BRITISH COLUMBIA PLATE TYPES - SUMMARY CHRONOLOGICALLY BY INTRODUCTION DATE
(Types researched through 1985)
PLATE TYPE EARLIEST SEEN BEGAN NOTES
Passenger 1913 1913
Dealer 1913 1913
Motorcycle 1913 1913
Trailer 1921 Not as of 1915
M/C Dealer 1953 Listed 1923
Foreign Motor Car 1924 1924 Only year issued
Sample 1924
Truck 1924 1924 Only year issued
Medical Doctor 1930 1930
National Parks Entry 1932
Dealer Extension 1933 1933 Only year seen
Commercial 1936 1936
Forestry Dept. 1938
Public Works Dept. 1938 1938
National Defence 1941 1941
National Defence M/C 1944 Listed 1942
Farm Tractor 1948 1948
Provincial Government 1948 1948
Utility Trailer 1955 1955
Industrial Vehicle 1957
Industrial Vehicle 1958
Unknown Type "CF" 1960 Only year seen
Farm Truck 1961 Reported 1960
Logging Truck(Quarterly) 1961
Prorate 1962 1962
Prorate Sticker 1962 1962
Amateur Radio 1963 1963
Transporter 1963
Vintage UND. 1966
Consul 1967 1967
Manufacturer 1968 1968? 1968 law reported
All Terrain Vehicle 1973
Special Agreement 1973
Repairer 1974 1974
Trailer Floater 1974 Reported 1972
Vintage M/C UND. 1978?
Personalized "JAN 81" 12/6/79
CAVR Sticker 1982 4/1/82
PERMITS:
Motor Carrier 1927 1927
Motive Fuel Permit "6/1/62" 6/1/61
Reciprocity 1962 1962
Municipal 1963 1963
Municipal Exempt 1963 1963
LETTER KEY: (All other letters/years are Passenger)
A Farm Truck 1961-85 K Commercial 1971
C Commercial 1936-71 N National Defence 1942-69
CA-CZ Commercial 1936-48, 1953, ND National Defence 1941-42
1955-64 P Prorate 1962-78
CL Special Agreement 1974-85 PF Forestry Department 1938
D Dealer 1913-78 PN Medical Doctor 1938-43
DX Dealer Extension 1933 PW Public Works Department 1938-48
E Provincial Government 1948 T Truck 1924,
F Foreign Motor Car 1924, Trailer 1927-48 (small plate),
Farm Tractor 1948-85 Logging Truck 1961-85
GR Special Agreement 1973-85 X Industrial Vehicle 1957-85
J Commercial 1965-71 XH Industrial Vehicle 1958-59
DETAILED NOTES ALPHABETICALLY BY TYPE:
Numbers began at 1 unless noted. Known assignments in bold.
Passenger colors; no type legend unless noted.
1951, 1953-54 full-size types in 1950 passenger design.
"19 BEAUTIFUL 71" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom 1971-78, type
legend top, "BRITISH ( ) COLUMBIA" bottom 1979-85 unless noted.
Non-passenger colors as follows unless noted:
1951 Blue/White 1972 Red/White 1976 Red/White
1953 White/Blue 1973 Black/White 1977 Black/White
1954 Yellow/Black 1974 Orange/White 1978 Green/White
1971 White/Blue 1975 Green/White 1979-85 Red/White
1951, 1953-54: Tab - Passenger, Commercial (1953)
Plate - Commercial (1951, 1954), Dealer, Farm Tractor,
M/C, M/C Dealer, National Defense,
National Defense M/C, Trailer, Motor Carrier
PASSENGER (See Passenger page)
ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE
Only seen 1973-74.
Below two plates are the only ones known; issuance uncertain.
LEGENDS: "B.C. - A.T.V." top, "EXP. 30 9 73" bottom 1973-74.
EXP. 9/30/73 Blue/White RD8100 (RD = Restricted)
EXP. 9/30/74 Black/White RD9300
AMATEUR RADIO
Began 1963. Passenger designs and colors all years.
1963 VE7AA - VE7ZZZ
CAVR STICKER
Canadian Agreement on Vehicle Registration negotiated 10/2/1980,
implemented 4/1/1982. Began 1982; stickers issued for CAVR
backing plate.
COMMERCIAL (See Truck page)
Began 1936.
CONSUL
Began 1967. Issued to members of diplomatic and consular corps.
Passenger designs and colors, "CONSUL" prefix 1967-85.
1967 501 - 600 (100)
1968 501 - 625 (125)
1969 501 - 700 (200)
1970-72 501 - 675 (175)
1973-78 101 - 600 (500)
1979-85 001 - 100, 601 - 999 (499)
DEALER
Began 1913.
LEGENDS: No legend, "D" prefix 1913-78,
"DEMONSTRATION" top 1979-85.
No province legend 1913, vertical "BC14" right 1914,
Passenger design 1915-50, 1952.
COLORS: Black/White 1913, White/Black 1914, Passenger colors 1915-50.
1913: #D1 - D150 ordered in sets of 5 identical pairs (750 P).
1914-29: Issued in sets of 5 consecutive numbers.
1915: #D1 - D625 ordered (625 P).
1918: 1,000 P ordered.
1939-73: Assignments roughly match registration figures, but
unknown if identical sets issued rather than multiples.
1920: 1-3-digits have dash after "D", 4-digits have no dash.
1965: D 624 has wide "D", D2-496 has normal "D".
