (following exhaustion of above format in Madison County)
		God Bless America	AB12345 12345AB
		Sweet. Home. Alabama. (future)	(unknown)
Alaska	blue on multicolored gradient with screened 50th anniversary logo at left	Celebrating Statehood 1959-2009	ABC123
American Samoa	blue on reflective white	Centennial 2000	1234
Arizona	green on screened multicolor graphic desert scene	Grand Canyon State	ABC1234
Arkansas	black on blue gradient fade with diamond graphic in center	The Natural State	123 ABC
California	blue on reflective white with state name in red script font	none	1ABC234
Colorado	green on reflective white grey and green mountain scene graphic	none	123-ABC
Connecticut	dark blue on blue and white gradient fade	Constitution State	123-ABC	File:CT 2000.jpg
Delaware	gold on navy blue	The First State	123456
District of Columbia	blue on reflective white with screened red flag separator	Taxation without Representation	AB-1234
District of Columbia	blue on reflective white with screened red flag separator	www.washingtondc.gov	AB-1234
Florida	green on reflective white with state map and citrus orange graphic	myFLORIDA.com with county name	A12 3BC
Florida	green on reflective white with state map and citrus orange graphic	myFLORIDA.com with Sunshine State	123 ABC
Georgia	black on reflective white with peach graphic in center, state name with website in black	county name sticker	ABC 1234
Guam	black on reflective white with map graphic in center	Tano Y Chamorro	Coded by municipality of issuance: ABC1234 (variable number of digits following space) ABC123A (following exhaustion of above format)
Hawaii	black on reflective white with rainbow graphic	Aloha State	Coded by county of issuance: ABC 123, where first letter is A-G, J, L, N, P, or R-Z (City and County of Honolulu) HBC 123 (Hawai‘i County) KBC 123 (Kaua‘i County) MBC 123 (Maui County)
Idaho	dark blue on reflective white with red gradient and purple mountain scene	Famous Potatoes	Coded by county of issuance: A 123456 (variable number of digits following space) 0A 12345 (variable number of digits following space) 0A B1234 (following exhaustion of above format) 0A BC123 (following exhaustion of above format)
Illinois	red on blue gradient fade with Abraham Lincoln portrait graphic in center	Land of Lincoln	A12 3456
Indiana	white on dark blue with graphic of state coat of arms	county name sticker	123A, 123AB or 123ABC
	white on red white and blue graphic with flag	In God We Trust	^A _B 1234
		Lincoln's Boyhood Home^[1]	^A _B 1234
Iowa	blue on reflective white farm scene graphic	county name	123 ABC
Kansas	dark blue on light blue gradient with state seal graphic	state seal (with county code sticker)	123 ABC
Kentucky	dark blue on light blue graident	Unbridled Spirit (with county name sticker)	123 ABC
Louisiana	black on pink gradient with pelican graphic in center	Sportsman's Paradise	ABC 123
Maine	black on reflective white with chickadee graphic at left	Vacationland	1234 AB (variable number of digits preceding space)
Maryland	black on reflective white with state crest in center	www.maryland.gov	Coded by vehicle type: 1AB C23 (passenger cars) 12A 345 (trucks and vans) 123M456 (SUVs and minivans) 123 45A (Historic) 123 456 (commercial trucks)
Massachusetts	red on reflective white	The Spirit of America	Coded by month of expiration: 12A B30 (1 through 7 for January through July, respectively) 123 AB0 (8 for August and 9 for September) 1AB 230 (0 for October)
Michigan	blue on reflective white with blue box with state name	www.Michigan.gov	ABC 1234
Minnesota	blue on reflective white with lake scene graphic	Explore Minnesota, 10,000 Lakes	ABC-123
Mississippi	blue on lighthouse graphic	county name	ABC 123
Missouri	dark blue on reflective white, blue and green gradient	Show Me State	1AB 23C
Missouri	dark blue on light blue gradient fade with bluebird graphic (June 2008)	Show Me State	AB1 C2D^{[citation needed]}
Montana	black on grey and white gradient with mountain graphic	Big Sky Country	Coded by county of issuance: 0C-12345 (variable number of digits following divider) 0C-1234A (following exhaustion of above format; variable number of digits following divider) 00-12345 (variable number of digits following divider)
Nebraska	blue on light blue gradient with prairie scene	Douglas, Lancaster, and Sarpy Counties	ABC 123
