ALABAMA PLATE TYPES - SUMMARY CHRONOLOGICALLY BY INTRODUCTION DATE
(Types researched through 1979)
PLATE TYPE EARLIEST SEEN BEGAN NOTES
Passenger 1912 1912 Act 452 P 4/22/1911
Dealer 1914 1912 Act 452 P 4/22/1911
Motorcycle 1914 1912 Act 452 P 4/22/1911
Commercial/Truck 1916 1916 Act 469 P 9/14/1915
Taxi 1921 1921 Act 328 P 9/15/1919
Trailer 1924 1924 Act 290 P 9/13/1923
Sample 1927
Ambulance/Hearse 1930 1928? News art. 9/30/1927
Jitney 1931 1928 Act 342 P 8/25/1927
State Owned 1939 1928? News art. 9/30/1927
(Free Ambulance Regs. 1929-33)
Tractor 1931 1929? Regs. began 1929
Replacement 1930 1930?
U.S. Military 1931 1930? Regs. began 1930
M/C Dealer 1936 1935? Act 194 P 7/10/1935
Bus 1937 1936 Act 194 P 7/10/1935
County Owned 1941 1936 Act 194 P 7/10/1935
County Owned M/C 1941 1936 Act 194 P 7/10/1935
Municipal Owned 1941 1936 Act 194 P 7/10/1935
Municipal Owned M/C 1944 1936 Act 194 P 7/10/1935
School Bus 1936 1936 Act 547 P 9/14/1935
State Owned M/C 1938 1936 Act 194 P 7/10/1935
Governor/Lt. Governor 1940
Emergency Replacement 1947 1947
Replacement M/C 1959 1948? Regs. began 1948
Amateur Radio 1952 1952 Act 359 P 8/7/1951
Civil Air Patrol Am.Radio 1959 1954 Act 765 P 9/17/1953
National Guard 1957 1957 Act 308 P 8/26/1955
State Owned Nat'l. Guard (1963 chart) 1959? Regs. began 1959
Boat UND. 1960 Act 576 P 11/19/1959
Consular Corps/Offical (1963 chart) 1960 Act 68 P 8/12/1959
Trailer For Hire 1962 1962
Truck For Hire 1962 1962
Mobile Home 1963 1963 Act 159 P 7/16/1962
Disabled Veteran 1964 1964 Act 576 P 9/16/1963
Antique Vehicle UND. 1966 Act 116 P 9/30/1965
Battleship Commission 1977 1966 Act 98 P 9/30/1965
Rescue Squad 1966 1966 Act 74 P 9/30/1965
Side Car? UND. Pre-1968 shape
Supplemental 1967 1967
Supplemental M/C 1967 1967
Farm Truck 1968 1968 Act 580 P 9/8/1967
Rental Trailer 1968 1968 Act 580 P 9/8/1967
Shrine M/C 1968
Truck For Hire Limited 1968 1968 Act 580 P 9/8/1967
Utility Trailer 1968 1968 Act 580 P 9/8/1967
Amateur Radio M/C 1969
U.S. House/Senate 1973 1970 Act 1034 P 9/12/1969
Exempt Commodity Truck 1972 1972 Act 1206 P 9/17/1971
Forest Truck 1972 1972 Act 1206 P 9/17/1971
Dealer In Transit 1975 1975
Highway Patrol 1975 1975
Highway Patrol M/C UND. 1975?
Citizens Band Radio 1976 1976 Act 787 P 10/6/1975
Personalized 1977 1977 Act 144 P 5/2/1975
Trailer 5 Year "10-1-83" 10/1/78
PERMITS:
P.S.C. Carrier UND. 1933 Act 159 P 10/28/1932
Coal & Coke Dealer 1936 1936 Act 194 P 7/10/1935
Livestock Dealer 1940
Governor's Staff UND. Reported in 1951-54
Civil Defense UND. 1955
Dept. C. & I. 1956
Member House of Repr. 1973
PLATES ORDERED:
PASS. COMM. TRUCK M/C DEALER TAXI TRAILER
1917 18,000 - - -
1918 25,000 3,000 - 2,000 - -
1919 49,500 12,000 - 2,000 - -
1920 55,000 12,000 - 2,000 - -
1921 75,000 300 9,000 1,500 2,000 7,000 -
1922 - -
1923 93,500 - 17,000 1,000 2,000 6,000 -
1924 165,000 - 24,700 1,000 2,500 5,500 1,000
1925 191,700 - 30,200 850 3,500 6,100 1,000
PASSENGER TRUCK OTHER
1926 A 215,000 A 9,000 Taxi 6,100 (A+B)
B 18,000 B 24,000 Dealer 3,500
C 3,200 C 2,500 Trailer 1,200
D 500 D 1,200 M/C 850
E 1,000
TOTAL 236,700 37,700
LETTER KEY:
C Exempt Commodity Truck 1972-79 O Forest Truck 1972-79
CO County Owned 1941-79 P Private Truck 1968-79
D Dealer 1968-79 Q Bus/Taxi 1928-35, Bus 1936-79
F Farm Truck 1968-79 RS Rescue Squad 1967-79
FH Truck For Hire 1962-70 RT Rental Trailer 1968-79
FHL Truck For Hire Limited 1968 S State Owned 1928-79
FHT Trailer For Hire 1962-67 T Trailer 1930-79
H Truck 1928-67, Taxi 1971-79 UT Utility Trailer 1968-79
J Jitney 1928-35 V Dealer 1938-67
K Ambulance/Hearse 1928-79 X Taxi 1936-70, Truck For Hire 1971-79
L Tractor 1931-33 XL Truck For Hire Limited 1976
MH Mobile Home 1963-79
MUN Municipal Owned 1941-79
DETAILED NOTES ALPHABETICALLY BY PLATE TYPE:
Numbers assumed to begin at #1 1912-41, #101 1942-76 unless
noted. Passenger colors unless noted.
