TENNESSEE

The earliest state law to regulate the use of horseless vehicles was 1903 Chapter 125, passed on March 16, 1903, effective immediately.  However, there was no registration or numbering provision until two years later.  Memphis passed an ordinance on September 23, 1903, which took effect immediately and required owner-provided rear plates.  Nashville is known to have been licensing automobiles by December 30, 1903, and had an ordinance requiring the display of numbers by November 9, 1904.  Chattanooga also required registration as of late 1904.

1905 Chapter 173, passed on March 27, 1905, and effective April 26, 1905, required automobiles and motorcycles to register with the Secretary of State and pay a one-time fee of $2.  The owner was responsible for displaying the number in 3-inch-tall digits on a "durable and substantial plate of the size of not less than four inches in height and seven inches in length" on the front and rear of their machine.  Registration began on May 2, 1905, with #100, the lowest number issued.  There was no separate provision for dealers from 1905 to 1915; dealers had to apply for individual registrations just like private owners.  One such example, #6317, is known in records.

In addition, each owner was also required to pay a one-time $1 fee to the county clerk of their county of residence to register their state certificate.  Local ordinances weren't specifically addressed by the law but numbering was:  "In order to prevent confusion in numbers, no municipality shall require the owner of any automobile to place thereon any other or different number than that required in this section, and such owner shall not exhibit or permit to be attached to such automobile any other or different number than that provided for in said certificate."

Numbers were assigned sequentially in the same series to all motorized vehicles, regardless of whether issued to an autombile, motorcycle, truck or traction engine.  Numbers reached #1000 in mid-1907, as #1016 is verified as having been issued on July 17, 1907.  The #10000 mark was passed in late 1912.  The highest known pre-state plate is #22713.  The following table lists documented (and confirmed) numbers, plus totals in ( ) issued by calendar year:

1905     100 -   488     (389)

1906     489 -   780     (292)

1907     781 -  1148     (367)   #1147 skipped

1908    1149 -  1608     (461)   #1147 issued

1909    1609 -  2684   (1,076)   #2685 - 2705 (21) still need dating

1910    2706 -  4071   (1,366)   #4072 - 4286 (215) still need dating

1911    4287 -  6641   (2,355)

1912    6642 - 10101   (3,460)

1913   10102 - 14100   (3,999)

1914   14101 - 19620   (5,520)   #19621 - 19654 (34) still need dating

1915   19655 - 23546   (3,892)   (As of 6/28/1915)

The ten-year-long pre-state era came to an end with 1915 Chapter 8, passed on January 29, 1915, and effective July 1, 1915, which repealed the 1905 law.  This law required registration of all motor vehicles with the Secretary of State as before but now on an annual basis, an annual fee, and the display of an annual pair of state-issued plates.  The fees were $5.00 for automobiles seating 4 or fewer passengers, trucks and traction engines, $7.50 for automobiles with a seating capacity of more than 4 passengers, and $2.50 for motorcycles.  The registration year was January 1 to December 31.  After September 1 of each year, half rates were in effect.  As before, vehicle owners were to register their state certificate with their county clerk for a $1 fee.  The same number was to be issued upon renewal.  Section 3 states that "no other number plates shall be used."

Although there is no specific language in the 1915 law to address it, the state apparently interpreted some of the law's provisions as becoming mandatory six months later, on January 1, 1916.  Therefore, existing registrations continued in force until that date, and pre-state plates continued to be used during the second half of 1915 simultaneously alongside newly-issued 1915 state plates.  State-issued 1915 plates were only issued to new registrations, and their numbers continued beyond where the highest pre-state numbers ended.  Known 1915 plates range from #23551 to #27095, representing only 3,545 pairs issued, hence their rarity.  The date of issue is believed to have been July 1, 1915, and that plate numbers jumped to a new start effective that date.  The highest number documented so far is #27126 issued on December 1, 1915, when it is believed the sale of 1916 plates started.

1916 plates began at #6000, as lower numbers were reserved for motorcycles and dealers.  As of December 16, 1916, registrations stood at 31,864.  The highest known 1916 plate is #36828 (30,829 pairs).

The 1915 law also enacted a new classification of registration for dealers.   Dealers were to pay an annual $10 fee for a "demonstration number" which could be used on all vehicles owned by that dealer.  Section 4 states that "This certificate and number shall be of different color, number and dimensions from that of an owner of a motor vehicle..."  Demonstration plates were supposed to be different from regular plates in color, number and size, but the size part was deleted in the revised law, 1917 Chapter 73, passed on April 5, 1917.  Dealer plates appear to have begun on July 1, 1915, with a 1915 state-issued plate, as registration records have been found for #7, issued July 15, 1915, and #45, issued September 15, 1915.  The only known 1915 Dealer plate is smaller than regular plates, appears to have a light-colored background, and has the word "DEMONSTRATOR" at the top.  The plate number is -10-.

Documentary evidence recently uncovered suggests that after July 1, 1915, state-issued 1915 passenger plates were issued to motorcycles as well as automobiles, trucks and traction engines.  Registration #24055 was assigned on July 7, 1915 to an Indian motorcycle, while #25167 was issued August 17, 1915, to a Harley-Davidson.  Undoubtedly, some complaints must have arisen regarding mounting these large 6" x 15" tags to motorcycles during the second half of 1915.  Whatever the reason, the first true motorcycle plates were not issued until 1916, using a small, vertical format, and began their own numeric sequence starting at #1.  The highest recorded plate issued on December 16, 1916, was #948, and the highest known 1916 Motorcycle plate is #930.

Tennessee had 96 counties in 1905, one more than the state has today.  James County, just east of Chattanooga, TN, was dissolved on April 15, 1919, due to bankruptcy.  The citizens of James County voted to join Hamilton County on December 11, 1919.

In addition to state laws requiring motor vehicle registration with the state, there was a series of laws providing for counties (but not cities) to license vehicles to varying degrees.  The first of these was passed on April 27, 1911, and approved on June 30, 1911, to allow counties with a population between 28,100 and 28,150 (essentially just Sullivan County, pop. 28,120) to license automobiles for private use and for hire.  Another law passed in 1915 allowed counties with a population between 149,000 and 190,000 (essentially Davidson County, pop. 149,478) to collect a privilege tax on automobiles and motorcycles.  Senate Bill #1185, passed in 1919, allowed counties with a population between 25,907 and 25,909 (essentially only Lincoln County, pop. 25,908) to assess a privilege tax above the state tax on all kinds of vehicles including automobiles and motorcycles.  This was the beginning of the wheel tax found in so many counties today, in which a local sticker is issued for the license plate.  But if Sullivan county issued any sort of plate or attachment between 1911 and 1915, it would qualify as a pre-state.