Nebraska	blue on light blue gradient with prairie scene	all other counties	Coded by county of issuance: 0-A1234 (variable number of digits following letter) 0-AB123 (following exhaustion of above format; variable number of digits following letter) 00-A123 (variable number of digits following divider) 00-AB12 (following exhaustion of above format; variable number of digits following divider)
Nevada	dark blue on sunset graphic	The Silver State	123-ABC
New Hampshire	green on Old Man of the Mountain graphic	Live Free or Die	123 4567
New Jersey	black on yellow gradient fade	Garden State	ABC-12D A12-BCD (future)^{[citation needed]}
New Mexico	red on yellow with yucca graphics	Land of Enchantment	123-ABC
New Mexico	hot air balloon	Land of Enchantment	ABC123
New York	dark blue on reflective white with blue bars, one with Niagara Falls, state name, and New York City skyline	The Empire State	ABC-1234
North Carolina	red on reflective white with stylized first flight at Kitty Hawk graphic	First in Flight	ABC-1234
North Dakota	black on light blue gradient fade with prairie scene graphic	Discover the Spirit	ABC 123
Northern Mariana Islands	dark blue on reflective white with seal in center	Hafa Adai	ABC 123
Ohio	dark blue on reflective white with sunburst graphic and red and white bars	Birthplace of Aviation (with county number sticker)	ABC 1234
Oklahoma	green on reflective white with shield graphic	Native America	Coded by county of issuance: ABC 123 123 ABC
Oklahoma	unknown with photograph (future)	Native America	(unknown)
Oregon	dark blue on fir tree and mountain graphic	none	123 ABC
Pennsylvania	blue on reflective white with yellow and blue bars	visitPA.com	ABC-1234
Puerto Rico	black on reflective white with fort graphic	Isla del Encanto (Island of Enchantment)	ABC-123
Puerto Rico	black on reflective flag graphics	Cincuentenario 1952-2002	ABC 123
	black on reflective blue with fort and sunset graphics	Isla del Encanto (Island of Enchantment)	ABC-123
Rhode Island	dark blue on stylized grey and white wave graphic	Ocean State	123-456
South Carolina	black on light blue gradient fade	Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places.	123 ABC
		In God We Trust	123 4AB
	black on orange, white and blue gradient with tree in center	travel2sc.com (summer 2008)	ABC 123
South Dakota	blue on Mount Rushmore graphic	Great Faces. Great Places.	Coded by county of issuance: 0AB 123 00A 123 00A B23 (following exhaustion of above format) 00A BC3 (following exhaustion of above format)
Tennessee	black on reflective white with mountain scene	The Volunteer State (with county name sticker)	123-ABC
Texas	dark blue on reflective white with graphic scene of space shuttle and cowboy	The Lone Star State	ABC-123
Texas	clouds and hills (2009)	(unknown; seven characters)
Utah	dark blue on skier graphic	Life Elevated	A12 3BC
Utah	dark blue on rock formation graphic	Life Elevated	A12 3BC (first letter progressing backwards from Z)
Vermont	white on green	Green Mountain State	ABC 123
U.S. Virgin Islands	black on beach scene graphic	America's Caribbean	ABC 123 (coded by island of issuance)
Virginia	dark blue on reflective white with blue state name	none	ABC-1234 (progressing backwards from ZZZ-9999)
Washington	dark blue on mountain scene graphic	Evergreen State	123-ABC 1A23BCD^[2]
West Virginia	blue on reflective white with state name in dark blue bar	Wild, Wonderful	Coded by month of expiration: 0AB 123 (1 through 9 for January through September, respectively) ABC 123 (O, N, and D for October, November, and December, respectively)
Wisconsin	black on reflective white with stylized lake and farm graphic	America's Dairyland	123-ABC
Wyoming	black on reflective white with Devil's Tower graphic	none	Coded by county of issuance:c 0-1234 (variable number of digits following divider) 0-123A (following exhaustion of above format; variable number of digits following divider) 0-12AB (following exhaustion of above format; variable number of digits following divider) 0-1ABC (following exhaustion of above format) 00-1234 (variable number of digits following divider) 00-123A (following exhaustion of above format; variable number of digits following divider) 00-12AB (following exhaustion of above format; variable number of digits following divider)