1913 D128 1932 D-487 1951 D1600*
1914 D748 1933 D-951* 1952 D1900*
1915 D328 1934 1953 D2000*
1916 D116 1935 1954 D2000*
1917 D25 1936 D-416 1955 D2-000*
1918 D-936 1937 D-409 1956 D1-415
1919 TAB D-975 1938 D-108 1957 D-1498
1920 D1884 1939 D1000* D1080* 1958 D1-864*
1921 TAB D-706 1940 D-975* 1959 D1-437
1922 TAB D1807 1941 D-950* 1960 D-960
1923 D1800 1942 D-900* 1961 D2-441*
1924 D1505 1943 D-475* 1962 D2-033*
1925 D2000 1944 D-450 1963 D2-018*
1926 D2000 1945 D-450 1964 D3-100*
1927 D1102 1946 D-600* D-668* 1965 D3-100*
1928 D2500 1947 D-722 1966 D3-500*
1929 D2234 1948 D-999 1967 D3-500*
1930 D1049 1949 D1300* 1968 D3-800*
1931 D 967 1950 D1450
1969 D1-001 - D4-900 (3,900*) 1975 D 1001 - D 7000 (6,000*)
1970 D1-001 - D5-000 (4,000*) 1976 D10-001 - D23-000 (13,000*)
1971 D1-001 - D5-300 (4,300*) 1977 D23-134 - D30-646 (7,513*)
1972 D1-001 - D5-500 (4,500*) 1978 D37-201 - D45-200 (8,000*)
1973 D1-001 - D5-500 (4,500) 1979-85 D51-225 - D77-950 (26,726)
1974 D5-001 - D19-000 (14,000)
DEALER EXTENSION
Began 1933. Only year seen.
Issued to dealers for use only during January and February 1934,
as an option for those who couldn't yet afford 1934 plates.
1933 DX-349
FARM TRACTOR
Began 1948. Commercial design 1952, passenger design 1979-85.
All 1974, 1975 and 1976 bases revalidated through 1978.
COLORS: Orange/White 1974-78, Green/White 1979-85.
1959: F40, F4-697 have no tab slots, F3-099 has tab slots.
1948 F-750 F-831 1956 F3-510 1964 F6-700
1949 F1-700 1957 F2-385 1965 F4-775
1950 F1-700 1958 F4-269 1966 F5-000
1951 F2-000 1959 F4-697 1967 F4-400
1952 F2-300 1960 F3-319 1968 F4-300
1953 F2-500 1961 F5-000 1969 F4-000
1954 F3-000 F3-058 1962 F5-661 1970 F3-700
1955 F4-000 1963 F5-638 1971 F3-500
1972 F10-001 - F13-600 (3,600) 1975 F 15001 - F 16000 (1,000)
1973 F10-001 - F13-200 (3,200) 1976 F00-001 - F01-000 (1,000)
1974 F10-001 - F15-000 (5,000) 1979-85 F60-000 - F65-999 (6,000)
FARM TRUCK
Reported 1960. Earliest seen 1961.
All 1974, 1975 and 1976 bases revalidated through 1978.
LEGENDS: "( ) BEAUTIFUL ( )" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA 76" bottom 1976,
Passenger design 1979-85.
COLORS: Orange/White 1974-78, Green/White 1979-85.
1979-85: Type 1 - Quebec dies, Type 2 - Alberta dies.
1961 A7-933 1972 A60-001 - A76-600 (16,600)
1962 A6-423 1973 A60-001 - A76-300 (16,300)
1963 A5-321 1974 A60-001 - A85-000 (25,000)
1964 A12-825 1975 A85-001 - A90-000 (5,000)
1965 A13-725 1976 A00-001 - A15-000 (15,000)
1966 A14-000 1979-85 Type 1 A15-000 - A69-999 (55,000)
1967 A13-500 Type 2 A70-000 - A74-999 (5,000)
1968 A14-000 (TOTAL 60,000)
1969 A15-000
1970 A15-200
1971 A16-000
FOREIGN MOTOR CAR
Only issued 1924. Issued to non-resident passenger vehicles touring
British Columbia. 1924: Black/White, F 101 - F 200 ordered; F 107 seen.
FORESTRY DEPARTMENT
Began 1938 with "PF" prefix. None seen. No longer listed 1940.
INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE
Earliest seen 1957. Issued to special mobile equipment.
All 1974, 1975 and 1976 bases revalidated through 1978.
Passenger design 1979-85.
COLORS: Orange/White 1974-78, Green/White 1979-85.
1975: X 46676, X47 456 seen.
1979-85: Type 1 - Quebec dies, Type 2 - Alberta dies.
1957 X1-856 1969 X3-100
1958 X-908 1970 X4-000
1959 X865 1971 X4-500
1960 1972 X35-001 - X40-000 (5,000)
1961 X116 1973 X35-001 - X41-700
1962 X326 X42-531 (7,531)
1963 X1-122 1974 X35-001 - X45-000 (10,000)
1964 X2-000 1975 X 45001 - X 50000 (5,000)
1965 X2-500 1976 X00-001 - X10-000 (10,000)
1966 X3-000 1979-85 Type 1 X50-000 - X69-999 (20,000)
1967 X3-000 Type 2 X70-000 - X73-999 (4,000)
1968 X3-100 (TOTAL 24,000)
INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE "XH"Earliest seen 1958. Last seen 1959. Issued to special mobile
equipment, possibly with highway use priveleges?
