Vehicle registration plates of New Jersey

Current New Jersey license plate

The U.S. state of New Jersey first issued license plates in 1908. Plates are currently issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

All bases of all classes of plates from 1959 to present are still valid for display in New Jersey. Since 2004, passenger plates have no requirement to display proof of valid registration, using only the registration card issued to the driver, which is stored in the glove box or on the person. New Jersey issues both front and rear license plates for almost all classes of vehicles, but "USED CAR DLR", "BICYCLE", "TRICYCLE", "SCOOTER", "MOTORCYCLE", "OXBOARD", and "SEGWAY" plates only issue rear.

Issuance and validation

Passenger plates were issued in pairs 1908 to present except for 1944, 1945, and 1946. New plates were issued every year until 1943 due to wartime restrictions. From 1943 until 1952 plates were issued yearly. Between 1953 and 1956 metal tabs were issued for re-validation of plates. In 1956 re validation began with front windshield stickers. In 1999 the state tried re-validating plates with stickers, but that scheme ended in 2004 with stickers issued to expire in 2005. Since then passenger plates have been re-validated with just the registration card issued to the driver.

Passenger baseplates 1908 to present

In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles, except those for motorcycles, at six inches in height by twelve inches in width, with standardized mounting holes. The plates issued in 1955 were the first New Jersey license plates that complied with these standards.

Image	First issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1908	Gold lettering and blue background painted on porcelain-coated steel base	none	12345	unknown	Steel registration seal on right side between "N.J." and "08"
	1909	White lettering and black background painted on porcelain-coated steel base	none	12345	unknown	Steel registration seal on right side between "N.J." and "09"
	1910	Black lettering and yellow background painted on porcelain-coated steel base	none	12345	unknown	Steel registration seal on left side between "N.J." and "10"
	1911	Red lettering and white background painted on porcelain-coated steel base	none	12345	unknown	Steel registration seal on right side between "N.J." and "11"
	1912	Yellow lettering and blue background painted on porcelain-coated steel base	none	12345	unknown	Steel registration seal on left side between "N.J." and "12"
	1913	Red lettering and white background painted on porcelain-coated steel base	none	12345	unknown	Steel registration seal on right side between "N.J." and "13"
	1914	White lettering on red background painted on porcelain-coated steel base	none	12345	unknown	Steel registration seal on left side between "N.J." and "14"
	1915	White lettering on green background painted on porcelain-coated steel base	none	12345	unknown	Steel registration seal on right side between "N.J." and "15"
	1916	White lettering on brown background	none	12345	unknown	No steel registration seal
	1917	White lettering on blue background	none	12345	unknown	No steel registration seal
	1918	Blue lettering on white background	none	123456	unknown	"N. J." Next to "1918" above lettering
	1919	White lettering on green background	none	123456	unknown	"N. J." Next to "1919" above lettering
	1920	White lettering on red background	none	123456	unknown	"N. J." Next to "1920" above lettering
	1921	White lettering on dark green background	none	123456	unknown	"N. J." Next to "1921" above lettering
	1922	White lettering on black background	none	123456	unknown	"N. J." Next to "1922" above lettering
	1923	Orange lettering on black background	none	123456	unknown	"N. J." Next To "23" above lettering
	1924	White lettering on red background	none	123456	unknown	"N. J." Next to "1924" above lettering
	1925	Silver lettering on dark blue background	none	123456	unknown	"N. J." Next to "25" above lettering