Plate types of no longer issued but still valid

Plates with the following designs and serial formats are no longer currently being issued in U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions but may still be valid for use in certain instances. This table does not include year of manufacture registrations.

Jurisdiction	Type	Serial format	Image
Alabama	none
Alaska	"The Last Frontier" "Gold Rush Centennial"	ABC 123 ABC 123
American Samoa	none
Arizona	white on maroon desert scene	ABC-123 123-ABC	File:AZ 1997.jpg
Arkansas	blue state name and "The Natural State" slogan (currently being replaced through rolling replate program)	123 ABC
California	yellow on black yellow on blue "The Golden State" red embossed state name "Sesquicentennial - 150 Years"	ABC 123 123 ABC, 1ABC234 1ABC234 1ABC234 1ABC234
Colorado	embossed mountain scene	AB-1234, ABC-123, ABC1234 (coded by county of issuance)
Connecticut	"Constitution State"	123-456, AB-1234 (as remakes of serials issued on previous bases)
Delaware	white on black silver on black yellow on blue without slogan	up to 12-345 up to 123456 up to 123456
District of Columbia	"A Capital City" "Celebrate & Discover"	123-456 123-456, AB-1234
Florida	single orange (currently being replaced through rolling replate program)	A12 BCD
Georgia	"...on my mind" "www.GEORGIA.gov"	123 ABC, 12345 QA, 1234 AB, 1234 ABC ABC 1234
Guam
Hawaii	none
Idaho	none
Illinois	Land of Lincoln	12 345, 123 456, AB 1234, ABC 123, A12 345 (as remakes of serials issued on previous bases) 123 4567
Indiana	www.IN.gov (currently being replaced)	1A1234, 12A3456, 1AB234, 12AB345
Iowa	none
Kansas	state capitol	ABC 123
Kentucky	none
Louisiana	"Sportsman's Paradise" without pelican	ABC 123
Maine	none
Maryland	no slogan	ABC 123, 1AB C23
Massachusetts	green on white (coded by month of expiration) "The Spirit of America" (coded by month of expiration)	123-ABC 123-ABC, 123-4AB, 1234 AB
Michigan	"Great Lakes" (currently being replaced)	123 ABC, ABC 123, ABC1234, ABC 1234
Minnesota	none
Mississippi	magnolia (currently being replaced)	123 ABC
Missouri	"Show-Me State"	123 ABC
Montana	none
Nebraska	none
Nevada	white on blue	AB1234, ABC123, 123ABC
New Hampshire	"Live Free or Die"	ABC123 (as remakes of serials issued on previous bases), 123 456
New Jersey	black on buff buff on blue black on gradient yellow with sticker boxes	ABC-123, 123-ABC 123-ABC, ABC-123, ABC-12D ABC1234, AB-123C, as well as remakes of serials issued on previous bases
New Mexico	none
New York	"The Empire State"	ABC-123, 1AB-234, A1B-234, A12-3BC, AB1-23C (as remakes of serials issued on previous bases)
North Carolina	"First in Flight"	ABC-12, ABC-123
North Dakota	none
Northern Marianas Islands
Ohio
Oklahoma	blue on rust fade gradient, Bicentennial
Oregon	(All formats below are still valid) "Blue tree" (1990-) "Tan tree" (1988-1990) Blue on gold (1974-1988) Gold on blue (1956-1974)	ABC 123 ABC 123 ABC 123 (A-M corresponds to January-December, skipping I, N-series had no month correlation) ABC 123, 1A-1234 (similar rules as above, but N-Z in 1A-1234 format also corresponds to January-December, skipping O)
Pennsylvania	blue on blue, white and yellow gradient, ABC-1234, remakes of serials issued on previous bases
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
U.S. Virgin Islands
Utah	"Ski Utah" plate featuring cartoon skier with blue text on white background. (1988-2008) Black text on white background (Before 1988)	123 ABC ABC 123
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

References

External links

[1] BMV: New Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Plate

[2] TRAFFIC Q&A: ‘Reflectivity’ the reason for new tags, official says | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

[1]

[2]

v t e Vehicle license plates of the United States
States	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Federal district	Washington, D.C.
Territories	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands
Other registration plates	Canal Zone Native American tribes Designs and serial formats
By year	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

v t e Vehicle registration plates of North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands

Current and future standard-issue passenger plate designs and serial formats

Plate types of no longer issued but still valid

See also

References

External links