CALIFORNIA PLATE TYPES - SUMMARY CHRONOLOGICALLY BY INTRODUCTION DATE
(Types researched through 1979)
PLATE TYPE EARLIEST SEEN BEGAN NOTES
Passenger 1914 1914 Ch. 326 P 5/31/1913
Dealer 1914 1914 Ch. 326 P 5/31/1913
Motorcycle 1914 1914 Ch. 326 P 5/31/1913
Motorcycle Dealer 1914 1914 Ch. 326 P 5/31/1913
Unknown Type "Z" Disc 1914
Emergency 1915 Only year known
Exempt 1916 Ch. 188 P 5/10/1915
Public Service 1916 Ch. 188 P 5/10/1915
U.S. Exempt 1915 1915 Ch. 188 P 5/10/1915
Quartermaster Corps 1918 Only known 1918-19
Quartermaster Corps M/C 1918 Only known 1918-19
Quartermaster Corps Tlr. 1918 Only known 1918-19
Trailer 1918 1918 Ch. 218 P 5/10/1917
Exempt M/C 1919
Public Service Dealer 1919 Only year known
U.S. Exempt M/C 1919
Unknown Type "ST" Tab 1919
Commercial 1920
Public Service M/C 1930 Listed 1921
U.S. Exempt Trailer 1921 1921?
Exempt Trailer 1926 1922? Listed 1922
Public Service Trailer 1923 1922? Listed 1922
Commercial Solid Tire 1924 1924
Trailer Dealer 1929 1924 Ch. 266 P 5/30/1923
Sample 1925
Box-back Automobile 1926 1926 Ch. 240 P 5/16/1925
Governor/Political 1931 1929
Trailer Solid Tire 1929 1929
State Assemblyman/Senator 1930 1930
Replacement 1932 1932
BE Commercial 1934 1934 Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933
BE Commercial Solid Tire 1934 1934 Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933
BE M/C 1935 1934 Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933
BE Trailer 1934 1934 Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933
BE Trailer Solid Tire 1934 1934 Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933
Exempt Hexagon-X 1934 1934
Exempt Hexagon-X M/C 1934? Listed 1940
Exempt Hexagon-X Trailer 1935 1934?
Unemployment Relief 1935 1934 Ch. 686 P 5/1/1933
Emergency Permit (Card.) 3/15/39 1938
Consular Corps (For.Govt.)1940 1940
U.S. Congress 1947 Listed in 1940
Wrecker/Dismantler 1941 1941 Ch. 1028 P 7/12/1941
Special Equipment 1946 Ch. 654 P 6/4/1945
Consular Corps Trailer 1947
U.S. Senate (1947 chart) Reported 1945
Horseless Carriage 1952 1952 Ch. 1303 P 7/3/1951
Amateur Radio 1954 1/13/54 Ch. 1597 P 7/3/1953
Commercial Quarterly Tab MAR 54 1954 Ch. 1740 P 7/7/1953
Disabled Veteran 1956 1956 Ch. 1369 P 6/25/1955
Press Photographer 1956 1956 Ch. 1815 P 7/7/1955
Prorate Sticker 1957 1956 Ch. 1002 P 6/17/1955
Manufacturer 1958 1958? Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957
Manufacturer M/C 1962 1958? Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957
Manufacturer Trailer (1958 chart) 1958? Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957
Transporter 1958 1958? Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957
Transporter Trailer (1958 chart) 1958? Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957
Civil Air Patrol Ch. 79 P 4/17/1958
Disabled Person 1959 1959 Ch. 716 P 6/1/1959
Special Event 1960
Disabled Veteran M/C 1960 Not on 1962 chart
Consular Corps M/C (1971 chart) Reported 1956/62
Cotton-Farm Trailer 1962/64 1962 Ch. 2131 P 7/19/1961
Unknown Type "ZY-ZZ" 1962
Rental Limousine/Wt. Tax 1964 1964 Ch. 1852 P 7/18/1963
Trailer Weight Tax 1964 1964 Ch. 1852 P 7/18/1963
Snowmobile UND. 11/10/69 Ch. 1075 P 8/28/1969
Citizens Band Radio 1970 3/ 2/70 Ch. 1442 P 9/4/1969
Personalized 1970 10/26/70 Ch. 778 P 8/21/1970
Personalized M/C 1978 5/15/71
Equipment Dealer (1971 chart) Ch. 405 P 7/14/1970
Equipment Manufacturer (1971 chart) Ch. 405 P 7/14/1970
Snowmobile Dealer (1971 chart) 7/ 1/71 Ch. 1290 P 9/17/1970
Snowmobile Manufacturer(1971 chart) 7/ 1/71 Ch. 1290 P 9/17/1970
Tournament of Roses UND. 12/ 2/71
Antique M/C (1974 chart) 1/1/74 Ch.1198 P 12/11/1972
Historical Vehicle 1976 1/31/75
Disabled Person M/C (1977 chart)
Distributor (1977 chart) 1975? Ch. 996 P 10/1/1973
Distributor M/C (1977 chart) 1975? Ch. 996 P 10/1/1973
Trailer Fleet (1977 chart) 1976?
Constable 1979 2/2/79 Ch. 802 P 9/15/1978
PERMITS:
Non-Resident License 1919
Transportation License UND. 1/1/24 Ch. 341 P 6/13/1923
BE Permit 1933 8/30/33 Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933
Outdoor Advertising UND. 1934? Law E 8/21/1933
Calif. Railroad Comm. UND. 10/21/35 Ch. 223 P 5/27/1935
Fish & Game Boat UND. 4/1/54 Ch. 1029 P 6/5/1953
LETTER KEY: (All other letters/years are Passenger, Trailer or Truck)
A-E Dealer 1914 S State Senator 1930-79
A State Assemblyman 1930-79 SC Commercial Solid 1929-46
BE Board of Equalization 1934-55 SE Special Equipment 1946-79
C U.S. Congress 1947-58 SM Snowmobile 1970-72
D Dealer 1925 ST Trailer Solid 1929-46
DPW-DPZ Disabled Person 1963-79 T Trailer 1920
E Exempt 1916-79 UR Unemployment Relief 1934-41
F-G Dealer 1915 US U.S. Exempt 1915-50
PC Commercial Pneumatic 1929-46 VET,VTN,VTR Disabled Veteran 1956-79
PP Press Photographer 1956-79 WWW,XXX,YYY,ZZZ Rental Limousine 1964-69
PS Public Service 1916-71 X Box-Back Automobile 1926-28,
PT Trailer Pneumatic 1929-46 Exempt 1934-50
QMC Quartermaster Corps 1918-19 ZZV-ZZZ Disabled Person 1956-62
DETAILED NOTES ALPHABETICALLY BY TYPE:
Dates 1947, 1951, 1956, 1963, 1970 refer to baseplates, but 1970
in particular may have been introduced later than 1970.
Numbers assumed to start at 1 all years unless noted.
[ ] = Numbers assigned or listed on DMV chart.