1958 XH-896
1959 XH646
LOGGING TRUCK (QUARTERLY)
Earliest seen 1961. Issued to logging trucks over 20,000 lbs.
LEGENDS: "EXPIRES 31-5-61" (etc.) top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA 61" bottom 1961-62,
"EXP. 31-5-63" (etc.) top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA 63" bottom 1963-69, 1971,
"EXP. 31-5-70" (etc.) top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom 1970, 1972-83,
"EXP. 31.03.84" (etc.) top, "BRITISH ( ) COLUMBIA" bottom 1984, graphic base 1985.
COLORS: Black/White 1979, 2-29-80, 1981, 1983,
Orange/White 1980, 1982, 1984.
5-31 8-31 11-30
START T-1 T25-001 T50-001
1961 T4-939 T27-239
1962 T137 T26-340 T52-061
1963 T1-500 T26-264
1964 T2-600 T27-600 T52-600 (2,600 each)
1965 T2-000 T27-000 T52-000 (2,000 each)
1966 T2-000 T27-000 T52-000 (2,000 each)
1967 T2-200 T27-200 T52-200 (2,200 each)
1968 T2-100 T27-200 T52-200 (2,200 each except 2,100 for 5-31)
1969 T2-400 T27-400 T52-400 (2,400 each)
1970 T2-700 T27-700 T52-700 (2,700 each)
1971 T2-900 T27-900 T52-900 (2,900 each)
1972 T3-300 T28-300 T53-300 (3,300 each)
1973 T3-300 T28-300 T53-300 (3,300 each)
1974 T3600 T28-600 T53-600 (3,600 each)
1975 T4-500 T29-500 T54-500 (4,500 each)
1976 T5-000 T30-000 T55-000 (5,000 each)
5-31 8-31 11-30 2-29-80
1977 T10-001 - T15-000 T35-001 - T40-000 T60-001 - T65-000 (none)
1978 T15-001 - T18-000 T40-001 - T43-000 T70-001 - T73-000 (none)
1979 T19-150 - T21-181 T26-443 - T51-444 - T76-412 -
3-31 6-30 9-30 12-31
1980 T1-000 - T4-499 T29-000 - T32-499 T54-000 - T57-499 T79-000 - T82-499
1981 T10-000 - T13-499 T32-500 - T35-999 T57-500 - T60-999 T82-500 - T85-999
1982 T13-500 - T17-499 T36-000 - T39-999 T61-000 - T64-999 T86-000 - T89-999
1983 T17-500 - T21-499 T40-000 - T43-999 T65-000 - T68-999 T90-000 - T93-999
1984 T01-000 - T04-999 T44-000 - T47-999 T69-000 - T72-999 T94-000 - T97-999
1985 T2-8295 - T5-1073 - T5-3146 T7-8080 -
1977 (5,000 each)
1978 (3,000 each)
1979
1980-81 (3,500 each)
1982-84 (4,000 each)
MANUFACTURER1968 legislation reported. Earliest seen 1968. 1975 #2027 also seen.
LEGENDS: Vertical "BC" left, "MANUFACTURER 68" bottom 1968, 1975-78,
"MANUFACTURER" top, "BRITISH ( ) COLUMBIA" bottom 1979-85.
1968 701 - 1974 701 - 775 (75)
1969 501 - 700 (200) 1975 1 - 125 (125)
1970 501 - 675 (175) 1976 126 - 250 (125)
1971 501 - 600 (100) 1977 287 - 298 (12)
1972 501 - 600 (100) 1978 402 - 415 (14)
1973 501 - 575 (75) 1979-85 600 - 840 (241)
MEDICAL DOCTOR
Began 1930. Discontinued 1944.
Passenger plates issued in 19-000 number block 1930-37.
1930 19-000 - 19-999 (1,000) 1938 PN-1 -
1931 19-000 - 19-999 (1,000) 1939 PN-1 - PN-175
1932 19-000 - 19-999 (1,000) 1940 PN-1 - PN-575
1933 19-000 - 19-999 (1,000) 1941 PN-1 - PN-550
1934 19-000 - 19-549 (550) 1942 PN-1 - PN-550
1935 19-000 - 19-549 (550) 1943 PN-1 - PN-550
1936 19-000 - 19-499 (500)
1937 19-000 - 19-499 (500)
MOTORCYCLE (See Motorcycle page)
Began 1913.
MOTORCYCLE DEALER
Earliest listed 1923. (Not listed on 1915 plate order.)
Earliest seen 1953.
LEGENDS: No legend, "D" prefix 1923-78,
"B.C. ( )" top, "M.C./TRLR." bottom 1979-85.
1923 D100 1937 1951 D100* 1965 D300*
1924 D100 1938 1952 D 75* 1966 D300*
1925 D100 1939 D 30 1953 D 75* 1967 D400*
1926 D 50 1940 D 30* 1954 D 75* 1968 D500*
1927 D 50 1941 D 26* 1955 D 75* 1969 D600*
1928 D 50 1942 D 27* 1956 1970 D675*
1929 D 50 1943 D 15* 1957 1971 D700*
1930 D 30 1944 D 15* 1958 1972 D750*
1931 1945 D 15* 1959 1973 D750*
1932 1946 D 15* 1960 D36 1974 D2000*
1933 1947 D 25 1961 D3 1975 D600*
1934 1948 D100* 1962 D118*
1935 1949 D100* 1963
1936 1950 D100* 1964 D200*
1976 D601 - D1600* (1,000)
1977 D1-850 - D2-269* (420)
1978 D 2725 -
1979-85 D5-026 - D6-262, D-6389 (1,364)
NATIONAL DEFENCE
Canada entered World War II 9/10/1939. Began 1941.
