Disc issued with plates 1914-16.

Highest registration 1914-21 (*or observed number if higher):

1914   1 -  4996  (5050 mailed out of state as a souvenir)
1915   1 -  7325  (8,000 ordered)
1916   1 - 12124
1917   1 - 19761  (19999 also issued)
1918   1 - 23905  (24300 also seen; 25,000 ordered)
1919   1 - 28979
1920   1 - 34619
1921   1 - 35117* 

DEALER NUMBER BLOCKS
1915-16   151 - 200, 1201 - 1300
1917      101 - 200, 1201 - 1300, 18001 - 18050
1918-19   101 - 200, 1201 - 1300, 25001 - 25031

1920-21   101 - 200, 1201 - 1300, 25001 - 25031, 30001 - 30026

1922-28 FORMATS       1-100 - 9-99999
                     10-100 - 15-9999

County codes assigned according to amount of registrations issued.
Greenlee switched from 13 to 15 after complaints from motorists.

(Highest number seen by county 1922-58 - see Misc. 1)

1929-31 FORMATS
1929:     1-000 - 199-999
1930-31:  10-00 - 19-99-99  (118,150 P ordered 1930)

County codes A - P in same order as 1922-28 (no I,O used).
1929 has no letter but number blocks same as 1930-31.

1932-36 FORMATS                        No I,M,O,Q,W or zero used.
Maricopa & Cochise:  1AA1 - 9ZZ9, 1A1A - 9Z9Z
Mohave 1932-33:      U11A - U99Z
All other counties:  AA11 - ZZ99, A1A1 - Z9Z9

Counties assigned in same order as 1922-31.  Format progresses from
right to left, regardless of whether letter or number is next.

1937 FORMATS           A1 - Z9-999     No H,I,L,O,P,Q used.

 

Only A began at 1; B - Z began at 100.
Counties assigned in same order as 1922-36.

 

1938 FORMATS           A1 - Z9999      No H,I,L,O,P,Q used.

 

Counties assigned in same order as 1922-37.

1939-42 FORMATS                        No I,M,O,Q,S,U-Z used.
1939:     A 1 - A 999,  A1000 -  A99999
1940-41:  A 1 - A 999, A1 000 - A99 999
1942:     A 1 - A 999, 1A 000 - 99A 999

Counties assigned in new order.
"T" series added 1942, issued statewide in 1943-44 to all new

registrants who moved to Arizona from out of state.

1945 FORMATS         A 1 - Z9999       No I,M,O,Q,S,U-Z used.

County system only partially known; quantity-based blocks like Utah.

1947-48 FORMATS    A/A 1 - Z/Z 9999    No B,D,F,G,I,M,
                                          O,Q,R,V,W,Y used.

Counties assigned in new order.

1949-58 FORMATS      A-1 - Z-99999     No B,D,F,G,I,O,Q,W used.

Counties assigned in same order as 1947-48.  Maricopa exhausted
A-99999 in 1951, and borrowed Santa Cruz high numbers X-3501+.
Maricopa overflow changed to V-3501+ in 1952 at Santa Cruz's request.

In 1957, Maricopa added M, then a statewide Y series began for all

counties as needed, and in late 1958, it ran out and R was issued

statewide; all began at 1.

TABS
1951   001015 - 190503         (Non-Pass. 367234)
1953   004998 - 286414*t
1955   008120 - 313698, 536540

1959-60 BASE                                         No I,O,Q used.
1959                       AAA-001 - BDY-077            (605,460 P)

1961-63 BASE                                         No I,O,Q used.
1961 Type 1:  Steel        CAA-001 - DJA-571            (690,880 P)
1963 Type 2:  Aluminum     DJC-877 - DMC-134             (68,189 P)
                                                  (TOTAL 761,372 P)

1964-65 BASE                                         No I,O,Q used.
1964                       EAA-001 - FMJ-123            (750,732 P)

1966-68 BASE                                     No I,O,Q,U,V used.
1966 Type 1                HAA-001 - JZZ-999            (850,149 S)
1968 Type 1a               NAA-001 - NEG-195             (90,105 S)
                                                  (TOTAL 940,254 S)

1969-72 BASE                                     No I,O,Q,U,V used.
1- 2-69 Type 1             KAA-001 - MDZ-275            (922,352 P)
3-20-70 Type 2             MEC-658 - MZN-604            (337,609 P)
7-11-72 Type 1a            MZR-826 - MZZ-999              (6,168 P)
7-11-72 Type 1b            YAA-001 - YDF-342             (65,277 P)
                                                (TOTAL 1,336,005 P)

Description of Types:
Type 1 - Thin legends (3 3/4" long "ARIZONA", 8" long slogan)
Type 2 - Wide legends (4 1/4" long "ARIZONA", 8 1/2" long slogan)

1973-80 BASE                                    No I,O,Q,U,V used*.
1-2-73 Type 1              PAA-001 - WMZ-989                (mixed)
1-2-73 Type 2              REP-145 - WNH-800                (mixed)
                                                (TOTAL 2,494,304 P)

Types are reverse of 1969-72 above. WNJ-999 reportedly last number.
*V added May 1976, "APR 77".  Earliest V seen:  TVA  (TTV reported)
Replaced during 1991.

