ARIZONA PLATE TYPES - SUMMARY CHRONOLOGICALLY BY INTRODUCTION DATE
(Types researched through 1979)
PLATE TYPE EARLIEST SEEN BEGAN NOTES
Passenger 1914 1914 Ch. 68 P 1913
Motorcycle 1914 1914 Ch. 68 P 1913
Dealer 1915 1915 Ch. 68 P 1913
Sample 1923
City/County Owned 1924 1924
State Owned 1924 1924
U.S. Government 1924 1924
State Official 1926
(Sonora Oficial, Mexico 1927)
Highway Dept. 1928 1928 Ch. 2 P 8/11/1927
Trailer 1928 1928 Ch. 2 P 8/11/1927
Commercial 1929 1929
County Owned 1929 1929
County Owned M/C [1929 chart] 1929
County Owned Trailer [1929 chart] 1929
Highway Dept. M/C 1933 "Should" begin 1929?
Highway Dept. Trailer 1929 1929
Mexico Official [1929 chart]
Motorcycle Dealer [1929 chart]
Municipal Owned 1929 1929
Municipal Owned M/C [1929 chart] 1929
Municipal Owned Trailer [1929 chart] 1929
State Owned M/C 1957 "Should" begin 1929?
(State Owned Trailer 1929? "Should" exist?)
(U.S. Government M/C 1929? "Should" exist?)
U.S. Government Trailer [1929 chart] 1929
Pre-personalized 1940
Consular Agent 1952
Optional Commercial 1954 7/1/54 Ch. 39 P 3/19/1954
Optional Trailer 1955 7/1/54 Ch. 39 P 3/19/1954
Amateur Radio 1955 1955 Ch. 19 P 3/10/1954
Horseless Carriage 1956 1956 Ch. 98 P 3/28/1955
Interstate Commercial 1956
Interstate Trailer 1956
Transporter 1956 7/1/56 Ch. 57 P 4/2/1956
Consular Corps 1960 1960? Dated 1959
Non-Commercial Truck 1962 12/1/61 Ch. 89 P 3/24/1961
Classic Car 1965 1965 Ch. 100 P 4/3/1964
Prorate Sticker 1965 1965 Ch. 14 P 3/6/1964
Foreign Government 1966
Temporary 30-Day 1966
Weight Fee 1966
Trailer Dealer 1967 1967 Ch. 78 P 4/19/1966
Truck Tractor 1969 1969
Dept. of Public Safety UND. 1971
School Vehicle UND. 1971
School Vehicle M/C UND. 1973
Commercial Passenger 1973 1973
Light Trailer 1973 1973
Motor Home/Travel Trailer 1973 1973 Stickers 1970-72
Handicapped 1975 1975 Ch. 13 P 4/10/1974
Personalized 1975 1975 Ch. 78 P 5/22/1975
Historic Vehicle 1977 1977 Ch. 85 P 6/10/1976
Moped 1977 1977 Ch. 78 P 6/1/1976
Proportional Trailer "DEC 81" 1977 Ch. 137 P 6/27/1976
PERMITS:
Arizona Corp. Commission 1926 1926 Order of ACC
Cotton Trailer 1954 1954 Ch. 139 P 4/12/1954
LETTER KEY: (All other letters/years are Passenger)
C City/County 1924-28 T Trailer 1928
DN Dealer New 1934-35 TP Trailer Pnuematic 1931-38
DU Dealer Used 1934-35 TS Trailer Solid 1931-38
H Highway Department 1928-63 TRP Transporter 1956
M Municipal Owned 1929-65 US U.S. Government 1925-68
S State Owned 1934-65
ORDERED:
1930 (All pairs, including Sample and Trailer, except M/C)
Passenger 118,150 County 589
Com. S 1,185 County M/C 33
Com. P 13,665 County Tlr. 71
Tlr. S 644 Municipal 241
Tlr. P 1,272 Municipal M/C 37
Motorcycle 477 Municipal Tlr. 60
Dealer 1,474 State 98
M/C Dealer 19 State M/C ?
Sample 25 State Tlr. ?
State Official 2 Hwy. Dept. 350
Mex. Official 50 Hwy. Dept. M/C ?
"Official" 1 (#25?) Hwy. Dept. Tlr. 150
ACC Com. 2,000 U.S. Govt. 460
ACC Int. 250 U.S. Govt. M/C ?
ACC Tlr. ? U.S. Govt. Tlr. 15
DETAILED NOTES BY TYPE:
Numbers assumed to begin at #1 unless noted.
Passenger colors unless noted.
Known assignments in bold.
1943: Windshield sticker - Passenger, Commercial
Tab - M/C, Trailer
1944: Windshield sticker - Passenger, Commercial
New plate - Dealer, M/C, Trailer, ACC
1946: Windshield sticker - Passenger, Commercial
New plate - Dealer, M/C, Trailer, ACC
1951, 1953, 1955: Tab - Passenger, Commercial
New plate - Amateur Radio, Dealer, M/C,
Optional Tlr., ACC, Cotton Tlr.
PASSENGER (See Passenger page)
AMATEUR RADIO
Ch. 19 P 3/10/1954. Began 1955. Annual plates 1955, 1963-71.
No legend, passenger colors all years. 1955 is 6" x 12" with
1956 dies. $3 extra fee as of 1964. All stickers are passenger
colors except 1972 Yellow/White (Black serial) "Radio Amateur".
1955 W7AA - W7ZZZ
1961 K7AAA - K7ZZZ
1967 WA7AAA - WA7ZZZ (Verify 1966)
(WB7AAA - WB7ZZZ Verify 1979)
CITY/COUNTY OWNED
Began 1924. "C" prefix followed by county code 1924-28.
In 1925 in Pima County, #C-3-1 - C-3-20 assigned to County cars
while #C-3-21 - C-3-41 were assigned to City of Tucson cars.
Discontinued 1929; Replaced by County and Municipal.
1924-28 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: C-1-1 - C-15-99
CLASSIC CAR
Ch. 100 P 4/3/1964. Began 1965. Pairs all years.
NR, solid copper all years.
LEGENDS: "CLASSIC/CAR" left all years.