Issued to vehicles owned by the Department of National Defence
and used by Canadian Armed Forces.
1942: ND-1 - ND-600 initially assigned. After ND-999,
it appears that the series may have continued with
ND-1A - ND-99Z, then N1-000 - N9-999.
Passenger design 1952.
Discontinued 1970; replaced by Canada "DND" plates.
1941 ND-75A 1951 N2-000 1961 N1
1942 ND-76J, N1-916 1952 N-24 1962 N136
1943 1953 1963 N20
1944 N2-710 1954 N-864 1964 N2-400
1945 1955 N1-444 1965 N2-400
1946 1956 1966 N2-400
1947 1957 N-345 1967 N2-200
1948 N8-000 1958 N739 1968 N2-200
1949 N2-000 1959 N769 1969 N2-200
1950 N2-000 1960 N-193
NATIONAL DEFENCE MOTORCYCLE
Listed 1942. Earliest seen 1944. Discontinued 1970.
1942 ND250 1952 1962
1943 1953 1963
1944 N1087 1954 1964 N 100
1945 N 438 1955 1965 N 100
1946 1956 1966 N 100
1947 1957 1967 N 100
1948 N 150 1958 1968 N 100
1949 1959 1969 N 75
1950 1960
1951 1961
NATIONAL PARKS ENTRY
Earliest seen 1932. Last seen 1936. All were issued from
Golden branch office and appear to be the lowest numbers of
that office's assignment. Possibly all were issued to trucks.
1932 30-026 - 30-056 (31)
1933 27-801 - 27-861 (61)
1934 29-251 -
1935 29-576 - 29-585 (10)
1936 CF-451 - CF-472 (22)
PERSONALIZED
Began 12/6/1979. Earliest seen "JAN 81".
Special graphic design issued for $75 extra fee for 5-year term.
2-6 characters allowed.
PRORATE
Began 1962. Issued to vehicles in Western Compact.
LEGENDS: "19 PRORATE 79" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom 1979,
"DEC PRORATE 80" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom 1980, 1982 Type 2,
"DEC 81" top, "BRITISH ( ) COLUMBIA" bottom 1981, 1982 Type 1, 1983,
"DEC.84." top, "BRITISH ( ) COLUMBIA" bottom 1984,
"Beautiful British Columbia" top 1985.
COLORS: Black/White 1979, 1981, Orange/White 1980, 1982,
Blue/White 1985.
1982: Type 1 - P27-050, Type 2 - P27-790.
1962 P302 1974 P15-001 - P17-000 (2,000)
1963 P-220 1975 P 2001 - P 4000 (2,000)
1964 P1-000 1976 P22-001 - P24-500 (2,500)
1965 P1-000 1977 P4-001 - P7-000 (3,000)
1966 P1-000 1978 P7-001 - P10-500 (3,500)
1967 P1-000 1979 P12-691 - P13-136 (446)
1968 P1-000 1980 P15-500 - P19-999 (4,500)
1969 P 500 1981 P20-000 - P24-499 (4,500)
1970 P 500 1982 P24-500 - P28-999 (4,500)
1971 P 500 1983 P29-000 - P33-499 (4,500)
1972 P20-001 - P20-500 (500) 1984 P33-500 - P37-999 (4,500)
1973 P20-001 - P20-600 (600) 1985 P38-000 - P42-999 (5,000)
PRORATE STICKER
Began 1962. Stickers issued for prorate backing plate.
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
Began 1948. Issued to all departments of the province.
Only seen 1948, Red/White, #E-574 - E1-024.
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Began 1938. Discontinued 1949.
1938 PW389 1942 PW850 1946 PW800
1939 PW694 1943 PW850 1947 PW800
1940 PW900 1944 PW800 1948 PW999
1941 PW900 1945 PW800
REPAIRER
Began 1974.
LEGENDS: "19 REPAIRER 74" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom 1974-78,
"REPAIRMAN" top 1979-85.
1974 R80 001 - R85 000 (5,000)
1975 R80 001 - R90 000 (10,000*)
1976 R 1 - R 3000 (3,000*)
1977 R3-537 - R4-336 (800)
1978 R6 367 - R8 072 (1,706*)
1979-85 R10-133 - R16-572 (6,440)
SAMPLE
Earliest seen 1924. (Verify 1925, 1928-29)
Bid solicitations for 1927-30 include "70 single Motor Vehicle
Number Plates", the same designation used for passenger plates
except not in pairs, assumed to be for Samples, since no other
types are unaccounted for.
1924, 1926-27, 1934-48, 1952 00-000
1930-33, 1955-69 000-000
1949-50 00-000, 000-000
1951, 1953-54 TABS 000000
1970-72 (Using any 3 letters) ABC-000
1973-78 SAM-000, 000 000
1979-85 SAM-PLE
SPECIAL AGREEMENT
Earliest seen 1973. Issued to logging trucks for operation only
on Highway 28 on Vancouver Island.
COLORS: Yellow/Light Blue 1973, 1975, Black/Tan 1974,
non-passenger colors 1976-85.