	1926	White lettering embossed on red base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1927	White lettering embossed on green base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1928	White lettering embossed on light blue base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1929	White lettering embossed on black base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1930	White lettering embossed on brown base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1931	White lettering embossed on red base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1932	White lettering embossed on black base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1933	Orange lettering embossed on black base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1934	Green lettering embossed on black base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1935	White lettering embossed on black base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1936	Orange lettering embossed on black base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1937	Green lettering embossed on black base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1938	White lettering embossed on black base	none	A12345	unknown	County letter code at left
	1939	Orange on black	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1940	Green on black	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1941	White on black	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1942	Yellow on black	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)	Revalidated for 1943, with tabs.
	1944	Black on straw	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1945	Blue on straw	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1946	Black on straw	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1947	Blue on straw	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1948	Black on straw	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1949	Straw on black	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1950	Black on straw	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1951	White on black	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A	Coded by county (A/B)
	1952	Orange on black; "N. 52 J." embossed at bottom	none	A/B 123 A/B 12A A/B A12 A/B 1A2 A/B 1234	Coded by county (A/B)	Revalidated for 1953, 1954, 1955 and 1956 with tabs.
	1957	Similar to 1952 base, but to 6" x 12" size, and with stacked "NJ" embossed at right	none	A/B 1234	Coded by county (A/B)	Revalidated for 1958 with windshield stickers.
	1959	Black on buff, non-reflective, "N.J." embossed in wide block letters centered at top	"GARDEN STATE" embossed in plain block letters centered at bottom	ABC-123	AAA-100 to RHZ-9991, 2	A number of "B" series were made in Arkansas. Notice the different "B" stamp.
	1969	As above, but reflective			RIA-100 to SZZ-9991, 2, 5	Experimental plates.
	1970	As above, but non-reflective as from 1959–69			UAA-100 to YZZ-9991, 2, 5
	1973			123-ABC	100-AAA to 999-HBZ2, 5
	1977	As above, but with "NEW JERSEY" embossed in plain block letters centered at top			100-HCA to 999-KZZ2, 5	First use of the full state name on passenger plates. Two different dies were used for the state name during 1978 – one with a narrow 'W' (the standard), and the other with a wide 'W'.
	1979	Buff on medium blue, non-reflective, "NEW JERSEY" embossed in plain block letters centered at top	"GARDEN STATE" embossed in plain block letters centered at bottom	123-ABC; New Jersey state icon used as dash	100-LAA to 999-ZZZ2, 5
	1985			ABC-123; New Jersey state icon used as dash	ZAA-100 to ZZZ-9992, 3, 5
	1985			ABC-12D; New Jersey state icon used as dash	AAA-10A to HZZ-99Z2, 3, 5
	1992	Black embossed numbers on yellow to white gradient, reflective; "New Jersey" screened in black plain serifed letters centered at top; black outlines for registration stickers at top corners	"Garden State" screened in black plain block letters centered at bottom	ABC1234	AAA1000 to ADJ99993, 4, 5
	1993			AB-123C; New Jersey state icon used as dash	BA-100A to ZY-999Z3, 4, 5
	1999			ABC-12D; New Jersey state icon used as dash	JAA-10A to VZT-99Z3, 4, 5	In March 2001, somewhere between the LGW and LHC series, the plates changed from using 3M reflective sheeting to Avery reflective sheeting.
	2007	As above, but without black outlines at top corners			VZU-10A to ZZZ-99Z3, 4, 5	Security threads added to vertical center of plate in November 2009 somewhere in the ZGB and ZGE series
	2010	As above, but with security threads added to center of plate		A12-BCD;[1] New Jersey state icon used as dash	A10-AAA to T99-EEK4, 5	R40-EEK (current highest embossed serial known on April 30, 2014)
	2014	As above, but with numbers and state icon screened rather than embossed[2]			A10-EFF to present4, 5	G44-HGH (current highest serial known on November 11, 2016)