Annual plates 1977-79 unless noted; Motorcycle and Truck colors.
1943: Windshield sticker assumed issued for all types.
1944: Front windshield sticker assumed issued for all types
previously issued in pairs.
1959: Reflectorized plates only issued for Ambulance/Hearse,
Bus, School Bus, Taxi, Trailer, Truck and "some 200
highway patrol cars".
PASSENGER (See Passenger page)
AMATEUR RADIO
Act 359 P 8/7/1951. Began 1952. $1 extra fee.
1952 W4AA - W4ZZZ ("W4" inside heart 1955)
1956 K4AAA - K4ZZZ
1965 WA4AAA - WA4ZZZ (Verify 1962-64)
1970 WB4AAA - WB4ZZZ (Verify 1967-69)
AMATEUR RADIO MOTORCYCLE
Reportedly began 1952 along with Amateur Radio. Act 359 P
8/7/1951 (which was not amended until Act 787 P 10/6/1975 to
include C.B. Radio) mentions "private or pleasure motor vehicles"
being eligible, so perhaps motorcycles met that definition.
Earliest seen 1969. Formats same as Amateur Radio all years.
AMBULANCE/HEARSE
Registration began 1924 with Truck plates. "K" defined as
Ambulance/Hearse in 9/30/1927 Anniston Star news article
explaining new code letters for 1928. Earliest seen 1930.
LEGENDS: No legend, "K1" to "K4" prefix or suffix 1928-41,
small "K/1" to "K/4" after county code 1942-79.
Number indicates city population size:
K1 = 1 - 10,000 (1939 60 counties, some overlap)
K2 = 10,001 - 40,000 (1939 10 counties, some overlap)
K3 = 40,001 - 100,000 (1939 Mobile, Montgomery)
K4 = 100,001+ (1939 Jefferson)
1928 1933 327 K1 1938 118 K1
1929 1934 1939 K2 63
1930 426 K1* 1935 1940
1931 K1 109 1936 1941 K1 17
1932 328 K1* 1937
1942-79 FORMAT: 1 K/1 101 - 67 K/4 999
ASSIGNMENT K/1 K/2 K/3 K/4
1939 Counties 1 - 372 1 - 148 1 - 22 1 - 60
1939 Replacement 399 - 400 199 - 200 59 - 60 69 - 70
1940 Order 1 - 400 1 - 170 1 - 60 1 - 70
ANTIQUE VEHICLE
Act 116 P 9/30/1965, E 10/1/1965. Began 1966.
Permanent plate issued for $10 fee to vehicles over 25 years old.
Undated, "HEART OF DIXIE" top, heart and "ALABAMA" bottom,
"ANTIQUE/VEHICLE" left, old car graphic right.
Gold (metallic?)/Black. Numbers began at 1.
#1904 issued 11/11/1970, black back.
#7945 unpainted back, galvanized steel like 1977 base.
1966 Type 1: Heart in LL corner 1 - 4617 (4,617)
1974?Type 2: Heart in LR corner 4939 - 5685 (747)
1977?Type 1a 6539 - 8977 (2,439)
1978?Type 2a 9203 - 9482 (280)
1980?Type 3: As Type 1, but no car graphic 10294 - 10616 (323)
(1982 Type 4: Black/Tan 11485)
BATTLESHIP COMMISSION
Act 98 P 9/30/1965. Began 1966. Earliest seen 1977.
Issued to the Chairman of the USS Alabama Battleship Commission.
Only 2 plates, both #BB-60, issued annually for his official and
private cars. BB-60 represents the USS Alabama's call letters during
World War II. The ship opened as a museum in Mobile Bay in 1965.
BOAT
Act 576 P 11/19/1959. Began 1960. Permanent undated aluminum
White/Blue plates issued in pairs by Department of Conservation.
No legend, format AL-101-AA - AL-9999-ZA. 9420-SA highest seen.
Suffixes AA,BA,CA,DA,EA,FA,GA,SA verified. 1961 decals issued.
BUS
(Issued to both Taxi and Bus 1928-35.)
Act 194 P 7/10/1935. Began 1936.
LEGENDS: No legend, "Q1" to "Q5" prefix or suffix 1928-41,
small "Q/1" to "Q/6" after county code 1942-79.
1936-79: Number indicates passenger seating capacity
Q1 = 1 - 5 Q4 = 16 - 20
Q2 = 6 - 10 Q5 = 21 - 40
Q3 = 11 - 15 Q6 = 41+ (added 1941 or 1942)
1928 252 Q2 1935 91 Q2
1929 1-648 Q1, 284 Q2, 140 Q4 1936 74 Q3
1930 24 Q3 1937 312 Q5*
1931 Q3 40 1938
1932 428 Q1 1939 Q4 99
1933 250 Q3 1940
1934 146 Q3, 38 Q5 1941
1940 ORDER: Q1 1 - 20, Q2 1 - 30, Q3 1 - 70, Q4 1 - 200, Q5 1 - 500.
1942-79 FORMAT: 1 Q/1 101 - 67 Q/6 999
CITIZENS BAND RADIO
Act 787 P 10/6/1975, E immediately. Began 1976, #KWN 9491 seen.
CIVIL AIR PATROL AMATEUR RADIO
Act 765 P 9/17/1953. Began 1954. $1 extra fee.
