Гос номера автомобилей в америке

In the United States, vehicle registration plates, known as license plates, are issued by a department of motor vehicles, an agency of the state or territorial government, or in the case of the District of Columbia, the district government.^[1] Some Native American tribes also issue plates.^[2] The U.S. federal government issues plates only for its own vehicle fleet and for vehicles owned by foreign diplomats. Until the 1980s, diplomatic plates were issued by the state in which the consulate or embassy was located.

The appearances of plates are frequently chosen to contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction.^[3] The term license plate is frequently used in statutes, although in some areas tag is informally used.^[1] The official three letter DSIT (coinciding with its ISO code) international code attributed to the United States is USA.^[4]

As of 2014, the federal government and forty states use prison labor to produce their license plates.^[5]

Designs and serial formats[edit]

Serial formats[edit]

Plate designs often contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction.^[3] Registration number formats, typically alphanumeric, are designed to provide enough unique numbers for all motor vehicles a jurisdiction expects to register. For example, the small states of Delaware and Rhode Island are able to use formats of 123456, while California uses the seven-character format 1ABC234, and several other populous states use seven-character ABC-1234 or AB-12345 formats. Other formats include those that incorporate a county coding system (e.g. Vehicle registration plates of Idaho) or a month of expiration into the plate number.

Non-passenger vehicle plates tend to have a separate design, including a special numbering format.

Designs[edit]

In the United States, many states distinguish their license plates through distinctive color schemes and logos, which persist over time.^[3] For example, the cowboy logo often associated with the state of Wyoming has appeared on that state’s license plates continuously since 1936. Some early Tennessee plates were produced in a parallelogram shape approximating that of the state. Arizona has had the slogan «Grand Canyon State» on its license plates since 1939. Illinois has had the slogan “Land of Lincoln” on its license plates since 1954. North Carolina has had the slogan “First in Flight” on its license plates since 1982.

Vermont license plates have frequently featured a green and white color scheme, while Alaska has preferred yellow and blue. Other states and territories, such as California and Virginia, offer simpler schemes, often with a white background and little decoration.

Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,^[6] Tennessee and Virginia have placed the address of the state’s official or tourism web site on their general issue plates. Most plates in the District of Columbia contain the phrase «Taxation without representation» to highlight the District’s lack of a voting representative in Congress.

As of 2023, the four oldest plate designs in use – each with slight to moderate cosmetic changes since inception – are that of Delaware (in production since 1959), Colorado (since 1960, continuously since 1978), the District of Columbia (since 1975) and Minnesota (since 1978).^[7]

Printing of registration number[edit]

Typically, the registration number is embossed – or, more rarely, impressed – onto the license plate. Other identifying information, such as the name of the issuing jurisdiction and the vehicle class, can be either surface-printed or embossed; Virginia, for example, does the former for passenger cars and the latter for most non-passenger vehicles. However, it is increasingly common in the U.S. for the registration number to be surface-printed using digital printing technology. Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Oregon, and Washington do so only for certain types of license plates, such as vanity plates and special issues; Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia have switched to the so-called flat-plate technology for all their license plates with West Virginia being the latest, changing in July 2023. Nevada formerly issued flat plates but has returned to making embossed plates.^[8] Delaware license plates have not been embossed for several decades. Wyoming normally issues flat plates but also issues embossed license plates for an extra fee.

In 2018, California started a pilot program in which the city of Sacramento issued license plates on battery-powered digital displays, for an extra fee. The registration number is displayed on an electronic paper screen that can theoretically update itself to display different messages. The license plate itself is also equipped with a beacon that can be tracked in case the car associated with the plate is stolen.^[9]

License plates originally were not embossed, but were merely flat plates in various forms, typically rectangular. In the 1930s the states found that the plates could be easily forged, and subsequently began embossing plates to thwart counterfeiting.^{[citation needed]}

Plate sizes[edit]

In 1956, U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that fixed the size of all passenger vehicle plates at 6 by 12 inches (150 by 300 mm), with mounting holes spaced 7 inches (180 mm), although the dimensions may vary slightly by jurisdiction. In North America, only Saint Pierre and Miquelon (a French overseas territory) has not adopted these standards, as they use French/European standards instead (although the Northwest Territories has a plate shaped like a polar bear that is cut out of a standard rectangular plate). Smaller-sized plates are used for motorcycles and, in some jurisdictions, mopeds and certain types of trailers and construction equipment. Motorcycle plates are not standardized but have mostly come to be 4 by 7 inches (100 by 180 mm) in nearly every state by the 1980s, with the exception of Minnesota, which still uses 4+3⁄16 by 7+3⁄16 inches (106 by 183 mm),^[10] with the most recent state to change being Maryland in 2008, which was previously 4+1⁄2 by 7 inches (110 by 180 mm).^[11] Furthermore, the US territory of Puerto Rico issues European sized plates for an extra fee.

Showing current registration on plates[edit]

Historically, license plates were replaced every year. Today, the most common practice is to issue new validation stickers every year or two, to indicate that the vehicle registration is still valid.^[1]

Expired vehicle registrations may attract the attention of law enforcement, because indicators of an expired plate, such as an old or invalid sticker, give officers probable cause to lawfully initiate a traffic stop.^[12] A delinquent registration tag is often an indicator that the vehicle’s owner has failed to comply with the applicable law regarding emission inspection or insurance or that the vehicle’s owner has unpaid traffic or parking tickets.^[12] Most states historically required all license plates to be replaced every few years; that practice is being abandoned by many states because of the expense of continually producing large numbers of plates. Washington stopped the practice of mandatory replacement in 2015.^[13] Maryland previously mandated that all license plates be replaced every five years (except for apportioned trailers, which were registered on an eight-year schedule), but has not done so since 1986.

In jurisdictions that use validation stickers on the plate, the month and year of expiration may be separated into two decals, or issued in a single sticker.^[3] For example, North Carolina previously issued separate month and year decals, but recently switched to a single sticker.^[14] In others, such as Texas, the plate’s validation is a decal displayed from the inside of the windshield. The colors of plate stickers and windshield decals often change annually, to support enforcement of registration laws.^[3]

Most validation stickers are either serialized (with the serial number recorded on the registration), or are printed by a special printer at the time of registration or renewal with the vehicle’s license plate number on them to discourage fraudulent sticker use, as the sticker will be valid only for the plate for which it was intended.^[3] In the District of Columbia, the license plate is validated with a windshield sticker that indicates the expiration date in MM/DD/YY format, the license plate number, the year and make of vehicle, and part of the vehicle identification number, allowing easier fraud detection, in addition to serving as a parking permit for neighborhood residents.^[15]

New York, Texas, and the District of Columbia use windshield stickers exclusively, rather than plate stickers, for most vehicle classes. Their registration stickers include the month and year of expiration (and, in the District of Columbia, the day) in large type, so that an expired registration windshield sticker is obvious. In 2015, Texas eliminated the requirement to display a windshield vehicle inspection decal with the registration. Connecticut switched to windshield stickers in September 2006, and in August 2010, eliminated registration stickers completely, primarily to reduce costs.^[16] New Jersey required the use of plate decals for a few years, beginning with November 2000 expiration dates, but has not required them on passenger cars since October 1, 2004. New Jersey passenger vehicles do not display any registration information other than the license plate itself.

Pennsylvania issued validation stickers for Philadelphia residents that were displayed in the lower left corner of cars’ rear windows for a few years to thwart sticker theft from plates; the practice ended in late 2003 with the last issued stickers bearing January 2005 expirations. As of January 2017, Pennsylvania no longer issues any registration stickers.^[17]

In Hawaii, counties compete over the cost of vehicle registration dues. Vehicles are purchased at a discount on Oʻahu compared to the neighboring islands where there is usually only one dealer per vehicle make. Because the outlying counties issue plates starting with M (Maui County), K (Kauaʻi), or H (Big Island of Hawaiʻi), the source of the vehicle can be identified.

In Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington state, license plate registration stickers are often called «tabs.»

Life cycle[edit]

Under state laws, when a person moves to a new state with the intent to remain indefinitely, they are required to register personal vehicles in the new state.^[1] The new state will then issue a plate or plates that must be attached to the vehicle.^[1] One significant exception is active duty military service members; under federal law, they do not change their legal residence (domicile) upon moving to a new posting and are not obliged to obtain new vehicle registrations. Undergraduate students attending college or university in a state outside their state of legal residence are also typically exempted from transferring their registration, while graduate students are typically not exempt.^{[18][19][20][21][22]} Louisiana does not extend this privilege to leased vehicles used by students, and requires local registration.^[23]
[24] A few other states, such as New York, allow, although do not require, out-of-state students to register their vehicles in state.^[25]

When a vehicle is sold, the disposition of the license plates depends on state law and varies by state. In some states, license plates are transferred with the vehicle to its new owner. In other states, the license plates remain with the seller, who may, for a fee, transfer the license plates and any unused portion of the current registration to a new vehicle. Some states issue a new plate whenever the car is sold.^[26]

There are different schemes for reissuing license plates, a process known as «replating». In some jurisdictions, plates are issued on a permanent basis and are not replaced unless the owner requests a new plate or a remake of the current plate if the jurisdiction offers remakes. Other jurisdictions re-plate on a rolling basis, replacing a particular motorist’s plate when it reaches a certain age. Still other jurisdictions may recall a particular series of plates for reissuance at regular or irregular intervals. This is particularly common in jurisdictions in which only one license plate series or design is valid at any given time. Optional-issue plates may or may not follow the same rules for replacement as standard-issue plates, depending on the jurisdiction.^[27][28] New plates may also be required when the existing plates are so physically degraded as to be illegible.^[29] Some states with county coding such as Nebraska or Mississippi may use replating to reset a format to prevent it from being exhausted.

In North Carolina in 2006, the legislature voted to require over 500,000 older plates to be recalled and replaced when a new design was introduced in 2007.^[30]

Mounting[edit]

For passenger vehicle registrations, U.S. states require vehicles to display either one or two license plates (e.g., at the rear of the vehicle only or on the front and rear).^[a] In states that require two plates, limited exceptions may exist that allow for only a single plate to be displayed, such as for registration of commercial vehicles, government owned vehicles, diplomatic owned vehicles, dealer owned vehicles, or historic vehicles.^[31] In states like Missouri and California, two-plate jurisdictions, certain truck registrations actually require a single plate to be displayed, on the front of the vehicle only, leaving the rear with no license plate,^[32] while in California vehicles with occupational plates (dealers, dismantlers, etc.) only require one plate on the rear of a vehicle that would otherwise require two plates.^[33]

Mounting scheme	States and territories
Front and rear plates	American Samoa, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Guam,[34] Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
Rear plates only	Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia
Front and rear plates for most vehicles	Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming

Some common exceptions include trailers, which are issued only one plate, even in states that otherwise issue two plates to all passenger vehicles, while certain other non-passenger types, such as apportioned, may be issued in pairs even in states that otherwise issue only rear plates to passenger vehicles. Pennsylvania, for example, requires a front plate for semi-trailer trucks.^[35] Some vanity and specialty plates in Arizona and Kansas are issued in pairs, but only the rear plate is required on the vehicle; the front plate is free and fully optional.