STICKER COLORS: Black/Green "CLASSIC" 1966,
Passenger colors 1967-68, 1971-72, 1974-79,
Black/Red "ANTIQUE" 1969,
Blue/White "ANTIQUE" 1973.
1965-69 Green/Copper 001 - 249
1970-74 Black/Copper 001 - 299
1975-79 Green/Copper 001 - 522
COMMERCIAL (See Truck page)
COMMERCIAL PASSENGER
Began 1973. Issued to buses and taxis.
LEGENDS: "P-2" or "P-3" before "ARIZ. 73" top.
COLORS: Plate and stickers colors same as Commercial.
1973-79 P-2 2ZA-001 - 2ZA-700, 2ZB-462 seen (1,461)
P-3 3ZA-001 - 3ZB-999, 3ZB-421 seen (1,998)
(3ZC-121 seen on 1980 maroon base, but dated "73"!)
CONSULAR AGENT
Earliest seen 1952. Passenger colors all years.
Consul of Italy also reported in Mel Bowen AZ book.
Last seen 1959; replaced by Consular Corps 1960.
1952-53: "CONSULAR AGENT/OF FRANCE" left, #5 right, both hand-stencilled, all other legends embossed.
1954-55: "CONSULAR AGENT/OF FRANCE" center, #5 in LR corner, both hand-stencilled, all other legends embossed.
1956-57: "CONSULAR/AGENT OF/FRANCE" left, #5 right, both hand-stencilled, all other legends embossed.
1956-60: "CONSUL of FRANCE/FOR ARIZONA" center, hand-stencilled, all other legends embossed, no number.
CONSULAR CORPS
Probably began 1960 (1959 base), replacing Consular Agent and
Mexico Official.
LEGENDS: "CONSULAR/CORPS" left all years.
COLORS: Black/White 1959-60, 1964, White/Black 1961,
Black/Orange 1966-68, 1973-79, Blue/White 1969-72.
STICKER COLORS: Black/White 1967, Black/Blue 1968,
Passenger colors 1970-72, White/Yellow 1974.
(Verify 1960, 1962-63, 1965, 1975-79)
1959 17 - 21 1969-72 1 - 56
1961 36 - 1971 Dated 62 - 68
1964 5 - 39 1973-79 01 - 99, 8C, 6D
1966-68 6 - 48
COUNTY OWNED (1929-70: See Table 1)
Began 1929. 589 P ordered 1930.
Issued in pairs 1956, 1960, singly 1966-79.
LEGENDS: "C" in circle right, county code prefix 1929-31,
"C" in circle upper left 1932-35,
"C" in circle center 1936,
"C" in circle left 1937-64, UND. (1966-70),
"COUNTY VEHICLE" bottom UND. (1971-79).
1929-31 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: A-1 - P-99
1932-36 COUNTY CODE FORMATS: 00AA, A00A
1932 Z88E
1933 98ZA, S88D, V88V
1934 98YA - 98YK
1935 78PF, E82L - E84T, T88C
1936 Pima E8 3V, Coconino V9 2X
1937 Pima 7451, Yavapai 7691, Apache 8014
1938 Coconino 7968
UND. (1971-79) PS-1001 - PS-8014
COUNTY OWNED MOTORCYCLE (1957-72: See Table 3)
Began 1929.
LEGENDS: "C" in circle above county code prefix and number 1929,
"C" in circle left 1952-72.
COLORS: White/Black 1952, 1955, Yellow/Black 1953,
Black/White 1954, 1956.
1929 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: A-1 - P-9
1952-56 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: 1A1 - 3Z0
1952 3C0 1955 2C8
1953 2C9 1956 1A6
1954 2C9
1973-79: Permanent undated, vertical "PS" right, Black/Orange, #1001 - 1086.
COUNTY OWNED TRAILER
Began 1929. 71 P ordered 1930. Last seen 1931.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TLR" left, "C" in circle right, county code prefix 1929-31.
1929-31 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: A-300 - P-399
DEALER (1915-21: See Passenger page)
Ch. 68 P 1913. Registration began 1914 but unmarked 1914
passenger plates issued. Dealer type began 1915.
Issued in pairs 1915-30, 1955-56, singly 1960, 1969-79.
ORDERED: 1915 225, 1916 450, 1922 1,410, 1923 300, 1924 900,
1926 1,080, 1927 945, 1928 990, 1930 1,474, 1937 2,110.
LEGENDS: "DEALER" top on taller plate 1915-21,
"DEALER" top, smaller numbers 1922, 1925-28,
"DEALER" bottom, smaller numbers 1923-24,
vertical "DLR" left 1929-31,
vertical "DLR" left, "N" or "U" over suffix number right 1932-33,
vertical "D-N" or "D-U" left 1934-35,
"DEALER N" or "DEALER U" bottom 1936-38,
"DLR/N" or "DLR/U" left 1939,
"DLR. NEW" or "DLR. USED" bottom 1940, 1942, 1944-46,
"DLR. NEW" or "DLR. USED" top 1941,
"ARIZ.47 DLR." top 1947-49,
"DLR. ARIZ. 50" top 1950-79. (Verify 1943)
COLORS: Passenger colors 1915-38, (Black/Yellow 1939),
Yellow/Black 1940, Black/Yellow 1941, White/Dark Blue 1942,
Black/Yellow 1944, Orange/White 1945, Red/White 1946,
1947-79 see below (Non-reflective 1969-79).