Notes

• 1 Plates did not use the letters D, T, X, or Z in the first position (this does not apply to plates from 2014 to present);
• 2 Plates did not use the letter Q in any position;
• 3 Plates did not use the letters D, T, or X in the first position;
• 4 Plates did not use the letters I, O, Q in any position;
• 5 Plus remakes of serials issued on previous bases

Courtesy plates

New Jersey courtesy license plate

Courtesy plates are issued to individuals with political connections. The serial formats on these plates consist of three letters followed or preceded by a number between 1 and 20. On standard courtesy plates the first letter is a county code, the second letter is the first initial of the vehicle owner's name, and the third letter is the initial of the last name of the vehicle owner. Courtesy plates may also be personalized, with all three letters making up the owner's initials.

Courtesy plates must be approved by a NJ State Senator from the applicant's election district prior to being submitted to the MVC.^[3] The staff for the applicant's senator must also get approval from the state senator from the county that corresponds to the first letter on the plate being requested. The letter Q cannot be used on these plates, and D, O, T, and X cannot be used as the first letter.^[4]

Courtesy plate county codes 1959 to present

Current plate types

All plates issued since 1959 are still valid for use.^[5]

Non-Passenger

Image	Type	First issued	Current serial format	Previous serial formats	Notes
	Regulated Bulk Hauler	1981		NJ1234DMV	Replaced by Apportioned in 1996
	Apportioned	June 1996	AB-123C
	Commercial	1918	XAB-C12	XA-123B, X-1234A, X12-A34, XAB1234, (last seen: XAF8090) XA-12BC, XAB-12C, X1A-234, X-12345, XA-1234, XAB-123
	Commercial Vanity		varies	varies
	Commuter Van	1982	CV12345	CV1234
	Constructor	1951	12345	123; 1234
	Courtesy	1920	ABC  1, ABC 12 1  ABC, 12 ABC
	Equipment In Transit	1960	12-1-AB
	Farm Use	1941	FA-1234	F-1234; F-A123; F-A12B; FA12345; FA-10B
	Handicapped	1977	1234HA	HA1234, H1234, 1234H
	Historic	1964	12345QQ	QQ-A123, 123A-QQ, QQ-1234, 1234-QQ, QQ12345
	Historic Motorcycle	1976	Q1234	Q123
	In Transit Empty	1977	ZA-12	12-ZA
	Limousine	1977	OL1234A	OL-1234; 1234-OL; OL-123A
	Limousine Vanity		OLABCDEF
	Livery	1916	OL1234A	OL-1234; 1234-OL; OL-123A	Withdrawn and replaced with Limousine plates.
	Livery Vanity		varies	varies
	Moped		1A2B3
	Motorcycle	1912	1ABC2	A123B, AB123, 123AB, A1234, 1234A
	Motorcycle Courtesy
	Motorcycle Dealer	1920s	DA-12−1
	New Car Dealer	1916	DAB-12 1
	NJ Transit	1982		1234-NJ	no longer in use
	No Fee	1932	NF12345	NF-A123
	Non-Conventional Dealer
	Omnibus 1	1921	OXA1234 (OYA1234)	OXA-123
	Omnibus 2	August 2014	O2-1234
	Passenger Vanity		varies	varies
	PUC-LIM		OL-1234
	School Vehicle I	1977	A123-S1	S1-123A, 123A-S1, 1234AS1, S1-A123
	School Vehicle II	1977	A123-S2	S2-123A, 123A-S2, 1234AS2, S2-A123
	Street Rod	1982	R1234
	Temporary	2012	A000000	B000001 to B999999	Skipped A; as of 04-17-12, B59####
	Temporary	early 2013	A000000	F000001 to F999999	Skipped C and D; as of 04-06-13, F78####
	Temporary	late 2013	A000000	H000001 to H999999	Skipped E and G; as of 05-15-2014, H63####
	Temporary	late 2014	A000000	J000001 to J999999	Skipped I; as of 10-11-14, J55####
	Temporary	late 2015	A000000	L000001 to present	Skipped K; as of 11-13-15, L99####
	Motorcycle Temporary	June 2015	A000000	J600001 to present	Same as regular temporary plates but smaller
	Temporary Non-Resident	2012	000000A	000001N to present	Skipped M; as of 03-01-12, ####83N
	Tractor		TA-0000
	Trailer	1915	TAB-12C	1234TAB, T12-A3B, TAB-123, TA-123C, T123-AB, 123-TAB, T1A-234, TAB1234
	Transporter
	Used Car Dealer	1960	DLB-12 1(2)
	Dealer Temporary	1953
	Vehicle Converter	1959
	Vehicle Manufacturer	1908
	Recreational Vehicle	2015

Governmental

Image	Type	First issued	Current serial format	Previous serial formats	Notes
	Assembly		AV1		Letters at left are assemblyman's initials
	Cabinet		(numeric)
	County Government		CG1-ABC	A123-CG, CG12345
	Department of Transportation		TD12345	TD-1234
	Former Assembly
	Former Senator
	Governor		1
	Highway Authority		HA-A123		No longer issued, as the Garden State Parkway is now under the purview of the Turnpike Authority.
	Mayor		AB1CD		The first two letters are a code signifying the municipality, and the last two letters are the mayor's initials.
	Mayor Emeritus		ME1234
	Municipal Government		12345MG	MG12345, MG-A123, MG-123A, MG-1234, 1234-MG, 123MG-A, MG-12AB
	Municipal No Fee
	Municipal Government Motorcycle
	Senate		AB		Letters indicate senator's initials.
	State Government		SG12345	SG-A123, SG-A12B
	State Police		SPA123B	SP-A123
	State Senate Majority Leader
	Turnpike Authority	1956	1234TPA	TP-A123, TPA1234
	U.S. Congress
	U.S. Senate		1 or 2 (depending on seniority), flanked by state seals

Professional

Image	Type	First issued	Current serial format	Previous serial formats	Notes
	Chiropractor		1 DC 234
	Dentist		DMD 123, DDS 123
	EMT-A		EM1234
	Farmer	1933	XYA-B12	XYA-123, XYA-12B	Farmer plates begin with either XY or XZ
	Firefighter		A1-2B	1A-B2
	Firemen's Benevolent Association		FF1234
	First Aider		F1234
	Fraternal Order of Police		FP1234
	New Jersey Press		NJP-123
	New York Press		1234NYP	NYP-123, 123-NYP
	Newark Firefighter		FD1234
	Operating Engineer		OE1234
	Patrolmens Benevolent Association		PB1234
	Physician		MD-1234, DO-1234	12MD A, MDA-123
	Podiatrist		DPM-123
	Society of Professional Engineers		PE1234