In January 2012, the Texas legislature inadvertently removed the penalty for driving without a front license plate. As a result, the law required front and rear license plates on passenger vehicles, but stated no penalty for non compliance. Realizing the mistake, the legislature eventually reinstated the $200 fine in September 2013.^[36]

Massachusetts is a unique case for license plate mounting as, under state law, motorists with Massachusetts registrations must display all plates issued to them.^[37] Before the introduction of the current «Spirit of America» base starting in 1986 for commercial vehicles, as well as vanity plates in 1988 for all other vehicles, the state issued only a single green-on-white plate to be mounted on the rear bumper. With the current-issue base, two plates are issued and are to be mounted on both the front and rear bumpers. In 2017, an estimated 900,000 drivers had plates on the green-on-white base.^[38]

In Nevada, all motor vehicles, with the exception of motorcycles and trailers, are issued two license plates. According to state law, most standard passenger vehicles issued two plates are required to display them on both the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle. Display of the front license plate, however, is optional for vehicles that either were not designed to have a front plate, or the manufacturer did not provide a plate bracket or other means for front display of a license plate.^[39] As a result, the law to display both the front and rear plates is rarely enforced, and it is not uncommon for owners of vehicles with Nevada license plates to remove the manufacturer-supplied front license plate brackets from their vehicles and display only the rear plate.^[40] In 2015, the Wyoming State Legislature amended state law, similar to Nevada, to remove the requirement that a front license plate be displayed on vehicles that either are not specifically designed to have a front plate, or the manufacturer did not provide a plate bracket or other means for front display of a license plate.^[41] The Nebraska Legislature amended state law in a similar manner in 2016.^[42] In 2017, the Montana State Legislature also amended state law in a similar manner, exempting such passenger vehicles from displaying a front plate but requiring motorists to first obtain approval from the Montana Highway Patrol.^[43]

South Dakota will issue passenger vehicles a single rear plate for a $25 fee, but only if the vehicle will be driven less than 6,000 miles (9,700 km) every year.^[44]

In 2016, the Iowa General Assembly attempted to pass a law that exempts «vintage» vehicles and two-seat, low-profile sports cars, like Corvettes, from the front license plate requirement. Originally, the bill was meant to repeal the front license plate requirement for all vehicles, but was amended as a compromise.^[45] The bill was later withdrawn.^[46]

In April 2019, the Ohio General Assembly amended state law to require the display of only a rear license plate starting in July 2020, marking the first time since World War II that Ohio has not had front plates.^[47][48]

In 2022, the Alaska State Legislature passed a law stating only one license plate would be issued per vehicle. ^[49]

Temporary and transit registrations[edit]

When a person buys a vehicle from a dealer, the dealer is typically authorized to issue a temporary registration to allow the buyer to drive the vehicle until the government agency in charge of vehicle registration processes the registration forms.

Similarly, when a person buys a vehicle outside their state or province of residence, they can usually obtain a «transit registration» from the authorities of the state or province where the purchase took place. This transit registration will allow the new owner to drive the vehicle and to properly register and obtain license plates for the vehicle from their state or province of residence.

The physical indicia of such temporary or transit registrations can take a variety of forms, such as:

• a paper, cardboard, or lightweight plastic license plate, to be removed at the end of the temporary registration period (typically a set number of days, e.g., 15, 30, or 45 days);
• a standard metal license plate with temporary validation, in which case the government agency needs to issue only a validation sticker rather than a license plate; or
• a form or decal to be applied to a window of the vehicle.

Vanity and specialty plates[edit]

Vanity plates[edit]

In each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, motorists are given the option of extra-cost vanity plates (also known as personalized or prestige plates), which are license plates with a custom serial (sequence of letters and/or numbers). Generally, vanity plates may not contain profane or obscene messages, although standards as to what constitutes an unacceptable message vary widely among issuing jurisdictions. Namely, the state of Maine has no censorship of vanity plates at all, provided they do not promote hate or violence. In California, motorists may order symbols – a heart, hand, plus sign, or star – on one type of specialty plate. Other states, such as New Hampshire and North Carolina, also permit the use of certain punctuation symbols. The state of Virginia offers more than 200 unique designs for license plates.^[50] A tenth of all U.S. vanity plates are in Virginia (which has 1.6 million vanity plate registrations), giving it the highest concentration of vanity plates issued by a state.^[51]

Certain classes of vanity plates may require proof of authorization, such as a person obtaining an amateur radio plate with their call sign must show their amateur radio license. Persons obtaining disabled veteran or Medal of Honor or Purple Heart medal recipients must show proof of their disability and military service or their award of the specific medal, respectively.

Vanity plates sometimes cause unexpected difficulties for their owners which contains messages that are otherwise default filler text in state and federal computer systems. In 1979, a Los Angeles resident received 2,500 parking citations from throughout the state because the DMV’s computers matched his plate, “NULL», with citations for cars without license plates. Other such cases have been reported for plates that say «MISSING», «NOTAG», «VOID», «NONE» and «XXXXXXX».^[52]

Vanity plate lawsuits[edit]

Restrictions in the messages allowed on vanity plates have led to some major court cases. In 2001, Paula Perry, a state administrator, sued the Vermont DMV when her plate, SHTHPNS, was recalled.^[53] In another case from New Hampshire, the state attempted to recall the plate «PB4WEGO», but the owner of the plates successfully appealed.^[54]

Low-digit plates[edit]

Delaware’s three-digit plates can bring $50,000 and two-digit plates can bring upwards of $400,000.^[55][56] These estimates have sometimes been exceeded: in 2008, plate number 6 brought $675,000 at auction,^[57][58] and in 2018, plate number 20 fetched $410,000 at auction.^[57][59] Bids have come from around the world, even though only drivers with Delaware licenses and residency can legally own the plates.^[57]

In Rhode Island, license plates with low serial numbers have been distributed by politicians and have become known as status symbols.^[60] The Rhode Island Governor’s office instituted an official lottery for so-called «preferred plates» in 1995.^[61]

Low-digit, all-numeric plates are also available in Massachusetts, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. In these places, low-digit plates are seen as status symbols.^[62] In Illinois, as in Rhode Island, low-digit plates can also be distributed by politicians.^[63]

Specialty plates[edit]

In some jurisdictions, vehicle owners may also pay extra for specialty plates. With these, the plate serial is chosen by the licensing agency – as with regular plates – but the owners select a plate design that is different from the normal license plate. For example, an alumnus or student of a university or college might purchase a plate with the school’s logo, or an outdoorsman might decide to pay extra for a plate depicting a nature scene. A portion of the extra cost of these license plates often ends up as a donation for a related school or non-profit organization.

Some jurisdictions allow for some or all of their specialty plates to also be vanity plates, usually for an additional fee on top of the cost of the plate.

States may also provide commemorative plates as a standard issue, for example for a state’s 100th or 125th anniversary.

Types[edit]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2015)

Normally such specialty plates can be purchased without proof of any particular status or affiliation, exceptions being plates which indicate membership or abilities of use in an emergency (e.g., firefighter, police, EMT, amateur radio operator). Also, some states require that university or college plates be ordered through alumni associations. Other specialty plates include those for motorists with specific accomplishments or backgrounds; for example, a veteran who was a prisoner of war or a Purple Heart recipient may obtain a POW or Purple Heart specialty plate, respectively, after presenting documentation of his or her status to the registrar. In many jurisdictions, there is no charge (or at least no extra charge) for such a plate, in recognition of the veteran’s service.

Because specialty plates are government issued, they are required under First Amendment issues to be issued as a type to any group or organization that qualifies under the same terms as any other group to be issued a type of plate. The State of Maryland was going to revoke permission for use of the Confederate flag from a certain plate by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, but a court ruled that the only way the state could do that was to revoke permission on all specialty plates.
All U.S. states offer specialized license plates for licensed amateur radio operators, in many cases at no extra charge or at a discount compared to standard vanity plates. In some states statutes regarding amateur radio plates were enacted decades prior to vanity plate programs.^[64] Among the stated reasons in various state statutes for providing special amateur radio plates are to recognize amateur radio operators for their service,^[65] and to enhance visibility of amateur radio operators in an emergency.^[66] The owner’s radio call sign is used instead of a standard-issue serial. Texas allows radio amateurs to have their call sign on the license plates of multiple vehicles that they own, in effect allowing more than one vehicle to share the same license plate number.^[67] As Amateur Radio call signs are standardized under the FCC and internationally under the ITU, it is highly plausible such registrations would not just be unique in the issuing state, but rather the entire country and internationally (a possible example of a de facto national license plate).

Examples[edit]

One example of a specialty license plate was a plate issued in 1987 by the state of Florida to commemorate the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Proceeds benefit the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, and funded the construction and maintenance of the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida. The current version of the plate, and the second revision since its inception, introduced in 2004, commemorates both Challenger and Columbia. It remained the most popular of all of Florida’s specialty plates until it was overtaken by a plate to support the critically endangered Florida panther. In 2006, it was outsold by a plate for the University of Florida. Florida currently offers 122 specialty plates, but Texas leads the nation in specialty plates with 360 designs followed by Virginia with 340.^[68]

There also exist standard-issue specialty plates. For instance, a number of states issued plates recognizing the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976. Several states have also issued plates commemorating milestones in their own state, such as when, in 1998, Alaska celebrated the Centennial of the Klondike Gold Rush with new license plates showing prospectors on the trail to the Yukon. Tennessee commemorated its 1996 bicentennial celebration by issuing standard plates labelled «BicenTENNial» in the place of the state’s name; these plates remained standard issue until 2001, five years after the celebration had ended. States often issue plates with their motto or slogan, such as North Carolina’s «First in Flight» and Ohio’s «Birthplace of Aviation». These are arguably also general commemorative items. By law, all plates issued in Alabama must contain the words «Heart of Dixie» inside a small heart symbol. Over the years, due to sensitivities over the word «Dixie», the symbol (which currently resides in white letters inside a red heart) has been shrunken to the minimum size. In protest, proponents of the «Heart of Dixie» slogan often buy third-party decals with the slogan in much larger text, placing them over the current «Stars Fell On» slogan at the top of the plates.^[69]

New Jersey offers an optional «animal friendly» license plate. The second generation of this plate was first issued in 2001 and features characters from the comic strip Mutts by Patrick McDonnell. A portion of the revenue from the plates goes to the New Jersey State Department of Health’s Animal Population Control Program.^[70] Some states where stock car racing is popular issue special NASCAR-themed plates; a NASCAR fan can purchase a plate with the name and car number of his or her favorite driver, along with the state-issued alphanumeric sequence. Here, a portion of the extra cost goes to NASCAR as compensation for licensing its trademarks. States offering NASCAR plates featuring designs for different drivers are Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia; Florida issues one NASCAR-themed plate.