LEGENDS: No legend, small "KIG" prefix 1959, 1974-75,
full-size "KIG" prefix 1969, 1971-72. Old number dies 1969-72.
1959 KIG 442-80 1971 KIG 442-16 1974 KIG 442-43
1969 KIG 442-73 1972 KIG 442-203 1975 KIG 442-17
COMMERCIAL/TRUCK (1916-27: See Passenger page,
1928-on: See Truck page)
CONSULAR CORPS/OFFICIAL
Act 68 P 8/12/1959, E 10/1/1959. Began 1960.
Earliest seen 1963 chart.
Numbers began at 1 all years. Numbers 1 - 50 assigned 1963.
LEGENDS: "CONSULAR/CORPS" left 1963,
"CONSULAR/OFFICIAL" left 1964-79. Old number dies 1965-73.
1960 1965 37 1970 1975 60
1961 1966 9 1971 58 1976 56
1962 1967 1972 26 1977
1963 1968 1973 54* 1978 59
1964 36 1969 30 1974 52 1979
COUNTY OWNED (See Table 1)
Act 194 P 7/10/1935. Began 1936. Earliest seen 1941.
LEGENDS: No legend, "Co" prefix 1939, 1946-51,"CO" prefix 1941, 1957-76,
"Co" prefix, undated, "ALABAMA" top, heart and "HEART OF DIXIE" bottom,
Black/Light Green 1975-79.
COUNTY OWNED MOTORCYCLE (See Table 1)
Act 194 P 7/10/1935. Began 1936. Earliest seen 1941.
LEGENDS: No legend, small "CO" prefix 1941, "CO" top 1965-66,
full-size "CO" prefix 1968, 1970-74.
DEALER (1912-27: See Passenger page)
Act 452 P 4/22/1911. Began 1912.
Ordered: 1923 - 2,000, 1924 - 2,500, 1925-26 - 3,500, 1940 - 2,800.
LEGENDS: No legend, "D" suffix 1914,
"DEALER" bottom on taller plate 1921,
"DEALER" in place of "PRIVATE" 1925, 1927,
no legend, "V" prefix or suffix 1938-67 ("V" inside heart 1955),
no legend, "D" prefix 1968-74,
"DEALER" top, "D" prefix 1975-79.
COLORS: Pass. colors 1912-67, White/Blue 1968, Blue/White 1969,
Black/Yellow 1970, 1972, 1976, Black/White 1971, 1975,
White/Light Green 1973, Red/White 1974, 1978,
Green/White 1977, White/Red 1979.
1928 1946 1964 V-9570
1929 1947 1965 V-11722
1930 1948 V 1-761 1966 V-15669*
1931 1949 V 5-846 1967 V-14681
1932 1950 1968 D-10984
1933 1951 V 4-305 1969 D-9068
1934 1952 1970 D-17559*
1935 1953 V 1-081 1971 D-15017
1936 1954 V 4-539 1972 D-18997
1937 1955 V 103 1973 D-21392*
1938 1-437 V 1956 V-104 1974 D-20246
1939 V 2-568 1957 V-3-246 1975 D-10677
1940 1-629 V 1958 V-7685 1976 D-10599
1941 V 3-033 1959 V-7-067 1977 D-9792
1942 1960 V 11-318 1978 D-8774
1943 1961 V-1006 1979 D-8926
1944 1962 V-9747
1945 V 1-627 1963 V-13789
DEALER IN TRANSIT
Began 1975.
LEGENDS: "TRANSIT" top, full-size "DT" prefix 1975-79.
1975 Orange/White DT 1732 - DT10884
1976 Red/White DT-1938 - DT-8961
1977 Black/Yellow DT-3096 - DT-8804
1978 Black/White DT-3318 - DT-6593
1979 White/Green DT-496 - DT-7053
DISABLED VETERAN
Act 576 P 9/16/1963, E 10/1/1963. Began 1964. $1 fee.
Numbers began at 1 all years.
LEGENDS: "DISABLED/VETERAN" left 1964-71, 1972 1-3-digits, 1973-79,
no legend, "DV" prefix 1972 4-digits.
Old number dies 1964-71, 1972 1-3-digits.
1964 85* 1968 281* 1972 1039* 1976 2174
1965 112* 1969 420* 1973 476 1977 1996
1966 193* 1970 692* 1974 1693 1978
1967 199* 1971 794 1975 1770 1979 8933
EMERGENCY REPLACEMENT
Began 1947. Only seen 1947 #E 564 - E7-318. 10,000 ordered.
Atmore Advance 11/28/1946: "The Department of Revenue expects
to begin replacing automobile tags spoiled by rust during the
first week in December...(Revenue) Commissioner Pitts said that
the emergency replacement tags will bear the letter "E", both
for automobiles and trucks, with tag numbers beginning at 101.
Ten thousand of the emergency tags have been made..."
EXEMPT COMMODITY TRUCK (See Truck page)
Act 1206 P 9/17/1971, E 10/1/1971. Began 1972.
FARM TRUCK (See Truck page)
Act 580 P 9/8/1967, E 10/1/1967. Began 1968.
FOREST TRUCK (See Truck page)
Act 1206 P 9/17/1971, E 10/1/1971. Began 1972.
(FREE AMBULANCE
Registration figures listed 1929-33, but unknown if they
represent an actual plate type.)
GOVERNOR/LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Earliest seen 1940.
GOVERNOR: No legend, #S 1 or #1 all years.
1941, 1950, 1955, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1979 verified.
LT GOVERNOR: Right arrowhead and hyphen prefix, left arrowhead suffix, "40/S" right, #2 1940,
no legend, #2 1968-78.