COUNTY ASSIGNMENTS 1959-73 Initial assignments in alphabetical order.
1959-60 Initial AAA-AZH (511,488)
1961-63 Initial CAA-DCK (562,437)
1964-65 Initial EAA-FKA (699,300), Secondary FKB - FLB-400 (21,379)
1966-68 Initial HAA-JWZ (787,212)
1969-72 Initial KAA-LTN (758,241), Secondary LTP - YDF-080(577,502)
1973-81 Initial PAA-SJZ (1,020,978)

1980-98 CACTUS BASE                                No I,O,Q,U used.
4-7-80  "DEC 80"  Type 1      AAA-001 - BEY-502         (591,910 P)
Mar.82  "FEB 83"  Type 2/3    BFD-102 - BVZ-245         (281,862 P)
Dec.83  "NOV 84"  Type 4      BWS-999 - ETT-374       (1,406,967 P)
Jan.89  "DEC 89"  Type 5      EWY-659 - FBY-249         (109,481 S)
Aug.88  "JUL 89"  Type 12     FCB-913 - FET-745          (58,774 S)
Feb.89  "JAN 90"  Type 5a     FEX-999 - FEZ-409           (1,409 S)
Jun.89  "MAY 90"  Type 12a    FFG-407 - FTB-954         (237,311 S)
Jan.90  "DEC 90"  Type 5b     FTF-628 -                       (1 S)
Feb.90  "JAN 91"  Type 12b    FTG-042 - FWV-781          (55,685 S)
Mar.90  "FEB 91"  Type 5c     FXL-010 - NXG-177       (3,380,784 S)
                          (TOTAL 2,340,576 P, 9,730 ?, 3,875,639 S)

Description of Types:
Type 1 - Aluminum, unpainted back, no flange, wide legends, slogan
         offset to left (LR hole under "TE")
Type 2 - As Type 1, but slogan centered (LR hole under "AT")
Type 3 - As Type 2, but thin legends (mixed)
Type 4 - As Type 2, but wide "ARIZONA", thin slogan
Type 5 - As Type 4, but single strike, not pair
Type 6 - As Type 5, but galvanized steel                (351,770 S)

"ARIZONA" - Wide 5 1/8", Thin 3 7/8"
 Slogan   - Wide 8 1/2", Thin 8"

 

Back may be unpainted, brown, black or blue.
Highest pair seen:  ETT-374
Currently revalidated.


1997-2024 DESERT SCAPE BASE                        No I,O,Q,U used.
Nov. 96   "JUN 97"  Type 1    001-AAA - 079-JJV       (4,061,014 S)
7/12/02   "JUN 03"  Type 2    994-JJY - 999-ZZZ       (6,572,427 S)
2/4/08    "FEB 08"  Type 3    AAA0001 - CVD2535 (CVJ)(13,451,190 S)

Mar. 20   "DEC 20"  Type 4    CVR8524 - CWB5251 (CVL)    (86,719 S)

4/21/20   "APR 21"  Type 4a   AAA0AAA - 99A9A9A

11/1/20    "PERM"   Type 4b   CWL0001 - CWP4350 (Rental) (34,347 S)

2/1/21              Type 4c   AAA 0AA - A9A 99A
                                               (TOTAL 24,122,883 S)

Description of Types:
Type 1 - Embossed, no sticker boxes   (TOTAL 6-FIGURE 10,637,351 S)
Type 2 - Embossed, "MONTH" and "YEAR" sticker boxes added
Type 3 - Flat with beveled edge

Type 4 - Flat with no edge

 
Issued only to new registrations.

 

2020 progression, in order of sequence:  Assuming no I,O,Q,U used.

 

ASSUMED ORDER:  A A A A =  4 5 6 7

                 A 0 A      2 1 3

 

Position 4:      0-9 only

Position 2:      A-Z, 0-9

Position 6:      A-Z, 0-9

Position 1:      A-Z, 0-9

Position 3,7:    A only

Position 5:      A-B only

 

Non-passenger types issued same format but with no cactus, wider slogan.

OPTIONAL BASES 1993-96:

1993-2011 ENVIRONMENTAL BASE                 $25 annual extra cost.
 9-30-92  "MAY 93"  Type 1       E0001 -   E9999          (9,999 P)
Feb. 93   "JAN 94"  Type 1a      0001E -   9999E          (9,999 P)
Nov. 93   "SEP 94"  Type 1b      000E1 -   999E9          (9,999 P)
          "NOV 95"  Type 1c      00E01 -   19E12          (1,912 P)
12-27-94  "JAN 95"  Type 2       21E18 -   99E99          (7,882 P)
Jun. 95   "MAY 96"  Type 2a      0E001 -   9E999          (9,999 P)
Jun. 95   "MAY 96"  Type 2b    EV-0001 - EZ-1988         (41,984 P)
                                                   (TOTAL 91,979+P)

Description of Types:
Type 1 - 1956-92 wide dies, yellow numbers, purple background
                                                         (31,909 P)
Type 2 - New narrow dies, black numbers, lavender background
                                                         (58,885+P)

Type 2 replaced Type 1 by 7/1/95 with same number.
Numbers progress 0001 - 9999 regardless of "E" position.
028E6 has coated back, 138E8 has uncoated back.