In Indiana, a pilot program allows large fleet vehicle operators to customize an Indiana license plate specific to their organization. The United Parcel Service is the first such fleet operator to take advantage of this offering.^[71] This kind of specialty plate can only be purchased by the owner of the fleet and is not considered a general issue plate.

Because of the ubiquitousness of license plates, special plates – or even regular ones – can raise controversy. The state of Colorado, in recognition of the Columbine High School massacre, released a license plate with the picture of the eponymous state flower, the Columbine, with the words «Respect Life.» Some people complained that they felt the «Respect Life» saying was intended to be an anti-abortion message.^[72] Sometimes even ordinary plates can spark controversy. For instance, George Maynard did not like the state motto on his New Hampshire license plate, «Live free or die», because he and his wife felt it repugnant to their beliefs as Jehovah’s Witnesses and chose to cover it with tape. He was prosecuted and convicted for defacing a license plate. The United States Supreme Court ruled in Wooley v. Maynard, 430 U.S. 705 (1977), that since one is compelled to have a license plate on one’s vehicle, they are permitted not to have to show a message from the state to which they have a moral objection, and overturned his conviction.

Restrictions[edit]

In New Jersey, people convicted of drunk driving can be banned from using vanity plates. In Ohio, convicted drunk drivers are mandated to drive with “Party Plates”, special red-on-yellow license plates in exchange for limited driving privileges such as work. In Georgia and Minnesota, drunk drivers may be ordered to display a plate with a special numbering system indicating restricted driving privileges. These are referred to as «Whiskey Plates» in Minnesota.^[73]

Confederate States–affinity plates[edit]

Nine U.S. states have issued commemorative or affinity license plates for the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) as a result of a national campaign for approval of plates commemorating the Confederate States. Starting in the late 1990s, the SCV took various states to court and each time won the right to issue plates and include their Confederate Battle Flag–based logo on the basis it was a free speech issue.^[74] However, the 2015 Supreme Court decision Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans allowed states to remove the Confederate flag from plates finding that the plates were speech by the state. The use of the Confederate Battle Flag and other Confederate symbols on the plates has stirred controversy, but Jay Barringer, commander of the Maryland Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans, has said «We’re trying to divest ourselves of the negative associations» with the Confederate flag.^[74] In some states revenues are shared with the SCV organization.

• Alabama: Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate (2013–current)^[75][76]
• Georgia: Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate (2014–current)^[76] The plate was condemned as racist by critics.^[77][78] In 2015 the state suspended sales after the South Carolina church shooting but resumed sales after a redesign removed a Confederate Battle Flag from across the background, but left the small flag in the SCV logo.^[79][80]
• Louisiana: Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate. (1999–current) Prior to 2016 between zero and 14 plates were issued each year. In fiscal 2016, 61 plates were issued after it became an election issue.^[81]
• Maryland: Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate (????–current) 18 years after a court decision finding the plates were protected as free speech, in November 2015 Maryland recalled the plates with the Confederate Battle flag and replaced them with a version without the offending flag, following the US Supreme Court ruling in Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans^[82][83] There were 178 plates in 2015.^[84]
• Mississippi: Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate (2003–current) featuring the Confederate Battle Flag in the organization logo^[85][76] Revised in 2011 for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. A proposal to put General Forrest on the plates created controversy.^[86]
• North Carolina: Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate (1998–2021)^[87][76][88]
• South Carolina: Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate (????–current) a 2015 report found that 1,020 plates generated about $20,000 every two years for SCV under a revenue sharing deal with the state.^[84]
• Tennessee:
  • Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate (1999–current)^[89] In 2015 a little over 3,000 plates showed the SCV logo.^[90]

• Virginia:
  • Robert E. Lee Commemorative License Plate (????–current) which gives his birth and death dates and the words «Southern Gentleman»
  • Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative License Plate (????–current).^[91] In 2015 the state banned plates with the Confederate Battle Flag, following a federal court ruling.^[83] There were 1,677 SCV plates in 2015 and no revenue sharing arrangement with the SCV.^[84]
• Texas: refused to issue SCV plates in 2011,^[74] which the SCV took to the US Supreme Court, and lost in June 2015. Texas then banned plates with the Confederate Battle Flag.^[83] The organization vowed to continue fighting for the issuance of plates by submitting alternative designs.^[92]

Professional and governmental plates[edit]

Department-specific examples[edit]

In the United States, all states issue some special sort of license plate for vehicles which are owned by state and local governments. For the most part, the plates are similar to the regular passenger plates, except with a separate numbering sequence and/or with a message such as «government», «official», «state owned», «municipal», or «exempt» (from registration fees) replacing the slogan.

The federal government issues plates for vehicles it owns, with a few exceptions. Vehicles owned by a branch of the U.S. military may have a license plate issued by that branch of the military, although some utility vehicles will have no license plate at all, only an identification number applied directly to the body. The United States Postal Service adopts the same practice, especially for its delivery trucks. Vehicles owned by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will have plates issued by the GSA in standard format. U.S. Government plates starting with «P» are USPS vehicles.

State-specific examples[edit]

Many states issue license plates to members of certain professions who require some sort of special privileges, such as parking or going behind police lines. Examples include plates for members of the press, doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, volunteer firemen, judges, medical examiners, and elected officials.^[93]

Some states use a distinctive color scheme to differentiate the plates from the regular issue. For example, in Virginia, state government license plates use the format «12-345S» and have a light blue background, while local government license plates use the format «123-456L» and have a tan background. The standard issue has a white background and a different numbering scheme. In Vermont, municipal government plates have a red background instead of the usual green background; State Police plates are green with yellow lettering instead of white, matching the color scheme of VSP patrol vehicles. Other state owned vehicles use brown with white lettering.

In Florida, government vehicles have a black-on-yellow scheme.

Old California government plates have the letter «E» inside of either an octagon or a diamond, which are no longer issued, but still valid. Old government vehicles will either have a diamond or octagon before 6 random digits while newer government vehicles say ¨CA EXEMPT» at the top of the license plate in red instead of the regular ¨California¨ in red cursive and will have seven random digits, beginning with the number «1».^[94]

In Colorado, government vehicles affix a «GVT» code vertically before the plate number.

Governmental vehicles in North Carolina are issued permanent black-on-yellow (state-owned) or black-on-orange/aluminum (all other governmental) license plates, however vehicles belonging to the State Highway Patrol are sometimes registered with normal passenger car plates or with special vanity plates (with stamped years instead of stickers) similar to normal plates, with the prefix SHP before a unique number (i.e. SHP1234). Government vehicles with black-on-orange/aluminum are the police (including sheriff and undercover police vehicles), school buses, public transportation buses, postal services, and county vehicles.

Government vehicles in South Carolina are issued a permanent white plate with black text, or formerly a permanent off-white plate containing the state seal inside the state outline with blue text. They are prefixed or sometimes suffixed by SG, RG, CG or MG for state-government, regional level government, county government, or municipal government respectively by a series of numbers. Examples include SG12345 or 56789SG. Vehicles belonging to the South Carolina Highway Patrol have plates that contain the logo of the highway patrol and prefix HP. For example HP1234 A similar format is also given to plates on South Carolina State Transport Police Division vehicles. For example STP1234

Pennsylvania issues a white on blue (blue on white on earlier plates, some still in use) plate for state-owned vehicles (PA prefix/suffix which carry the OFFICIAL USE legend), municipal (MG prefix or suffix) and vehicles that are owned by Penn State, which carry the STATE UNIVERSITY legend. State-owned and Penn State-owned vehicles are also issued front plates, as are press photographers, however, the press photographer plates are issued on the standard base and carry a PP prefix inside a large keystone.

Government vehicles in Georgia are issued a plate in the standard design but a numbering series prefixed by «GV» and a decal on the left side of the plate indicating what type of government the plate is issued to (authority, (school) board, city, county, or state), before that, vehicles were issued just numbers with the type of service the vehicle was used for and GOVT running horizontal beside the number^[95] and shown at right for reference. For example, plates can be formatted as GV12345, GV1234A, or formerly GOVT/12345 and GOVT/123456. Also, Georgia State Patrol vehicles have special-issue plates they are required to display on both the front and rear of the vehicle – most other vehicles in Georgia only have rear plates – that have an image of the GSP’s patch and the trooper’s badge number.

Most Washington State Patrol vehicles use the same format as passenger cars, with the exception that the letters are all «WSP». For example: 123 WSP. The format «1234 SP» may also be seen on WSP vehicles but not as common. In this format only the numbers change, with the SP (State Patrol) designation remaining constant.

The District of Columbia issues special license plates to vehicles owned by the DC government and the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority. While ambulances and other support vehicles of the District of Columbia Fire Department have special red and white plates, fire engines are not issued license plates. Vehicles belonging to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority display standard DC license plates appropriate to the class of vehicle, with special validation stickers. The transit authority police cars are issued ordinary District of Columbia passenger license plates, but the authority replaces them with self-issued number plates indicating the vehicle is with the transit police.

In Honolulu, Hawaii, the license plates on TheBus matches the fleet number of the bus they are assigned to, using a BUS-123 format. Similarly, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston, Massachusetts, places license plates on their buses featuring the agency’s logo (a «T» inside a circle) followed by the bus number.

In Hawaii, state owned government vehicles use license plates that begin with State then letter and number, EX: State A175, however older state owned vehicles use just numbers, EX: State 8743.

Ohio’s government-owned vehicles use red on white plates with the legend «City», «County», and «Government» with a special format of ABC123, and they use the legend «State Vehicle» with the format 12 3456. Just like in New York, Police vehicles are not issued license plates.