Highest letters/numbers seen: C 1923, E 1924, N/4, U/2 1932
1922 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: 1-1 - 14-99
1923 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: 1-1A - 14-99Z
1924-28 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: 1-1-A - 15-99-Z
1929-31 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: A-1-A - P-999-Z
NEW CAR DEALER USED CAR DEALER
1932 1B4, 1E7, P1B 2D1, V8C
1933 L1C 9A1, 2B1, 2L4
1934 1358 - 1696 4210 - 4235
1935 1843 - 2173 4368 -
1936 16 33 - 26 44 43 33 - 45 28
1937 1-386 - 2-574 4-499 - 4-503
1938 1587 - 1899
1939 2672 -
1940 2 052 - 5 048 -
1941 2 154 - 3 088 5 107 -
1942 5 374 -
1943
1944 2 230 - 5 149 - 5 263
1945 2292 - 4137 -
1946 7346 - 8105 -
1947 2588 - Black?/Aluminum 1964 2001 - 7625 White/Black
1948 2764 - 3462 Red/Aluminum 1965 3483 - 6705 Black/White
1949 2189 - Black/Aluminum 1966 1520 - 8849 Black/Orange
1950 2019 - 3146 Green/White 1967 1001 - 8888 Blue/White
1951 2386 - 4547 Red/White 1968 1001 - 7093 Black/Yellow
1952 4070 - 4382 Gold/Black 1969 1001 - 8000 White/Black
1953 2011 - 4379 Red/Black 1970 1001 - 7929 White/Green
1954 2037 - 4030 Yellow/Black 1971 1001 - 7851 Red/White
1955 2295 - 4482 White/Black 1972 0001-DL - 6986-DL Gold/Blue
1956 2000 - 3893 Black/White 1973 0001-DL - 7000-DL Green/White
1957 3104 - 5401 White/Black 1974 0001-DL - 6972-DL White/Black
1958 5734 - White/Black 1975 0001-DL - 6701-DL Red/White
1959 2403 - 6696 Black/White 1976 0001-DL - 6826-DL Dark Blue/White
1960 1 - 2996 White/Black 1977 DL-0001 - DL-6810, Black/Yellow
1961 4552 - 6659 Black/White 7282-DL
1962 4002 - 6209 White/Black 1978 DL-0001 - DL-6006 Dark Blue/Light Blue
1963 4787 - 6470 Black/White 1979 DL-0001 - DL-8091 White/Red
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Began 1971. Issued singly to State Patrol vehicles, as well as
all other vehicles owned by the department.
1971-79: Permanent undated, "ARIZONA" top, "DEPT. PUBLIC SAFETY" bottom,
Black/Orange, #AZ-1001 - AZ-4842.
FOREIGN GOVERNMENT
Earliest seen 1966. "FOREIGN/GOV'T" left all years.
Sticker colors same as Consular Corps.
1966-68 Black/Orange 43 - 45
1969-72 Black/White 1 - 10
1973-79 Black/Orange 01 - 19
HANDICAPPED
Ch. 13 P 4/10/1974, E 1/1/1975. Began 1975 (on 1973 dated base).
No legend, wheelchair left all years.
1973/75 0008 - 9530 (Hyphen prefix 6385, no prefix 7050)
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT (1929-70: See Table 1)
Ch. 2 P 8/11/1927, establishing the Highway Department.
Began 1928. 350 P ordered 1930.
Issued in pairs 1956, 1960, singly 1966-79.
AHD became Department of Transportation (ADOT) 1974.
LEGENDS: "St." prefix, "H" in diamond center 1928,
"St" prefix, "H" in diamond right 1929,
"ST" prefix, "H" in diamond right 1930,
"St" prefix, "H" in diamond right 1931,
"H" in diamond left 1932-63, UND. (1966-70),
"HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT" bottom UND. (1971-79).
No slogan 1940.
1928 St.H 216 - St.H 349
UND. (1971-79) HD-1001 - HD-3404
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT MOTORCYCLE
Only seen 1933 #986.
(This type "should" have begun 1929, since County and Municipal
Owned Motorcycle were issued. Not on 1930 order. However, may
have been created 8/3/1931 when the Arizona Highway Patrol debuted.)
LEGENDS: "H" in diamond left 1933.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT TRAILER (See Table 2)
Began 1929. 150 P ordered 1930. Last seen 1931.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TLR" left, "St" prefix, "H" in diamond right 1929-31.
HISTORIC VEHICLE
Ch. 85 P 6/10/1976. Began 1977. Issued to vehicles at least 25
years old. Solid copper, Red/Copper (non-reflective) all years.
LEGENDS: "HISTORIC/VEHICLE" left.
Number sequence: 001 - 999, A01 - Z99, 01A - 99Z, 0A1 - 9Z9,
0001 - 9999, 001A - 999Z (No I,O,Q,U used)
1977-79 Type 1: Solid copper 297W (35,811 P)
(Type 2: Copper-plated steel 775W)
HORSELESS CARRIAGE
Ch. 98 P 3/28/1955. Began 1956.
Issued to vehicles 35 or more years old for $4 annual fee.
Later (1977?), restricted to vehicles 1919 or older?
Solid copper (non-reflective), pairs all years. No I,O,Q,U used.
LEGENDS: "HORSELESS/CARRIAGE" left all years.
STICKER COLORS: Passenger colors 1957-58, 1960, 1962-63, 1965, 1967-68, 1971-72, 1974-79,
Black/Yellow "HC" 1959, Black/Green 1964,
Black/Red "ANTIQUE" 1969, Blue/White "ANTIQUE" 1973.
1956-60 Black/Copper 1 - 221 (221 P)
1961-65 Blue/Copper 251 - 999, A01 - A99 (848 P)
1966-69 Black/Copper 001 - 999, A01 - B86 (1,184 P)
1970-74 Green/Copper 001 - 999, A01 - H88 (1,780 P)
1975-79 Black/Copper A01 - Z15 (2,094 P)
INTERSTATE COMMERCIAL (See Table below)
Earliest seen 1956.
Issued to out-of-state-based trucks, truck-tractors and buses.
Issued in pairs 1956, 1960, singly 1966-79.
Sticker colors same as Commercial 1967-74.
LEGENDS: "I-C-2" or "I-C-3" before "ARIZ 56" top 1956-79.
Combined into "I-PWR" 1978.
INTERSTATE TRAILER (See Table below)
Earliest seen 1956. Issued to out-of-state-based trailers.
Sticker colors same as Trailer 1962, 1967-74.
LEGENDS: "I-T-2" or "I-T-3" before "ARIZ 56" top 1956-79.
Combined into "I-TLR" 1978.
I-T-3 I-T-2 I-C-3 I-C-2
START 25001 30001 45001 50001
1956-58 Red/White 25226 33446 46924 54491
START 20001 30001 40001 50001
1959-60 White/Green 32918 42046 52996
1961-63 Green/White 20300 34584 43259 50186
1964-65 White/Green 31052 41371 52266
1966-68 Black/White 31275 40057
1969-72 Green Yellow 20100 31851 41136 50800
START X-30001 X-00001 3XA-001 2XA-001
1973-79 Red/Copper X-30100 X-01500 3XB-500 2XA-999
I-TLR I-TLR I-PWR I-PWR
1973-79 Red/Copper X-03830 3XC-796 2XB-058
LIGHT TRAILER (See Misc. 3 page)
Began 1973.
