Vehicle registration plates of Pennsylvania

The U.S. state of Pennsylvania first issued vehicle registration plates in 1906. Until 1979, the embossed date or sticker on the plate represented the date of issue, as opposed to the rest of North America, where it represented the date of expiration. Currently in Pennsylvania, only rear license plates are used for all types except press photographer and official use.

Passenger baseplates 1906 to present

In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that fixed the size for license plates for vehicles, except those for motorcycles, at six inches in height by twelve inches in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Pennsylvania license plate that complied with these standards.

Only plates issued since 1999 are currently eligible for display.

First issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
1906	White on blue	none	12345	unknown
1907	White on red	none	12345	unknown
1908	Black on yellow	none	12345	unknown
1909	Black on white	none	12345	unknown
1910	White on black	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date.
1911	Black on yellow	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date. Both versions of the 5-digit 1911 plate are shown. The least common is the plate with the ragged edges. And the more common is normal.
1912	White on woodgrain brown	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA". Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date.
1913	White on green	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date.
1914	White on black	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA". Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date. Both versions of the 5-digit 1914 plate are shown. The least common is the space in between the last number. And the more common is normal.
1915	White on medium blue	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date.
1916	Black on orange	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date.
1917	White on brown	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date.
1918	White on black	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date.
1919	Red on black	none	12345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logo on left side between PENNA and date.
1920	White on black	none	123-456	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1921	Black on yellow	none	123-456	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1922	Brown on cream	none	123-456	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1923	Yellow on black	none	123-456	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name. Both versions of the six-digit 1923 plate are shown; most were 16 inches long, but late issues were reduced to 15 inches long.
1924	Dark blue on orange	none	123-456	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1925	Yellow on black	none	12-345	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1926	Dark blue on yellow	none	123-456	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1927	Yellow on black	none	1234	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1928	Dark blue on yellow	none	123-456	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1929	Orange on dark blue	none	123-456	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1930	Blue embossed lettering and border on yellow base	none	12A34	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1931	Yellow embossed lettering and border on blue base	none	12A34	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1932	Blue embossed lettering and border on yellow base	none	AA123	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1933	Yellow on dark blue	none	12345, A1234, etc.	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name. Both versions of the 1933 plate are shown; the more common version with Penna 1933 at the top, and the less common version with 1933 Penna.
1934	Dark blue on yellow	none	12A34, AB12, etc.	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1935	Yellow on dark blue	none	123AB	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1936	Dark blue on yellow	none	A1234	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Keystone logos on either side of date and state name.
1937	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	123AB	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Serial surrounded by the shape of the state of Pennsylvania.
1938	Blue on yellow with blue state outline	none	1234A, 12A34	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Serial surrounded by the shape of the state of Pennsylvania.
1939	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	12A34	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Serial surrounded by the shape of the state of Pennsylvania.
1940	Blue on yellow with blue state outline	none	1AB23	unknown	State name abbreviated "PENNA." Serial surrounded by the shape of the state of Pennsylvania.
1941	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1942	Blue on yellow with blue state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1943	Blue on yellow with blue state outline	none	1AB23	unknown	"43" tab over the 1942 license plate
1944	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1945	Blue on yellow with blue state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1946	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1947	Blue on yellow with dark blue state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1948	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1949	Blue on yellow with dark blue state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1950	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1951	Blue on yellow with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1952	Yellow on blue with blue state outline	none	1AB23	unknown	Both versions of the 1952 plate are shown; the latter version is narrower than the earlier one.
1953	Blue on yellow with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1954	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1955	Blue on yellow with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown
1956	Yellow on blue with yellow state outline	none	1AB23	unknown	Both versions of the 1956 plate are shown; late issues had serial dies with thinner strokes and larger alpha characters.
1957	Blue on yellow with yellow state outline	none	1AB23, 123456	unknown	Both versions of the 1957 plate are shown; late issues had serial dies with the six-digit characters.
1958	Yellow embossed lettering and infill around state border on blue base	none	12345 123-456 A12-345 123-45A 1A2-345 ¹		Keystone logo in center of lettering. Sticker validation through 1964.
1965	Blue on yellow with blue state outline	none	123-456 A12-345 123-45A 1A2-345 12A-345	000-001 to 999-999 A00-000 to Z99-999 000-00A to 999-99Z 0A0-000 to 9Z9-999 00A-000 to ? ¹	Sticker validation through 1970.
1971	Yellow on blue	Bicentennial State '76	123-456 A12-345 123-45A 1A2-345 12A-345 123-A45	000-001 to 999-999 A00-001 to Z99-999 000-00A to 999-99Z 0A0-000 to 9Z9-999 00A-000 to (middle nnn-Hxx series) ¹	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1971 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the only time Pennsylvania was so honored to date. Sticker validation through 1976
1977	Blue on reflective yellow	Keystone State	123-456 A12-345 123-45A 1A2-345 ABC-123	000-001 to 999-999 A00-000 to Z99-999 000-00A to 999-99Z 0A0-000 to 9Z9-999 AAA-000 to GZZ-999 (changeover to ABC-123 format occurred in October 1979) ¹	Sticker validation through 1983
1983	Reflective yellow on blue	You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania	ABC-123	HAA-000 to RZZ-999 ¹	Sticker validation through 1986. Slogan is grammatically incorrect.
1986	Reflective yellow on blue	Keystone State	ABC-123 ABC-1234	SAA-000 to ZZZ-999 AAA-0000 to Cxx-#### series - high approximately CEJ-####. ¹	Sticker validation through 1999
1999	Dark blue on reflective white with light blue on top and light yellow on bottom	WWW.STATE.PA.US	ABC-1234	DAA-1000 to approximately FYC-9994 ¹	Sticker validation through 2004
2004	Dark blue on reflective white with navy blue on top and yellow on bottom	visitPA.com	ABC-1234	GBA-0000 to present ¹	The letter "A" is not used in the second position.