Michigan uses a unique «123X456″ format for municipal vehicles (including municipal transit buses, public school buses owned and operated by the school district, and police vehicles), «123G456″ for «in-transit repair» vehicles, «12D345″ for dealer vehicles, «123M456″ for vehicles owned by manufacturers of cars, «123T456″ for transporter vehicles^[96] and «123Y456″ for vehicles owned by non-profit agencies, such as church buses, buses of private schools, and chapters of the American Red Cross. Michigan State Police plates have the State Police shield on the left side, followed by a four-digit fleet number. The first two digits of this fleet number indicate the State Police post number where the vehicle is assigned. County sheriff plates follow the 12*345 format (the asterisk representing a six-pointed star), but feature a black background and white letters; the left two digits represent the number of the county in alphabetical order. Vehicles owned by the State of Michigan can also have a plate using the format of «MSG 1234» (where MSG stands for Michigan State Government) or a plate with the format of «X12345» with the caption «STATE GOVT» under.^[96]

In New York State, local police vehicles are not issued license plates. In some cases, such as New York City, the fleet number of the vehicle is put on a flat license plate using heat transferred letters. In Yonkers, there is a special plate that appears similar to the specialized optional plates with the Yonkers Police logo and the fleet number. Other communities in the state have a license plate that looks like the regular issue vanity plate, but with the word «POLICE» on it. New York formerly indicated rental cars with the sequence beginning with «Z», but that apparently encouraged targeting by car thieves.^[97]

In Tennessee, state owned vehicles are given a green plate with white lettering in the S0A000 format with Gov’t Service on the bottom of the plate and locally owned vehicles are given a white plate with black lettering with Gov’t Service on the bottom in the 0000-AA format. Tennessee Highway Patrol cars are issued a green plate (usually placed in the trunk) and have displayed a gold plate with the officer’s district number assigned to it ^[98]

Alabama issues plates with either 00000 CO (county) CM 000 (county motorcycle), 0000 PUD (public utility) MM 000 (municipal motorcycle) or 00000 MU (municipal) plates on a blue background with black lettering and state owned vehicles get a white plate with black lettering and the S0000A format, SM00 (state motorcycle) or SMP 000 (state pool) ^[99]

Delaware uses plates that start with S for state owned vehicles and CY for county owned vehicles. Older versions spelled out State Owned or County Owned but have largely disappeared from use. Fire trucks get a white plate with red numbers starting with EV. Police cars get standard number plates however the registration sticker is slightly different (in the days of color coded stickers, the color patterns were inverted for police cars). Both regular and police vehicles owned by the Delaware River and Bay Authority (a joint agency with New Jersey) use standard Delaware license plates for most vehicles in both states.

In Indiana. Police vehicles will have a white license plate with a badge to the left with “POLICE” written at the bottom. Municipality owned vehicles will have a blue plate with “MUNICIPAL” written at the bottom. These plates along with some trailers do not expire. In some examples, Government owned or police civilian cars will have a standard passenger plate but will not have an expiration date or sticker in the top corners. Tractor-Trailers can order a company specific license plate with the company’s name at the bottom or a logo on the left hand side.

General registration license plates[edit]

Many states issue special plates to automobile dealers, auto repair shops, farms, and construction contractors, which are not tied to any particular vehicle. These users typically have many more vehicles on the premises than on the public streets, and it would not be practical to register and insure each individual vehicle. As a result, they hold a number of «floating» registrations that enable them to legally drive multiple vehicles on the public streets. States typically have rules about who is eligible and how the plates may be used, and may impose record keeping and audit requirements.

In every state, auto dealers are allowed to place a special dealer registration plate on a vehicle that the dealer is holding for sale or resale. Most states do not allow the use of dealer plates on vehicles that have already been sold. Most states allow dealer plates to be used only by a dealership owner, officer, or employee, or by a customer who is test driving an automobile. Most states do not allow dealer plates to be used by anyone who is not affiliated with the dealership. In addition, dealer plates are not allowed to be used as a way to avoid payment of sales tax on the purchase of a vehicle.^[100]

Diplomatic license plates[edit]

Diplomatic license plates are issued by the United States Department of State to accredited diplomats. This is an exception to the general rule in the U.S. that license plates are issued by states, and not the federal government. However, prior to the 1980s, diplomatic plates were issued by states, with New York issuing the most, followed by the District of Columbia.

Until 2007,^{[citation needed]} plates issued to cars based in the District of Columbia followed the pattern of a letter identifying the status of the owner, followed by the two-letter country code, followed by a four-digit number (S LL NNNN). For member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS), a subset of that numbering pattern is allotted to vehicles based at those countries’ missions to the OAS. Plates issued to cars based at the United Nations in New York City are reversed, with the four-digit number first, followed by the two-letter country code, followed by the status code (NNNN LL S). This is because representatives of certain countries are limited to travel to certain radii from their base, and the system allows the city of assignment to be identified easily.

The status codes used until 2007 were «C» for foreign consul; «D» for diplomat; «S» for non-diplomatic staff; and «A» for a UN employee. The status code indicates the type of diplomatic, consular, or other immunity enjoyed by the vehicle’s registrant.^{[citation needed]} The country codes are unique to each particular country, but do not correlate to ISO Country Codes or other standards format. For example, in the old system used until 2007, France is «DJ» not «F» and Australia is «XZ» not «AUS». This is to prevent the general public from targeting diplomats from particular countries.^[101] Diplomatic license plates are made in Virginia, so they use similar dies to those on that state’s license plates.^[102]

Certain U.S. states issue honorary consul plates to U.S. citizens who have been appointed to that office and perform consular functions on a part-time basis.

For a list of serial formats of diplomatic plates, see the article about United States license plate designs and serial formats.

• 

  U.S. diplomatic license plate of the style issued until 2007

• 

  U.S. diplomatic license plate with surface-printed serial

• 

  U.S. diplomatic license plate of the style issued since 2007, using same die set used on Virginia plates

Explanatory notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• U.S. License Plate Reference Guide 2019 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 July 2020)

АМЕРИКАНСКИЕ НОМЕРА

отличаются от привычных европейских или российских как своими размерами, так и своим дизайном.

На самой табличке помимо номера пишется название штата и надпись, которая может быть либо слоганом (неким девизом штата, вот, например, Округ Колумбия поместил на номер фразу: «Taxation without representation» — » налогообложения без представительства», чтобы подчеркнуть отсутствие представителя округа в Конгрессе Соединенных Штатов) или ссылкой на официальный сайт штата.

К тому же, у каждого штата свой индивидуальный дизайн номерного знака.

Первым официальным городом, который в 1901 году ввёл номерные знаки, стал Нью-Йорк (автомобили обозначались с помощью инициалов автовладельцев, после 1903 года настала эра знаков с комбинациями цифр. Цифр в номере можно было использовать не больше 8).

Затем эта тенденция распространилась на другие штаты, но за неимением чуткого руководства, ограничивающего и определяющего внешний вид номеров, регистрационный знак изготавливался самим владельцем автомобиля по своему усмотрению. Это могли быть кожаные, фарфоровые, резиновые и просто нарисованные таблички, обычно двух контрастных цветов.

В настоящее время регистрация автомобилей перешла в руки власти и стала платной, но творческий подход и креатив американцев никуда не улетучился, и до сих пор с помощью оформления номерных знаков можно многое узнать о личности владельца.

Креативные автовладельцы могут заказать номер с изображением пейзажа родного города, эмблемы любимой бейсбольной команды, фото культовой личности или собственную фотографию.

Речь об индивидуальных номерах — vanity plates. Их можно выбрать на сайте департамента транспорта, ввести данные уже зарегистрированного автомобиля и после оплаты получить таблички по почте. При этом оплачивается само изготовление и доставка (около $50–120). Желающих тратить такие деньги не очень много, потому с индивидуальными номерами зарегистрировано менее 4% автопарка страны.

В 1956 году Правительства Америки и Канады пришли к соглашению с Ассоциацией Производителей Автомобилей, договорившись о фиксированном стандарте размера номеров для всех типов пассажирского легкового транспорта, установив их размер на уровне 6 дюймов в высоту и 12 дюймов в ширину, хотя на практике эти цифры могут незначительно отличаться от регламента.

В Северной Америке только Сен-Пьер и Микело не приняли эти стандарты.

В некоторых Северо-Западных территориях (Канада) и в Нувануте номера сделаны в форме полярного медведя, их общий размер а также посадочные отверстия полностью совпадают со стандартом.

Для мотоциклов, мопедов, некоторых типов прицепов и строительной техники делают знаки меньшего размера.

В прошлом, многие американские и канадские номера подлежали замене каждый год, напротив, в настоящее время в общей практике вместо замены всего номера, на номер или на ветровое клеятся специальные стикеры, которые стоят около $75, отображающие что регистрация транспортного средства действительна на текущий момент.

Каждый год надо приходить в местное ГАИ и обновлять лицензию на свой знак.
Этот нехитрый прием позволяет ловко собирать все просроченные и неуплаченные штрафы: если за тобой что-нибудь числится, то пока не уплатишь — номеров не получишь.

Стикер наклеивается на угол номера, в противоположном углу расположены месяц и год истечения номера. Цвет стикеров меняется ежегодно, чтобы упростить опознание недействительных номеров полицией.

Помимо номера, на машине еще должен был талон техосмотра. Наконец, на зеркало заднего вида вешается разрешение на парковку (parking permit). Эти разрешения, собственно, печатаются именно в таком формате, чтобы их было удобно вешать вот таким образом.

Временные и транзитные номера

Автомобиль, купленный у дилера всегда будет иметь временную регистрацию с соответствующими номерными знаками.

Это делается для удобства перемещения машины к месту эксплуатации. Времянка будет висеть на авто до тех пор пока местный филиал DMV не обработает информацию о покупке и не выдаст вам постоянные номера.

Временные и транзитные знаки бывают:

-бумажными, картонными, пластиковыми, которые следует заменить постоянными через 15, 30 или 45 дней;
-стандартными металлическими с временной наклейкой, в этом случае вам будет выдан новый стикер;
-в виде бланка или наклейки на лобовое стекло.

Также на знаках встречается специальный символ «инвалид».

Инвалиды в Америке везде пользуются приоритетом. Для них всегда размечены самые лучшие (близкие ко входу) места на парковках, причем разметка предусматривает широкую заштрихованную зону, где паркинг запрещен — предполагается, что это позволит подъехать к машине на коляске

При постановке машин вплотную (как у нас это практикуется), проехать на коляске между ними невозможно. Здесь этот момент продуман. В сочетании с высоким уровнем социального осознания, забота об инвалидах реально работает.

Здесь никому в голову не придет занять место на парковке, размеченное для инвалида! Даже если все остальные места заняты, инвалидная зона останется свободной. Говорят, высокие штрафы очень способствуют такому поведению.

Удивительно, но в Америке не во всех штатах обязательна установка двух номеров. В некоторых штатах обязательна установка только заднего номера, в некоторых обоих. Каждый штат имеет свое законодательство на это счет. На данный момент в 19 штатах разрешено использование только одного номера.

Кстати, американские номера производятся не какими-то специальными фирмами, а простыми заключёнными на специальных конвейерах, оборудованных в месте отбывания срока. Поэтому тюрьмы называют «фабриками номерных знаков», а выражение «начать делать номера» означает получить реальный срок.

Тема американских номеров очень обширная и незатронутыми остались многие моменты, если у вас есть что добавить -будем благодарны!

Ниже приведены изображения номеров для разных штатов.

Таблички ,фон и даже лозунги периодически менялись и меняются до сих пор,например,сейчас идет обсуждение оставить ли на номерах Южной Каролины просто дерево или добавить  к нему луну со звездами (вполне серьезно я)

Начнем с самого севера и будем двигаться на юг.

