Municipal license plates

[Scott5114]

In Port Aransas, Texas, there are a number of businesses that rent out golf carts to tourists to help them get around the island. These golf carts can be driven on public roads other than TX-361, including the beach (which is considered a public road for legal purposes). Accordingly, the City of Port Aransas licenses them and issues special license plates to them that bear the city seal. They're a little bit smaller than a standard plate, but otherwise look like a regular license plate, down to using one of the 3M fonts. The state of Texas is not involved with these license plates at all.

Are there any other municipalities that issue license plates for any sort of vehicle?

[ErmineNotyours]

Washington DC?

[allniter89]

IIRC  in the late 60's NC had smaller plates on the front of their car showing their city of residence?

[kalvado]

I am not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if local police cars plates in NY state are locally issued. Design and style are all over the place, with little similarity to state-issued designs. Just some examples:
Albany NY: https://imgvol.cdn.lcpdfr.com/uploads/monthly_2016_02/Ford_Crown_Victoria_Albany_Police_Department_(3233784426).jpg.e4dc2d3c64e2c3d05a94a986c7c01521.jpg
Albany county sherif: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/af/83/c5/af83c53bc50e0c23e117e2ca882f0405.jpg
Utica NY: https://imgvol.cdn.lcpdfr.com/screenshots/monthly_2018_03/271590_20180222155142_1.png.96272b235d1150180756b8eae1e69729.png
Saratoga springs: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8a/34/8e/8a348ed6bbac2e922721fd8a283a95e9.jpg
Saratoga county sheriff: https://10-75.net/img17/D75_9241.jpg

For comparison, NY state police plates, while distinctive,  look in style with some custom state plates: https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/state-trooper-fatally-shoots-man-in-orange-county.jpg

[kphoger]

In Queensland (Australia):  privately owned Hamilton Island.  Plates are not valid in Queensland outside the island.

In Liguria (Italy):  Seborga, population 300.  License plates are not valid, vehicles must display official Italian plates.

[1995hoo]

I don't know if the OP might include this sort of thing, but some Virginia localities used to issue a metal strip you attached above or below the license plate to indicate local registration and payment of taxes. This was later superseded by the "county (or city) decal"; most localities have now abolished those as well. Here's a post I made earlier this year about the issue: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24841.msg2409228#msg2409228

My father has an old Charlottesville strip somewhere at his house, but I don't have a picture of it and I forgot to look for it the last time I was over there. I did find this picture of a similar type of thing online. I wouldn't be surprised to find these sorts of things at antique shops because I've seen old license plates from time to time, but I don't visit antique shops very often, only if my wife (or, once upon a time, my mother) wants to go in (although I admit it was kind of cool to find cans of Billy Beer in an antique shop in Fauquier County once):

[SCtoKC]

I see tons of these around Kansas City on the Missouri side.  Cities and counties around here issue license plates for police, fire, and ambulances, as well as utility trucks and the like.

[Scott5114]

I see tons of these around Kansas City on the Missouri side.  Cities and counties around here issue license plates for police, fire, and ambulances, as well as utility trucks and the like.

I've never seen them–are they actually issued by the cities and counties? In Oklahoma, city and county license plates are issued by the state still, they just have a CITY or COUNTY notation and are issued from CI#### or CO#### number pools. They also don't have annual renewal stickers.

[SCtoKC]

I've never seen them–are they actually issued by the cities and counties? In Oklahoma, city and county license plates are issued by the state still, they just have a CITY or COUNTY notation and are issued from CI#### or CO#### number pools. They also don't have annual renewal stickers.

The ones that police/fire/ambulance get look similar to the state-issued plates, but say "Jackson County" or "Lee's Summit" (for example) on the plate, so they may be issued by MoDOT.  The ones in Kansas City for utility services look completely different and say "Kansas City" on the top and the service on the bottom.

[kendancy66]

I don't know if the OP might include this sort of thing, but some Virginia localities used to issue a metal strip you attached above or below the license plate to indicate local registration and payment of taxes. This was later superseded by the "county (or city) decal"; most localities have now abolished those as well. Here's a post I made earlier this year about the issue: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24841.msg2409228#msg2409228

My father has an old Charlottesville strip somewhere at his house, but I don't have a picture of it and I forgot to look for it the last time I was over there. I did find this picture of a similar type of thing online. I wouldn't be surprised to find these sorts of things at antique shops because I've seen old license plates from time to time, but I don't visit antique shops very often, only if my wife (or, once upon a time, my mother) wants to go in (although I admit it was kind of cool to find cans of Billy Beer in an antique shop in Fauquier County once):

I remember my father getting VA license plates like these in the late 1960's, along with a third smaller Fairfax County license plate just like in the picture.  I was under the impression that he got all three at the same time.  Would that mean that the state DMV issued all three at that time?  That would be different than getting a county sticker, which IIRC were obtained at the county office as opposed to getting the license plates at DMV.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

I have no clue how it worked because by the time I was born, my parents lived in Texas, and when we moved back to Virginia when I was 1 year old these sorts of plates were no longer used. My father doesn't remember details anymore (I asked him once)–just not the sort of thing that sticks in his mind almost 50 years later.