MEXICO OFFICIAL
Earliest seen 1929. 50 P ordered 1930. Discontinued 1960;
replaced by Consular Corps according to registration figures.
Issued in pairs 1956, 1959.
LEGENDS: "OFFICIAL" top, "MEX" prefix 1929,
"MEXICO OFFICIAL" above smaller numbers 1940,
"MEXICO/OFFICIAL" left 1948, 1954, 1956, 1959.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1929-58, Black/White 1959.
1929 MEX-75 -
1940 1941 -
1948 1910 -
1954 1902 - 1946 (45)
1956 1914 - 1947 (34)
1959 1951 - 1975 (25)
MOPED
Ch. 78 P 6/1/1976. Began 1977.
Motorcycle size, "ARIZ. 77" top 1977-81.
1977 0001 - 0899 (899) Red/Yellow
1978 2000 - 2870 (870) Black/White
1979 6001 - 8500 (2,500) Brown/Beige
1980 0001 - 4646 (4,646) White/Red
1981 2189 - 5707 (3,519) White/Blue
MOTORCYCLE (See Motorcycle page)
Ch. 68 P 1913. Began 1914.
MOTORCYCLE DEALER
Earliest seen 1929.
Numbers began at 5000 1956, 1 1960, 001 1966-79.
LEGENDS: Tiny vertical "DLR" upper left, county code prefix upper right 1929,
vertical "DLR" left 1930, 1932, 1934, 1949, 1956-60, 1965-71,
"D" suffix, vertical "LR" right 1972-79.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1929-30, 1934, Dealer colors 1949, 1956-57, 1969-79,
Black/White 1958, 1960, White/Black 1959, 1965,
Blue/White 1966, 1968, Blue/Yellow 1967. (Non-reflective 1969-79)
1929 A/1-A 1932 33B
1930 K-1-A 1934 63
1949 5040 1957 39 1965 030 1973 400D
1950 1958 4 1966 014 1974 202D
1951 1959 131 1967 286 1975 229D
1952 1960 80 1968 195 1976 381D
1953 1961 1969 250 1977 295D
1954 1962 1970 349 1978 159D
1955 1963 1971 342 1979 327D
1956 5003 1964 1972 400D
MOTOR HOME/TRAVEL TRAILER (See Misc. 3 page)
Began 1970 with different-colored stickers on Trailer series;
plates began 1973.
STICKER COLORS: Gold/White 1970, 1972, White/Green 1971, White/Gold 1974.
MUNICIPAL OWNED (1929-70: See Table 1)
Began 1929. 241 P ordered 1930.
Issued in pairs 1956, 1960, singly 1966-79.
LEGENDS: "M" in square right, county code prefix 1929-31,
"M" in square upper left 1932-34,
"M" in square left 1938-65, UND. (1966-70),
"MUNICIPAL VEHICLE" bottom UND. (1971-79).
1929-31 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: A-1 - P-199
1932-36 COUNTY CODE FORMATS: 00AA, A00A
1932 G91L
1934 79BU - 79DG, K92C
1935 79GJ - 79HP, X95C
1938 Coconino 9473
UND. (1971-79) LG-1001 - LG-9999 (8,999)
(added 1978) LG-001A - LG-901K (9,892) (TOTAL 18,891)
MUNICIPAL OWNED MOTORCYCLE (1957-72: See Table 3)
Began 1929. 1936 #BA7, 1937 #6F seen.
LEGENDS: "M" in square above county code prefix and number 1929,
"M" in square left 1937, 1952-72.
COLORS: White/Black 1952, 1955, Yellow/Black 1953,
Black/White 1954, 1956.
1929 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: A-1 - P-99
1952-56 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: 3A1 - 6Z0
1952 4C9 1955 5C4
1953 5C3 1956
1954 5C5
1973-79: Permanent undated, vertical "LG" right, Black/Orange,
#1001 -1459.
MUNICIPAL OWNED TRAILER
Began 1929. 60 P ordered 1930. Last seen 1930.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TLR" left, "M" in square right, county code prefix 1929-30.
1929-30 COUNTY CODE FORMAT: A-300 - P-399
NON-COMMERCIAL TRUCK (See Truck page)
Ch. 89 P 3/24/1961. Began 12/1/1961, dated "62".
OPTIONAL COMMERCIAL (See Table below)
Ch. 39 P 3/19/1954, E 7/1/1954. Began 7/1/1954.
Last seen 1964. Discontinued by 1966. Issued to companies opting
to register truck-tractors on an alternate fee basis.
Issued singly 1956, 1960, 1964.
Commercial stickers issued 1957, reported 1960, 1963.
LEGENDS: "C.P.3 ARIZ. 54" top 1954,
"C-2" or "C-3" before "ARIZ. 56" top 1956, 1959, 1961.
Sequences issued as follows:
1956 C2: 2000-X - 2999-X, also XX, Z, ZZ, XZ.
C3: 100-X - 1999-X, also XX, Z, ZZ, XZ.
1959 C2: X-3001+, XX-2501 - XX-2999, Z-3001+, ZZ-2501 - ZZ-2999, XZ-2501 - XZ-2999.
C3: X-0201 - X-2500, XX-0101 - XX-0200, then Z, ZZ, XZ.
1964 C2: X-3001+, XX-2501 - XX-3000
C3: X-0201 - X-2500
OPTIONAL TRAILER (See Table below)
Ch. 39 P 3/19/1954, E 7/1/1954. Began 7/1/1954.
Last seen 1964. Discontinued by 1966. Issued to companies opting
to register trailers on an alternate fee basis.
LEGENDS: "T.P. ARIZ. 55" top 1955,
"TLR. ARIZ. 56" top 1956,
no legend 1961, 1964.
Numbers began at 150X0 1955-58; XT-0001 1959-64.
C.P.2 or C-2 C.P.3 or C-3 T.P. or TLR.
