License Plate News

[The Nature Boy]

That is hilariously awful, holy shit.

And to think Pacific Wonderland is one of the best plate designs ever. Get it together, Oregon.

Eh.  Color me one of the ones that thinks it's kinda cool.  Legible and interesting.

I disagree completely. The white typeface disappears into the design on the left, and the "n" in Oregon disappears into the mountain.

The background is incredible, but it does not belong on a license plate. It's simply too complex.

I agree with jakeroot.  It's not supposed to be a f***ing advertisement for tourism, but that's what a lot of license plates have become.

"Pure Michigan" and "MyFlorida.com" are the biggest offenders here.

[jakeroot]

That is hilariously awful, holy shit.

And to think Pacific Wonderland is one of the best plate designs ever. Get it together, Oregon.

Eh.  Color me one of the ones that thinks it's kinda cool.  Legible and interesting.

I disagree completely. The white typeface disappears into the design on the left, and the "n" in Oregon disappears into the mountain.

The background is incredible, but it does not belong on a license plate. It's simply too complex.

I agree with jakeroot.  It's not supposed to be a f***ing advertisement for tourism, but that's what a lot of license plates have become.

"Pure Michigan" and "MyFlorida.com" are the biggest offenders here.

Although the whole idea of tourism-focused plates isn't a thing I love either, neither of those plates are bad designs. Both are easy to read (minus the Mackinac Bridge design) with strongly-contrasting backgrounds, which is of utmost importance with a plate. The new Oregon Trust plate is, simply, not readable and the background blends too much with the numbering.

California is another example of a state with a URL that is actually totally amazing, an absolutely classic design. I love the old block lettering and would love to see it return, but the current plate is still great even with the "DMV" URL.

Can't remember if I mentioned it before, but I will say it again in the event that I didn't: pictures are not designs.

[catch22]

I saw my first blue Michigan plate today.  The state name and slogan are printed and the plate number is embossed. It looks like the sticker is supposed to go in the bottom right given the small white imprint.

[thenetwork]

Beginning in 2022 on Colorado:  Once you get rid of your vehicle, that particular standard-issue license plate cannot be used again...unless you pay extra as it then becomes a "Vanity Plate".

https://denvergazette.com/news/local/colorado-law-to-require-new-license-plates-when-vehicle-is-sold-transferred/article_1bd178a2-602c-11ec-a1a1-7faef2517acb.html

[Rothman]

Beginning in 2022 on Colorado:  Once you get rid of your vehicle, that particular standard-issue license plate cannot be used again...unless you pay extra as it then becomes a "Vanity Plate".

https://denvergazette.com/news/local/colorado-law-to-require-new-license-plates-when-vehicle-is-sold-transferred/article_1bd178a2-602c-11ec-a1a1-7faef2517acb.html

Been this way in NY for a long while.

[OCGuy81]

Does anybody know what the next move for California plates will be?? According to The High Road, the current registration is in the 8Zxxxxx. I thought I read on here they wouldn't be using 9.

[jdbx]

Does anybody know what the next move for California plates will be?? According to The High Road, the current registration is in the 8Zxxxxx. I thought I read on here they wouldn't be using 9.

They probably won't use 9 because 9 is used for heavy commercial trucks like tractors.

My bet is that after 8ZZZ999 they flip to 000AAA1 followed by 001AAA1, 002AAA1 similar to how they did for commercial vehicles.  Once 8Z99999 was passed, it went to 00000A1, 00001A1, 00002A1 etc.

What is wild to me is that the same basic design has now been in use since 1994, save for very slight changes (like the DMV url)

[jakeroot]

What is wild to me is that the same basic design has now been in use since 1994, save for very slight changes (like the DMV url)

Heck, minus the font, the only thing that has ever changed about modern California plates is the background color. The exception being the briefly-standard Golden State plate in 1987, with its extra decoration.

[BakoCondors]

Does anybody know what the next move for California plates will be?? According to The High Road, the current registration is in the 8Zxxxxx. I thought I read on here they wouldn’t be using 9.

They probably won't use 9 because 9 is used for heavy commercial trucks like tractors.

My bet is that after 8ZZZ999 they flip to 000AAA1 followed by 001AAA1, 002AAA1 similar to how they did for commercial vehicles.  Once 8Z99999 was passed, it went to 00000A1, 00001A1, 00002A1 etc.