1940, 1968, 1972, 1978 verified.
HIGHWAY PATROL
Began 1975. DPS = Department of Public Safety.
Passenger design, "DPS" prefix, Dark Blue/Gray, non-reflective.
Planned to move to permanent plates in 1976. Numbers began at 1.
1975 DPS-1 - DPS-185
UND. (1976-79) DPS-235, DPS 288
HIGHWAY PATROL MOTORCYCLE
Probably began 1975 along with Highway Patrol.
Undated, "ALABAMA" top, Dark Blue/Gray, non-reflective, #DPS 11.
JITNEY
Registration began 1924 with Taxi plates. Act 342 P 8/25/1927.
"J" defined as "Jitney Bus" in 9/30/1927 Anniston Star news
article explaining new code letters for 1928, and defined it as a
motor vehicle carrying up to 15 passengers for hire, operating
over a fixed route
Earliest seen 1931. Classes J1 - J3 listed in registration
figures 1930-35. Number probably indicates seating capacity same
as Bus 1936-76 since J3 is the highest listed and the definition
is up to 15 passengers. Discontinued 1936.
1928 1931 J1 40 1934
1939 1932 53 J1 1935 123 J1*
1930 1933
MOBILE HOME
Act 159 P 7/16/1962. Began 1963.
LEGENDS: No legend, full-size "MH" prefix 1963-65,
full-size "MH" after county code 1966-72,
small "M/H" after county code 1973-79.
1963 MH-10701*
1964 MH-12408
1965 MH 15285*
1966-67, 1969-72 FORMAT: 1MH 101 - 67MH 999
1968 FORMAT: 1-MH101 - 67-MH999
1973-79 FORMAT: 1 M/H 101 - 67 M/H 999
MOTORCYCLE (See Motorcycle page)
MOTORCYCLE DEALER
Act 194 P 7/10/1935. Registration figures began 1935 but not
listed 1936-37. Earliest seen 1936. 1940 Order: 25 P.
LEGENDS: No legend, "V" prefix 1936, "M V" top 1963, "V" top 1964, 1966,
"M" top, "V" prefix 1968, "M" top, "D" prefix 1970-72,
no legend, "D" prefix 1974-79.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1936, 1963-64, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1974,
Dealer colors 1972, 1975-79.
1936 V 18
1963 114 1968 V 260* 1973 1978 D 365
1964 176* 1969 1974 D 396 1979 D 332
1965 1970 D-279* 1975 D 387
1966 266* 1971 1976 D 359
1967 1972 D 353* 1977 D 300
MUNICIPAL OWNED (See Table 1)
Act 194 P 7/10/1935. Began 1936. Earliest seen 1941.
LEGENDS: No legend, "MUN" prefix all years 1941-76 except 1955, "MUN" inside heart 1955,
undated, "ALABAMA" top, heart and "HEART OF DIXIE" bottom, Black/Light Green 1975-79.
MUNICIPAL OWNED MOTORCYCLE (See Table 1)
Act 194 P 7/10/1935. Began 1936. Earliest seen 1944.
LEGENDS: "MUN" bottom 1944, "MUN" top 1955, 1958, 1964-65, 1969,
"M" top, "MUN" prefix 1968, 1970, 1972-73.
NATIONAL GUARD
Act 308 P 8/26/1955, E 10/1/1956. Began 1957.
Issued to all eligible National Guard and Air National Guard
members for $1 extra fee. Numbers began at 1 all years.
Numbers 1 - 10000 assigned 1963. S = State National Guard.
Colors: 1957 for Infantry, 1958 and 1960 for Artillery, Engineer
and Medical Corps branches, 1959 for Armor branch, 1961 for
several other branches.
LEGENDS: "19 ALABAMA 57" top, "NATIONAL GUARD" bottom,
soldier graphic left, jet graphic right 1957-79,
except no "19" 1964, heart in place of "19" 1975.
Vertical "NG" prefix 1957-63.
Jet points down 1957, points up 1958-79.
COLORS: White/Blue 1957, White/Red 1958, 1960,
Black/Gold 1959, White/Dark Green 1961,
Red/White even years 1962-78,
White/Red odd years 1963-79.
1957 6829 1969 16214* S 1
1958 5741+ 1970 23262+ S 36*
1959 5901* (7,450 ordered) 1971 23286
1960 7697* 1972 23948*
1961 999A* 1973 25570*
1962 705B* 1974 28171
1963 659A* 1975 31109
1964 9847* S 2 1976 32306
1965 9848* 1977 33295
1966 12106* S 34* 1978 33430 S 1
1967 13138* S-34* 1979 31475
1968 13737* S 1
PERSONALIZED
Act 144 P 5/2/1975. Began 1977.
"This act shall take effect on the first day of the month next
following the approval of a constitutional amendment authorizing
the use of revenues derived from the sale of personalized motor
vehicle license tags or plates for non-highway purposes."
(Pre-personalized seen 1957 #B. NOLIN.)
RENTAL TRAILER
Act 580 P 9/8/1967, E 10/1/1967. Began 1968.
LEGENDS: No legend, "RT" prefix 1968,
full-size "RT" after county code 1969-75,
small "R/T" after county code 1976-79.
1968: RT-3658*
1969 FORMAT: 1RT-101 - 67RT-999
1970-75 FORMAT: 1RT 101 - 67RT 999
1976-79 FORMAT: 1 R/T 101 - 67 R/T 999
REPLACEMENT (1930-41: See Passenger page)
Registration figures began 1928, but probably duplicates of originals.