Notes

1 Plus remakes of serials issued on previous bases.

History

In 1958, the state issued its first plate intentionally valid for multiple years, as the 1942 issue was revalidated with metal tabs due to wartime materiel restrictions. It was on this base plate that between 1960 and 1964 that special number plates for station wagons as well as passenger trucks such as the International Harvester Travelall, were issued classed as "Suburban," as was the practice in other states such as New York and Delaware.

1965 marked the issuance of a new base plate superseding the one first issued in 1958. There were no separate class of plate for station wagons on this base plate. This also was the final plate issued by the state that featured the outline of the state. These plates were valid until their replacement in March 1971 (it was then illegal to display the 1971 base until March 15, 1971, and illegal to display the 1965 base after March 31, 1971).

The commemoration of the bicentennial of the American Revolution was marked with the issuance of the 1971 base plate five years ahead of the actual event. The yellow on blue plates featured a representation of the Liberty Bell in place of a dash in the center of the plate with an embossed "BICENTENNIAL STATE ‘76" on the bottom, which caused a bit of confusion as to the actual expiry of the plate.

Beginning in 1977, a new base plate was issued, superseding the previous one. It was blue on yellow with an outline of a keystone used as a dash and "KEYSTONE STATE" replacing the anniversary motto on the previous issue. During the issue of this base, PennDOT changed from a March 31 expiration for all passenger cars to a staggered registration as the 1979 stickers expired in March 1980, which resulted in as few as 6 months registration (September 1980) to as much as 18 months (September 1981), and the fee was prorated for the actual length of the registration period. Unlike previous plates, these used reflective Scotchlite sheeting. These plates, when used over time, saw the yellow paint fade away.

Mid-1983 marked the introduction of a controversial plate, as it used a tourism slogan with implied religious ties to the Society of Friends, more commonly known as the Quakers. The slogan on the yellow on blue plates was "You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania." Issuance of these plates was quickly dispatched with once Bob Casey, Sr. took office and replaced them with ones saying "KEYSTONE STATE" as well as the old "Pennsylvania" dies (this dating back from the 1977-1983 plates and originally from the 1965-1971 plates); however, the plates were not recalled. These plates used a "filled in" keystone as opposed to the "hollow" keystone on the 1977-1983 plates. These yellow on blue bases plate also were reflective, however it was the embossed areas that were. This was done using glass beads in the paint as opposed to the Scotchlite sheeting of the previous base plate. In 1991, a fourth digit was added after the plates reached ZZZ-999, resetting itself to AAA-0000 and saw the use of a smaller keystone to make room for the extra digit. The keystone was recycled from both the 1958-1964 and the 1965-1971 plates as a divider.