1942: Strip - Passenger, Commercial
New plate - Cons. Corps, Dealer, M/C, PS, State Assembly
1943: "V" Tab - Passenger, Commercial, M/C, PS, Trailer
1944: Windshield Sticker - Passenger, Commercial
Bear Tab - M/C, Trailer
1946-55: Tab - All types except below
New plate - Horseless Carriage (1952),
Spec. Equip. (1946, 1949, 1951-54), BE Permit (1952-55)
1922 ASSIGNMENTS
Passenger 1 - 2000, 70001 - 818000 (750,000)
Exempt 2001 - 7900 (5,900)
PS 8001 - 13000 (5,000)
US Exempt 14001 - 15000 (1,000)
TLR 16001 - 17400, 17901 - 20000, 20051 - 20500 (3,950)
Exempt TLR 17401 - 17575, 20501 - 20550 (225)
PS TLR 17575 - 17875, 20001 - 20050, 20551 - 20600 (400)
US Exempt TLR 17876 - 17900 (25)
Commercial 21001 - 66000 (45,000)
Exempt M/C 1 - 400 (400)
PS M/C 401 - 700 (300)
US Exempt M/C 701 - 825 (125)
M/C 1001 - 21000 (20,000)
Dealer ?
Dealer M/C ?
PASSENGER (See Passenger page)
AMATEUR RADIO
Ch. 1597 P 7/3/1953, E 9/9/1953. Began 1/13/1954 on 1951 base.
1951 (54) W6AA - W6ZZZ, K6AAA - K6ZZZ
1956 (60) WA6AAA - WA6ZZZ added (tab slots)
1956 (62) WB6AAA - WB6ZZZ added (no slots)
ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLE
Ch. 1198 P 12/11/1972. Began 1/1/1974. Earliest seen 1974 chart.
Permanent undated plate issued for $15 fee to motorcycles
manufactured before 1943.
Red/White, "ANTIQUE/M/C" left, #34 - 910.
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION COMMERCIAL (See Truck page)
Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933, E immediately. Began 1934.
Discontinued 7/1/1973.
LEGENDS: "BE/PC" prefix (= Pneumatic Tire) 1934-46,
vertical "BE" followed by vertical "COM" 1946-50,
vertical "BE" 1951-55, no legend 1956-73.
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION COMMERCIAL SOLID TIRE (See Truck page)
Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933, E immediately. Began 1934.
Discontinued 1946.
LEGENDS: "BE/SC" prefix all years.
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION MOTORCYCLE
Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933, E immediately. Began 1934.
Discontinued 7/1/1973. Numbers began at BE 1 all years.
LEGENDS: "BE" prefix all years.
1934 1939 1947 [BE 110]
1935 BE 541 1940 [BE 830] 1951
1936 1941 1956 BE 69
1937 1942? 1963 BE 108
1938 1945 1970
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION TRAILER (1934-50: See Tables 9-10,
1951-on: See Misc. 1 page)
Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933, E immediately. Began 1934.
Discontined 7/1/1973.
LEGENDS: "BE/PT" prefix (= Pneumatic Tire) 1934-46,
vertical "BE" followed by vertical "TLR" 1946-50,
vertical "BE" 1951-55, no legend 1956-73.
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION TRAILER SOLID TIRE (See Table 9)
Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933, E immediately. Began 1934.
Discontinued 1946.
LEGENDS: "BE/ST" prefix all years.
BOX-BACK AUTOMOBILE
Ch. 240 P 5/16/1925. Began 1926.
Issued to automobiles with small pick-up truck bed in back.
Discontinued 1929; replaced by Passenger plates.
1926 X300 094 - X323 169 (23,076)
1927 X 350-656 - X 374-450 (23,795)
1928 X 401-302 - X 434-676 (33,375)
[X 426-501 - X 428-000 Fresno]
CITIZENS BAND RADIO
Ch. 1442 P 9/4/1969. Began 3/2/1970.
No legend. Expanded to 8 figures 7/1/1978. Discontinued 1984.
CIVIL AIR PATROL
Ch. 79 P 4/17/1958, E 7/23/1958. None seen.
COMMERCIAL (See Truck page)
Earliest seen 1920.
COMMERCIAL QUARTERLY TAB
Ch. 1740 P 7/7/1953, E immediately. Began 1954, "MAR 54".
Month/year tabs issued singly for regular Commercial plates.
"EXP MAR 54" on long tab 1954-63, issued for 1956 bases.
"MAR 64" on corner tab 1964-78.
"NOV 78" White/Black right tab, "NOV 79" White/Green right tab.
Replaced by month/year stickers c.1980. (1982-on year-only corner
tabs only for vehicles which would corrode stickers.)
MAR 56 is a bottom tab. (Verify JUN-DEC)
1964-79: MAR, SEP are right corner tabs, JUN, DEC are left corner tabs,
except DEC 79 is right.
(Verify DEC 70, DEC 71, DEC 72, DEC 73, DEC 74, MAR 78, JUN 78)
MAR JUN SEP DEC
1954 Black/Gold Red/Gray Black/White
1955 Red/White White/Red
1956 Black/Gold Red/White Black/White
1957 White/Red Black/White
1958 Red/White Black/White White/Black
1959 Black/White
1960 White/Blue Red?/White
1961 Gold/Black Black?/White Black/Red Black/Gray
1962 White/Black White/Red
1963 Black/Gold Blue/White White/Red White/Blue
1964 Red/Gray White/Green Black/White White/Red
1965 Black/Gold Blue/White White/Red White/Blue
1966 Black/Light Green White/Light Gray Yellow/Light Blue Black/Orange
1967 White/Red Black/White White/Light Green Green/Yellow
1968 Red/Gray White/Orange Blue/White Yellow/Blue
1969 Gold/Red Black/Green Black/Orange Green/White
1970 Red/Gray Gold/Blue Black/Gray
1971 Black/Gold Blue/White White/Red
1972 Black/Green White/Gray Gold/Blue
1973 White/Red Black/White White/Olive Green
1974 Red/Gray White/Orange Blue/White
1975 Gold/Blue Black/Gold Red/Gray Blue/White
1976 Black/Orange White/Orange Green/Gold Black/White
1977 Gray/Red White/Green Blue/Gold Red/White
1978 Gold/Blue White/Orange
1979 Black/Orange Green/Gold White/Red Orange/Gold
1980?
1981?
COMMERCIAL SOLID TIRE (See Truck page)
Began 1924. Discontinued 1946.
CONSTABLE
Ch. 802 P 9/15/1978. Began 1979. Discontinued 1996.
Numbers began at #100. "CONSTABLE" left, #100 - 106 seen.
CONSULAR CORPS
Began mid-1940. Previously issued undated "US" plates; about 300
recalled 8/15/1940. Photo in Bakersfield Californian 9/9/1940, P.2.
Numbers assumed to have begun at 1 1940-63. 1942 Black/Gold.
LEGENDS: "FOREIGN/GOV'T" left 1940-41,
"CONS./SERV." left 1942-47,
"CONS/CORP" left 1951-62,
"CONSULAR/CORPS" left 3-digits or "CONSUL/CORPS" left 4-digits 1963-on.
Legend changed 1963 as some thought "CONS" stood for "Construction."
1940 161 - [450] 1951 79
1941 [109]- 241 1956 12 - 990 (tab slots)
1942 230 1023 - 1123 (no slots)
1945 285 1963 20 - 1301
1947 185 - [209] (wide dies) 1970 1702 - 2780
441 (thin dies)
CONSULAR CORPS MOTORCYCLE
Reported 1956/62 with "CC" prefix, but not shown on 1962, 1964 or
1965 charts. Earliest seen 1971 chart.
"CONSUL/CORPS" left 1971-79, #26 seen.
CONSULAR CORPS TRAILER
Earliest seen 1947 chart.