COMINCO GOLD RIVER
1973 GR 011 - GR 030 (20)
1974 CL 515 - CL 525 (11) GR 119 - GR 121 (3)
1975 CL 551 - CL 575 (25) GR 201 - GR 250 (50)
1976 CL 576 - CL 600 (25) GR 251 - GR 300 (50)
1977 GR 302 -
1978 GR 365 - GR 374 (10)
1979-85 CL-764 - CL-787 (24) GR-458 - GR-511 (54)
TRAILER
Earliest seen 1921. (Not listed on 1915 plate order.)
Issuance limited to commercial trailers over 1,500 lbs. when
Utility Trailer began in 1955.
Small size 1921-71, full size 1972-85.
LEGENDS: No legend 1921-48,
"TRAILER 49" top, vertical "BC" left 1949-71,
"COMM-TLR- 72" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom 1972-75,
"( ) COMM-TLR- ( )" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA 76" bottom 1976-78,
"COMM. TLR." top 1979-85 Type 1, "COMM-TLR-" top 1979-85 Type 2.
COLORS: Black/Yellow 1921, 1925, White/Black 1922,
Green/Yellow 1923, Black/White 1924, Yellow/Black 1926,
Passenger colors 1927-50, Black/White 1973-75,
Orange/White 1976-78, Green/White 1979-85.
1954: Aluminum 6881, steel 18007.
1971: Numbers began at 50001. No space 60827, space 70 007.
1921 66 1938 T3075 1955 10000
1922 516 1939 T4000* 1956 6287
1923 1000 1940 T3900* 1957 4281
1924 1000 1941 T4000 1958 9081
1925 1000* 1942 T4150 1959 5140
1926 1000* 1943 T4000 T4664 1960 13678
1927 T750* 1944 T4500 T4795 1961 3752
1928 T1000* 1945 T5000 T6174 1962 8775
1929 T750* 1946 T6800 T8324* 1963 11823
1930 T750 1947 T9500* 1964 12000
1931 T1159* 1948 T9500, TR510 1965 13000
1932 T 10 1949 10000 1966 14000
1933 T 164 1950 10500 1967 16000
1934 T 18 1951 11000 1968 16000
1935 T 87 1952 12000 13503 1969 18000
1936 T1941 1953 14000 1970 20000
1937 T2458 1954 16000 18007 1971 70000 70007
1972 200-001 - 226-000 (26,000)
1973-75 Type 1: No hyphen 175 120 - 196 716 (21,597)
Type 2: Hyphen 223-565 - 223-575 (11)
(TOTAL 48,456)
1976-78 000-01V - 800-00V (80,000)
1979-85 Type 1: "COMM. TLR." 000-01W - 556-47W (55,647)
"APR 84" Type 2: "COMM-TLR-" 856-16W - 978-81W (12,266)
"NOV 85" Type 2a 000-01Y - 250-00Y (25,000)
(TOTAL 122,881)
TRAILER FLOATER
Reported 1972. Earliest seen 1974.
LEGENDS: "TRAILER" top, "FLOATER 74" bottom, vertical "BC" left 1974, 1976-77,
"TRLR.FLOATER" top, "BRITISH ( ) COLUMBIA" bottom 1979-82,
same 1983 except "83" in UL corner, same 1984-86 except "84" in UR corner.
COLORS: Black/White 1974, 1976-77, 1983, 1985,
Red/White 1979-82, Orange/White 1984, 1986.
1974 50 451 -
1975 50-001 - 55-000 (5,000)
1976 55 001 - 57 000 (2,000)
1977 57-322 - 58-121 (800)
1978 57-761 -
1979-82 63-005 - 66-358 (3,354)
1983 76-039 - 76-172 (134)
1984 280-140 -
1985 282-420 - 283-723 (1,304)
1986 300-003 - 300-439 (437)
TRANSPORTER
Earliest seen 1963.
LEGENDS: Vertical "BC" left, "TRANSPORTER 63" bottom 1963, 1965, 1967-78,
"TRANSPORTER" top, "BRITISH ( ) COLUMBIA" bottom 1979-85.
1974: #433, 640, 821 - 861 seen, not 1 - 400.
1963 167 1969 250 1975 501 - 1600 (1,100)
1964 200 1970 300 1976 1-601 - 2-700 (1,100)
1965 T250 1971 350 1977 3013 - 3613 (601)
1966 250 1972 350 1978 4542 -
1967 250 1973 250 1979-85 5-388 - 8-754 (3,367)
1968 250 1974 400
TRUCK (See Truck page)
Only issued 1924.
UNKNOWN TYPE "CF"
Only seen 1960.
May have been issued to Canfor Forest products trucks.
1960 C/F 135 - C/F 3-881
UTILITY TRAILER
Began 1955. Small-size plate all years.
Issued to commercial trailers under 1,500 lbs. and all private trailers.
LEGENDS: "B.C.UTILITY" top, "TRAILER" bottom, vertical "55" right 1955-67, 1968 Type 1, 1969 Type 1,
"B.C.UTILITY 68" top 1968 Type 2,
"B.C.UTILITY 69" top, "TRAILER" bottom 1969 Type 2, 1970-73,
"B.C. 74" top, "TRAILER" bottom 1974-78,
"B.C. ( )" top, "TRAILER" bottom 1979-85.
COLORS: Orange/White 1974-78, Green/White 1979-85.
