U.S. 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.

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.

ee also

*Canadian licence plate designs and serial formats

References

External links

* [http://www.alpca.org Automobile License Plate Collectors' Association]
* [http://www.licenseplates.cc/highs/ Current High-Issue License Plates (U.S. and Canada)]
* [http://www.pl8s.com PL8S.COM - The License Plate Collectors Hobby Website]
* [http://www.15q.net License Plates of North America, 1969-Present]
* [http://www.plateshack.com The License Plate Shack]
* [http://www.pl8ster.net Pl8ster.net]
* [http://www3.sympatico.ca/upton/backbump/ The Back Bumper]
* [http://www.zulsplatepage.com Zuls Plate Page]
* [http://www.rtbrandon.com/blankplates R.T.'s Blank Plates-pictures of license plates]
* [http://www.sebald.com/pl8s/ Sebald American License Plates]