Earliest seen 1930. Identifiable type may have begin 1930.
Identical to type of plate being replaced, but higher number series
1930-41, "70" prefix 1942-76. 1938 is reverse colors.
Non-Passenger seen: Bus 1966, Motor Home 1966, Rental Trailer 1976,
Taxi 1966, Trailer 1970, Truck 1949.
Montgomery Advertiser, 1/5/1930:
"In combating the reported thefts...county officers in replacing
tags will issue licenses of numbers different from the original."
1977-79: ZAA 001 - ZOZ 999 = Passenger [ZAJ 999 initially],
ZPA 001 - ZZZ 999 = Private Truck Class P [ZPJ 999],
2ZA 001 - 2ZA 999 = Private Truck Class P/1 [2ZA 500],
Other annual types continued with "70" prefix as before.
1942 1955 70 3-721 1967 70-2939
1944 1956 1968 70-5973
1945 70D 117 1957 1969
1946 1958 1970 70-6368
1947 70C2-290 1959 1971 70-3556
1948 1960 70-7-181* 1972 70-7023
1949 70C4-952, 70D 120 1961 70-4734 1973
1950 1962 70-3911 1974 70-5174
1951 1963 1975 70-6002
1952 70C1-317 1964 70-5475 1976 70-7997
1953 70-1-489 1965 70-7338*
1954 1966 70-9831
REPLACEMENT MOTORCYCLE
Registration figures began 1948. Earliest seen 1959.
LEGENDS: "70 M" top 1959, 1961, 1964, 1966-68, 1971-73,
no legend, "70" prefix 1969-70,
"70M" prefix 1974, 1977, 1979.
1959 70 M 386 1966 70 M 692* 1973 70 M 801
1960 1967 70 M 192 1974 70M 444
1961 70 M 345 1968 70 M 851* 1975
1962 1969 70-799* 1976
1963 1970 70-783 1977 70M1195
1964 70 M 368* 1971 70 M 226 1978
1965 1972 70 M 1274* 1979 70M 278
RESCUE SQUAD
Act 74 P 9/30/1965. Began 1966.
Issued free to emergency vehicles owned by volunteer departments.
LEGENDS: No legend, full-size "RS" prefix 1966-68, 1971, 1975, 1978-79.
1966 RS-40 1971 RS 126 1976
1967 RS-75 1972 1977
1968 RS-101 1973 1978 RS 1114
1969 1974 1979 RS 2712
1970 1975 R-S-233
SAMPLE
Earliest seen 1927. Both Front and Rear seen 1937.
1940 Order: 200 P. (Verify 1928, 1944-45)
1927, 1932 000-000
1929-30, 1933, 1935 000-000A 1953-54 0-00-000
1931 A000-000 1955 0 00-000
1934, 1936-38, 1941 000-000 1956 0-00-000, 1-00-000
1939 S000-000 1957 00-10-000
1940 000-000S 1958-60 00-0-000
1942 00-00-000 1961 00-00-000
1946-48, 1951 3C00-000 1961-73 00-00000
1949 2B00-000 1966 68-1966
1950 1C00-000 1973-76 SAMPLE
1952 2C00-000 1977-79 AAA 000
SCHOOL BUS
Act 547 P 9/14/1935. Began 1936. Not listed on 1940 order.
Registration figures listed 1936 and 1938 only.
Uncertain if 1939 exists, as County plate has "SCHOOL" etched on it.
Reportedly issued undated permanent plate 1976.
LEGENDS: "ALABAMA 36/SCHOOL BUS" top 1936,
"SCHOOL BUS" top, "FRONT/ALA." bottom left, "37" bottom right 1937,
"SCHOOL BUS" top, "ALA." bottom left, "38" bottom right 1938, 1941,
"S.BUS" left 1942,
large "S" before smaller "BUS" left 1950, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960-75.
"BUS/S" inside heart reported 1955. Old number dies 1964-73.
1936 1687 1947 1957 1967 6075
1937 2665 1948 1958 4-599 1968 2550
1938 1939 1949 1959 1969
1939? 1950 1-873 1960 962 1970 3049
1940? 1951 1961 1971 3387
1941 1553 1952 1962 4897 1972 1629
1942 1-945 1953 1963 3396 1973 2838
1944 1954 884 1964 5447 1974 3101
1945 1955 1965 5273 1975 5407
1946 1956 2-603 1966 5189
SHRINE MOTORCYCLE
Earliest seen 1968, flat, Red/White, "SHRINE" top, graphic logo
left, #31. Also seen 1972, flat, Black/Light Green, same design,
#217. Earliest law found is Act 133, P 8/8/1978.
SIDE CAR?
Motorcycle with side car $5 fee in 1946 ($4 without). Undated,
pre-1968 square shape, no legend, "K" top, "ALA" bottom, #10.
STATE OWNED (1936-76: See Table 1)
"S" defined as State Car in 9/30/1927 Anniston Star news article
explaining new code letters for 1928. Earliest seen 1939.
LEGENDS: No legend, "S" prefix or suffix all years except 1955, "S" inside heart 1955,
undated, "ALABAMA" top, heart and "HEART OF DIXIE" bottom, Black/Light Green 1975-79.
1928 1931 1934
1929 1932 1935
1930 1933
STATE OWNED MOTORCYCLE (See Table 1)
Act 194 P 7/10/1935. Began 1936. Earliest seen 1938.
LEGENDS: No legend, "S" suffix 1938, "S" top 1965-66,
"M" top, "S" prefix 1970-73, "S" prefix 1974.
STATE OWNED NATIONAL GUARD (See National Guard)
Act 308 P 8/26/1955, E 10/1/1956.