1968-69: Type 1 - 5-digit, Type 2 - 6-digit
1974-78: B06-142, B 74932, C01-800
1955 20001 - 35000 (15,000) 1969 25001 - 151000 (126,000)
1956 22375 - 32433 (10,059) 1970 25001 - 159000 (134,000)
1957 20291 - 42134 (21,844) 1971 100001 - 240000 (140,000)
1958 21527 - 45689 (24,163) 1972 300001 - 460000 (160,000)
1959 25163 - 31771 (6,609) 1973 300001 - 467000 (167,000)
1960 24297 - 57105 (32,809) 1974-78 226001 - 256000 (30,000)
1961 23 550 - 60 501 (36,952) 266001 - 500000 (234,000)
1962 31971 - 71812 (39,842) (1976) 40001 - 80000 (40,000)
1963 15334 - 35 732 (20,399) (1977) B00-001 - C50-000 (149,999)
1964 20001 - 88000 (68,000) (TOTAL 453,999)
1965 20001 - 95000 (75,000) 1979-85 500-000 - 999-900 (499,901)
1966 20001 - 99000 (79,000) (1983) E00-000 - E25-999 (26,000)
1967 20001 - 99000 (79,000) (TOTAL 525,901)
1968 20001 - 99999 101105 (81,105)
VINTAGE
Began 1966. Permanent undated Black/White plate issued in pairs
for $20 fee to vehicles at least 30 years old. "VINTAGE" top,
"BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom, antique car graphic left.
Wheel design changed with Types 3-5.
1966 Type 1: Large dies, square province name 7 - 936 (930)
1974 Type 2: Small dies, square province name 1036 - 1421 (386)
1977?Type 3: Small dies, round province name 1633 - 2440 (808)
1979?Type 4: Quebec dies, tall province name 2557 - 5485 (2,929)
1986?Type 5: Small dies, tall province name 6072 - 9535 (3,464)
VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE
May have begun 1978. Permanent undated Black/White plate issued
to motorcycles over 30 years old.
LEGENDS: "VINTAGE" top, "MOTORCYCLE" bottom, "BC" prefix.
1978? Type 1: Square dies BC 5 - BC 100 (96)
1979? Type 2: Quebec dies BC 136 - BC 264 (129)
(1986?Type 3: Graphic BC 400)
PERMITS: (All are small size plates)
MOTOR CARRIER
Announced in (Victoria) Times Colonist 7/26/1926.
Began 1927. Issued by Public Works Department 1927-39,
Public Utilities Commission 1940-on. Triangular plate 1930-34.
Pairs seen 1948, 1953-64.
Classes K-L discontinued 6/1/1958. Based on this date, and known
plates and registration figures, it is possible that sometime
after 1941 (which expired 2/28/42), all plates became fiscal-year
issues, i.e. 1957 valid from 6/1/57 to 5/30/58.
LEGENDS: "P.W.D." in UL corner, "1927" in UR corner, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom,
"SPECIAL" left, "PERMIT" right 1927-28,
"P.W.D." in UL corner, "1930" in UR corner, "SPECIAL" or "STAGE" over
"PERMIT" top, "B.C." bottom 1930,
"PUBLIC FREIGHT/LICENSE" top, "B.C./1932" bottom 1932,
"B.C. - 1933/P.C.LICENCE/FREIGHT" top 1933-34,
"B.C.-1935-C.L." top 1935-69 (class letter in octagon left 1935-49, 1950 Type 1,
class letter prefix 1950 Type 2, 1951-68),
"BRITISH COLUMBIA/1970 MOTOR CARRIER" top, "PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION" bottom 1970-71,
"BRITISH COLUMBIA/MOTOR CARRIER 1972" top, "PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION" bottom 1972-73,
"BRITISH COLUMBIA/MOTOR CARRIER 1974" top 1974 Type 1,
"MOTOR CARRIER 1974" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom 1974 Type 2, 1975-81,
"MOTOR CARRIER 82" top, "BRITISH COLUMBIA" bottom 1982-84,
"MOTOR CARRIER 85" top, "British Columbia" bottom 1985-86.
COLORS: White/Green 1927, Black/White 1928, Red/Yellow 1930 Special, 1932,
Passenger colors 1930 Stage, 1933, 1934, Black?/White 1935,
White/Red 1936, reverse Passenger colors 1937-50, 1955-66,
White/Blue 1951, Red/Aluminum 1952, Green/Aluminum 1953,
Black/Yellow 1954, Red/Pink 1962 Type 2, Black/White 1967,
White/Blue even years 1968-78, Blue/White odd years 1969-81, 1984,
White/Red 1980, 1982, Red/White 1983, Red & Blue/White 1985, Blue & Red/White 1986.