1954 Red/White 2134 X 962 X
1955 Red/White 153X8
1956 Red/White 2579-XX 424-X - 1137-X 155-X5 - 166-X1
109-Z
1959 White/Green XX-2660 X-1762
1961 Green/White X-3692 X-1522 XT-0309
1964 White/Green XT-0080
PERSONALIZED
Ch. 78 P 5/22/1975. Began 1975 (on 1973 dated base).
Additional fee $25 initial, $10 renewal. 2-6 characters allowed.
PRE-PERSONALIZED
Earliest seen 1940.
1940 BUD-1 Issued to Clarence Buddington Kelland, nationally known writer
and Republican National Committeeman.
CHUCK-1 Issued to Chuck Abbott for an Eastern tour promoting Tucson.
1942 D.D.-8 Unknown history.
1945 ABS-2 Issued to Oscar Smith for his American Bible Society vehicle with
loudspeakers for distributing bibles; he felt ABS-1 was too presumptuous.
1947 SP0-1 Issued to Governor (1941-48) Sidney P. Osborn.
PROPORTIONAL TRAILER
Ch. 137 P 6/27/1976. Began 1977 with 5-year plate dated 1981.
1977-81: Black/Copper, "ARIZONA" top, "TLR. EXPIRES DEC. 81" bottom, #Z-02680.
1982-86: White/Maroon, "ARIZONA" top, "TLR EXPIRES DEC 86" bottom, #Z-04848 - Z-05611.
PRORATE STICKER
Ch. 14 P 3/6/1964. Began 1965. Last seen 1975. Sticker issued
for backing plate issued to trailers and truck tractors.
SAMPLE
Earliest seen 1923. (Verify 1924) 25 P ordered 1930.
1923 15-4321 1940-41 A00 000
1925, 1927-28 13-0000 1942 00A 000
1926 2-00000 1945 000
1929 012-345 1947 0-000
1930 00-52-48, M 12-34-56 1948 A/Z 0000, A-0000
1931 00-52-48 1949-50 A-0000
1932 Y9Z8 1952 C-00000
1933-34 AT0Z 1954 A-00000
1935 ATXZ 1956 A-00000, A-0000
1936 "MARICOPA" AS HD 1959 FAM-000
1937-38 "MARICOPA" A0000 1961-73 SAM-000
1939 A00000
SCHOOL VEHICLE
Began 1971. Issued singly to vehicles owned by public school
districts.
1971-79: Permanent undated, "ARIZONA" top, "SCHOOL VEHICLE" bottom,
Black/Orange, #ED-1001 - ED-9621.
SCHOOL VEHICLE MOTORCYCLE
Began 1973.
1973-79: Permanent undated, vertical "ED" right, Black/Orange,
#1001 - 1090. #1078 is dated "73".
(SONORA OFICIAL
Issued by Mexican state of Sonora to consular officials needing
to cross the border into Arizona periodically. 8 plates issued 1929.
Earliest seen 1927, White/Blue, "OFICIAL" top, "SONORA, MEX." bottom,
vertical "1927" right, #EE.UU.1, same 1928-29.
Porcelain 1927-29, 1937-42, embossed 1930-35. Last seen 1942.)
STATE OFFICIAL
Earliest seen 1926. Issued to Governor. 2 P ordered 1930.
#1 1926, 1938-79, #St-1 1929. Issued singly 1966-79.
LEGENDS: "OFFICIAL" top 1926,
"OFFICIAL" top, "St" prefix 1929,
"STATE" above smaller number center, "OFFICIAL" bottom 1938,
"STATE OFFICIAL" above smaller number 1939-40, 1942,
"STATE OFFICIAL" below smaller number 1941,
"STATE OFFICIAL" bottom 1945,
"STATE/OFFICIAL" left 1947-65, UND. (1966-79).
STATE OWNED (1929-70: See Table 1)
Began 1924. Issued in pairs 1956, 1960-63, singly 1966-79.
LEGENDS: "S" prefix 1924-25, "St." prefix 1926-27, "St" prefix 1929, "ST" prefix 1930,
"S" in map of state left 1933-65, UND. (1966-70),
"STATE VEHICLE" bottom UND. (1971-79).
1924 S-251 - S-286
1925
1926 St.-242 -
1927 St.-221 -
1928
UND. (1971-79) SA-1001 - SA-2914
STATE OWNED MOTORCYCLE (1957-72: See Table 3)
Earliest seen 1957. Not listed 1956.
(This type "should" have begun 1929, since County and Municipal
Owned Motorcycle were issued. Not on 1930 order.)
LEGENDS: No legend, "S" prefix 1957-72.
1973-79: Permanent undated, vertical "SA" right, Black/Orange, #1001 -
(STATE OWNED TRAILER
This type "should" exist 1929-31 since Trailer plates were
issued for County, Highway Dept., Municipal and U.S.
Government. Not on 1930 order.)
TEMPORARY 30-DAY
Earliest seen 1966. Discontinued 1979; replaced by cardboard
temporary plates. Non-reflective all years. Issued singly 1969-78.
LEGENDS: No legend, "30D" prefix all years.
Number sequence 1967-71: 30D-001 - 30D-999, 30D-A01 - 30D-Z99
Number sequence 1972?-78: 30D-01A - 30D-99Z, 30D-A01 - 30D-Z99
(1,782 assigned 1973 = 18 letters)
1966 30D-102 White/Black 1973 30D-77J, N37 White/Red
1967 30D-856 White/Green 1974 30D-49A, M68 Black/White
1968 30D-A96 White/Blue 1975 30D-Z95 White/Blue
1969 30D-A96 Red/White 1976 30D-08L, J80 Red/Blue
1970 White/Blue 1977 30D-V71 White/Black
1971 30D-095 White/Black 1978 30D-R46 Green/Yellow
1972 30D-S14 White/Green
TRAILER (1959-on: See Misc. 3 page)
Ch. 2 P 8/11/1927. Began 1928.
Ch. 2: "The vehicle division shall also furnish to every owner
whose vehicle shall be registered one number plate for a
motorcycle or semi-trailer and two number plates for
every other motor vehicle and trailer."