Registration figures began 1959. Earliest seen 1963 chart.
Issued to state-owned vehicles used by the State Military Dept.
Design and colors same as National Guard. Numbers began at S 1
all years. Numbers S 1 - S100 assigned 1963.
SUPPLEMENTAL
Began 1967. Generic series issued statewide to any county
exhausting its original supply. No legend, "80" prefix.
Passenger and light truck types discontinued 1977.
1967 80-3099, 80 H/3 225
1968 80-3556, 80RT?
1969 80-6523
1970 80-5933, 80UT2937
1971 80-6409, 80MH2595, 80P 6758, 80RT1000, 80UT1444
1972 80-10839, 80P 4744, 80 O/1 5471, 80UT 738
1973 80-8393, 80P 6336
1974 80-9296
1975 80-10260, 80P 7835
1976 T.1 embossed 80-463, 80P12925
T.2 screened 80 8905 - 80 9685, 80P 388H - 80P 324J
1979 80 M/H 2529
SUPPLEMENTAL MOTORCYCLE
Began 1967. Generic series issued statewide to any county
exhausting its original supply.
LEGENDS: No legend, "80" in UL corner 1967-70.
1967 80 M 3898
1968 80 M 3681
1969 80 M 5574
1970 80 M 7712
TAXI (1921-27: See Passenger page, 1928-35: See Bus)
Act 328 P 9/15/1919. Issued Commercial plates 1920. Began 1921.
Ordered: 1923 - 6,000, 1924 - 5,500, 1925-26 - 6,100.
LEGENDS: "TAXI" bottom on taller plate 1921,
"TAXI" bottom in place of "PRIVATE" 1924-25,
no legend, "Q1" to "Q5" prefix or suffix 1928-35,
"X1" to "X5" prefix or suffix 1936-41,
small "X/1" to "X/5" after county code 1942-70,
small "H/1" to "H/5" after county code 1971-79.
1922: A = Seating capacity of 5 or less, B = Seating capacity of
6-9; 10+ allowed "except when running only between cities
and towns ten miles or more apart."
1928-35: Q1 - Q5 issued to both Taxi and Bus.
1936-70: Number indicates weight in lbs. as follows -
X1 = 1 - 2500 X3 = 3001 - 3500 X5 = 4001+
X2 = 2501 - 3000 X4 = 3501 - 4000
1971-79: Weight codes same as 1936-70 except H instead of X.
1936
1937 289 X1
1938 76 X1 532 X2 158 X3*
1939 X2 906 X3 149
1940 90 X1* 783 X2
1941 X2 1-393
1940 Order: X1 1 - 200, X2 1 - 1-400, X3 1 - 200, X4 1 - 50, X5 1 - 50.
1942-70 FORMAT: 1 X/1 101 - 67 X/5 999
1971-79 FORMAT: 1 H/1 101 - 67 H/5 999
TRACTOR
Act 290 P 9/13/1923. May have been issued Trailer plates
1924-28. Registration figures began 1929. Earliest seen 1931.
1940 Order: 2 P. Last registration issued 1954, no registrations
recorded 1955-59. No legend, "L" prefix 1931, "L" suffix 1932-33.
1931 L 68
1932 78 L
1933 143 L
TRAILER
Act 290 P 9/13/1923. Began 1924.
Ordered: 1924-25 - 1,000, 1926 - 1,200, 1940 - 5,532 S.
LEGENDS: "TRAILER" bottom in place of "PRIVATE" 1924-26,
no legend, "T" prefix or suffix 1930-35,
"T1" to "T5" prefix or suffix 1936-39,
small "T/1" to "T/6" after county code 1942-67,
full-size "T" prefix 1968,
full-size "T" after county code 1969-75,
small "T" after county code 1976-79.
Number indicates weight of towing vehicle, same as Truck:
T1-T4 1937-38, T1-T5 1940, T/1-T/6 1942-67.
1924 329 1930 3-075 T 1936 3-647 T2
1925 354 1931 T 4-622* 1937 3-700 T2
1926 260 1932 4-727 T* 1938 2-345 T2
1927 1933 1939 T2 2-699
1928 1934 1940
1929 1935 6-714 T* 1941
1942-67 FORMAT: 1 T/1 101 - 67 T/6 999
1968: T-18016 - T-60955 (42,940*)
1969-79 FORMAT: 1T 101 - 67T 9999
TRAILER FIVE YEAR
Began 10/1/1978, expire 10/1/1983.
Blue/White, "ALABAMA ()" top, "EXP.10-1-83" bottom, #80 F/T 1451.
TRAILER FOR HIRE
Began 1962. Discontinued 1968.
LEGENDS: No legend, full-size "FHT" prefix 1962-67.
1962 FHT-8051* 1965 FHT10165*
1963 FHT-9107* 1966 FHT12280*
1964 FHT-10774* 1967 FHT12833*
TRUCK FOR HIRE
Began 1962. Issued to trucks and truck-tractors.
LEGENDS: No legend, full-size "FH6" to "FH42" prefix 1962-70,
small "X" and "X/1" to "X/8" after county code 1971-79.