Итак, 50 штатов и  такие таблички:

Аляска  и 2 типа ,на певом лозунг 

The Last Frontier (Последняя граница) ,на втором золотодобытчики идут на работу или с нее :))

Дальше  

WA ( штат Вашингтон) ,MT(Монтана),  ND (Северная Дакота),   MN (Минессота),   WI (Висконсин)   MI   (Мичиган)

Вечнозеленый Вашингтон 

Монтана,где большое небо Кстати, «вживую» не видела ни разу этот номер.

Северная Дакота -штат мирных садов и приключений,особенно судя по бычку :))) Я,кстати,раньше путалась и думала,что мало того,что полно штатов,так и  … то северная,то южная,то Вашингтон вовсе не там ,где столица.Оказалось все просто Северной и Южной могут быть только Дакота и Каролина,а там ,где столица — ДиСи ,а там где Вашингтон,там Сиэтл %)

 

10.000 озерная Миннесота

Такой домашний,с домиком с трубой и обязательно коровкой, и домашними сливочками,да маслом -Висконсин

И Мичиган,табличка у которого мне наименее симпатична,хоть там и Великие озера и все такое

Дальше идут мои любимые Новоанглийские штаты и еже с ними

NY ( тут понятно вроде),VT (Вермонт),NH (Нью-Хэмпшир) МЕ ( Мэн) , МА ( Массачесец) RI (РодАйсленд) СТ (Коннектикут)

New York

 

Вермонт ,который я тоже не видела лично,но утверждают,что это штат Зеленой горы

Около нашего дома стоит машина с номерами НьюХэмпшира,вот думаю пожать руку жителям того штата за очень ёмкий лозунг.Подписываюсь под ним полностью . Живи свободно или умри!!!

Мэн-штат где происходит обычно действие книг Стивена Кинг,приглашает Вас провести там каникулы или отпуск :)) Мило так..

Массачусец — дух Америки -это крайне интересно,кстати ,надо съездить и понюхать:)))

РодАйсленд -штат и океан,океанский штат

И Коннектикут,куда я хотела уехать сначала,перед тем,как надумала приехать в СК, штат,где строго соблюдают и чтут Конституцию :))

Дальше на Запад 

NJ (НьюДжерси)  ,DE (Дэлавер),MD( Мерилэнд) , DC (ДиСи) — Маленькие,но очень симпатичные штаты

Джерси -штат садов

Дэлавер- Первый штат. Который образовался,как штат в США

Мерилэнд

И столица Америки  Вашингтон,ДиСи » Н

алогообложение без представительства» .Об образовании этой фразы и еще о многом интересном можно узнаь вот тут   http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%B9%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%B7%D0%B0_%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C_%D0%A1%D0%A8%D0%90

Едем дальше :))

PA (Пенсильвания) WV (Западная Вирджиния) , ОН (Огайо) КУ (Кентукки) , IN ( Индиана ) IL ( Иллинойс ), IA (Айова), МО ( Миссури),NE (Небраска),  KS  (Канзас) ,  SD (Южная Дакота) , WY (Вайоминг) , СО (Колорадо) , UT ( Юта), ID ( Айдахо), NV (Невада) ,  OR (Орегон)

Пенсильвания- штат краеугольного камня,но на знаке этого не пишут,а за подробной инфой к ним на сайт отсылают

Западная Вирджиния  —  дикая и чудесная

Огайо ,там живет мой дядя и еще  гнездо авиации

Кентуки — это штат,куда отсылаются документы об иммиграции-точно знаю !!! :)) Очень дружелюбный штат и такое солнышко классное :))

Индиана

Иллинойс- земля Линкольна

Айова…Я так и не разглядела что нарисовано на картинке

Миссури- покажи мне

любовь

  штат 

Канзас,между прочим,штат пшеницы

Небраска и журавли летят на закате….

Южная Дакота сговорилась с Южной Каролиной и сделала лозунг «Великие люди,великие места»..А может просто кто-то у кого-то сплогиатил??

Вайоминг — штат равенства
Мне ооочень нравится ихний ковбойчик :))

Колорадо — штат Скалистых гор и ,вообще,там  ооочень красиво!!

Соседняя Юта почему-то называется Улей-штат,а на картинке другое совсем

Айдахо знаменит картошкой,например,как в России Тамбов :)))

Невада — пустыня, серебрянный штат .Кстати,Вы заметили,что чем южнее,тем картинки красивее и красочнее на табличках??

И Орегон .

Дальше на нашем пути Вы увидите  СА (Калифорния), AZ (Аризона), NM (Нью-Мехико), TX (Техас), ОК ( Оклахома), AR (Арканзас), LA( Луизиана),TN ( Теннесси) , MS (Миссисиппи), AL (Алабама),GA (Джорджия) NC & SC (Северная и Южная Каролина) VA( Вирджиния) и FL (Флорида)….Оставайтесь с нами :))

Калифорния ,которая Золотой штат,но с достаточно простой табличкой

Аризона-это там,где Гранд Каньон

Нью Мехико — Земля очарования .Кстати,тоже не видела ни разу вживую

Техас ….Ой,не могу,идет такой в ночи,под звездами на коняшке..Романтика..Усюсю.Даже шатл поместили сверху..Хьюстон,я -Даллас,ответьте!!!..Мне очень нрав этот номер

Оклахома- родина настоящих коренных американце,в  данном случае ,имеется ввиду индейцев 

Арканзас 

Луизиана-рай для спортсменов.Я,честно,не втыкаю в эту фразу,но знаю еще,что там Бритни Спирс родилась…Гыыыы :)))

Миссиссиппи -штат ,где растут магнолии

Алабама со звездочками

Теннеси,родина Элвиса  и добровольцев ( на номере этом плохо видно надпись вверху)

Джорджия- штат персиковых деревьев,персиков  и просто очень классный штат :))

Южная Каролина — «Улыбающиеся лица,Красивые места»- не видела,но очень хочется верить,что это правда

Вирджиния,почти родная.Много таких номеров катается у нас в СК

Флорида- солнечный штат с апельсинами

И,наконец-то,мой любимый ,мой родной штат Северная Каролина с самолетиком :))

А почему первый ? Потому что  17 декабря 1903 года братья Райт совершили первый полет на пилотируемом  моторном аэроплане «Флайер-1». Дальность первого полета  была равна 37 метров. Аппарат пробыл в воздухе 12 секунд. В тот же день уже аэроплан продержался в воздухе 59 секунд и преодолел 260 метров.

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2022)

In the United States, the appearance of license plates is frequently chosen to contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction, which are the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the five inhabited U.S. territories, and Native American tribes, each of which independently registers motor vehicles. Regular-issue license plates for passenger vehicles typically have six or seven characters, with vanity plates having up to eight characters in a few states.

Trends in serial formats[edit]

Formats for license plate numbers are consistent within the state. For example, Delaware is able to use six-digit all-numeric serials because of its low population. Several states, particularly those with higher populations, use seven-character formats of three letters and four digits, including 1ABC234 in California and ABC-1234 (with or without a space or dash) in Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Other seven-character formats include Connecticut and Illinois, which use AB-12345, and Maryland, which uses 1AB2345.

Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, and New Jersey use four letters and two numbers: Arkansas uses an ABC-12D format, Colorado an ABC-D12 format, Florida a 12A-BCD format, and New Jersey an A12-BCD format. Several less-populous states—Alaska, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, and Vermont—use a three-letter, three-number format, namely ABC-123 or 123-ABC.

Arizona uses a distinctive format with six characters. Except for the fourth character in each serial, which is always a number, the characters in a serial can be either letters or numbers.^[1]

Serial coding[edit]

License plate numbers are usually assigned in ascending order, beginning with a starting point such as AAA-001. Thus, an observer familiar with the sequence can determine roughly when the plate was issued. In a few cases, numbers have been 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.^[2]

Expiration date[edit]

In some states, the month of expiration or the county of registration is incorporated into the plate’s serial. The last number on a Massachusetts license plate indicates the month the vehicle’s registration expires (for example, 1234 AB would expire in April, the fourth month; 0 indicates October expirations; and X and Y were used for November and December expirations, respectively, on commercial plates and pre-1978 passenger plates). The same applies to the first number or letter on West Virginia plates (1 to 9 for January through September, and O, N, and D for October, November, and December expirations, respectively). Additionally, the first letter of Missouri passenger plates denotes the month of expiration. The month’s position within the calendar year corresponds to the letter’s position within the alphabet; i.e. the letters progress from «A» and «B» for January to «Y» and «Z» for December.

County of issuance[edit]

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; for example, vehicles registered in Ada County start with 1A, vehicles in Twin Falls County start with 2T, and vehicles in Valley County start with V (as there is only one county that starts with the letter V). County codes have been based on historical population figures, the county names in alphabetical order, or some combination thereof. In Montana, for example, the county codes were assigned around 1930 and have not changed since.^[3] Other states like Indiana and Tennessee also once used the practice, with Tennessee discontinuing in the 1980s and Indiana in 2008.

Four jurisdictions in the United States use letters to designate a residence where a vehicle was registered. In Hawaii, the license plates have a unique letter designation based on the island counties that residents purchased or registered the vehicles from; a vehicle with a registration number beginning with H or Z is registered in Hawai‘i County, one beginning with K is registered in Kaua‘i County, one beginning with M or L is registered in Maui County, and one beginning with any other letter (and not containing H, K, L, M, or Z) is registered in the City and County of Honolulu. In the U.S. territory of Guam, the license plates use the first two letters that are coded by village of issuance, for example, «TM-1234» refers to a vehicle that was registered by a person who lives the village of Tamuning. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, a vehicle with a registration number beginning with C is registered in St. Croix, J in St. John, and T in St. Thomas.

Several states do require vehicles to display county codes, but these codes are not part of the serial. Indiana and Ohio display two-number county codes, while Kansas plates display two-letter county codes, but these codes are placed on a sticker or are printed in the corner of the plate in a smaller font size. Texas places the county name only on the windshield registration sticker, where the car’s license plate number is also printed. Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee place the full name of the county of registration explicitly on their standard-issue plates, although not as part of the serial. However, Florida allows its residents to choose either «Sunshine State» or «In God We Trust» in place of the county name, and Georgia allows drivers to choose the slogan «In God We Trust» in place of the county name.

Skipping characters[edit]

For various reasons related to visibility and readability, some states and territories exclude certain letters from use in their license plate serial formats. The most commonly skipped characters are I, O, and Q^{[citation needed]}, with some states using only one or two of the three while others will skip all three of these letters^{[citation needed]}. Other states, such as Colorado, Georgia, and South Carolina have gradually adopted one or more of these letters over a course of years after previously skipping them in order to accommodate the demands of population growth and depletion of available serial combinations. The most common argument behind skipping I, O, and Q is that they can be too easily confused with 0, 1, and other characters, particularly when there isn’t adequate spacing or divider between numbers and letters^{[citation needed]}.

