Vehicle registration plates of the United States by year | ||
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Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1912 | Events of 1913 | Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1914 |
In 1913 Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and Montana and Nevada entered the prestate era. There were now 35 states and 3 territories that were issuing license plates and 8 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.[1][2][3][4]
In the table below, a light green background indicates that the owner of the vehicle was required to provide their own license plates. These plates are called "prestate" by most collectors. In the prestate era many states only provided the license plate number on a small disc or on paper, and the owner was required to have their license plate(s) made. These early license plates were created from kits that could be purchased at a hardware store, may have been available from automobile clubs or associations, they were forged by blacksmiths or other tradesmen, or the owner may have made their own plate with whatever materials they had on hand. Prestate plates were made from a variety of materials, but most often were made of leather, steel, or wood.
Legend: | Regular state issue plate(s) | Prestate era plate(s) | No plates issued by state or territory |
Image | State | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | ||||||
Alaska | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1921. | |||||
American Samoa | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1924. | |||||
Arizona | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1914. | |||||
Arkansas | ||||||
California | Last year for prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1914. | |||||
Canal Zone | ||||||
Colorado | First year for state issued plates. | |||||
Connecticut | ||||||
Delaware | ||||||
District of Columbia |
||||||
Florida | State issued plates begin in 1918. | |||||
Georgia | ||||||
Guam | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1916. | |||||
Hawai'i | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1922. | |||||
Idaho | First year for state issued plates. | |||||
Illinois | ||||||
Indiana | First year for state issued plates. | |||||
Iowa | ||||||
Kansas | First year for state issued plates. | |||||
Kentucky | ||||||
Louisiana | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1915. | |||||
Maine | ||||||
Maryland | ||||||
Massachusetts | ||||||
Michigan | ||||||
Minnesota | ||||||
Mississippi | ||||||
Missouri | ||||||
Montana | First year for prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1915. | |||||
Nebraska | Prestate plate made by owner with house numbers mounted on leather | None | 12345 | State issued plates begin in 1915. | ||
Nevada | First year for prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1916. | |||||
New Hampshire | ||||||
New Jersey | ||||||
New Mexico | ||||||
New York | ||||||
North Carolina | First year for state issued plates. | |||||
North Dakota | ||||||
Northern Mariana Islands |
No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1944. | |||||
Ohio | ||||||
Oklahoma | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1915. | |||||
Oregon | ||||||
Pennsylvania | ||||||
Puerto Rico | ||||||
Rhode Island | ||||||
South Carolina | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1917. | |||||
South Dakota | First year for state issued plates. | |||||
Tennessee | State issued plates begin in 1915. | |||||
Texas | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1917. | |||||
U.S. Virgin Islands | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1917. | |||||
Utah | State issued plates begin in 1915. | |||||
Vermont | ||||||
Virginia | ||||||
Washington | State issued plates begin in 1915. | |||||
West Virginia | ||||||
Wisconsin | Riveted aluminum serial on dark blue plate | none | 12345W | 1W to approximately 35000W | Last year of riveted plates. | |
Wyoming | First year for state issued plates. |