UTAH

City registration began in Salt Lake City in the summer of 1903, with Ogden following suit in 1906.  After the 1909 state law invalidated local licensing of automobiles, cities passed new ordinances requiring registration of motorcycles, which were excluded from state registration.  This resulted in city-issued motorcycle plates from about 1911 to 1915, when the new state law took over motorcycle registration.

Ogden (25,580)

The first automobile arrived in Ogden in September 1900.  An ordinance was passed on July 20, 1903, for speed limits only.  A new ordinance, published June 30, 1906, required city-issued leather plates with 4" tall numbers for a fee of $2.  Registration began August 10, 1906, but plate #1 was held back and not issued until April 9, 1907.  Numbers issued by calendar year are as follows:

      1906                    2 - 31  (30)

      1907                1, 32 - 58  (28)

      1908                   59 - 81  (23)

      1909 (as of May 11)    82 - 99  (18)

A motorcycle ordinance was passed on June 5, 1911, requiring registration and plates, according to the Ogden Standard of the next day.  Owners were to pay a fee of $2 to the city recorder and display their registered number.  It was in effect by June 20, 1911.  84 motorcycles were licensed in 1913.  No plates are known.

Provo (8,925)

An undated white-on-blue porcelain motorcycle plate #851 is known with "PROVO" at top.

Salt Lake City (92,777)

The first automobile in Salt Lake City arrived in April 1899.  An ordinance was passed August 10, 1903, for automobile registration for a $1 fee.  Owner-provided plates were required with 6-inch-tall numbers.  Numbers issued by calendar year are as follows:

      1903                    1 -  21   (21)

      1904                   22 -  35   (14)

      1905                   36 - 101   (66)

      1906                  102 - 211  (110)

      1907                  212 - 354  (143)

      1908                  355 - 519  (165)

      1909 (as of May 11)   520 - 582   (63)

A motorcycle ordinance was passed on July 25, 1910 requiring an annual tax of $3 as well as city-issued motorcycle plates.  For 1910, only $1 was charged, and in all years, an additional 25 cents was charged for the city tag.  Numbers began at 1 in 1910.  A 1910 tag has been reported but not verified.  1912 embossed metal plates #310 to #328 are known.

The Salt Lake Telegram reported on March 23, 1915, that "C. L. Whitney, city license assessor, has asked the city commission for advice on the collecting of licenses for motorcycles.  He informs the commission that he has already collected about 300 licenses for the current year.  The new state law dealing with motor traffic prohibits a city from collecting a tax on motorcycles."  The next day, the Telegram stated that "On the advice of the city attorney, the city commission directed the license assessor to collect motorcycle licenses up to July 1 of this year and to rebate any he may have collected beyond that date."

In the spring of 1913, another ordinance was passed, requiring city residents to display a front automobile plate with the same number as the state-required rear plate.  As a result, many mismatched Utah pairs exist with differences in details of design and/or construction.  It is nearly impossible to determine which plate of a pair is city and which is state!