CLASSIFICATIONS: ("C.L." = Carrier Licence)
A Public Passenger Vehicle
B Limited Passenger Vehicle >7 passengers
C Limited Passenger Vehicle 1-7 passengers
D Public and Limited Passenger Vehicle
E Limited Freight Vehicle
F Limited Passenger and Freight Vehicle
G Public Freight Vehicle Class 2 (fixed route and schedule)
H Public Freight Vehicle Class 3 (no fixed route or schedule)
J Public Freight Vehicle Class 1 (used either as Class 2 or 3)
K Private Freight Vehicle Class 3 (for farm use)
L Private Freight Vehicle Class 1 (all others)
REGISTRATIONS:
A B C D E F G H J K L TOTAL
1940 162 67 496 146 701 12 198 1549 95 4095 5504 13025
1941 174 59 648 144 812 23 252 1551 145 4469 6231 14508
1942 156 63 591 148 848 33 203 1407 111 4587 6215 14362
1943 174 63 526 113 831 67 182 1285 100 4627 6351 14319
1944 196 61 600 117 825 80 192 1425 128 4914 6721 15259
1945 234 58 785 155 881 84 244 1587 129 5073 7351 16581
1946 251 63 1495 217 1095 121 295 2070 186 5204 8603 19600
1947 331 77 1900 256 1474 132 314 2402 190 5569 10099 22744
1948 238 41 1832 278 1441 176 331 2292 193 5830 11604 24256
1949 227 51 1823 336 1456 181 333 2424 234 6441 12528 26034
1950 172 64 1870 332 1652 152 359 2613 266 6916 13501 27897
1951 164 58 1714 350 1800 155 356 2625 323 7299 14661 29505
1952 128 54 1666 357 1900 150 380 2682 375 6987 15883 30562
1953 96 54 1583 341 1752 152 333 2918 411 6594 16316 30550
1954 98 55 1509 362 1843 146 287 2968 486 7330 17947 33031
1955 83 53 1521 349 2064 154 295 3282 593 7484 20436 36314
1956 85 56 1550 357 2321 185 295 3670 686 7555 23616 40376
1957 89 62 1501 328 2157 127 260 3695 725 5448 19135 33527
1958 83 66 1371 325 1987 111 249 3472 772 - - 8436
1959 79 68 1325 321 2115 114 207 3700 789 - - 8718
1960 78 77 1310 331 2033 104 192 4071 908 - - 9104
1961
1962 64 93 1268 849 2048 324 81 4692 1080 - - 10499
1963 24 96 1276 902 2143 477 62 5085 1144 - - 11209
1964 26 99 1259 927 2160 161 58 5554 1492 - - 11736
1965 38 137 1391 626 2158 81 57 5804 1676 - - 11968
1966 42 98 1331 531 1921 54 46 6740 1779 - - 12542
1967 43 168 1429 795 2009 48 42 6104 1945 - - 12583
1968 - -
OBSERVED PLATES:
1927 Special 50
1928 Special 76
1930 Special 336
Stage 254
1932 Public Freight 198
1933 P.C.Freight 371
1934 P.C.Freight 427
1938 X 20130
A B C D E F
1935
1936
1937 517 - 684 -
1938 407 -
1939 478 - 819 -
1940 869 -
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945 2417 - 4472 -
1946
1947 - 97 3032 -
1948 - 102 6411 -
1949 5924 -
1950 4129 - 6337 -
1951 2206 - 6793 -
1952 4321 - 5658 -
1953 - 47 3247 - 5379 - 6557
1954 5395 -
1955 2067 - 2264 5869 - 6900
1956 1053 - 3058 - 3086 5524 - 5927 13156 -
1957 4180 - 5750 - 6743
1958 2252 - 3254 4301 - 5035 -
1959 6696 -
1960 2957 - 5090 -
1961 1048 - 3184 - 5181 -
1962 - 57 1068 - 2570 - 4462 - 4750 6572 - 13064 -
1963 4072 - 4819 6611 -
1964 4176 - 4790 5351 -
1965 2877 - 4117 - 4561 5746 - 7108
1966 4062 - 4109 6555 -
1967 4587 - 4764 5623 - 6682
1968 4599 - 4690 6734 -
1962: Type 1 - Maroon/Pink D4479
Type 2 - Red/Pink D 4750
G H J K L
1935 4220 -
1936 2532 - 2733 5006 - 11767 -
1937 3459 - 7543 - 10260 -
1938 3016 - 4783 7609 - 16513 -
1939 3409 - 10008 - 19356 -
1940 3878 - 4444 11905 - 17484 -
1941 3338 - 8656 - 10079 19557 -
1942 9005 - 21221 - 22233 31644 - 33605
1943 21006 - 23259
1944 9002 - 9917 20715 - 22959
1945 10033 - 22791 - 36739 -
1946 9016 - 10141 20510 - 24719 38513 -
1947 20622 - 23619 36960 -
1948 8167 - 10181 - 21810 - 22055 34819 - 41404
1949 8312 - 9227 - 22334 - 22585 30248 - 42376
1950 9317 - 25718 - 30673 - 42784
1951 8344 - 9770 - 11578 23013 - 24330 32832 - 42294
1952 9670 - 20513 - 27088 30896 - 45512
1953 8002 - 9943 - 11656 22114 - 25204 30514 - 44955
1954 8032 - 9491 - 10256 14082 - 21339 - 25689 30533 - 46770
1955 8129 - 11117 - 11706 14215 - 21970 - 27171 30647 - 50084
1956 11198 - 12441 14090 - 20010 - 26460 33302 - 48605
1957 8121 - 9082 - 12294 14493 - 20708 - 24319 30448 - 49968
1958 8157 - 9686 - 12391 14135 - (discontinued) (discontinued)
1959 8100 - 9043 - 11590
1960 9052 - 11118
1961 10374 - 12824 14910 -
1962 9025 - 12203 14969 -
1963 12553 - 13845 14234 -
1964 9182 - 12962 14259, 15317
14484 -
1965 9560 - 15888 -
1966 9094 - 2119 -
1967 13937 -
1968 14285 -
1950: Type 1 - Small letter inside octagon L 30673 - L 40670
Type 2 - Large letter, no octagon L 42292 - L 42784
1969 4 - 13505 1978 1825 - 26614
1970 2-355 - 13-891 1979 3542 - 26374
1971 3389 - 10899 1980 3043 - 25263
1972 13 - 17-717 1981 718 - 32824
1973 259 - 18-768 1982 001 351 - 030 116
1974 Type 1 4091 - 14-692 1983 005-648 - 018-089
Type 2 19-435 - 1984 001-725 - 032-301
1975 1-271 - 21-237 1985 002-059 - 033-434
1976 1-339 - 15-153 1986 003-145 - 036-337
1977 454 - 17-288
MOTIVE FUEL PERMIT
Motive-Fuel Use Tax Act P 1960. Windshield sticker used 6/1/1961.
