LOUISIANA

The earliest licensing of motor vehicles in Louisiana was accomplished by cities and parishes (the Louisiana equivalent of counties), with New Orleans being the first in November 1903.  By 1912, many cities and parishes were issuing their own license plates, and this continued through 1914.  For further details on these issues, please refer to the Louisiana Pre-state Local page.

The first state law for motor vehicle registration was 1914 Act 260, passed by the General Assembly on July 9, 1914, passed by the General Election on November 3, 1914, and effective January 1, 1915.  Louisiana's system of government required a statewide election to ratify each law passed during the most recent legislative session.  The Dallas Morning News reported on November 27, 1914, under the headline "Tax Automobiles in Louisiana", that "Effective Jan. 1 a State law will be enforced requiring all owners of automobiles to pay a State license tax, graduated 25c for each horsepower.  Secretary of State Hebert will order 8,000 of the license plates."

The new law required automobiles to register with the Secretary of State, pay an annual fee and display annual state-issued pairs of plates.  The fee was based on 25c per horsepower of the vehicle, with a minimum fee of $5 for automobiles.  Motorcycles paid a flat rate of $2 and trucks a flat fee of $7.50.  Dealers in new vehicles, or new and used vehicles, paid one license fee for their highest-horsepower-rating vehicle.  Dealers of used vehicles exclusively paid a flat rate of $10.  All dealers were eligible for additional duplicate plates at $1 each.  The registration year was January 1 to December 31.  Half rates were in effect starting August 1 of each year for all vehicles.

Non-residents were exempted as long as their home state extended reciprocity to Louisiana.  There is no mention in the law of whether or not licensing by cities and parishes could continue, therefore, it is assumed that it was still allowed.  Monroe and Ponchatoula issued plates in 1915, and Alexandria continued at least through 1920.  No New Orleans issues beyond 1914 are known, however.  In Shreveport, an ordinance was passed in late 1914 charging a city license fee identical to the state's, but this was quickly contested in 1915, and decided in favor of the motorist, striking down city licensing in Shreveport.

The table below lists the registration totals for 1915 and the known 1915 plate numbers by type.  No 1915 motorcycle plates are known, nor is there any mention in the law for distinct or smaller plates for them.  It's possible special plates for motorcycles were not issued until some later year and that, until then, passenger plates were assigned to motorcycles.  500 motorcycle plates were ordered for 1916, and the earliest known is 1922.

1915                    PASSENGER   MOTORCYCLE      DEALER

Registrations issued:     10,621        445           142

Plate numbers known:    #1 -  8483,      ?      #9067M - 9123M

                     #9542 - 10329