California only uses I, O, and Q in between two other letters, for example «1AQA000».^{[citation needed]} A unique example of character use is Texas, which skips all vowels along with the letter Q on passenger plates.

In amateur radio license plate issues, some states use a unique slashed zero character in place of the standard «0» character due to lack of spacing between letters and numbers. Iowa is a unique example in the use of this character, which began using the slashed zero beginning in 2012 on all standard passenger plates as opposed to the traditional symbol for zero to differentiate it from the letter «O» which is also used. In Pennsylvania, the die used for the number «0» is different than the one used for the letter «O» since the state’s number dies are taller and narrower than its letter dies.

Persons with disabilities[edit]

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

Current standard-issue passenger plate designs and serial formats[edit]

The following tables give information on license plates currently being issued, with 2014 or later expiration dates, for private (non-commercial) use on passenger vehicles by the governments of the fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the five inhabited U.S. territories, and Native American tribes. Information on serial numbering patterns is also given. Older designs and serial formats previously issued may still be valid for continued usage in certain jurisdictions; these are noted in a separate table below.

In addition to «regular» passenger plates, all jurisdictions also provide plates for other types of vehicles that may only be roughly similar in design and layout. Additionally, there has been an increasing trend in the field of «specialty» plates to promote specific causes or interests. To keep this table as simple as possible, most of these alternate types of plates will not be noted. More information may also be found within the individual articles for each state, as linked within the table. Exceptions to this guideline may be made for specialty plates that are available at no extra cost to the motorist, as these tend to be seen more commonly on the roads.

Current Table Format

Jurisdiction	Image	First issued	Type & slogan	Design	Plate style	Serial format
Alabama		January 3, 2022	Standard issue Heart of Dixie (in small print)	Bay and sky graphic with www.alabama.travel at the bottom	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	Numerically coded by county:[4] 0AB1234 (single-digit counties) 00AB123 (double-digit counties)[5]
Alaska		January 2010[6]	Standard issue The Last Frontier	blue on gold with state flag	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123
American Samoa		2011	Standard issue Motu O Fiafiaga	black on reflective graphic featuring Fatu Rock	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	1234
Arizona		1996 (embossed) 2008 (screened)	Standard issue Grand Canyon State	dark green on desert landscape	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	CEA 1DB[a]
Arkansas		2006	Standard issue The Natural State	black on a diamond background, representing Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro[8]	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 12D[9]
California		Mid 2012	Standard issue dmv.ca.gov	dark blue on white with red state name graphic and slogan printed in red at the bottom	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	1ABC234[10]
Colorado		2000	Standard issue	Dark green on reflective white gray and green Rocky Mountains scene graphic. Some versions have full color	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-D12
Connecticut		2000	Standard issue Constitution State	dark blue on blue and white gradient fade	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	AB•12345 (2015–present) 1AB•CD2 (2013–2015) 1ABCD2 (2013) 123•ABC (2000–2013)[11]
Delaware		1969	Standard issue The First State	gold on navy blue	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	123456 (variable number of digits)
District of Columbia		April 2017	Standard issue End Taxation without Representation; jurisdiction name displayed as «District of Columbia»	blue on reflective white with red flag separator	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	AB-1234
	2001	Optional issue: www.washingtondc.gov[12]
Florida		December 2003	Standard issue myFLORIDA.com with county name[13] or «Sunshine State»	green on reflective white with state map and citrus orange graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC D12 (2009–present) 123 ABC (2006 to 2009) A12 3BC (2003 to 2009)
	October 1, 2008	Optional issue myFLORIDA.com with «In God We Trust» slogan	123 4AB
Georgia		May 2012	Standard issue Peach State with county name or «In God We Trust» sticker	black on reflective white peach graphic in center	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC1234
	May 2012	Optional issue GEORGIA with county name or «In God We Trust» sticker	black on reflective white
Guam		February 27, 2009	Standard issue Tano Y Chamorro	black on reflective white with gray latte stone and three red bougainvillea flowers at center[14]	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by municipality of issuance AB 1234
Hawaii		1991	Standard issue Aloha State	black on reflective white with rainbow graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by county of issuance: ABC 123, where first letter is A-G, J, N, P, or R-Y (City and County of Honolulu) HAB 123/ZAB 123 (Hawai‘i County) KAB 123 (Kaua‘i County) LAB 123/MAB 123 (Maui County)
Idaho		2008	Standard issue Famous Potatoes	black on reflective white with red gradient and dark blue mountain scene	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	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) 0A 1B234 (following exhaustion of above format) 0A 1234B (following exhaustion of above format) 00A 1234 (variable number of digits following space)
Illinois		January 1, 2017	Standard issue Land of Lincoln	Reflective gradient blue-to-white with white Chicago and Springfield skyline and gray Abraham Lincoln graphic at far left; state name screened in black at top	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	AB 12345 (2017–present) AB1 2345 (2016)[15]
Indiana		January 2017	Standard issue Dark blue serial on reflective country scene graphic featuring a covered bridge; expiration date, year, county number and recycling symbol in corners clockwise from top left	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	123A 123AB 123ABC
		Optional issue In God We Trust	black on white with American flag graphic	ABC123
Iowa		April 2018	Standard issue black numbers on reflective graphic plate with blue sky, white city skyline, farm and wind turbine, and green grass field; «IOWA» screened in white centered at top; county name screened in black centered at bottom	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123
Kansas	(Embossed) (Flat)	April 2007 (Embossed) August 15, 2018 (Flat)	Standard issue Black characters on a light blue gradient with state seal graphic as the background, county code sticker on the top left and registration sticker on the top right.	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	123 ABC 1234ABC
Kentucky		2020	Standard issue	Dark blue on light blue gradient with county name sticker below serial and state outline left of serial	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC123
	2020	Optional issue In God We Trust
Louisiana		2005 to 2010; 2013, and 2016	Standard issue «Sportsman’s Paradise»; black on yellow-pink gradient with pelican graphic in center	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123 (through 2016) 123 ABC (2016–present)
Maine		1999	Standard issue Vacationland	black on reflective white with a chickadee and pine tassel graphic at left	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	1234 AB (variable number of digits preceding space)
Maryland		September 2016	Standard issue Maryland Proud	Black on reflective white with Maryland flag graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	1AB2345
Massachusetts		1988	Standard issue The Spirit of America	red on reflective white	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by month of expiration: 12A 345 1ABC 23 1AB 234 123 AB4 12A B34 1234 AB 123 ABC
Michigan		2013	Standard issue Pure Michigan	blue on reflective white with blue wave at bottom	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 1234
	2021	Optional issue Water-Winter Wonderland	Maize on dark blue	1ABC23
	2014	Optional issue The Mackinac Bridge	White to yellow fade and blue with stylized Mackinac Bridge in background with black characters	ABC 123
Minnesota		June 2009	Standard issue Explore Minnesota.com, 10,000 Lakes	black on reflective white with lake scene graphic	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	123-ABC ABC-123 Numbers and letters switch sides on a seven year cycle[16]
Mississippi		October 2012	Standard issue «Birthplace of America’s Music»	dark blue on brown background with Mississippi State Seal between the letters and the numbers	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 1234
Missouri		October 15, 2018	Standard issue Bicentennial	dark blue on white with red and dark blue waves, light gray state seal, and dark blue «1821 * 2021»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by month of expiration AA1 B2C
Montana		January 2010	Standard issue Treasure State	white on blue with white state outline	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by county of issuance: 0-12345A (variable number of digits following divider) 00-1234A (variable number of digits following divider)
		Optional issues:[17] replica 1989 Centennial base replica 1991 «Big Sky» base replica 2000 base replica 2006 «Big Sky Country» base	blue on white with gold and maroon graphics	ABC123
	black on light blue gradient with multicolor state outline	Coded by county of issuance: 0-12345A (variable number of digits following divider) 00-1234A (variable number of digits following divider)
	black on light blue with blue and tan graphics
	black on light blue gradient with multicolor state outline
Native American tribes		Varies	Varies	Varies	Varies	Varies
Nebraska		January 2023		dark blue on reflective white with the «Genius of Creative Energy» mosaic from the Nebraska State Capitol in the background; state name in dark blue at top	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123[18] Or coded by county of issuance:[19] 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		November 1, 2016	Standard issue Home Means Nevada	black numbers and state-shaped separator on sky blue plate; stylized multi-colored mountain range at bottom; «NEVADA» screened in black serifed letters centered at top	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	345·A12
New Hampshire		January 1999	Standard issue Live Free or Die	green on Old Man of the Mountain graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	123 4567 (2000–present) 123 456 (1999)[20]
New Jersey		2007	Standard issue Garden State	black on yellow gradient fade	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	D12-ABC (2010–present)[21] ABC-12D (2007–2010)
New Mexico		1989	Standard issue Land of Enchantment	red on yellow with turquoise yucca graphics and red Zia sun symbol	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	123-ABC
	2010	Standard issue upper: Land of Enchantment lower: New Mexico USA	yellow on turquoise with large yellow and red Zia sun symbol	ABC-123
New York		2020	Standard issue Excelsior	dark blue on reflective white with Niagara Falls, Adirondack Mountains, the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan skyline, and the Montauk Point Light on the bottom.	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234
North Carolina		1982	Standard issue First in Flight	blue on reflective white with Wright Flyer graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-123 (1982–1985)[22] ABC-1234
	January 2015	Standard issue First In Freedom[23]	blue on reflective white	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234
	July 2019	Standard issue National/State Motto[24]	blue on reflective white	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234
North Dakota		November 2016	Standard issue Legendary; Peace Garden State	black on light blue gradient fade to sunrise with prairie scene and buffalo graphic	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	123 ABC
Northern Mariana Islands		1989	Standard issue Hafa Adai	dark blue on white with seal in center	Embossed on screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123
Ohio		2021	Standard issue Sunrise in Ohio, county name sticker in black to be centered at bottom	Dark blue serial on sunrise scene featuring a skyline, hills, river, wheat, field and a child swinging from the tree, with Wright Flyer, state shape and read banner with «Birthplace of aviation» at top.	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 1234
Oklahoma		January 2017	Standard issue TRAVELOK.COM	Screened black on reflective blue with state-shaped separator; scissor-tailed flycatcher in the middle, mountains on the left, oceans in the background and Explore above the state name	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-123
Oregon		1990	Standard issue dark blue on Douglas Fir tree and mountain graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	123 ABC (2004–present) ABC 123 (1990–2004)
Pennsylvania		2006	Standard issue visitPA.com	blue on white with yellow and blue bars	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234
Puerto Rico		2011	Standard issue Puerto Rico Does It Better/Puerto Rico Lo Hace Mejor	black on white with green gradient at bottom and gray building in background	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-123
Rhode Island		1996–2020	Standard issue Ocean State	dark blue on stylized gray and white ocean wave graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	123456 (2007–present)[25][26] AB-123 and 12345 (1996–2007) 1AB-234 (2020–present)
	2020	Beautiful Rhode Island (top), Ocean State (Bottom)	white on dark blue with the Reliance in the upper left corner	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	N/A
South Carolina		January 2016	Standard issue While I Breathe, I Hope.	black on white and blue background with palmetto tree in center	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123
	January 2016	Optional issue In God We Trust	black on white with American and South Carolinian flags on the left.	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	1234AB
South Dakota		January 2016	Standard issue Great Faces. Great Places.	blue on Mount Rushmore graphic	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by county of issuance: 0A1 234 0AB 123 00A 123
Tennessee		January 2022	www.tnvacation.com	blue with «The Volunteer State» on the left and the outline of the state around «Tennessee» with county name sticker and the Tri-Star logo in the center	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 1234 123 ABCD alternate with ‘In God We Trust’ around the Tri-Star logo
Texas		July 2012	Standard issue The Lone Star State	black on white with 5-point star in the upper left corner.	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234
Utah		Late 2007	Greatest Snow on Earth and Life Elevated	dark blue on skier graphic[27][28]	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	A12 3BC
	Life Elevated	dark blue on graphic of Delicate Arch	A12 3BC[29]
	2017	In God We Trust; United We Stand	dark blue on white	1A2BC
Vermont		1985	Standard issue Green Mountain State	white on green with small white tree in top left corner	Debossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123 (1990–present) 12AB3 (1989) 1AB23 (1988) 123A4 (1986–1987) 1A234 (1985)
U.S. Virgin Islands		2017	Standard issue Transfer Centennial	white on blue ocean background with orange island maps	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by island of issuance:[30] ABC 123, ABC 123 (for St. John)
Virginia		March 1, 2014	Standard issue Virginia is for Lovers	blue on white	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234[31]
Washington		July 1998	Standard issue Evergreen State	dark blue on white with light blue Mount Rainier graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC1234 (2010–present) 123-ABC (1987–2010)
West Virginia		July 2023	Standard issue Wild, Wonderful	blue on white with state name in dark blue bar with state outline as separator	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by month of expiration: (1 through 9 for January through September, respectively) (O, N, and D for October, November, and December, respectively)
Wisconsin		June 2000	Standard issue America’s Dairyland	black on reflective white with stylized lake and farm graphic	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234 (2017–present) 123-ABC (2000–2017)
Wyoming		January 2016	Standard issue Screened black numbers and Bucking Horse and Rider on graphic plate featuring the Green River Lakes and Squaretop Mountain against a cloudy blue sky; golden yellow rope border around plate	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	Coded by county of issuance: 0-12345 (variable number of digits following divider) 0-1234A (following exhaustion of above format; variable number of digits following divider) 00-12345 (variable number of digits following divider)