Number indicates weight, in lbs.:
1962-67
FH8 = 1 - 8000 FH30 = 24001 - 30000
FH12 = 8001 - 12000 FH36 = 30001 - 36000
FH18 = 12001 - 18000 FH42 = 36001 - 42000
FH24 = 18001 - 24000 FH4X = >42000
1968-70
FH6 = 1 - 6000 FH30 = 24001 - 30000
FH12 = 6001 - 12000 FH36 = 30001 - 36000
FH18 = 12001 - 18000 FH42 = 36001 - 42000
FH24 = 18001 - 24000 FH = >42000 (1968, 1970)
73FH = >42000 (1969)
1971-79
X/ = 1 - 6000 X/5 = 30001 - 36000
X/1 = 6001 - 12000 X/6 = 36001 - 42000
X/2 = 12001 - 18000 X/7 = 42001 - 62000
X/3 = 18001 - 24000 X/8 = 62001 - 73280
X/4 = 24001 - 30000
1962 FH36-385, FH42-1321*, FH4X-585 1967 FH18-166*,FH24-395*,
1963 FH8-119*, FH4X-3341 FH4X6465*
1964 FH18 204*, FH4X-5194* 1968 FH-4059
1965 FH12 135*, FH24 296, FH4X1436 1969 73FH6473
1966 FH12 174*, FH4X6051 1970 18FH 585, FH 12864*
1971-79 FORMAT: 1 X/ 101 - 67 X/8 9999
TRUCK FOR HIRE LIMITED
Act 580 P 9/8/1967, E 10/1/1967. Began 1968.
LEGENDS: No legend, "FHL" prefix 1968 (reported 1970),
"XL" prefix reported 1971-76,
small "X/L" after county code 1976. (Verify 1969-75)
COLORS: Red/White 1968.
1968: FHL-1705*
1976 FORMAT: 1 X/L 101 - 67 X/L 999
U.S. HOUSE/SENATE
Earliest seen 1953, "ALABAMA 1953" bottom, #M-C-1.
According to a 11/3/1958 letter from U.S. Senator John Sparkman,
"Alabama does not issue special tags to Congressmen. This was
done one year, as I recall...the Senate tags simply had U.S.S.
on them."
Act 1034 P 9/12/1969. Began 1970. Earliest seen 1973.
Alabama has had 8 U.S. Representatives in 1970-72, 7 U.S.
Representatives since 1973, and 2 U.S. Senators since 1970.
Numbers began at 1 all years. Pair seen 1975.
LEGENDS: "U.S.CONGRESS" top, full-size "HOUSE" or "SENATE" prefix 1973-79.
1970 1975 SENATE 2
1971 1976 HOUSE 6
1972 1977
1973 HOUSE 2 1978 HOUSE 2, SENATE 2
1974 HOUSE 1, SENATE 1 1979 HOUSE 5, SENATE 2
U.S. MILITARY
Registrations figures listed 1930-31 only. Earliest seen 1931.
LEGENDS: Staggered "ARMY" left, thinner dies 1931.
(Did other branches exist?)
1931 533-107
UTILITY TRAILER
Act 580 P 9/8/1967, E 10/1/1967. Began 1968.
LEGENDS: No legend, full-size "UT" prefix 1968,
full-size "UT" after county code 1969-75,
small "U/T" after county code 1976-79.
1968: UT-3926 - UT-33846 (29,921*)
1969-75 FORMAT: 1UT 101 - 67UT 999
1976-79 FORMAT: 1 U/T 101 - 67 U/T 999
PERMITS:
CIVIL DEFENSE
Undated, 4" x 10" supplemental plate, "ALABAMA" top,
"CIVIL DEFENSE" bottom. Prefix number indicates county.
Troy Messenger, 7/13/1954: "CD Workers To Get Special Tags"
"MONTGOMERY - (AP) State Civil Defense authorities have authorized
special identification tags for use on motor vehicles used by civil
defense workers during emergencies...The plates will be green and
white to match the state's regular auto license tags next year."
A. (1955, 1959) White/Green 1-1951, 40-7, 52-72, S-444
B. (1963?) White/Dark Blue 12-44
C. (1964?) White/Red 31-102, 47-132
COAL & COKE DEALER
Act 194 P 7/10/1935. Began 1936. Supplemental plate issued to
trucks involved in the coal and coke industry. 1,800 ordered 1959.
Numbers 101 - 9000 assigned 1963.
LEGENDS: "COAL-COKE/DEALER-HAULER" top, "ALA." bottom left, "36" bottom right 1936-37,
"COAL AND COKE/DEALER" top, "ALA." bottom left, "38" bottom right 1938-39,
no legend, "C&C" prefix 1948-67,
"C-C" prefix 1970-71, 1977, "C C" prefix 1975-76.
1936 2358* 1947 1958 1969 1336
1937 1508 1948 1-751 1959 1-162 1970 946
1938 1086 1949 3-249 1960 1-646 1971 1353
1939 1054 1950 1-721 1961 1-036 1972
1940 1951 2-490 1962 1652 1973
1941 1952 1963 1664 1974
1942 1953 1964 1377 1975 350
1943 1954 1-508 1965 1342 1976 260
1944 1955 1966 1695 1977 359
1945 1956 1967 1669
1946 1957 1968
DEPT. C.& I.
Reported to be Coal and Iron Hauler permit. Could also be
Department of Commerce and Industry. Small supplemental
plate, "DEPT. C.&.I." top, "ALA" left, "56" right 1956, #64.
GOVERNOR'S STAFF
"Member Governor's Staff" plate issued during Governor Gordon
Persons' term in 1951-54.
Earliest seen 1959. Small supplemental plate, no serial number.
As of 1959, law authorized the appointment of 1 Colonel and up
to 20 Lt. Colonels. Under Gov. Patterson (1959-63), the number
surged to over 2,000, and under Gov. Wallace (1963-67) it
reached over 11,000. The slogan probably began in 1964, being
Wallace's campaign slogan. Lurleen Wallace died in office
5/7/1968. Last seen 1975/79.