LEGENDS: "CONS./SERV." then vertical "TLR" left 1947,
"CONS/CORP" then vertical "TLR" left 1956,
"CONSULAR/CORPS" then vertical "TLR" left 1963-79.
1947 [35] 1956 8 1970
1951 1963
COTTON-FARM TRAILER
Ch. 2131 P 7/19/1961, E 9/15/1961. Began 1962, dated "64".
Issued for $5 for 3-year periods; date represents year of
expiration. M/C-size plate all years. No I,O,Q seen.
Unknown why there are both 1967 and 1968 stickers.
All blue bases undated. Reportedly c.3200 issued of EK-EM type.
1962 "64" Gold/Black "CAL EXP ( )" 000 AA - 315 CW (65,316)
1972 "74" Gold/Blue "( ) CAL EXP" 079 DA - 357 EJ (31,279)
1984 "86" Gold/Blue "( )( ) CAL" 086 EK - 297 EM (2,212)
STICKERS: 1965 "67" Black/White 1975 "77" Black/Green
1966 "68" White/Green 1978 "80" Black/Orange
1968 "71" Black/Yellow 1981 "83" Black/Red
1972 "74" Red/White 1984 "86" Black/Green
DEALER (1920-79: See Table 1)
Ch. 326 P 5/31/1913. Began 1914. Numbers began at 1 all years.
There appear to have been reissues in 1942 and 1976 (1963 base
continued issue through 1975).
LEGENDS: No legend 1914-15, 1920, 1925,
"DEALER" top, shorter numbers 1915, 1922,
vertical "DEALER" right 1916-19,
"DEALER" bottom, shorter numbers 1921,
"DEALER" top 1923-24, 1926,
vertical "DLR" after plate set prefix 1927-75,
"DEALER" bottom left, set prefix bottom right 1976-79.
1922 has large set prefix and small serial,
1923-24, 1926-on have small set prefix and large serial.
1914-19: 5 pairs automatically issued (A - E). Additional pairs
available at extra cost (F - Z, AA - ZZ, 1916 #ZZ625 seen).
1,000 sets of 5 pairs ordered for 1915.
1920-21: 1 pair automatically issued; additional pairs available
at extra cost. 1920 "D" highest seen.
1922-24, 1926-75: Prefix = plate set 1A - 1Z, 2A - 2Z, etc.
1963-75: Small D suffix = Duplicate plate
1976-79: Plate set number 1A - 999A, 1B - 999B, etc.
1914 A1, A24, A65, A200 - A349, A2100 - A2449,
A100001 - A100250 (thinner font)
(753 P - These numbers not issued on passenger plates)
1915 Type 1: "DEALER", short numbers A 1 - A904 (A-E seen)
Type 2: No legend, tall numbers F125, G 9
1916/19 "CA.L" A 1 - A1671 (A-E seen)
"CAL." A1838 - A3699 (A-E seen)
G1607, J1750, AA323, cc/ccc 208
DISABLED PERSON
Ch. 716 P 6/1/1959, E 9/18/1959. Began 1959.
No legend all years.
1956 ZZV 481 (tab slots) (ZZV prefix assigned as of 1960)
ZZV 771 (? slots) (ZZV-ZZZ prefix assigned as of 1962)
1963 DPW 589 - DPZ 385 (DPW-DPZ prefix assigned as of 1964)
1970 390 XDP (thin CA) (DPW-DPZ, RDP-ZDP suffix, 1DPA000 -
578 YDP (? CA) 1DPZ999 assigned as of 1977)
057 UDP, 694 DPY (wide CA)
462 DPZ, 1DPF252 (wide CA)
DISABLED PERSON MOTORCYCLE
Earliest seen 1977 chart. "DP" prefix.
DISABLED VETERAN
Ch. 1369 P 6/25/1955, E 9/7/1955. Began 1956.
No legend, "VET" prefix 1956; "VTN" prefix added 1958.
VET, VTN prefixes assigned as of 1962-65. VTR prefix added by 1969.
VET, VTN, VTR suffixes, 1VET, 1VTN, 1VTR prefixes added by 1979.
1956 VET 814, VTN 034 (tab slots)
VTN 741 (? slots)
(VTR 940 seen with 1961 sticker, but is it passenger?)
1963 VET 457, VTN 910, VTR 127
1970 922 VET (thin state name)
393 VTR (wide state name)
DISABLED VETERAN MOTORCYCLE
Earliest seen 1956 #VT107 (tab slots). Not listed on 1962 chart.
DISMANTLER (See Wrecker)
DISTRIBUTOR
Ch. 996 P 10/1/1973, E 7/1/1974. Reported 1975.
Earliest seen 1977 chart.
Dealer design, "DISTRIBUTOR" bottom left, #11169 179A seen.
DISTRIBUTOR MOTORCYCLE
Ch. 996 P 10/1/1973, E 7/1/1974. Earliest seen 1977 chart.
M/C Dealer design, "DISTR" top right, #34A 13340 seen.
EMERGENCY
Only seen 1915. May have been predecessor to 1916 Exempt plate.
1915: "EMERGENCY" bottom, shorter numbers, #X 17 - X 718 seen.
(1,000 P ordered)
EMERGENCY PERMIT (Cardboard)
Began 1938. Earliest seen "MAR 15 1939", #AK 4778.
Issued as a 30-day temporary license, common in migratory labor
camps after cotton-picking season in Arizona.
Rear plate only; front is a windshield sticker. Previously, only
a windshield sticker was issued.
Red/White, prefixes started at AB (AB 1468, AL 6389 seen).
EQUIPMENT DEALER
Ch. 405 P 7/14/1970. Earliest seen 1971 chart.
M/C-size plate, "1A/DLR" left, "X" prefix.
1970 1A X146 (large)
EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER
Ch. 405 P 7/14/1970. Earliest seen 1971 chart.
M/C-size plate, "1A/MFG" left, "Z" prefix.
EXEMPT (1920-26: See Table 2, 1927-50: See Table 3,
1951-82: See Table 4)
Ch. 188 P 5/10/1915, E 9/9/1915. May have begun 1915, since U.S.
Exempt did. Earliest seen 1916.
No legend all years; shape prefix below.
1916-26: Diamond-E = All State, County and City owned vehicles.
1927-50: Diamond-E = State, Oval-E = County, Box-E = City.
Hexagon-X added 1934 for Irrigation District, etc.
1951-79: Diamond-E = State, Octagon-E = County, City, Federal
and Irrigation District owned vehicles.
Variations: 1923-24 - 5-digits have thinner dies than 4-digits.
1925 - 5-digits have thinner than 4-digits.
1956-62 - Diamond-E 5-digits are reflective.
1970-on - Same number can be reissued on newer base.
1916/19 "CA.L" 73 - 1190, "CAL." 2860 - 3979
1916 TAB 148
PLates in 1939 colors only issued for newly-purchased vehicles.
EXEMPT MOTORCYCLE (1920-26: See Table 2, 1927-50: See Table 5,
1951-82: See Table 6)
Earliest seen 1919. 1919 #586 has top half of scraped off,
leaving "L/V", which matches tab #LV 586.
1970-79: Same number can be reissued on newer base.
EXEMPT TRAILER (1922-26: See Table 2, 1927-50: See Table 7,
1951-82: See Table 4)
Listed in 1922 allotments. Earliest seen 1926.
Vertical "TLR" after Shape-E prefix all years.