[kphoger]

I see tons of these around Kansas City on the Missouri side.  Cities and counties around here issue license plates for police, fire, and ambulances, as well as utility trucks and the like.

I've never seen them–are they actually issued by the cities and counties? In Oklahoma, city and county license plates are issued by the state still, they just have a CITY or COUNTY notation and are issued from CI#### or CO#### number pools. They also don't have annual renewal stickers.

The ones that police/fire/ambulance get look similar to the state-issued plates, but say "Jackson County" or "Lee's Summit" (for example) on the plate, so they may be issued by MoDOT.  The ones in Kansas City for utility services look completely different and say "Kansas City" on the top and the service on the bottom.

I was just up in KC last week for vacation, and I saw these license plates for the first time.  I don't remember ever seeing them before.  And I agree that the Kansas City ones look nothing like state-issued plates.  My oldest son is a license plate spotter, and he even noticed them as we were driving past the KCMO police department and Jackson County courthouse; tons of them parallel-parked along there.

[Bruce]

Somewhat similar: I've seen plenty of Native American nations and councils who issue their own license plates (albeit with state tabs). For example:

[TravelingBethelite]

I was looking for another thread, but thought I should drop this here. Columbia/Boone County issues their own license plates for municipal vehicles (police, fire, buses, etc). Can't find a good picture, but they have a blue to white transition with the text in the style of the Missouri custom plates, i.e. printed on instead of embossed, yeccch!

[GCrites]

I never really thought local police plates were that big a deal? In Ohio I think all of them have them, but I think they're mostly used as just the car number. Rather than painting it on the car they use the plates so that the cop can find their car. If they need to switch numbers they move the plates to another car rather than having to re-paint or re-stripe the car.

[Dirt Roads]

IIRC  in the late 60's NC had smaller plates on the front of their car showing their city of residence?

Yes indeed, but I don't know the timeframe.  Oldtimers here still display their old city plates in the front of their cars, especially for antique vehicles.  Which reminds me, our little unincorporated village of Efland is the center of the universe for antique vehicles.  A local group called Timeless Cruisers started an annual car show in 2001 and has smaller events at drive-in restaurants on most weekends.  The annual car show has grown so large that there is no place in Efland that can handle the crowd.

Back to town plates in NC.  My mind may be deceiving me, but it seems that certain places in Central Carolina are still "issuing" these plates.  I'm pretty sure that I see new plates from places like Mebane and Liberty on a regular basis, almost always associated with firefighters.  Perhaps even seen a few new ones from Hillsborough a while back.

[6a]

I don't know if the OP might include this sort of thing, but some Virginia localities used to issue a metal strip you attached above or below the license plate to indicate local registration and payment of taxes. This was later superseded by the "county (or city) decal"; most localities have now abolished those as well. Here's a post I made earlier this year about the issue: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24841.msg2409228#msg2409228

My father has an old Charlottesville strip somewhere at his house, but I don't have a picture of it and I forgot to look for it the last time I was over there. I did find this picture of a similar type of thing online. I wouldn't be surprised to find these sorts of things at antique shops because I've seen old license plates from time to time, but I don't visit antique shops very often, only if my wife (or, once upon a time, my mother) wants to go in (although I admit it was kind of cool to find cans of Billy Beer in an antique shop in Fauquier County once):

I remember my father getting VA license plates like these in the late 1960's, along with a third smaller Fairfax County license plate just like in the picture.  I was under the impression that he got all three at the same time.  Would that mean that the state DMV issued all three at that time?  That would be different than getting a county sticker, which IIRC were obtained at the county office as opposed to getting the license plates at DMV.

When i lived in Virginia you had to pay a personal property tax on your vehicle. After paying, you took the receipt to the county and got a sticker for the windshield. I'd always assumed these plate toppers were the older variation on that idea.

[TheCatalyst31]

A lot of cities in Wisconsin issued bicycle license plates until the 1980s or so. I know cities in some other states like Massachusetts did too at various points, but I know less about the details.

[kphoger]

A lot of cities in Wisconsin issued bicycle license plates until the 1980s or so. I know cities in some other states like Massachusetts did too at various points, but I know less about the details.

My bicycle has a license tag from River Forest, IL.  However, it's a decal and not a plate.

[cpzilliacus]

I remember my father getting VA license plates like these in the late 1960's, along with a third smaller Fairfax County license plate just like in the picture.  I was under the impression that he got all three at the same time.  Would that mean that the state DMV issued all three at that time?  That would be different than getting a county sticker, which IIRC were obtained at the county office as opposed to getting the license plates at DMV.

1.  By around 1970 most Virginia counties, cities and towns had converted to windshield stickers and dropped the tags.  I think the last ones I remember were issued by City of Manassas (but that does not mean that Manassas was the last jurisdiction to issue them).

2. I do not think that Virginia DMV or its predecessor agencies had any role in issuing the tags or the stickers that replaced them.

3.  I believe in most Virginia jurisdictions, these were issued by the Commissioner of Revenue for that county, city or town, and enforced by local police or sheriff's office (failure to display a valid one could earn the driver a summons).

4. As stated above, these were issued by the local governments to assure that personal property tax on the vehicle was paid.