Miami Daily Arizona Silver Belt, 9/8/1927:
"FEATURES OF THE NEW HIGHWAY CODE"
"...The present code, enacted at the last special session of the
Eighth State legislature of Arizona...
The following fees are payable to the Vehicle Superintendent,
or to his deputies, the county assessors:...For each license
plate for an auto or trailer, a flat rate of three dollars and
fifty cents. The new schedule of license plate fees does not go
into effect until Jan. 1, 1928."
Small vertical M/C-size 1928, full size 1929-on.
Pairs ordered 1930, seen 1936.
1930: 644 P Solid, 1,272 P Pneumatic ordered.
1940-51 weight codes same as Commercial (2,3,5,7,9,11,12) except
1 = <1,000 lbs. 1-axle trailers also issued "T.P.2" plates.
LEGENDS: "T-" before county code prefix top 1928,
vertical "TLR" left, small "P" or "S" right 1929,
vertical "TP" or "TS" left 1931, 1938,
vertical "TP" or "TS" in UL corner 1932-35,
vertical "TP" or "TS" center 1936-37,
"ARIZ.-T.P." or "ARIZ.-T.S." top 1939,
"T.P. 2" bottom 1940, 1942, 1944-46, top 1941,
"ARIZ.47 T.P.2" top 1947-49,
"T.P.2 ARIZ.50" top 1950-55,
"T-2 ARIZ.56" top 1956-79. (Verify 1930)
COLORS
PLATES: Passenger colors 1928-33, Commercial colors 1934-42, 1945, 1947-79,
Black/Yellow 1944, Red/White 1946.
TABS: Black/White 1943. (Verify 1951, 1953, 1955)
STICKERS: Black/Blue 1957, Black/Green 1958, 1962, Black/Red 1960, 1963, 1968,
Black/Yellow 1965, Black/Orange 1967,
Red/White 1970-71, Blue/White 1972, White/Black 1974.
1943: A. Diamond-shaped tab, "1943" top, "ARIZONA" bottom, serial center, 302620 - 308233.
B. Round tab, "ARIZONA" top, "1943" bottom, "TLR" center, no serial.
Both appear to have tiny etched sideways serial markings "1151T9" (diamond) and "1151T4" (round).
1952: 794-C4, 837C-9.
1954: 211-T8 widely spaced, 248-T0 closely spaced.
1928: T-1/698, T-5/15
1929 TP: 6-850, 160-472 - 160-474
TS: 6-008 - 6-198, 160-451
1931 TP: 86-44 - 90-60, 121-429
TS: 81-00, 87-026
1932 TP: 98GJ, K73B, V83V
1933 TP: 73BE, 98KH
1934 TP: 73CA - 73CG, X84J
1935 TP: 76ER - 76RH, 98GJ, U86U
TS: 73DS - 73EZ
1936 TP: Maricopa 75 AZ - 76 KR, Coconino V8 7E - V8 7X,
Navajo X8 3G
TS: Maricopa 73 AL - 73 AZ
1937 TP: Navajo 1X 10
TS: Pima 9L 06, Apache 9Y 01
1938 TP: Maricopa 1A33, Mohave 1V48
TS: Navajo 9X01
1939 TP: 74A0, 23G1, 20H1 (Yuma 20E0 - 39E9)
TS: (Yuma 10E0 - 10E1)
1940 TP2: 1-141A6, 1-95B9, 1-118B6, 1-57D7, 1-51E7, 1-55L5, 7-54B6, 7-51L2
TP3: 12-38A0
1941 TP2: 1-82A2
1942 TP2: 1-61B5, 1-58J4, 2-51J1, 9-56A2, 9-58T2
1944 TP2: 1-294T0, 1-315T1
1945 TP2: 1-259A6, 3-76A1
1946 TP2: 1-413T2
1947 TP2: 1-493A1, 1-53S6
1948 TP2: 1-396A2, 1-227C8, 1-63E2, 1-58P7, 3-55E5
TP3: 12-10E4 - 12-11E2
1949 TP2: 1-642A0, 1-97E4, 1-110H0, 1-84J2, 3-53E6, 5-52E7,
11-67E3
TP3: 11-10L2, 12-11E3
1950 TP2: 1-644A3, 1-328C2, 1-69J5, 5-99A8, 7-51J3, 12-78E8
1952-58 FORMATS: T.P.2 200-A1 - 3999-A9 (1600-A0 assigned 1952)
T.P.3 1-A0 - 200-A0 (50-A9 assigned 1952)
T.P.2:
1952 2203-A5 794-C4 441-E8 565-H1 225-J9 325-K5
1954 2481-A1 944-C1 418-E8 200-J5 260-K9 246-L3
1956 3137-A8 1069-C4 404-E7 319-J5
1952 283-N3 284-P8 247-T6
1954 265-N4 248-T0
1956 216-Z1
1956 (57) Statewide 315-Y1 - 1919-Y6
T.P.3: GRAND TOTAL
1952 74-A0, 7-C7, 8-C8 (36,529 S)
1954 4-C1, 10-C1, 5H-1 (34,162 S)
1956 6-A7, 3-C8, 3-S0 (58,779 S)
TRAILER DEALER
Ch. 78 P 4/19/1966. Began 1967.
Numbers began at 0001 1967-71, 0001-TR 1972-76, TR-0001 1977-79.
LEGENDS: "DLR.ARIZ.67" top all years, vertical "TRLR" left 1967-71,
"TR" suffix 1972-76, "TR" prefix 1977-79.
(Non-reflective 1969-79)
1967 0237 Blue/Yellow 1974 1353-TR White/Blue
1968 0196 Green/White 1975 0189-TR White/Green
1969 0750 White/Blue 1976 0685-TR White/Red
1970 0911 Red/White 1977 TR-0648 White/Blue
1971 1110 White/Blue 1978 TR-0447 Black/White
1972 1407-TR White/Black 1979 TR-0759 Green/Yellow
1973 1146-TR Gold/Green
TRANSPORTER
Ch. 57 P 4/2/1956, E 7/1/1956. Began 7/1/1956.
Non-reflective, issued singly 1960, 1969-79.
LEGENDS: No legend, "TRP" prefix 1956,
"TRANS-/PORTER" left 1959-72,
"TRANSPORTER" bottom 1973-79. (Verify 1957-58)
Numbers began at 1 1959-60.