Discontinued 1951 as such, but separate number blocks of regular
Exempt plates were issued singly to trailers, some of which are known.
EXEMPT HEXAGON-X (See Exempt, Table 3)
Began 1934. Issued to Irrigation District, etc., vehicles.
Discontinued 1951; merged into Exempt Octagon-E.
EXEMPT HEXAGON-X MOTORCYCLE (See Exempt, Table 5)
Probably began 1934. Listed 1940.
Issued to Irrigation District, etc., motorcycles.
Discontinued 1951; merged into Exempt Octagon-E Motorcycle.
EXEMPT HEXAGON-X TRAILER (See Exempt, Table 7)
Probably began 1934. Earliest seen 1935.
Issued to Irrigation District, etc., trailers.
Discontinued 1951; merged into Exempt Octagon-E.
GOVERNOR/POLITICAL
Began 1929. Earliest seen 1931. Discontinued 1940.
No legend all years. Governor assigned #1 of passenger series
1921-28; plain #1 specially issued 1929-38 (1932, 1937, 1938 known),
plain #1 and 2 specially issued 1939. Other political series listed below.
1931: #R 1 - R 100 assigned by Governor James Rolph, Jr., later increased
to #R 200 (#R 171 seen). Term in office began 1/6/1931; died 6/2/1934.
1932: Expanded to #R 500.
1933: Series discontinued due to backlash; passenger "R" series #1R 1 - 1R 10 00 assigned.
1934: #1R 1 - 1R 10 00 assigned. Plain #100 issued to MVD Director who has had it for "several years",
#808 issued to Asst. MVD Chief (his former SF Police badge number).
HISTORICAL VEHICLE
Began 1/31/1975. Issued to vehicles at least 25 years old but
manufactured after 1922. Revalidated annually.
Red/White (non-reflective), "HISTORICAL/VEHICLE" left.
1975 1 - 9707
HORSELESS CARRIAGE
Ch. 1303 P 7/3/1951, E 9/22/1951. Began 1952.
1952-57: Issued to vehicles over 35 years old.
1957-65: Issued to vehicles manufactured before 1923 only. (Effective 9/11/1957)
1971-79: Issued to any vehicles manufactured before 1923, and
16+ cylinder vehicles manufactured before 1965.
LEGENDS: "HORSELESS/CARRIAGE" left all years.
Revalidated annually 1953-61, permanent with no revalidation
1962-65, revalidated annually again 1972-80. (Verify 1966-71)
1952/55 White/Red 1 - 1104
1956/62 Red/White 1 - 2495 (tab slots)
2506 - 2518 (no slots)
1963-on White/Red 1 - 5062 (thin state name, no boxes)
5278 - 5886 (wide state name, 2 boxes)
6164 - 7345 (wide state name, no boxes)
7884 - 8168 (wide state name, 2 boxes)
MANUFACTURER
Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957, E 9/11/1957. Earliest seen 1958.
Shown in Fresno Bee 3/5/1958.
LEGENDS: Vertical "MFG" after plate set prefix 1956-63,
Dealer design, "MANUFACTURER" bottom left 1970-79.
1956 (58) 1/A 000 - 1/A 015 (tab slots)
1963 1/A 000 - 1/A 155
1970 15 1A - 8648 1A
MANUFACTURER MOTORCYCLE
Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957, E 9/11/1957. Earliest seen 1962.
LEGENDS: "1A/MFG" left all years.
1956 (62) 1D 013 (no slots)
MANUFACTURER TRAILER
Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957, E 9/11/1957. Earliest seen 1963.
Shown in Fresno Bee 3/5/1958.
Still issued as of 1974; discontinued by 1977.
LEGENDS: Vertical "MFG" then vertical "TLR" left all years.
1963 230 1/A
MOTORCYCLE (See Motorcycle page)
Ch. 326 P 5/31/1913. Began 1914.
MOTORCYCLE DEALER (1920-69: See Dealer, Table 1)
Ch. 326 P 5/31/1913. Began 1914.
LEGENDS: Solid diamond prefix 1914,
solid diamond prefix with "A" to "E" inside 1915-19,
"DLR" 1923, 1928, 1931-79.
1914: 5 plates automatically issued in sequential order, i.e. #1 - 5, etc.
Numbers 1 - 925, 951 - 965 issued, for a total of 188 dealers.
1915-19: 5 plates automatically issued (A - E). Additional
plates available at extra cost (F - Z).
250 sets of 5 ordered for 1915, with numbers 1 - 176,
201 - 229 issued, for a total of 205 dealers.
1915 disc seen #A 174 with "A" inside a diamond.
1923-33: Suffix = plate set 1A - 1Z, 2A - 2Z, etc.
1935-on: Prefix = plate set 1A - 1Z, 2A - 2Z, etc.
1914 854
1915 A 98
1916/19 A 322
1970 1A 786 ("DLR" below set prefix, large size)
1A 883 - 1A 7324 ("DLR" above set prefix, small size,
3A 2653 "CAL" top right)
1976? 1A 3189 - 3A 6678 ("DLR" above set prefix, small size,
3A 2653 vertical "CAL" left)
PERSONALIZED
(1968 with "THANKS" and "WELCOME" are souvenir plates.)
Ch. 778 P 8/21/1970, E immediately. Began 10/26/1970.
$25 extra fee initially, $10 extra fee each renewal.
2-6 figures allowed 1970-78, 7 figures began 7/1/1978.
Ch. 1273 P 10/29/1971 expanded plates to Commercial vehicles and
Trailers 11/3/1971, by which time Motorcycles already allowed.
PERSONALIZED MOTORCYCLE
Issuance scheduled for 5/15/1971. Earliest seen 1978.
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER
Ch. 1815 P 7/7/1955, E 9/7/1955. Began 1956.
Numbers probably began at #1000 1956-63.
LEGENDS: No legend, "PP" inside rounded triangle left.
1956 1008 - 2441 (tab slots)
2455 (? slots)
1963 1586 - 2823
1970 3074 - 3171 (thin state name)
3385 - 4180 (wide state name)
PRORATE STICKER
Ch. 1002 P 6/17/1955, E 9/7/1955. Began 1956 with unknown device
(plate, tab or sticker?). Stickers issued for trailers and truck
tractors using prorate backing plate 1957-on; earliest seen 1957.
PUBLIC SERVICE (1920-79: See Table 8)
Ch. 188 P 5/10/1915, E 9/19/1915. May have begun 1915, since
U.S. Exempt did. Earliest seen 1916. Discontinued 1972.
Issued to motor vehicles owned by agencies exempt from taxation
by the state constitution.
Reissue in 1942, Black/Gold renewed with White/Red 1943 tab.
LEGENDS: No legend; "PS" prefix 1916-21,
vertical "PS" prefix 1922-71.
1916/19 "CA.L" PS1158 - PS2010 (1916 Tab PS2095)
"CAL." PS2593 - PS2790
PUBLIC SERVICE DEALER
Only seen 1919, "DEALER", #PS2204 ("CAL."). Probably not a real
type; "DEALER" legend is believed to be a manufacturer error.
PUBLIC SERVICE MOTORCYCLE (See Table 8)
Listed among known types in 1921. Earliest seen 1930.
Issued to motorcycles owned by agencies exempt from vehicle
taxation by the state constitution. Discontinued 1972.
LEGENDS: "PS" prefix all years. 1970 size is 4" x 7".
PUBLIC SERVICE TRAILER (See Table 8)
Listed in 1922 allotments. Earliest seen 1923.