In 1999, a new base plate was issued replacing all plates issued from 1977 onwards, starting with replacing the 1977-83 yellow base, then progressing through vanity plates, then blue 1983-99 plates by ZIP Code, starting with towns whose ZIP Codes ending in an even number (such as 18974) then towns whose ZIP codes end in an odd number (such as 17003). The last plates that were to be phased out carried an 8-02 expiration, with the exception of the limited-issue "We the People" 1987 plate, which continues to be valid with registration renewal. However, a very small number of blue-base plates somehow escaped PennDOT replacement and continue to be used with renewal.

The plates were similar to those issued by other states in their use of a gradient fade background (in this case blue on top, white in the center, and yellow on the bottom). The state placed its governmental website in place of a slogan, making the state the first government of any kind to issue license plates with a web address on the plate. This baseplate also used reflective sheeting.

At the time, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation requiring that a statewide replate be undertaken every 10 years because the previous base license plates had been on the road as much as 22 years, and had deteriorated to the point of being unreadable. Due to the Great Recession at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, that law was repealed in 2008 just in time to avoid the 2009 replate in order to save money.

In 2004, the base plate was tweaked by eliminating the gradient fade, changing the typeface used on the state name and slogan and switching from the state's official website to the state tourism website. A slightly larger, more defined keystone was introduced at that time. A slight change to the dies of some of the letters in the plate number, such as "B", "P" and "R", was made which made the letters slightly more narrow and the serifs more pronounced. Although the website appearing on plates was changed, there are still a considerable number of valid plates on the road bearing a URL that, until early 2015, pointed to a page that no longer exists. It now redirects to the official PA government page rather than the tourism site, which is found on plates issued since 2008.

As of 2008, the old "Pennsylvania" type dies used from 1965-1999 (except for the 1983-1986 "Friend" years) is still used on specialty plates such as emergency vehicles.

All passenger types issued from 1999 onwards are valid for display in Pennsylvania.^[1]

Temporary plates

Unlike many states that issue paper or cardboard temporary license plates with a new registration until the permanent registration and plates comes in, Pennsylvania almost always issues the permanent plate right away, with a temporary tag in the rear window indicating the exact date the temporary tag expires, upon which it is removed or when the full-year registration sticker for the plate comes in, whichever comes first. (Some cars do get issued a paper temporary Pennsylvania plate, usually by those who live out-of-state buying a car in Pennsylvania who need the temporary tag until the vehicle title is transferred to the state they live in.) Until April 2000, new plates had a "T" sticker to denote a temporary tag on the plate until the full-year registration came in the mail with the regular registration sticker. Pennsylvania adopted the current system to combat criminals making counterfeit "T" stickers. For plates that already had the "T" stickers but were not issued yet to vehicles at the time of the change, Pennsylvania gave car dealerships and notaries plain white stickers to cover up the "T" tags so that the plates could still be used.

Non-passenger types

^[1]

Type	First issued	Serial format	Notes
Antique Historic Car	1 12 123 1234 A123 AB12 12AB
Antique Motorcycle	1 12 123 A12 1A1 12A AB1 A1B
Antique Vehicle	A12B
Apportioned Bus	BN-12345
Apportioned Truck	AE, AF, (or) AG-12345
Bus	BA-12345
Circus-Carnival Truck	^B12345 _Z
Classic Car	12345, C12345
Classic Motorcycle	C/L 123
Collectible Motorcycle	CM123
Collectible Vehicle	CV 1234
Dealer	H, J, (or) K12-345H, J, (or) K	Both letters are the same.
Dealer - Farm Equipment	FE1234A
Dealer - Multi Purpose	MP1234A
Emergency Vehicle	EV-12345	Some plates have "Emergency Vehicles" legend.
Farm Truck	FM-1234A
Fire Department	FD-12345	All Fire Department plates have been recalled by PennDOT and replaced with Emergency Vehicle plates. No longer valid.
Fleet Transporter	FL1234A
Handicapped	P/D 1234A
Handicapped Motorcycle	P/D A12B
Hearing Impaired	HE-12345
Implement of Husbandry	IMP-1234
Limousine	LM-12345
Mass Transit	MT-12345
Moped	AB123
Moped Dealer	1234
Motor Home	HH-12345
Motorcycle	ABC12 12ABC
Motorcycle Dealer	123A
Municipal Government	MG-12345 12345-MG MG-1234A
Municipal Motorcycle	MG123 MG 12A
Official Use	PA-12345 12345-PA PA-1234A
Omnibus	OB-12345
Permanent Trailer	Previously PT-1234A Now PT-123A4	Series reached PT-9999Z in early 2015
Persian Gulf War Veteran	P/G 12345
Repair Towing	RT-12345
Repossessor	RE-12345
Salvage Yard	WL-12345
School Bus	SC-12345
School Vehicle	SV-12345
Special Mobile Equipment	Previously SME-123A Now A123-SME	Used by heavy construction equipment or other utility vehicles that are street-legal but not eligible for Truck or Apportioned plates.
Street Rod	1234 S/R
Taxi	2002	TX-12345
Temporary In-transit	2014	1234-567	Made of paper rather than embossed
Trailer	XAB-1234
Trailer Dealer	TD-1234A
Transporter	DT-12345
Truck	2000 - 2010	YAB-1234, ZBC-1234	Truck plates started with YAA-0000, reached YZZ-9999 in early 2011, new format started with ZBA-0000.
Watercraft Trailer / Dealer	WD12345