Numbering sequence 1966-72: 001 - 999, A01 - Z99.
Numbering sequence 1973-79: XP-001A - XP-999A, XP-001B etc.
(2,298 assigned 1973 = XP-300C)
1956 918 Green/White 1968 G56 (1,649) Black/White
1957 1969 G99 (1,692) White/Green
1958 1970 H94 (1,786) White/Black
1959 975 Blue/White 1971 K42 (1,932) Red/Green
1960 (Sticker) 1972 M28 (2,116) Dark Blue/White
1961 998 White/Blue 1973 XP-240C (2,238) Red/Blue
1962 1974 XP-002C (2,000) Red/White
1963 1975
1964 767 Blue/White 1976 XP-226B (1,225) White/Blue
1965 1977 XP-052B (1,051) White/Green
1966 E50 (1,445) Black/White 1978 XP-186B (1,185) Red/White
1967 G-86 (1,679) Black/Yellow 1979 XP-333B (1,332) Dark Blue/Light Blue
TRUCK TRACTOR
Began 1969. Issued singly.
LEGENDS: "C-2" or "C-3" before "ARIZ. 69" top, "TRUCK-TRACTOR" bottom 1969-72,
"TT-2" or "TT-3" before "ARIZ. 73" top, slogan bottom 1973-79.
COLORS: Plate and sticker colors same as Commercial.
1969-72 C-2 AC-0001 - AC-6079 (AC-9999 possible, then CA)
C-3 WC-0001 - WC-4417 (WC-5000 possible, then CW)
1973-79 TT-2 2TA-001 - 2TF-999, 2TL-862 seen (10,852)
TT-3 3TA-001 - 3TE-999, 3TG-270 seen (6,264)
U.S. GOVERNMENT (1929-70: See Table 1)
Began 1924. Issued to vehicles owned by the U.S. Government.
Discontinued 1969. 460 P ordered 1930.
Issued in pairs 1956, 1960, singly 1966-68.
LEGENDS: "US" prefix 1924-30,
"US" in shield left 1932, 1938-68. No slogan 1941.
COLORS: Black/Orange 1966-68.
1924 US-29 - US-100
1927 US-27 -
1928 US-303 -
(U.S. GOVERNMENT MOTORCYCLE
This type "should" exist 1929-? since Motorcycle plates were
issued for County and Municipal (1929), Highway Dept. (1933),
and State Owned (1957). Not on 1930 order.)
U.S. GOVERNMENT TRAILER (See Table)
Began 1929. Only year seen. 15 P ordered 1930.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TLR" left, vertical "US" right 1929.
WEIGHT FEE
Earliest seen 1966. Issued singly.
LEGENDS: No legend, "M" in square left, "W" prefix 1966-70,
"WEIGHT FEE ONLY" bottom, "AD" prefix 1971-79.
COLORS: Listed below. Sticker colors same as Commercial.
1966-68 Black/Orange W001 - W1483
1969-70 Red/Yellow W0001 - W1843
1971-72 Black/Orange AD-1001 -
1973-79 Black/Orange AD-1001 - AD-4000
PERMITS:
COTTON TRAILER
Ch. 139 P 4/12/1954. Began 1954.
Motorcycle size, "ARIZ. 54" top, unique colors all years.
Numbers assumed to have begun at 1 1954-61, 1967-68,
0001 1964, 1969-83.
1954 4706 Red/White 1969 0284 Red/Black
1955 2573 Black/Gray 1970 1990 White/Black
1956 1192 White/Black 1971 2524 Black/Silver
1957 1972 4451 Black/White
1958 1787 Black/White 1973 (Green/Copper)
1959 1616 Green/White 1974 0855 White/Blue
1960 2858 Blue/Black 1975 1247 Blue/White
1961 3109 White/Green 1976 0665 White/Blue
1962 (Green/White) 1977 1479 Blue?/White
1963 (Black/White) 1978 1099 White/Blue
1964 0004 White/Blue 1979 2087 White/Blue
1965 1609 Black/White 1980 0933 Black?/White
1966 1981
1967 777 Black/White 1982 1649 White/Blue
1968 2108 Dark Green/White 1983 1712 Blue/White
ARIZONA CORPORATION COMMISSION
Ch. 76 P 3/20/1923 required registration. Plates began 1926 as a result of
1/9/1926 order of ACC, requiring companies to turn in previous 1926 plates.
Last seen 1972.
1926-28 replaced standard plates; 1929-72 supplemental plates
issued to trucks and trailers operated for hire in Arizona.
1927: 1,550 P ordered.
1928: 1,640 P ordered. Interstate to have "a marking" to distinguish them.
1929: 2,410 P ordered. White/Blue listed.
1930: 2,000 P Com., 250 P Int. ordered.
1948: 9,000 ordered.
Pairs Com. and Int. 1929, 1940, 1955-56, 1959-60, 1962-63, 1966, 1969, 1971.
Aluminum 1951. Non-reflective 1972; probably all years.
Full size 1926-28, smaller size, flat plate extension top and bottom 1929-31,
top only 1932-42, 1944, small size, no extensions 1945-72.
TYPE LEGENDS:
Vertical "ACC" left 1926-27, vertical "ACC" right 1928,
vertical "COM" or "TLR" left, vertical "ACC" right OR "INTER" left, "STATE" right 1929-30,
vertical "COM" or "TLR" left, vertical "ACC" right 1931-35, 1937-38,
"ARIZ" left, "1933" right, "INTERSTATE" bottom 1933,
horizontal "COM" or "TLR" left, horizontal "ACC" right 1936,
vertical "COM", "INT" or "TLR" left, vertical "ACC" right 1939-42, 1944,
"COM ACC" bottom 1945-46,
"COM. ACC", "INT. ACC" or "TLR. ACC" bottom 1947-71,
"COM. ACC" bottom 1972 (including Trailer plates!). (Verify 1943)
STATE/YEAR LEGENDS:
Passenger legend 1926-29,
"ARIZONA-1930" bottom 1930, 1933, 1935-36, top 1931-32, 1934,
"ARIZONA-37" bottom 1937-38, "ARIZONA 39" bottom 1939-41,
"42-ARIZONA" top 1942, 1944, "ARIZ. 45" top 1945-72.