Issued to trailers owned by agencies exempt from vehicle taxation
by the state constitution. Discontinued 1972.
LEGENDS: Vertical "PS" left, "TRAILER" top, shorter numbers 1923,
vertical "PS" then vertical "TLR" left 1929-71.
QUARTERMASTER CORPS
Only seen 1918/19, "QMC/USA" left, #140.
QUARTERMASTER CORPS MOTORCYCLE
Only seen 1918/19, "QMC/USA" top, #14.
QUARTERMASTER CORPS TRAILER
Only seen 1918/19, "QMC/USA" left, "TRAILER" top, shorter
numbers, #24.
RENTAL LIMOUSINE/WEIGHT TAX
Ch. 1852 P 7/18/1963, E 1964. Began 1964.
No legend all years. Discontinued 7/1/1973.
1964 No Weight Tax (WWW,XXX,YYY prefix assigned as of 1964-65)
(WWW,XXX,YYY suffix added as of 1970)
(WXX,WYY,XYY suffix added as of 1971)
1964 Weight Tax (ZZZ prefix assigned as of 1964)
REPLACEMENT
Began 1932. Discontinued by 10/5/1938.
Same as regular plates but with hyphens added.
Sacramento Bee, 3/2/1932: "Dashes Will Indicate Duplicate Auto Plates"
"In the future duplicate license plates for motor vehicles, issued when
the original plates have been lost or stolen, will be distinguished by
dashes set parellel to the letters or numbers."
1932 1B-70-63 1936 6C-10-13
1933 1K-10-39 1937 6U-60-82, M/N-71-10, P/C Y-39-34
1934 2Z-614 1938 BE/PT 54-39
1935
SAMPLE
Earliest seen 1925. (Verify 1942)
1918 #00X00 sent to Maine Secretary of State in 1918.
1920 #654-328 seen on NY Secretary of State display in 1920.
1925-26 000 000 1947 0A 00 00, 00A 0 000
1927-28 0-000-000 1951 0A 0 000, 0A 00 000
1929-30 00-00-00 1956 SAM 000, SAM 123
1931 00 00 00 1963 SAM 123
1932-40, 1945 0A 00 00 1970 123 SAM
1941 00 A 000
SNOWMOBILE
Ch. 1075 P 8/28/1969. Began 11/10/1969.
Permanent undated plate with no revalidation.
M/C-size plate, vertical "SM" prefix.
Replaced by decal-plate 8/16/1972.
1970 base S/M 00229 - S/M 04372 (large)
SNOWMOBILE DEALER
Ch. 1290 P 9/17/1970. Delayed by Ch. 32 P 4/26/1971 to be
effective 7/1/1971. Earliest seen 1971 chart.
M/C-size plate, "DLR" below plate set prefix left, vertical "SM"
prefix 1963 base, "1A/DLR" left, "S" prefix 1971-79.
1963 base 1B S/M 129 (1972 sticker)
SNOWMOBILE MANUFACTURER
Ch. 1290 P 9/17/1970. Delayed by Ch. 32 P 4/26/1971 to be
effective 7/1/1971. Earliest seen 1971 chart.
M/C-size plate, "1A/MFG" left, "M" prefix.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Ch. 654 P 6/4/1945, E 9/15/1945. Earliest seen 1946.
Annually dated 1946-56, permanent with no revalidation 1962-on.
M/C-size plate, no legend, vertical "SE" prefix all years.
1964 AAMVA book shows 1956 UND. base, while 1965 DMV chart
shows 1963 UND. base. Issued singly. Gold/Black 1946.
1946 S/E 583 - S/E 25 46
1947 S/E 1551 -[S/E 1900]
1948
1949 S/E 340 - S/E 1788
1950 S/E 655 - S/E 699
1951 S/E 1002 - S/E 1927
1952 S/E 6478 -
1953 S/E 8627 - S/E 8664
1954 S/E 8 - S/E 2542
1955 S/E 1858 -
1956 S/E 244 - S/E 2825
1956 UND. S/E 4003 - S/E 45425 "CALIF" top
1963 UND. S/E 16166 - S/E 70202
1970 UND. S/E 71439 - S/E 147998 (large)
S/E 151867 - S/E 191906 (small)
SPECIAL EVENT
Earliest seen 1960.
A. 1960 Democratic National Convention, souvenir plate only,
no serial number. 400 sold. 250 displayed on chauffeur-driven
cars operating between hotels and the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
B. 1968 "WELCOME" plates reportedly given out by Gov. Ronald Reagan
at the Western Republican Governor's Conference in Sacramento.
STATE ASSEMBLYMAN
Began 1930. California has 80 State Assemblymen.
Number = Assembly District 1 - 80. In 1940, there were 83 Assemblymen.
Bakersfield Californian, 12/30/1930: "Whether the policy of special
license plates for members of the California Legislature will be
continued depends upon the new administration. This year, for the
first time, the distinguishing letter on a state senator's license
was red, and on the assemblyman's plate, it was green."
LEGENDS: No legend, green "A" 1930, green "A" prefix 1934-71,
red "A" prefix 1973-79. Suffix, if any, also in green or red.
1930: #1A3 seen.
1942: Dated seen.
1947: Wide and thin dies seen.
1956: Some have "LEGISLATOR" (tab slots), most have no legend
(tab slots or no slots). #A1A seen.
1973-79: Plain number = Assembly Rules Committee, A suffix =
Assemblyman, R suffix = Retired Assemblyman, "1" after
A or R = 2nd vehicle.
STATE SENATOR
Began 1930. California has 40 State Senators.
Number = Senatorial District 1 - 40. In 1940, there were 42 Senators.
LEGENDS: No legend, red "S" prefix all years. Suffix, if any, also in red.
Run: 1926-28 #222, 1929 #4A-222, 1930 #2C-22 with red "C", 1931-36 #2B 22.
1931: #1H9 reported with red "H".
1973-79: Plain number = Senate Rules Committee, S suffix =
Senator, R suffix = Retired Senator.
TOURNAMENT OF ROSES
Began 12/2/1971. Commissioned for the 1/1/1972 Parade as
Personalized plates with "T OF R" prefix. 60 mismatched pairs
issued: Front has small number and "OF", rear has all
characters full-size. Increased to 70 pairs 1980.
1970 T OF R 79
TRAILER (1929-45: See Table 9, 1946-50: See Table 10,
1951-on: See Misc. 1 page)
Ch. 218 P 5/10/1917, E 1/1/1918. Began 1918.
LEGENDS: "TRAILER" top, shorter numbers 1918-19, 1921-22,
"T" suffix 1920, vertical "TLR" left 1923-28, 1946-55,
vertical "PT" prefix (Pneumatic Tire) 1929-46,
no legend 1956-79.
1918/19 35 - 1575 1924 1-422 - 18-919 (17,498)
1920 600-T 1925 79 035 - 98 134 (19,100)
1921 148 1926 31 537 - 31 960,(23,470)
1922 [16001 - 17400] 100 944 - 123 989
[17901 - 20000] 1927 116-150 - 144-253 (28,104)
[20051 - 20500] (3,950) 1928 101-531 - 137-951 (36,421)
1923 51 45 - [131-001 - 137-000 Fresno]
[60 01 - 62 00 Oakland]
TRAILER DEALER (See Table 1)
Ch. 266 P 5/30/1923. Probably began 1924, when registration
figures start. Earliest seen 1935.