Plates began 6/1/1962. Last seen 6/1/1971.
The (Vancouver) Province, June 1, 1961:
"New 'plate' for diesel trucks"
"VICTORIA (CP) - Diesel fuel trucks will require an extra, special
license plate in B.C. under new provincial government regulations.
The new plate will replace windshield stickers currently issued to
trucks registered as paying motor fuel tax to the government. The
change here follows a United States ban on all windshield stickers
for trucks."
LEGENDS: "B.C. MOTIVE FUEL" top, "EXP.-JUNE-1-62" bottom 1962-69,
"BRITISH COLUMBIA" top, "EXP.-JUNE-1 70" bottom, "MF" prefix 1970-71.
EXP. 6/1/62 Black/White 1030 - 4231
EXP. 6/1/63 Black/Yellow 782 - 5112
EXP. 6/1/64 Red/White 1004 - 5967
EXP. 6/1/65 Green/White 3228 - 6667
EXP. 6/1/66 Green/White 217 - 812
EXP. 6/1/67 Red/White 2852 - 8647
EXP. 6/1/68 Orange/White 1 - 6307
EXP. 6/1/69 Green/White 4598 - 10790
EXP. 6/1/70 Black/Yellow MF 911 - MF12-864
EXP. 6/1/71 Orange/White MF 1743 - MF14151
MUNICIPAL
Began 1963. Issued to Commercial vehicles required to pay tax for
local road usage. Previously issued supplemental city plates.
Discontinued 1987; replaced by Municipal window decals.
LEGENDS: "B.C. - 63" top, "MUNICIPAL" bottom 1963-78, 1981,
"B.C. 79" top, "MUNICIPAL" bottom 1979-80, 1982,
"B.C. ( )" top, "MUNICIPAL" bottom 1983-86.
1963 Maroon/Pink 6612 - 58244
1964 Black/Light Blue 1 - 47258
1965 Black/White 694 - 56797
1966 Red/White 5760 - 60641
1967 Green/White 913 - 62380
1968 Orange/White 8398 - 60125
1969 Green/White 12309 - 62538
1970 Red/White 1571 - 54091
1971 Green/White 806 - 72007
1972 Orange/White 2645 - 68174
1973 Green/White 16576 - 89064
1974 Red/White 8319 - 85334
1975 Black/White 3875 - 86112
1976 Orange/White 1 247 - 86 221
1977 Green/White 649 - 77 739
1978 Black/White 4239 - 86098
1979 White/Brown 24390 - 74368
1980 Brown/White 17975 - 73532
1981 White/Brown 807 - 57316
1982 Brown/White 000 879 - 071 813
1983-86 White/Brown 002-010 - 098-754
1984 Maroon/White STICKER (BS)
1985 White/Red STICKER (BS)
1986 White/Yellow STICKER (BS)
MUNICIPAL EXEMPT
Began 1963. Issued to Commercial vehicles not required to pay
tax for local road usage. Discontinued 1976 as a result of an
amendment forbidding municipalities from imposing even a nominal
charge for these plates.
LEGENDS: "B.C.-EXEMPT" top, "MUNICIPAL" bottom, vertical "63" right 1963-73,
"B.C. MUN 74" top, "EXEMPT" bottom 1974-75.
1963 Maroon/Pink 12818 - 32755
1964 Maroon/Light Blue 13194 - 37154
1965 Red/White 8058 - 38035
1966 Black/White 650 - 43965
1967 Red/White 1019 - 43092
1968 Black/White 6148 - 48463
1969 Yellow/Blue 4135 - 56745
1970 Black/White 4326 - 61078
1971 Green/White 4400 - 51141
1972 Red/White 8356 - 49691
1973 Yellow/Light Blue 848 - 100227
1974 Black/White 712 - 116846
1975 Red/White 953 - 108359
RECIPROCITY
Began 1962. Last seen 1981. Issued to out-of-province trucks
in the Western Compact making occasional trip into BC.
LEGENDS: "BR.COLUMBIA" top, "RECIPROCITY" bottom, vertical "62" right 1962,
"BR.COLUMBIA" top, "RECIPROCITY" bottom UND. (1963?-72?),
"BR.COLUMBIA 73" top, "RECIPROCITY" bottom 1973-74, 1976-79,
"BRITISH COLUMBIA" top, "DEC RECIPROCITY 80" bottom 1980-81.
1962 Pink/Maroon 500
UND. White/Blue 25
UND. Blue/White 33
1972 1 - 400 (400)
1973 Black/White 227
1974 Orange/White 180
1975
1976 Red/White 1053
1977 Black/White 1224
1978 Green/White 1-714 - 1-995 (282)
1979 Black/White 2-114 - 2-127 (14)
1980 Orange/White 2-206
1981 Black/White 2312