The Montgomery Advertiser, 6/21/1966:
"Each colonel is given a certificate and an automobile license
plate. The latter is updated each year to correspond with the
color of the regular license plate."
A. Undated (1959), Blue/White, "GOVERNOR'S STAFF" center, shown
below 1959 State plate #S-772 in Birmingham News, 8/23/1959.
B. Undated (1962), White/Green, same design as 1959.
C. Undated (1963), White/Dark Blue, same design as 1959.
D. Undated (1964), White/Red, "GOVERNOR'S STAFF" top, "STAND UP FOR ALABAMA" center.
E. Undated (1965), Orange/Blue, same design as 1964.
F. Undated (1966), White/Black, same design as 1965.
G. Undated (1967), Yellow/Blue, same design as 1965, for period of 10/1/1966 to 1/20/1967.
H. Undated (1967), White/Blue, flat, "GOVERNOR'S STAFF" top,
"Stand up for Alabama" bottom, portrait of Lurleen Wallace left.
I. Undated (1968), White/Red, flat, same design as 1967.
J. 1967-71 White/Blue or Blue/White, "GOVERNOR'S STAFF" top,
"STAND UP FOR ALABAMA" center, "1967 - 1971" bottom, issued 1968.
K. 1971-75 White/Blue, same design as 1967-71.
L. 1975-79 Red/White, same design as 1967-71 except heart in
place of diamond between dates.
LIVESTOCK DEALER/HAULER
Earliest seen 1940.
Issued by Department of Agriculture and Industries.
Small size 1940-67/68, full size 1969-78.
LEGENDS: "DEPT. AGR-IND./LIVESTOCK DEALER" top, "ALA." bottom left, "40" bottom right 1940,
"ALA." top left, "41" top right, "LIVESTOCK DEALER/DEPT. AGR-IND." bottom 1941,
"ALA. L.S.D." top, "1947" left, "1948" right 1947/48,
"ALA. L.S.D." top, "50" left, "51" right 1950/51, 1952/53, 1955/56, 1963/64, 1965/66, 1967/68,
"L. S. D." top, "ALABAMA 69" bottom 1969-70,
"LSD" top, "ALABAMA 71" bottom, no heart 1971,
"LSH" top, heart and "ALABAMA 72" bottom 1972,
"LSH" prefix 1978.
(Old number dies 1969-72. No heart 1969, 1970 #62, 1971. Heart 1970 #1844.)
COLORS: Passenger colors 1969-72.
1940 210 Purple/White 1969 1998
1941 700 ? 1970 1844
1947/48 404 White/Black 1971 686
1950/51 2197 Black/Yellow 1972 947
1952/53 DUP ? 1978 LSH 0141
1955/56 840 Yellow/Black
1963/64 725 Red/White
1965/66 2494 White/Black
1967/68 920 White/Red
MEMBER HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Small supplemental plate, no serial number. Earliest seen 1973.
"MEMBER" top, "ALABAMA HOUSE/REPRESENTATIVES" center, "1973"
bottom 1973, same 1974, 1976 but "OF" before last word.
(Is there a Senate version?)
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION CARRIER
Act 159 P 10/28/1932. Began 1933. Anniston Star, 12/18/1932:
"Probate Judge Thomas Coleman stated Saturday that he had
received permits and special license plates for contract
carriers. The firms that do private contract hauling are
supposed to get permits, Judge Coleman said. This was provided
for by the last session of the Legislature, he stated."
A. Undated, "ALABAMA/CARRIER" top, dk./lt., #6030, in 1939 photo.
B. Undated, 6" x 10" supplemental plate, White/Dark Green,
"ALA. P-S-C-" top, "CARRIER" bottom, #2273 - 7577
(green tags mentioned 1945 and 1953).
C. Undated, 6" x 10" supplemental plate, White/Black,
"ALA. P.S.C." top, "CARRIER" bottom, #9118 - 38357.
TABLE 1: EXEMPT VEHICLES
STATE COUNTY MUNICIPAL S M/C CO M/C MUN M/C1936
1937
1938 61 S
1939 S-7 Co -369
1940 [1,500] [1,600] [900] [100] [100]1941 S 1 CO 1 MUN 1 CO 10
1942
1944 CO 1-588 MUN 124
1945 1946 S 1 CO 761
1947 CO 1-505
1948 CO 991
1949 S 2-717 CO 2-753 MUN 1-918
1950 CO 304 1951 S 585 CO 247
1952 S 2-383
1953
1954 S 170
1955 S 1-654 MUN 2-709 MUN 264*
1956 S-503
1957 CO 1-451 MUN 2-062
1958 S-1-027 MUN 204
1959 S-3-683
1960 1961 S-4542
1962 S-616 CO-1669 MUN 4314
1963 S-4775 CO-3186 MUN 2798
1964 CO-4658* MUN 3949 MUN 382*
1965 S-2221 CO-2904 S 148* CO 108* MUN 396*
1966 S-1982 CO-5002* MUN 5609 S 135* CO 107*
1967 S-3135 CO-1928 MUN-5202
1968 MUN-4104 CO 124* MUN400*
1969 MUN 5900 MUN280
1970 S-3493 CO-533 MUN 7893* S-175* CO-149* MUN597*
1971 S 4805 CO 2927 MUN 7713 S 171
1972 S-7710* CO-6082* MUN 2555 S 174* CO 147* MUN492*
1973 S-2273 CO-1574 MUN 3085 S 171* CO 143* MUN495*
1974 S-7143 CO-437 MUN 7872 S 173 CO 150
UND. S 11725 CO 12900 MUN 897G