Numbers began at 1 all years. New re-plate in 1942.
Still issued as of 1974; discontinued by 1977.
LEGENDS: Vertical "DLR" then vertical "TLR" left all years.
TRAILER FLEET
Earliest seen 1977 chart. Permanent undated plate.
"TF" in UL corner, "A" (etc.) in UR corner.
A ZZ10000 - ZZ29999 A = U-Haul International Co.
B ZZ31365 B = Nationwide?
C ZZ32515 C = Jartran, Inc.?
D ZZ52111 D = ?
TRAILER SOLID TIRE (See Table 9)
Began 1929. Discontinued 1946.
LEGENDS: Vertical "ST" prefix all years.
TRAILER WEIGHT TAX (See Misc. 1 page)
Ch. 1852 P 7/18/1963, E 1964. Began 1964. No legend.
TRANSPORTER
Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957, E 9/11/1957. Earliest seen 1958.
Shown in Fresno Bee 3/5/1958.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TRP" after plate set prefix 1956-63,
Dealer design, "TRANSPORTER" bottom left 1970-79.
1956 (58) 2/F 002
1963 1/A 000 - 1/A 985
1970 2505 1A - 8275 1A
TRANSPORTER TRAILER
Ch. 1319 P 7/3/1957, E 9/11/1957. Earliest seen 1961.
Shown in Fresno Bee 3/5/1958.
Still issued as of 1974; discontinued by 1977.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TRP" then vertical "TLR" left all years.
1956 (61) 000 1/A - 159 1/A (no slots)
1963 000 1/A - 173 1/A
UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF
Ch. 686 P 5/1/1933, E immediately. Began 1934.
Issued to vehicles used by non-profit agencies to distribute
goods to the unemployed. Last seen 1941 chart.
No legend all years.
1934 1937 1940 [U R 144]
1935 UR 20 00 1938 UND. UR 12 95 1941 [U R 107]
1936 UR 12 18 1939
U.S. CONGRESS
Listed in Los Angeles Times 1/7/1940 as numbers C 1 to C 20.
Reported 1945. Earliest seen 1947.
Number = Congressional District 1 - 46 (19??-91),
1 - 53 (1992-2022). A = Second car.
LEGENDS: No legend, "C" prefix 1947-58, "U.S./CONGRESS" left 1959-79.
1947 C 20
1951 C 22
1963 37A
1970 14B (wide state name)
U.S. SENATE
Reported 1945. Earliest seen 1947 chart.
Number = Senatorial District 1 - 2. A = Second car.
LEGENDS: No legend, vertical "US" left, "S" prefix 1947,
"UNITED STATES/SENATE" left 1963-79.
1970 A 2 (wide state name)
UNITED STATES EXEMPT (1920-50: See Table 11)
Ch. 188 P 5/10/1915, E 9/9/1915. Began 1915.
1942 reported as dated Black/Gold issue with White/Red 1943 tab.
Discontinued 1951; merged into Exempt Octagon-E.
LEGENDS: No legend; "U.S." prefix 1915, "US" prefix 1916-21,
vertical "US" prefix 1924-50.
1915 U.S.217
1916/19 "CA.L" US 588 (1916 TAB US 217)
"CAL." US1180 - US1678
UNITED STATES EXEMPT MOTORCYCLE (1920-50: See Table 11)
Earliest seen 1919.
Discontinued 1951; merged into Exempt Octagon-E M/C.
LEGENDS: "US" prefix all years.
1919 U/S 503
UNITED STATES EXEMPT TRAILER (See Table 11)
Earliest seen 1921.
Discontinued 1951; merged into Exempt Octagon-E.
LEGENDS: "TRAILER" top, smaller "US" prefix and numbers 1921,
vertical "US" then vertical "TLR" left 1935-50.
UNKNOWN TYPE "ST" TAB
Only seen 1919 Tab #ST 539.
UNKNOWN TYPE "Z" DISC
Only seen 1914 Disc #Z 64 - Z 303. (Some chauffeur badges for 1914,
the first dated one, also had a "Z" prefix.)
Discs have not been verified yet for Dealer, Motorcycle or Motorcycle
Dealer for 1914, but a 1915 Motorcycle Dealer disc has been verified.
UNKNOWN TYPE "ZY-ZZ"
Possibly BE Commercial after W 99 999? Verify pairs.
1956 ZY 1435 - ZY 5682, ZZ 3174 - ZZ 4021 (no slots)
WRECKER/DISMANTLER
Ch. 1028 P 7/12/1941, E 9/13/1941. Began 1941.
Numbers assumed to have begun at 1 6001 1941-63.
LEGENDS: Vertical "WRK" after plate set prefix 1941-63,
Dealer design, "DISMANTLER" bottom left 1970-79.
1941 1 61 70 - 1 64 57
1942 1 67 08
1945 1 60 58 - 1 67 85
1947 [1 60 95]- 1 67 88 (wide dies)
1 6 883 1 6 995 (thin dies)
1951 1 6 431 - 1 7 778
1956 1 6 281 - 1 8 088 (tab slots)
1 6 021 (no slots)
1963 1 6273 - 1 8629
1970 11308 1A - 17178 1A
PERMITS:
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION PERMIT
Ch. 339 P 5/15/1933, E immediately. Began 8/30/1933.
Supplemental plate issued 1933 to all trucks and trailers operated for hire.
(Unknown if also issued to for-hire motorcycles.)
Bakersfield Californian 8/30/1933: "The board also announced
inauguration of another new state tax with the distribution today
of 5000 special truck tax license plates to contract haulers who
have paid the $25 state fee. The plates, inscribed "Permit,
State Board of Equalization," are to be placed under the motor
vehicle registration plates and trucks without this insignia are
to be stopped by highway patrolmen after September 10."
1933 UND. Orange/Black non-numbered attachment strip (bottomer)
"PERMIT/ST. BD. EQUALIZATION"
Full-size annual "BE" plates began 1934 for in-state motorcycles,
trailers and trucks operated for hire.
Supplemental plate issued to out-of-state vehicles operated for
hire in addition to home state plate 1939-73.
Tab slots removed 1961. Discontinued 7/1/1973.
(Verify 1934-39, 1941-46, 1948-51, 1972)
1939: "BE PERMIT 1939" reported.
1940: Black/Yellow non-numbered attachment strip (topper) "BE CAL 40".
1947-73: Small size, "BE PMT".
1953: "BE PMT" left up to #9999, "BE PMT" top #10000+.
1947 10 - [500] 1961 15 831 - 35 573 (19,743)
1948? 1962 47 918 - 73 238 (25,291)
1949? 1963 579 - 29572 (28,994)
1950? 1964 1244 - 8886 (7,643)
1951 1965 26771 - 41620 (14,850)
1952 927 - 5853 (4,927) 1966 54478 - 69331 (14,854)
1953 3744 - 11 006 (7,263) 1967 83128 - 94603 (11,476)
1954 6 346 - 20 769 (14,424) 1968 26972 - 45941 (18,970)
1955 4 169 - 28 711 (24,543) 1969 50444 - 75173 (24,730)
1956 8763 - 17 463 (8,701) 1970 100897 - 120973 (20,077)
1957 30 070 - 42 314 (12,245) 1971 200054 - 221688 (21,635)
1958 23 060 - 33 290 (10,231) 1972 (Reportedly not issued)
1959 55 262 - 64 762 (9,501) 1973 00506 - 28648 (28,143)
1960 78 135 - 98 378 (20,244)
COLORS: 1947(-50?), 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962 Black/Gold
1952-55, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963-70 Gold/Black
1971, 1973 Gold/Blue
CALIFORNIA RAILROAD COMMISSION
Ch. 223 P 5/27/1935, E 9/15/1935. Began 10/21/1935.