I hope not. The reversed number/letter blocks annoy me. I was hoping to find out firsthand, having recently bought a new car but I got 8YV---- 

[mgk920]

I would like to see California go to both the 'LLLL-NNN numbering format that is now used in Ontario AND to the "license plates stay with the cars' owners" scheme that most states use instead of the current "Stay with the car" and the numbers are retired when the car is scrapped or noved out of the state as is now used in California.

Mike

[jakeroot]

I would like to see California go to both the 'LLLL-NNN numbering format that is now used in Ontario AND to the "license plates stay with the cars' owners" scheme that most states use instead of the current "Stay with the car" and the numbers are retired when the car is scrapped or noved out of the state as is now used in California.

I don't see the issue with the plates staying with the car. It's a system used in many other places outside the US.

[Scott5114]

It's better than the old Oklahoma system of "license plates stay with the car, except sometimes when you buy a car the tag agency sometimes says you have to get a new one, and sometimes you can keep the plate that was on it".

[GCrites]

Plates "stay with the owner" can create a weird secondary market for plates like you see in the UK where some plates are worth over 1 million Pounds.

[kalvado]

Plates "stay with the owner" can create a weird secondary market for plates like you see in the UK where some plates are worth over 1 million Pounds.

Plates stay with the owner works in many US states. It really helps that custom plates with an arbitrary message are just a few dollars more than regular ones - so anyone can pay and get a really unique plate to their liking.

[OCGuy81]

Does anybody know what the next move for California plates will be?? According to The High Road, the current registration is in the 8Zxxxxx. I thought I read on here they wouldn't be using 9.

They probably won't use 9 because 9 is used for heavy commercial trucks like tractors.

My bet is that after 8ZZZ999 they flip to 000AAA1 followed by 001AAA1, 002AAA1 similar to how they did for commercial vehicles.  Once 8Z99999 was passed, it went to 00000A1, 00001A1, 00002A1 etc.

I hope not. The reversed number/letter blocks annoy me. I was hoping to find out firsthand, having recently bought a new car but I got 8YV---- 

I think a straight ABC1234 would work just fine.

[MATraveler128]

Quick question regarding Massachusetts plates. I understand that the last digit is the registration month and that plates ending in 0 expire in October. I haven't seen a new October issue since January 2020. All plates issued in the Bay State issued after October always have September registration now with a last digit of 9. We are now onto 4AAA 19 through 4ZZZ 99 as of now. Has the state completely done away with October plates? It was bad enough seeing September plates issued in March. If so, then that means no more plates with the number 0.

[The High Plains Traveler]

Plates "stay with the owner" can create a weird secondary market for plates like you see in the UK where some plates are worth over 1 million Pounds.

Plates stay with the owner works in many US states. It really helps that custom plates with an arbitrary message are just a few dollars more than regular ones - so anyone can pay and get a really unique plate to their liking.

Though Colorado has now dropped that system, in favor of nixing the plate when the car is sold. The owner can keep it for nostalgia sake, but it can't be used on another vehicle again. The reason for the change was that the plates are losing their reflectivity after 5-10 years, though ironically the old white on green plates, issued 1977-2000, don't have a retroreflective layer and thus mostly remain quite visible. The paint used on the characters had reflective elements in it.

[kalvado]

Plates "stay with the owner" can create a weird secondary market for plates like you see in the UK where some plates are worth over 1 million Pounds.

Plates stay with the owner works in many US states. It really helps that custom plates with an arbitrary message are just a few dollars more than regular ones - so anyone can pay and get a really unique plate to their liking.

Though Colorado has now dropped that system, in favor of nixing the plate when the car is sold. The owner can keep it for nostalgia sake, but it can't be used on another vehicle again. The reason for the change was that the plates are losing their reflectivity after 5-10 years, though ironically the old white on green plates, issued 1977-2000, don't have a retroreflective layer and thus mostly remain quite visible. The paint used on the characters had reflective elements in it.

That's a bit different story. SOmeone may keep a car for 20 years, someone else trading them often. if 5-10 years is the service limit of a plate - and I totally believe in that - why not have plates with an expiration date of X renewal cycles; preferably with an option of getting same number on a replaced plate?
I already complained about NY trying (and failing) to do that is the most inconsistent and ugly way possible...