Optional types

Pennsylvania offers dozens of optional "special organizational" license plates.^[1] ^[2]

Type	Serial format	Notes
Air Force Cross	1234 A/C
Navy Cross	1123 N/C
Amateur Radio	call sign
Bronze Star	1234 B/Z
Bronze Star for Valor	1234 B/V
Bucknell University	B/U-12345
Combat Action Badge	0123 C/O
Combat Action Medal	6123 C/O
Combat Action Ribbon	4123 C/O
Combat Infantryman Badge	2123 C/O
Combat Medical Badge	8123 C/O
Commonwealth Court	C/C 1
Congressional Medal of Honor	ABC-CMH	Letters are initials of honoree
Disabled Veteran	DV-12345
Distinguished Flying Cross	1234 F/C
Distinguished Service Cross	2123 S/C
Expeditionary Forces	E/F 1234
Flagship Niagara²	F/N 1234 F/N 123A	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new optional license plate of 1995 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the second time Pennsylvania was so honored. Co-recipient with Texas. No longer issued due to poor visibility, but is still valid.
Fort Mifflin	12345 F/M
Geneva College	G/C-12345
Gold Star Family	G/S/F 1234
Harleysville Community Fire Co.	12345H/F
Harmonville Fire Company No. 1	12345P/T
Hartsville Fire Company	12345H/F
Heritage Jeep Alliance	12345H/R
Korean Defense Service Medal	12345 K/D
Korean War Veteran	K/V 12345
Little League Baseball	12345L/L
Lincoln University	L1234U
Motorcycle Vanity	varies
Mercedes Benz Club of America	12345 M/B
National MS Society	12345 M/S
Merchant Marine	1123 M/M
National Police Defense Foundation	12345 P/F
Navy Cross	1123 N/C
Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania	12345 P/P
Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran	12345 E/F
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran	12345 I/F
Passenger Vanity	varies
Pearl Harbor Survivor	P/H S1234
Pennsylvania State University	A12-34P
Persian Gulf War Veteran	P/G 12345
Press photographer	PP 123	Issued only to those with proper press credentials
Prisoner of War	POW-123
Purple Heart	P/H 12345
Retired Legislator	P/A 12345
Silver Star	1234 S/I
State Representative	H/R 123
State Senator	P/A 12
Steel Worker	S/W 12345
Superior Court	S/C 12
Supreme Court	S/U 12
Temple University	T1234U
U.S. Air Force Veteran	1234 A/F
U.S. Army Veteran	1234 A/R
U.S. Coast Guard Veteran	1234 C/G
U.S. Congress	U/S C 1
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran	1234 M/C
U.S. Military Airborne Units	1234 M/A
U.S. Navy Veteran	1234 N/A
U.S. Senate	U/S S 1
University of Pittsburgh	U1234P
Veteran	12345 U/S
Veteran Motorcycle	V1234
Vietnam War Veteran	V/W 12345
Villanova University	12345 V/U V/U 12345
We The People²	U/S 12345	Limited edition issued in 1987 only, but still valid with renewal.
Women in Transition Inc.	12345 W/T
World War II Veteran	W/W 12345

²No longer issued, but remain active for drivers who had the plates before they were dropped.

External links

References

1 2 3 Penndot brochure "License Plates of Pennsylvania" March 2007
↑ .

Vehicle registration plates of the United States

States	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Federal district	Washington, D.C.

Insular areas	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands

Other registration plates	Native American tribes Designs and serial formats

By year	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

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