Supplemental undated plates issued to trucks to show compliance
with insurance requirement. Last seen c.1946, as agency became
California Public Utilities Commission 1946.
San Mateo Times, 10/21/1935, reports new series debuting that day
in five color schemes (referring to embossed "CRC" top portion):
1935 series, "CRC" top
Green/White Common Carriers 1-7005 - 1-7190
Maroon/White Radial Highway Common Carriers 2-2796 - 2-34889
White/Black Contract Carriers 3-4886 - 3-22971
Orange/Blue City Carriers 4-14392 - 4-20481
Maroon/Yellow Interstate Carriers
Other series seen: (Vertical "CRC" left on B-C prefixes)
A. Black/Yellow, 1935 design A-3499 - A-59136
B. White/Green, small topper seen on 1942/43 B-2-548 - B-58-896
C. White/Green, small topper/bottomer C-30788 - C-49028
D. Unknown; Lindsay Gazette 4/21/1944 reports lost truck plate
"with CRC plate No. D59514 attached."
FISH AND GAME BOAT
Ch. 1029 P 6/5/1953, E 4/1/1954, requiring all boats engaged in
commercial fishing operations to register with the Fish and Game
Commission for $10 fee and be issued a pair of plates.
License year expires March 31 annually.
Undated, Black/White, "CAL/F&G" left, #307 - 42082.
NON-RESIDENT LICENSE
Bids received 8/25/1915 on 2,000 1916 "non-resident license tags".
Earliest seen 1919 triangular tab attached to Arizona 1919 plate,
"NON RESIDENT LICENSE EXPIRES 10 2 19".
1921 disc attached to Colorado 1921 plate. 1922 is Mission Bell.
By 1933, registration card issued only.
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING STRUCTURE PERMIT
Law E 8/21/1933. May have begun 1934. Earliest seen undated in
Sacramento Bee, 8/16/1934, "OUTDOOR ADVERTISING/SIGN PERMIT/27/CALIF."
A. 1958, small, "OUTDOOR ADVERTISING/STRUCTURE PERMIT" top,
"CALIFORNIA 1958" bottom, Black/Gold, #23033.
B. 1969, same, but "CALIFORNIA - 1969" bottom, Black/Aluminum, #6711.
C. UND., small, "OUTDOOR ADVERTISING/PERMIT IDENTIFICATION" top,
"CALIFORNIA" bottom, Black/Aluminum?, #3596.
TRANSPORTATION LICENSE
Ch. 341 P 6/13/1923, E 1/1/1924. Began 1924.
Supplemental plates issued by Board of Equalization to common and
contract carrier trucks and buses transporting commodities or
passengers for hire beyond incorporated cities and towns, and
required to pay 4% tax on gross proceeds. Discontinued 1/1/1928.
All are undated, White/Black, issued in pairs.
Oxnard Daily Courier, 11/24/1925: "...where a company or person
is transporting his or its own commodities, according to the
state for exempt plates which are marked "X", as stated above,
and they are not required to pay taxes in their operation."
On 11/8/1926, the adoption of a constitutional amendment, Section
15, Article XIII, exempted common carriers from the tax, leaving
only the contract carriers.
Type 1 - "TRANSP LICENSE CALIF", holes only 1572 - 2275
Type 2 - As Type 1, but top slots added 5591 - 6969
Type 3 - Vertical "CTL" prefix far left 13-448 - 19-646
Type 4 - Vertical "CTL" prefix mid left 74-643 - 93-683
Type 5 - Vertical "CTL" center, hyphen X-27 977 - X-39 444
Type 6 - As Type 5, but no hyphen X42 320 - X99 594
Type 7 - As Type 6, but small "X" X100 690 - X109 580
DEALER TYPES
TABLE 1 DLR DLR M/C DLR TLR
1920 A-1899
1921 A-1537
1922 1A 2385
1923 1A 2561 59 1A
1924 1A 2164
1925 D 1-964
1926 1A 3-026
1927 1A 2-672
1928 1A 3-141 2 1A
1929 1A 32-80 8 1A 85
1930 1A 29-00
1931 1A 29 16 24 1A 110
1932 1A 26 13 24 1A
1933 1A 26 63 24 1A
1934 1A 24 36
1935 1A 32 00 1A 69 182
1936 1A 46 41
1937 1A 44 43 1A 81
1938 1A 45 41 472A
1939 1A 43 86 1A 14
1940 1A 43 05 [1A 150] 265A
1941 1A 46 87 1A 81 13A
1942 1A 46 87 298B
1945 1A 58 26 1A 37 1033A
1947 WIDE 1A 71 59 [1A 445] 503A
THIN 1A 7 947
1951 1/A 9 684 1A 151 1809A
1956 SLOTS 1/A 8903 1A 179 1199A
1963 1/A 9786 1A 1149 3155A
1970 18812 1A 1A 3861
EXEMPT TYPES
TABLE 2 EXEMPT EXEMPT M/C EXEMPT TLR
1920 1821 - 3685 (1,865)
1921 2-000 - 379
1922 [2001 - 7900] (5,900) [1 - 400] [17401 - 17575]
15135 - 15261 [20501 - 20550]
1923 46 53 - 17 638 (12,986) 39
1924 2-910 - 18-732 (15,823)
1925 23 87 - 12 550 (10,164) 76 300
1926 6 199 - 15 098 (8,900) 95 107
STATE COUNTY CITY ALL OTHER
TABLE 3 DIAMOND-E OVAL-E BOX-E HEXAGON-X
1927 51-83 - 73-13 94-63 - 11-525 14-653 - 14-866 (none)
1928 30-01 - 69-33 70-01 - 11-500 13-001 - 19-000 (none)
1929 36-62 - 59-01 63-39 - 11-701 15-334 - 20-239 (none)
1930 36-54 - 59-82 62-62 - 11-987 13-688 - 20-040 (none)
1931 34 00 - 51 66 70 01 - 12 905 17 114 - 22 278 (none)
1932 35 74 - 60 68 72 90 - 12 495 14 989 - 22 136 (none)
1933 32 94 - 64 46 71 45 - 13 458 15 017 - 22 574 (none)
1934 3565 - 6738 71 11 - 12 921 14 064 - 22 693 42 815 - 43 890
1935 38 12 - 71 84 82 87 - 13 751 20 007 - 22 561 24 261 - 24 966
1936 11 11, 30 62 - 76 57 85 54 - 14 834 23 004 - 23 642
1937 33 83 - 80 06 89 09 - 15 656 16 159 - 25 434 26 041 - 27 456
1938 UND. 24 91 - 70 21 10 655 - 13 731 19 857 - 23 181
1939 UND. [56 32] 16 052 - 32 402
1940 UND. [50 939]- 52 052 [56 026]- 58 398 [60 542] [67 002]
1941 UND. [50 625] [56 270] [19 400] [26 007]
1947 UND.WIDE 31 461 - 52 602 27 926 - 36 837 [60 744]- 74 763
1947 UND.THIN 86 079 59547, 88 971 79 820 [67592]
1947 THIN 92 096 - 93 049 89 867 - 91 002 96 553 - 97 777
STATE ALL OTHER (TRAILER) (Any Trailer
TABLE 4 DIAMOND-E OCTAGON-E OCTAGON-E Diamond-E plates?)
