IOWA

The earliest automobile ordinance to require registration and plates was passed in Iowa City in mid-1903, with Des Moines following shortly after in late 1903.  Both cities required owner-provided plates but they were only in use relatively briefly before the state passed its first automobile registration law in mid-1904, invalidating all city ordinances licensing automobiles. 

(Cedar Rapids (32,811)

 The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette of May 2, 1904, published Ordinance #654

 which had been passed on April 29, 1904.  The ordinance only established a

 city-wide speed limit of 8 MPH for all automobiles and "auto-cycles," with

 no mention of licensing or registration.  Since it was passed after the

 state automobile law, we conclude that Cedar Rapids never got as far as

 registering motor vehicles.)

(Davenport (43,028)

 An ordinance was passed on October 15, 1902, for automobile speed limits and

 regulations only, the first such ordinance in Iowa.  A new ordinance was

 presented on June 1, 1904, "providing for the numbering, registration and

 regulation...of automobiles" with numbers 3 inches tall, but it was

 withdrawn on July 6, 1904, "in view of the state law going into effect."

 Incredibly, another ordinance was submitted to the city council, according

 to the September 21, 1904, issue of The Horseless Age.  This one "requires

 that cars be registered and carry numbers nine inches high."  That would

 have set a national record for largest number size!)

Des Moines (86,368)

Ordinance #1237, passed on October 5, 1903, effective November 19, 1903, required automobile owners to obtain a permit from the Chief of Police at no charge, and display an owner-provided rear plate with 3 1/2-inch-tall numbers.  Numbers were to start at #1.  The Des Moines Register published on July 15, 1904, a list of all automobile owners, a total of 72.

(Dubuque (38,494)

 An automobile ordinance was considered at the city council meeting on

 November 18, 1902, but no action was taken.  Only 3 or 4 automobiles were

 estimated to be in the city at the time.  Another ordinance was proposed in

 1903, but it only provided for speed limits and general road regulations.

 The minutes of the council meeting on May 19, 1904, mentioned that the City

 Attorney was to set an ordinance, but by this time, the state law had been

 passed, so it is unlikely it contained any numbering or registration

 clause.  If it did, there probably wouldn't have been time for it to be

 implemented anyway.)

Iowa City (10,091)

An ordinance was passed on June 12, 1903, requiring automobile owners to register their machines with the city clerk at no cost.  Also required was an owner-provided number on the rear, in a contrasting color to the machine.  This ordinance amended an earlier automobile ordinance which had no numbering provision.  An Iowa Citizen news article on June 15, 1903, which mentions passage of the automobile ordinance, states that "The city number must be placed on the rear of the machine in striking letters not smaller than six inches in height..."

(Ottumwa (22,012)

 According to an April 28, 1904, issue of Motor Age, an ordinance was given a reading

 "last week" in city council.  It would have required registration and numbering

 of automobiles.)

Waterloo (26,693)

An ordinance was passed on November 10, 1902, for automobile speed limits and regulations only.  There do not appear to have been any subsequent ordinances before the 1904 state law passed.

In an interesting side story, the Waterloo Evening Courier reported on July 8, 1910, that the city of Waterloo would start issuing heavy white cardboard temporary license tags numbered from W1 to W200 on July 11, 1910.  New car owners were to use this city tag, issued free of charge, instead of the dealer's plate until their state disc arrived in the mail from Des Moines.  Six numbers were issued the first day, according to a subsequent article.  300 similar tags were printed in 1912 for the same situation, but only the 1910 versions could technically be considered prestates.