[jzn110]

I saw my first blue Michigan plate today.  The state name and slogan are printed and the plate number is embossed. It looks like the sticker is supposed to go in the bottom right given the small white imprint.

I was behind one in traffic the other night, and only the "Michigan" and "Water-Winter Wonderland" text was reflective. The serial number was not, and made the plate very difficult to read in the reflection of my headlights.

I assume that the serial numbers were supposed to be reflective but they screwed up in production, but if not, then I suspect they'll be fixing the design relatively soon like they did with the current Mackinac Bridge plate (switched the lettering from white to black and made the background lighter).

[roadfro]

Plates "stay with the owner" can create a weird secondary market for plates like you see in the UK where some plates are worth over 1 million Pounds.

Plates stay with the owner works in many US states. It really helps that custom plates with an arbitrary message are just a few dollars more than regular ones - so anyone can pay and get a really unique plate to their liking.

Though Colorado has now dropped that system, in favor of nixing the plate when the car is sold. The owner can keep it for nostalgia sake, but it can't be used on another vehicle again. The reason for the change was that the plates are losing their reflectivity after 5-10 years, though ironically the old white on green plates, issued 1977-2000, don't have a retroreflective layer and thus mostly remain quite visible. The paint used on the characters had reflective elements in it.

That's a bit different story. SOmeone may keep a car for 20 years, someone else trading them often. if 5-10 years is the service limit of a plate - and I totally believe in that - why not have plates with an expiration date of X renewal cycles; preferably with an option of getting same number on a replaced plate?
I already complained about NY trying (and failing) to do that is the most inconsistent and ugly way possible...

Nevada is also a "plates can stay with owner" state for most types of plates, although the plates are supposed to be surrendered to the DMV is not used on another vehicle with 30 or 60 days. I believe this is, in part, because Nevada has so many different types of plates that can come with extra fees. There are many charitable plates with different designs whose extra fees support various causes; there are plates for veterans, first responders, etc.; and a high number of personalized plates, including personalized charitable plates–I believe at one time, if not still, Nevada had the highest amount per capita of personalized plates in the U.S. So many of those wouldn't make sense to keep with the car and a new owner.

To combat the problem of wear and loss of reflectivity on license plates, the 2015 Nevada Legislature passed a bill implementing a rolling reissue program, which the DMV implemented in July 2016. The owner of any license plate more than 8 years old will receive new plates when they renew vehicle registration, even for special plates whose designs are no longer available. However, the classic pre-1982 blue plates, certain older replica blue plates, and the commemorative plates for Nevada's 125th & 150th anniversaries are exempt from reissue. (It's odd that the commemorative plates aren't reissued...many of the 125th anniversary plates still on the road date from 1989-1990 and are in pretty bad shape...) The rolling reissue implementation also roughly corresponds the timeframe of Nevada's return to embossed license plates (having switched to flat plates around 2003, IIRC).

[The High Plains Traveler]

Plates "stay with the owner" can create a weird secondary market for plates like you see in the UK where some plates are worth over 1 million Pounds.

Plates stay with the owner works in many US states. It really helps that custom plates with an arbitrary message are just a few dollars more than regular ones - so anyone can pay and get a really unique plate to their liking.

Though Colorado has now dropped that system, in favor of nixing the plate when the car is sold. The owner can keep it for nostalgia sake, but it can't be used on another vehicle again. The reason for the change was that the plates are losing their reflectivity after 5-10 years, though ironically the old white on green plates, issued 1977-2000, don't have a retroreflective layer and thus mostly remain quite visible. The paint used on the characters had reflective elements in it.

That's a bit different story. SOmeone may keep a car for 20 years, someone else trading them often. if 5-10 years is the service limit of a plate - and I totally believe in that - why not have plates with an expiration date of X renewal cycles; preferably with an option of getting same number on a replaced plate?
I already complained about NY trying (and failing) to do that is the most inconsistent and ugly way possible...

Minnesota replaces all license plates after they are seven years old. One advantage to this practice is that it allows the state to recycle license plate combinations in the LLL-nnn followed by nnn-LLL sequences. That avoids the need to use four letters or seven characters or resorting to a jumbled letter-number hodgepodge to get the needed combinations.