1951-55 1 166 - 22 064 24 167 - 99 639
1956-62 10 418 - 27 396 30 518 - 182638
253689 - 265782
300309 - 300647
1963-69 23806 - 52502 64608 - 199950 300609 - 306069
800466 - 815850 250597 - 259236
501877 - 572255
1970-82 THIN CA 56254 - 58805 573203 - 634369 306218 - 309397
818149 - 838481
WIDE CA 842445 - 873804 645389 - 799397 311194 - 319522
EXEMPT MOTORCYCLE TYPES
TABLE 5 STATE COUNTY CITY ALL OTHER
MOTORCYCLE DIAMOND-E OVAL-E BOX-E HEXAGON-X
1927 (none)
1928 501 (none)
1929 21 - 251 844 (none)
1930 (none)
1931 198 - 297 897 (none)
1932 306 925 - 1 121 (none)
1933 104 - 183 966 - 967 (none)
1934 804 1008
1935 25 - 139 623 876
1936 1 - 295 10 07
1937 445 1221 - 1373
1938 UND. 2847 - 2849 4268
1939 UND.
1940 UND. [2037] [3001] [3101] [4002]
1947 UND. [2188] [825] [1530]- 4268
1947 4867
TABLE 6 STATE ALL OTHER
MOTORCYCLE DIAMOND-E OCTAGON-E
1951-55 266 - 750 3 099 - 5 661
1956-62 8477 - 8944 3152 - 5810
1963-69 1261 - 1531 4395 - 9759
05A39 - 01J23 -
1970-82 LARGE 12A11 - 28A53 15J33 - 70J17
SMALL 73J41 - 86J81
EXEMPT TRAILER TYPES
TABLE 7 STATE COUNTY CITY ALL OTHER
TRAILER DIAMOND-E OVAL-E BOX-E HEXAGON-X
1927 95-217 (none)
1928 95-609 (none)
1929 150 739 14-25 (none)
1930 14-44 - 15-08 (none)
1931 70 - 150 201 - 414 801 - 983 (none)
1932 366 - 593 (none)
1933 599 (none)
1934 39 - 96 621 14 22 - 14 94
1935 92 710 14 91 17 39
1936 14 27 - 15 10
1937 1 - 2 11 72
1938 UND. 302 - 438 10 22
1939 UND.
1940 UND. [22 03] [27 01] [37 01] [42 01]
1947 UND.WIDE 28 39 -[30 08] [38 19]
1947 UND.THIN [2266] - 7 221 3 450
PUBLIC SERVICE TYPES
TABLE 8 PS PS M/C PS TLR
1920 PS-2635 - PS-3893 (1,259)
1921 PS-4467 - PS-4498 (32)
1922 [8001 - 13000] (5,000) [401 - 700] [17576 - 17875]
[20001 - 20050]
[20551 - 20600]
1923 93 18 - 11 823 (2,506) 85210 - 85887
1924 11-901 - 17-319 (5,419)
1925 21 157 -
1926 19 747, 96 389
1927 26-393 - 31-894 (5,502)
1928 27-635 - 37-833 (10,199)
1929 28-614 - 38-051 (9,438) PS 935 - 23-18 - 47-29
1930 28-351 - 34-414 (6,064) PS 880 -
1931 25 959 - 36 xxx (10,042) PS 511 - 44 00 -
1932 27 666 - 37 560 (9,895) PS 560 - 18 11 - 44 56
1933 24 797 - 37 119 (12,323) PS 548 - 33 57 -
1934 23 728 - 37 890 (14,163) PS 543 - 32 50 - 46 69
1935 25 765 - 26 040 (276) PS 518 - PS 521 18 06 -
1936 27 721 - PS 711 -
1937 28 282 - PS 713 -
1938 UND. 28 015 -
1939
1940 UND. [69 036]- [PS 4]- [43 01]-
1941 45 358 - 49 486 (4,129)
1942 11 96 - 12 37 (42)
1945
1947 [10 58]- [UND. PS 4]- [10]-
1951 5 376 - 9 068 (3,693)
1956 slot 378 - 4436 (4,059) PS 31 - PS 35 32 -
1963 546 - 8565 (8,020)
1970 11272 - 14374 (3,103) PS 40 - PS 94 201 - 262
TRAILER TYPES
TABLE 9 P/T BE/PT S/T BE/ST
1929 27-240 - 47-690 (20,452) (none) 78-71 - 18-005 (none)
83-700 -
1930 27-805 - 52-889 (25,085) (none) 53-17 - 23-955* (none)
1931 20 651 - 60 648 (39,998) (none) 65 12 - 18 451* (none)
1932 18 060 - 64 948 (46,889) (none) 50 69 - 11 630 (none)
1933 14 229 - 44 529 (30,301) (none) 68 68 - 11 708 (none)
1934 13 729 - 77 878 (64,151) 80 088 - 82 970 70 86 - 12 420 -
83 959 - 85 473 - 85 499
1935 42 03 - 75 774 (71,573) 95 801 - 96 720 80 842 - 86 051 99 801 -
89 576 -
1936 45 80 - 85 769 (90,732) 90 020 - 95 694 200377 - 206054 373 - 621
104861 - 114402
1937 29 92 - 73 269 (105,225) 87 496 - 202321 - 206644
103491 - 138437
1938 15 507 - 147011 (131,505) 16 53 - 64 61 204860 - 205415
1939 18 637 - 151661 (133,025) 13 625 - 203210 - 204397 23 87 - 28 21
1940 24 507 - 165667 (141,161) 37 99 - [92 20] [13 55]- 36 22 [23 44]-
1941 25 101 - 199862 (174,762) [48 21]- 20 181 [21 19]- 38 64 [23 01]-
1942 200310 - 304438 (104,129) 22132 - 51 43 - 51 47
1945 60 853 - 258884 (198,032) 75 78 - 26 677 20 52 -
TABLE 10 TLR BE TLR
1945 261760 - 363875 (102,116)
(TOTAL 303,023)
1947 WIDE 51 093 - 411414 (360,322) 100 - 33 006
1947 THIN 417 349 - 628 147 (210,799)
(TOTAL 577,055)
UNITED STATES EXEMPT TYPES
TABLE 11 US US M/C US TLR
1920
1921 US-1147 - US-1700 (554) US-8 - US-23
1922 [14001 - 15000](1,000) [701 - 825] [17876 - 17900]
1923
1924 16-449 -
1925
1926 28 873 -
1927
1928
1929 36-539 - 36-600 (62) US 975 - 16-54 -
1930 39-736 -
1931 39 501 - 41 158 (1,658) 49 75 -
1932 40 223 - 41 237 (1,015)
1933 40 640 -
1934 40 562 - US 660 - 50 57 - 50 68
1935 26 796 - 27 675 (880) US 572 - 19 16 -
1936 28 820 - 29 391 (572)
1937 30 273 - 30 900 (628)
1938 UND. 29 180 -
1939
1940 UND. [72 059 - 72 382] (324) [US 107]-
1941 46 870 - 48 259 (1,390)
1947 UND. 33660 - (THIN) [US 260]- [4605]-(THIN)
[48289] - (THIN)