Plate types no longer issued but still valid[edit]

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

Jurisdiction	Image	Dates issued	Type	Plate style	Serial format	Status
Alabama		early 2007 – October 2013	Optional issue God Bless America	dark blue on American flag background	AB12345 12345AB[5]	Being replaced upon expiration, October 2013 to October 2014.
Alaska		1981 – late 2004	«The Last Frontier»; blue on gold with state flag	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123	Valid.
	late 1997 – late 2004	«Gold Rush Centennial»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123
	January 2, 2008 – December 31, 2009	«Celebrating Statehood 1959–2009»; dark blue on mountain landscape background	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC123[32]
American Samoa	none
Arizona		1980–1996	white on maroon	Embossed serial; Reflective characters on nonreflective background	ABC-123	Valid.
	1996 – late 2007	desert scene with embossed serials	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	123•ABC
2008–2020	desert scene with screened serials	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC1234
Arkansas	none
California		1963–1969	yellow on black	Embossed serial; Non-reflective background	ABC 123	Valid.
	1969–1980	yellow on blue	Embossed serial; Non-reflective background	123 ABC
	1980 – January 1987	1ABC234
	January 1983 – October 1987	«The Golden State»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting
	October 1987 – 1995	blue on white with red embossed state name
	1995–1998; 2000–2011	blue on white with red screened state name	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting
	1998–2000	«Sesquicentennial – 150 Years»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting
Colorado		1978–2000	embossed mountain scene	Reflective embossed serial; Non-reflective background	Coded by county of issuance: AB-1234, ABC-123, ABC1234	Valid.
Connecticut	none
Delaware			white on black		up to 12–345	Valid.
		silver on black		up to 123456
		yellow on blue without slogan		up to 123456
District of Columbia			«A Capital City»		123–456	Valid.
		«Celebrate & Discover»	1991 – November 2000	AB-1234 (1997–2000) 123–456 (1991–1997)
	2001	blue on reflective white with red flag separator and «WWW.Washingtondc.gov»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	BB-1234
	2001 – July 2013	blue on reflective white with red flag separator and «Taxation without Representation» with jurisdiction name displayed as «Washington, D.C.»	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	AB-1234
Florida		December 2003 – early 2009	green on reflective white with state map, citrus orange graphic, and myFLORIDA.com with county name	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	A12 3BC	Being replaced on a ten-year rolling basis.
	December 2003 – 2006	green on reflective white with state map, citrus orange graphic, and myFLORIDA.com with «Sunshine State» slogan
Georgia		1997 – December 2003	«…on my mind»		123 ABC 12345 QA 1234 AB 1234 ABC	Valid.
	December 2003 – May 2007	www.GEORGIA.gov	ABC 1234
	May 2007 – May 2012	GEORGIA.gov	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)	Valid.
Hawaii	none
Idaho			dark blue on reflective white with red gradient and dark blue mountain scene, «Famous Potatoes»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	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		July 2001 — December 2016	«Land of Lincoln»: red on blue gradient fade with Abraham Lincoln portrait graphic in center	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	AB1 2345 (2016) A12 3456 (2006–2016) 123 4567 (2001–2006)[33]	Originally valid for 10 years, but new plates were not issued until January 2017.
Indiana	none
Iowa		January 1997 — April 2018	Embossed blue, screened blue or screened black serial on reflective white skyline on blue background and black hand drawn farm scene foreground, screened «Iowa» in a small caps serif font and sticker with/or screened county name in uppercase in blue or black as the serial	Embossed or screened serial; Reflective sheeting[34]	123 ABC except for «D» series and beginning of current ABC 123[35]	Even though one of the 2017 license plate contestant plates lost the competition, it became a vanity plate, and the 1997 series plate is still valid.
Kansas		January 2001 – April 2007	state capitol	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123	Valid.
Kentucky	none
Louisiana		1993–2001; 2004–2005	«Sportsman’s Paradise» without pelican	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123	Valid.
	January 2002 — early 2004	«Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial 1803–2003» written in early 18th-century lettering and has the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial logo as the separator[36]	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting
	2011–2012	«200 Years»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC123
	2014 — 2015	www.louisianatourism.com Bicentennial, Battle of New Orleans, 1815–2015 blue on reflective white with silhouette of Andrew Jackson on horse at left	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting
Maine	none
Maryland		February 1986 – early 2005	no slogan		1AB C23 (2004–2005) ABC 123 (1986–2004)	Valid.
	early 2005 – June 2010	www.Maryland.gov black on reflective white with state crest in center		1AB C23
Massachusetts			green on white (coded by month of expiration) «The Spirit of America» (coded by month of expiration)		123-450 120-ABC	Valid. Maybe subject to replacement if found to be illegible during annual motor vehicle safety inspection.
Michigan		1996–2007	Optional issue «Great Lakes Splendor»		1AB C23[37]	Valid
	1996	Optional issue «World’s Motor Capital»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 12 12 ABC	Valid
	2007–2013	Optional issue «www.Michigan.gov»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 1234[38]	Valid
	2007–2021	Optional issue Spectacular Peninsulas	green and blue with Great Lakes outline on reflective white with black characters	1AB C23
	2013–2014	Optional issue The Mackinac Bridge yellow to orange fade and blue with stylized Mackinac Bridge in background with white characters.	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123	Valid
Minnesota		circa 2000–2008	blue on reflective white with lake scene graphic, «Explore Minnesota; 10,000 lakes»; second slogan displayed in small blue gradient across bottom of plate	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-123	Being replaced on a seven-year rolling basis.
	2008–2009	black on reflective white with lake scene graphic, «Explore Minnesota; 10,000 lakes»	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	123-ABC
Mississippi	none
Missouri	none
Montana		2006–2009	black on gray and white gradient with mountain graphic; «Big Sky Country»	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	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) 0-12345A (variable number of digits following divider)	Valid if permanently registered.
Nebraska	none
Nevada			white on blue		A12345, AB1234, ABC123, 123ABC
New Hampshire	none
New Jersey		1959–1969; 1970–1973	black on tan, non-reflective, state abbreviated «N. J.»		ABC-123	Valid.
	1969–1970	black on tan, reflective, state abbreviated «N. J.»		ABC-123
	1973–1977	black on tan, non-reflective, state abbreviated «N. J.»		123-ABC
	1977–1979	black on tan, non-reflective, full state name		123-ABC
	1979–1985	buff on blue, non-reflective		123-ABC
	1985		ABC-123
	1985–1992		ABC-12D
	1992–1993	black on yellow and white gradient, reflective, sticker boxes		ABC1234
	1993–1999		AB-123D
	1999–2007		ABC-12D[39]
New Mexico		1999–2010	Land of Enchantment hot air balloon	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	NM1234 1NM234 12NM34 123NM4 1234NM AB 123 ABC123	Valid.
New York		2001–2010	dark blue on reflective white with blue bars (upper blue bar has the state name over a skyline of Niagara Falls, the Adirondack Mountains, and New York City; lower bar includes the words «The Empire State» in white)	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234[40]	Valid.
	2010-2020	dark blue on reflective gold	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234	Valid.
North Carolina		2007–2011	red on reflective white with blue and red graphics, «First in Flight»		ABC-1234	Valid.
North Dakota		1993–2015	black on light blue gradient fade with prairie scene graphic, «Discover The Spirit»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-123	Valid through 2016
Northern Marianas Islands	none
Ohio		1996–1998	dark blue on gold gradient fade «The Heart of it All»		ABC 1234	Valid.
	1998–2001	dark blue on gold gradient fade «The Birthplace of Aviation»		ABC 1234
	2001–2003	red, white, and blue «Ohio Bicentennial»		AB12CD
	2004–2010	dark blue on reflective white with state seal («Sunburst») graphic and red and blue bars		ABC 1234
	2010–2013	«Beautiful Ohio»: dark blue on rolling hills with farm, distant skyline, and airborne biplane		ABC 1234
Oklahoma		2009 — 2016	«Native America»: dark red on white and blue with photograph of Sacred Rain Arrow sculpture	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	123ABC	Valid until expiration.
Oregon		1956–1959	gold on blue		1A-1234	Valid.
	1959–1964	gold on blue with «Pacific Wonderland» slogan
	1964–1974	gold on blue		ABC 123 (A—M corresponds to January–December, skipping I)
	1974–1988	blue on gold		ABC 123 (A—M corresponds to January–December, skipping I; N and later series had no month correlation)
	1988–1989	blue on light green Douglas Fir tree and mountain graphic		ABC 123 (A—M corresponds to January–December, skipping I, N-series had no month correlation)
Pennsylvania		1999–2004	blue on blue, white and yellow gradient, «www.state.pa.us»		ABC-1234	Valid if retained by current owner on current vehicle. May not be transferred to new vehicle.
Puerto Rico		1986–2007	Standard issue black on reflective white with Fortaleza graphic, «Isla del Encanto»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123	valid
		Optional issue black on reflective flag graphics, «Cincuentenario 1952–2002»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123
	2007–2011	Standard issue black on reflective blue with Fortaleza graphic, «Isla del Encanto»	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123 ABC-123
Rhode Island	none
South Carolina		summer 2008 – December 2015	Standard issue travel2sc.com black on orange, white, and blue gradient with palmetto tree in center	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123
South Dakota	none
Tennessee	none
Texas		2009–2012	black on Davis Mountains and sky background with a lone star and streaks of red and blue in the upper-left corner	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	AB1-C234	Valid.
U.S. Virgin Islands	none
Utah		1972–1985	black on white	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 123 ABC-123	Valid.
	1985–2008	blue on white with skier graphic, «Ski Utah!», and «Greatest Snow on Earth»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	123 ABC
	1992–2008	dark blue on Delicate Arch background; «Centennial»	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	123 ABC[29]
	2002	2002 Winter Olympics commemorative plate with snowflake logo above «Salt Lake 2002» and the Olympic rings; «Olympic Winter 2002»[41]	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	123A4
Vermont	none
Virginia		1979–1994	dark blue on white with blue state name in sentence case	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234 (1994) ABC-123 (1979–1993)	Valid.
	1994 – July 2002; 2007 – February 28, 2014	dark blue on white with blue state name in all capital letters	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234[42]
	July 2002 – 2006	400th Anniversary	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC-1234
	2006–2007	Jamestown America’s 400th Anniversary	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting
Washington	none
West Virginia		December 2002 – early 2006	blue on reflective white with state name in dark blue bar, «Wild, Wonderful / www.callwv.com»		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)	Valid.
Wisconsin	none
Wyoming	none

