History of vehicle registration plates of Connecticut

The state of Connecticut began requiring its citizens to register their vehicles and display license plates on their cars in 1905. Since then the state has used a variety of license plate designs and has issued different designs for passenger, non-passenger, and, more recently, specialty or optional plates.

Passenger plates 1905 to 1956

1905-1936: Annual dated plates.

1937-1947: First multi-year base: black on natural aluminum with "CONN" embossed at lower right. Validated annually with metal tabs.

1948-1956: Black on reflective off-white with "CT" embossed at lower right. Validated annually with metal tabs.

Connecticut as a rule skips the number 0 as a leading digit in its plates, with the exception of dealer plates.

tandardisation with the rest of North America

In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that fixed the size for all their passenger vehicle plates at six inches in height by twelve inches in width, with standardised mounting holes. The 1956 (dated 1957) issue was the first Connecticut license plate that met with these standards.

Passenger plates 1956 to present

1957-1974: White on blue with "CONNECTICUT" embossed at bottom left, the first time the full state name has appeared on plates. Validated annually with metal tabs from 1957 trough 1963 and with stickers from 1964 through approximately 2001, although issuance of this base ceased in 1974.

1974-1976: Blue on reflective white. The slogan "Constitution State" made its debut on this base, but the plates did not hold up well and were recalled in 1990. Validated with stickers.

1976-1987: Reflective white on blue with full state name at bottom and "Constitution State" at top. These plates were retired during the period September 2000 through August 2002. Validated with stickers.

1987-2000: Reflective white on blue with state name at top, slogan at bottom, and a map of the state in the top left corner. These were retired during the same period as their predecessors. Validated with stickers.

2000-present: Navy on screened blue, white, and navy with state name at top, slogan at bottom, and a map of the state in the top left corner. Validation stickers issued through August 2006 for expirations through at least August 2008. Windshield stickers were issued beginning September 2006.

From 1980 until 1987 all passenger plates were issued as single plates. Beginning in 1987, all passenger plates were issued in pairs.

Notes
*1 Plus remakes of serials issued on previous bases: 123-456 and AB-1234
*2 Plus remakes of serials issued on previous bases: 123-456, AB-1234, and 123-ABC (serials from 100-AAA to 999-NZM)

External links

* [http://www.15q.net/ct.html Connecticut license plates 1969-present]