[GCrites]

Plates "stay with the owner" can create a weird secondary market for plates like you see in the UK where some plates are worth over 1 million Pounds.

Plates stay with the owner works in many US states. It really helps that custom plates with an arbitrary message are just a few dollars more than regular ones - so anyone can pay and get a really unique plate to their liking.

Though Colorado has now dropped that system, in favor of nixing the plate when the car is sold. The owner can keep it for nostalgia sake, but it can't be used on another vehicle again. The reason for the change was that the plates are losing their reflectivity after 5-10 years, though ironically the old white on green plates, issued 1977-2000, don't have a retroreflective layer and thus mostly remain quite visible. The paint used on the characters had reflective elements in it.

That's a bit different story. SOmeone may keep a car for 20 years, someone else trading them often. if 5-10 years is the service limit of a plate - and I totally believe in that - why not have plates with an expiration date of X renewal cycles; preferably with an option of getting same number on a replaced plate?
I already complained about NY trying (and failing) to do that is the most inconsistent and ugly way possible...

Nevada is also a "plates can stay with owner" state for most types of plates, although the plates are supposed to be surrendered to the DMV is not used on another vehicle with 30 or 60 days. I believe this is, in part, because Nevada has so many different types of plates that can come with extra fees. There are many charitable plates with different designs whose extra fees support various causes; there are plates for veterans, first responders, etc.; and a high number of personalized plates, including personalized charitable plates–I believe at one time, if not still, Nevada had the highest amount per capita of personalized plates in the U.S. So many of those wouldn't make sense to keep with the car and a new owner.

I always felt Illinois had a very high take rate on vanity plates in the '90s. Maybe they were really easy to get and/or cheap back then?

[Ted$8roadFan]

Quick question regarding Massachusetts plates. I understand that the last digit is the registration month and that plates ending in 0 expire in October. I haven't seen a new October issue since January 2020. All plates issued in the Bay State issued after October always have September registration now with a last digit of 9. We are now onto 4AAA 19 through 4ZZZ 99 as of now. Has the state completely done away with October plates? It was bad enough seeing September plates issued in March. If so, then that means no more plates with the number 0.

You may be right. I haven't seen any new October plates in a while, either. I bought and registered a new car last January and got a September-expiring plate when I (think) I would have ordinarily gotten an October plate. My brother registered his new car in September, 2020 and got an April-expiring plate.

[MATraveler128]

Quick question regarding Massachusetts plates. I understand that the last digit is the registration month and that plates ending in 0 expire in October. I haven't seen a new October issue since January 2020. All plates issued in the Bay State issued after October always have September registration now with a last digit of 9. We are now onto 4AAA 19 through 4ZZZ 99 as of now. Has the state completely done away with October plates? It was bad enough seeing September plates issued in March. If so, then that means no more plates with the number 0.

You may be right. I haven't seen any new October plates in a while, either. I bought and registered a new car last January and got a September-expiring plate when I (think) I would have ordinarily gotten an October plate. My brother registered his new car in September, 2020 and got an April-expiring plate.

Yesterday, I saw a new January plate issued to a Subaru at my work, series 4AAA 11, which proves my point.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Quick question regarding Massachusetts plates. I understand that the last digit is the registration month and that plates ending in 0 expire in October. I haven't seen a new October issue since January 2020. All plates issued in the Bay State issued after October always have September registration now with a last digit of 9. We are now onto 4AAA 19 through 4ZZZ 99 as of now. Has the state completely done away with October plates? It was bad enough seeing September plates issued in March. If so, then that means no more plates with the number 0.

You may be right. I haven't seen any new October plates in a while, either. I bought and registered a new car last January and got a September-expiring plate when I (think) I would have ordinarily gotten an October plate. My brother registered his new car in September, 2020 and got an April-expiring plate.

Yesterday, I saw a new January plate issued to a Subaru at my work, series 4AAA 11, which proves my point.

I wonder what will happen when the Commonwealth runs out of the NAAA NN format (9ZZZ 99)? Since we seem to be obsessed with the last numeric digit being the expiration date, that moment may be coming sooner rather than later.