COLORS: White/Red 1926, Black/Orange 1927, White/Green 1928, Red/Blue 1929 Common,
Orange/Black 1929 Interstate and Trailer,
White/Dark Green 1930, Green/White 1931,
Black/Copper 1932, Copper/Red 1933-34,
Copper/Black 1935-36, Black/Yellow 1937, 1944,
Commercial colors 1938-42, 1945, 1947-50, 1952,
Red/White 1946, 1951, 1972,
White/Black 1953-54, 1956, 1958, 1963,
Black/White 1955, 1957, 1960, 1965, 1967,
White/Green 1959, 1964, 1966
White/Blue 1961, 1968, 1970, Green/White 1962, 1969,
Yellow/Black 1971.
1926 3-88, 10-1 - 10-16
1927 1-215, 3-25
1928 3-16
(COMMON) (INTERSTATE)
COMMON CARRIER INTERSTATE TRAILER TRAILER
1929 1128 - 1771 133 - 2661 -
1930 687 - 2036 270 - 278
1931 1039 - 1221
1932 602 - 1100
1933 1179 - 1327 269 - 2556 - 2590
1934 806 - 1174
1935 6578 - 7243 8438 -
1936 6685 - 6898
1937 5-580 - 7-057
1938 6726 - 7161
1939 10404 - 11470 15869 - 13118 -
1940 10268 - 11760 15589 -
1941 10445 - 10956 15850 -
1942 10100 - 11822 15906 -
1943
1944 2158 - 4104 - 4177 7815 -
1945 11149 -
1946 1867 - 7170 -
1947 12981 -
1948 22417 -
1949 31559 - 32115
1950 11738 - 31050 - 33174 21619 -
1951 11242 - 12260
1952 12070 - 41400 -
1953 11889 - 40255 - 42912
1954 10100 - 11988 32828 - 44110 20388 -
1955 12113 - 30128 - 33588
1956 10001 - 12739 20001 - 20294 30001 - 40001 - 45556
1957 12158 - 12881 31833 - 39592
1958 13228 - 13785 35615 - 39239
1959 14221 - 14235 30080 - 46940 61327 - 62171
1960 10001 - 13574 30001 - 49055 20001 - 60001 - 68563
1961 10096 - 12363 33078 - 47692 60656 - 76019
1962 3573 - 23282 9391 - 25764 3481 - 19713
1963 10386 - 30515 - 54098 75276 - 91358
1964 12574 - 35068 - 52458 70521 - 92535
1965 10738 - 11635 30144 - 53069 84799 - 93589
1966 11907 - 30016 - 43418 71573 - 93003
1967 11429 - 35270 - 40661 70440 - 81734
1968 10373 - 13724 30750 - 40915 76376 - 81023
1969 11119 - 14907 32864 - 45000 70750 - 84601
1970 10502 - 29946 50659 - 63364
1971 13266 - 28150 55650 - 61938
1972 10001 - 31293 (none) 50001 - 58814 (none)
TABLE 1 STATE HIGHWAY DEPT. U.S. COUNTY MUNICIPAL
1929 3 - 66 252 - 411 87 - 450 (By county) (By county)
1930 454 - 153 - 257 109 - (By county) (By county)
1931 364 - (By county) (By county)
1932 517 - 632 822 - 825 (By county) (By county)
1933 59 - 86 167 - 616 (By county)
1934 921 - 193 - 602 (By county) (By county)
1935 104 - 249 - 658 (By county) (By county)
1936 61 - 223 - 709 (By county)
1937 83 - 247 7451 - 8014
1938 69 - 588 797 - 7672 - 8082 9466 - 9473
1939 138 - 189 1624 - 7544 - 7950 9140 -
1940 181 - 695 1533 - 1694 7419 - 7858
1941 304 - 581 1400 - 1476
1942 414 - 9855 -
1943
1944
1945 356 - 798 7175 -
1946
1947 315 - 668 9356 - 9687
1948 117 - 548 8039 - 8169 8668 - 9751
1949 49 - 198 6187 - 6338 8895 -
1950-51 151 - 718 6646 - 8493 - 8869
1952-53 1249 - 1363 2 - 721 1852 - 5277 - 6713 8997 - 9036
1954-55 1258 - 1564 95 - 761 1850 - 1880 4831 - 5655 9120 - 9383
1956-58 1000 - 1873 2 - 1857 1850 - 1898 4000 - 7628 7000 - 10856
1959-60 1001 - 2000 2 - 1626 1851 - 1869 2001 - 7000 7001 - 9080
1961-63 1464 - 2461 2 - 944 2023 - 5917 10416 - 12993
1964-65 1001 - 2808 (none) 1 - 50 1001 - 7000 7001 - 12991
1966-68 (none) (none) 1 - 48 (none) (none)
UND.(66) 1001 - 5000 0100 - 5599 (none) 0001 - 9500 0001 - 9300
COLORS: Passenger colors 1929-58 (except White/Black some 1954-55 lower County),
Black/White 1959-60, 1964-65, White/Black 1961-63,
Black/Orange UND. (1966-70), Black/Orange UND. (1971-79).
STICKERS: Black/Light Blue 1960, Black/White 1962.
(Was 1964 sticker issued for Highway Dept.?)
TABLE 2 - TRAILER HIGHWAY DEPT. U.S. COUNTY MUNICIPAL
1929 197 - 201 25 - (By county) (By county)
1930 119 - (By county)
1931 135 - (By county)
TABLE 3 - MOTORCYCLE STATE COUNTY MUNICIPAL
1957 White/Black S18 - 1 - 42 -
1958 Black/White* S 5 - S49 66 - 130 76 - 223
1959 White/Black S 26 - S 37 108 - 141 192 - 196
1960 Black/White S 1 - S 39 1 - 164 1 - 230
1961 White/Black S 61 - S 81
1962
1963 White/Black 94 - 136 252 - 276
1964 S 1 - 1 - 1 -
1965
1966 Blue/White 247 - 263
UND. (67) Blue/Yellow S001 - S200 001 - 100 001 - 400
*1958: Black/White S 8, White/Black S49.