Diplomatic license plates[edit]

Diplomatic license plates are issued by the United States Department of State to accredited diplomats.

Prior to 1984 license plates for diplomatic vehicles were provided by the jurisdiction where the foreign mission was located. The District of Columbia provided license plates for missions headquartered in the capital, and New York provided plates for members of the United Nations, etc. Upon passage of the Foreign Missions Act in 1984 registration authority for foreign mission vehicles was centralized with the U.S. Department of State.^{[43][44][45][46]}

From 1984 until August 28, 2007, all plates issued followed the pattern of a letter identifying the status of the owner, followed by the two-letter country code, followed by a random three or four-digit number (S AB 1234). For member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS), a subset of that numbering pattern was allotted to vehicles based at those countries’ missions to the OAS. Plates issued to cars based at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City were issued in the reverse format, with the three or four-digit number first, followed by the two-letter country code, followed by the status code (1234 AB S).

The location of the status codes, either as the first or last character, allows the city of assignment to be easily identified because representatives of certain countries are limited to travel in a certain radius from their base. The status codes used until 2007 were «C» for Foreign Consul; «D» for Diplomat; «S» for Non-Diplomatic Staff; and «A» for the OAS. Status codes used for U.N. personnel until 2007 were «A» for the U.N. Secretariat; «D» for U.N. missions and diplomatic personnel; and «S» for U.N. Staff. The rights of the driver and car under diplomatic immunity are defined by this status code.

The country codes are unique to each particular country, but do not correlate to ISO Country Codes or other standards format. For example, in the system used until 2007, France is «DJ» rather than «F», and Australia is «XZ» rather than «AUS».

Diplomatic License Plates

Jurisdiction	Image	Dates issued	Type	Plate style	Serial format	Status
U.S. Dept. of State		1984 – December 31, 2008	Standard issue; red, white, and blue background with «DIPLOMAT», «CONSUL» or blank at top, and black serial centered on a white background	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	A AB1234 A 12345 1234AA A 12345 A	Expired
U.S. Dept. of State		Unknown – December 31, 2008	Standard issue; red, white, and blue background with «DIPLOMAT», «CONSUL» or blank at top, and blue serial centered on a white background	Screened serial; Reflective sheeting	A AB1234 A 12345 1234AA A 12345 A	Expired
U.S. Dept. of State		August 28, 2007 — Current	Standard issue; black serial on sky blue background, concave curved red top with the Dept. of State seal, «DIPLOMAT», «CONSUL» or blank at top center, and Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) logo	Embossed serial; Reflective sheeting	ABC 1234 A 123456 1234 ABC 123456 A	Valid

U.S. diplomatic plate country codes
Codes	Country or Organization
AA	Congo
AB	Taiwan (Issued with «E» status code)[47][48]
AC	Ivory Coast
AE	Uzbekistan
AF	Japan
AH	Madagascar
AJ	Panama
AK	Cape Verde
AQ	Syria
AU	Uganda
AV	Israel
AW	African Union
AX	Marshall Islands
BL	South Africa
BV	Solomon Islands
BW	World Bank
BY	Solomon Islands
BZ	Iraq
CB	Cambodia
CC	Ethiopia
CE	Moldova
CG	Marshall Islands
CK	Namibia
CM	Micronesia
CN	International Organization
CS	Afghanistan
CT	Bhutan
CU	Botswana
CV	Myanmar (Burma)
CW	Cameroon
CX	Burundi
CY	China
DA	Colombia
DB	Costa Rica
DC	Cuba (UN only)
DD	Cyprus
DF	Dominican Republic
DG	Ecuador
DH	Ivory Coast
DI	South Africa
DJ	France
DK	Greece
DL	India
DM	Iran (UN only)
DN	Denmark
DP	Bangladesh
DR	Slovakia
DZ	Palau
FC	Soviet Union (discontinued)
FF	Antigua & Barbuda
FG	Central African Republic
FH	Ireland
FJ	Lebanon
FK	Kenya
FL	Liberia
FM	Libya
FN	Malta
FP	Morocco
FR	Philippines
FS	Netherlands
FT	Qatar
FV	Sri Lanka
FW	Vatican City
FX	Sierra Leone
FZ	Suriname
GC	Sweden
GD	Ukraine
GE	Azerbaijan
GG	Zambia
GM	Turkey
GN	Turkey
GP	Albania
GQ	North Korea (UN only)
GX	Vanuatu
GY	Chile
HB	Tonga
HD	Argentina
HL	Saint Lucia
HM	Andorra
HN	Mongolia
HV	Belgium
HW	Guatemala
HX	Benin
HY	Guinea-Bissau
HZ	Haiti
JB	Honduras
JC	Kuwait
JD	Mauritius
JF	Nigeria
JG	Portugal
JH	Somalia
JJ	Chad
JK	Turkey
JM	Unknown (seen in Friendship Heights in April 2022);  Yugoslavia (discontinued)
JP	Tunisia
JQ	Togo
JS	Slovenia
JT	Croatia
JY	Cyprus
KB	Monaco
KD	Eritrea
KE	Georgia
KG	Equatorial Guinea
KH	Hungary
KJ	Lithuania
KK	Fiji
KL	Jordan
KM	Jamaica
KN	Gabon
KP	Luxembourg
KQ	Israel
KR	Malaysia
KS	Mexico
KT	Namibia
KU	São Tomé and Príncipe
KV	Saudi Arabia
KW	Seychelles
KX	Sudan
LC	Venezuela
LD	Vietnam
LG	Turkey
LH	Israel
LJ	Israel
LK	European Economic Communities
LM	Macedonia
LN	Saudi Arabia
LR	Bosnia-Herzegovina
LW	Germany
MF	International Monetary Fund
MG	United Kingdom
MK	Djibouti
ML	Diego Garcia
MN	Comoros
MP	Bahamas
MW	Maldives
NA	Oman
NB	Papua New Guinea
NC	Paraguay
ND	Romania
NQ	Angola
NX	Malaysia
PA	Austria
PB	Barbados
PC	Belize
PD	United Kingdom
PF	Bolivia
PG	Belarus
PH	Czech Republic
PI	Israel
PK	Norway
PL	Chile
PM	Brunei
PR	Argentina
PS	Zimbabwe
PV	Democratic Republic of the Congo
QA	Yemen
QD	Burkina Faso
QL	St. Kitts & Nevis
QM	Bulgaria
QN	Laos
QP	Latvia
QQ	Lesotho
QR	Malawi
QS	Mozambique
QT	New Zealand
QU	Nicaragua
QV	Niger
QW	Poland
QX	Pakistan
QX	Iran (DC only)
QY	Yemen
QZ	Indonesia
RB	Rwanda
RC	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
RD	Senegal
RJ	African Union Mission (seen in DC 2017 park outside African Union Mission)
RL	Uruguay
RM	Unknown, Seen DC July 2013
RO	Romania
RQ	Unknown, Seen DC February 2011
RV	San Marino
SF	Czech Republic
SG	Israel
ST	Dominica
SX	Soviet Union (discontinued)
TC	Mali
TF	Algeria,  Iraq (DC Only)
TG	Canada
TH	Egypt
TJ	Germany
TK	Liechtenstein
TL	El Salvador
TM	Iceland
TN	Nepal
TP	Mauritania
TQ	Mali
TR	Italy
TS	Iraq (UN only)
TT	Guyana
TU	Guinea
TV	Ghana
TW	Gambia
TX	Finland
TY	Grenada
TZ	Peru
UA	Bahrain
UF	Estonia
UH	Spain
UX	Trinidad & Tobago
VF	Thailand
VG	Tanzania
VH	Switzerland
VJ	Brazil
VK	Singapore
VL	Swaziland
VM	Nauru
WB	United Arab Emirates
WD	South Korea
WM	Samoa
WZ	United Kingdom
XA	Bangladesh
XC	Fiji
XD	Myanmar (Burma)
XE	Ghana
XF	Turkey
XG	Norway
XY	Ireland
XZ	Australia
YA	Armenia
YJ	Tajikistan
YK	Kazakhstan
YM	Moldova
YR	Russia
YT	Turkmenistan
YY	Kyrgyzstan
YZ	Azerbaijan

See also[edit]

• Canadian licence plate designs and serial formats

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Website for Automobile License Plate Collectors’ Association
• License Plates of North America, 1969–Present