Organizational

Image	Type	First issued	Current serial format	Previous serial formats	Notes
	Amateur Radio		(call sign)
	Freemason		MB1234
	Honor Legion		PD1234
	Knights of Columbus (Columbianism)		KC1234
	Rotary International		RI1234
	Square Dancer		SD1234
	Teamsters		IB1234
	Telephone Pioneer		PA1234
	United Bowhunters		UB1234

Military and Veteran

Image	Type	First issued	Current serial format	Previous serial formats	Notes
	Air Force Auxiliary		CP1234
	Air Force Reserve		CF1234
	Air Force Retired		RA1234
	Air Guard		NGA 123		The letter appearing after the N/G is the first letter of the plate owner's last name.
	Airborne		AB1234
	American Legion		AL1234
	Amvets		AV1234
	Army Guard		NGA 123		The letter appearing after the N/G is the first letter of the plate owner's last name.
	Army Reserve		AR1234
	Coast Guard Auxiliary		CA1234
	Coast Guard Reserve		CR1234
	Combat Veteran		CI1234
	Combat Wounded		PH1234
	Disabled American Veteran		WD1234	DAV-123
	Disabled Veteran		DV1234
	Gold Star Family	2011	MH1234
	Leatherneck		ML1234
	Merchant Marine		MM1234
	Navy Cross		NC1234
	Navy Lakehurst		LK1234
	Navy League		NL1234
	Navy Reserve		NR1234
	Pearl Harbor '41		1234PH
	Prisoner of War		P1234
	Silver Star		1234SS
	Silent Service		SS1234
	Tin Can Sailors		DD1234
	U.S. Army Retired		GI1234
	Veterans of Foreign Wars		WV1234	VFW-123
	Vietnam Veteran		VV1234

College and University Optionals

Image	Type	First issued	Current serial format	Previous serial formats	Notes
	New Jersey Institute of Technology		JT1234		"Highlanders"
	Notre Dame		ND1234
	Penn State Alumni		PS1234
	Rutgers		RU1234, 1234RU		New graphic features Rutgers' red "R" and numbers-first format.
	Seton Hall		SH1234		Base revised in 2007 – rim is no longer embossed and has updated Pirates logo
	Stevens Tech		ST1234
	Temple University		UN1234
	University of Delaware		UD1234
	University of Michigan		UM1234
	West Point		WP1234

Specialty

Image	Type	First issued	Current serial format	Previous serial formats	Notes
	Animal Friendly	1995		IM1234, IM123A, IM12AB (ended at ...99CZ)	No longer issued but still valid
	Animal Friendly (Mutts)	2002	IMBA12	IM12EA	Plate features characters from Patrick McDonnell's comic strip
	Battleship	1996	BB12AB	BB1234, 1234BB	Features an image of battleship USS New Jersey
	Baymen's Heritage	February 26, 1998[6]	BH12AB	BH1234, 1234BH	Sports an image of the Tucker's Island Lighthouse
	Center for Food Action	2001		CF1234	No longer being issued (see below)
	Choose Life	2011	CF1234		Uses same prefix as previously issued Center for Food Action plates, of which less than 100 were registered.
	Conquer Cancer	1998	CCAB12	CC1234, CC12AB, A123CC
	Conserve Wildlife – Woodpecker	1993		CW1234, CW123A, CW12AB	No longer issued.
	Conserve Wildlife – Bald Eagle	June 26, 1997	A123WC	WC123A
	Deborah Heart & Lung	2000	DH1234
	Discover NJ History	March 26, 1997	ZZ1234		Features painting of a house in Lambertville, New Jersey by renowned New Jersey artist Harry Devlin. Proceeds go to the Historic License Plate Preservation Fund to save priceless historic buildings, artifacts and documents.
	Liberty State Park	1999	1234LS	LS1234
	Meadowlands	2001	MC1234
	New Jersey Agriculture	January 29, 2001	GS12AB, XY123AA (farmer) XA123AA> (commercial)	GS1234, 1234GS
	NPDF Safe Cop		PF1234
	Olympic Spirit	1995	1234 US	US1234
	Organ Donors Save Lives	2002	1234DL	DL1234
	Pinelands	1998	PL12AB	PL1234
	Price of Honor	2002	LE12AB	LE1234, 1234LE
	Shore to Please	November 1993	SU123A	SA1234,SA123A, SC123A, SE123A, SF123A, SJ123A, SK123A, SL123A, SN123A, SR123A
	Treasure Our Trees	1998	WE123A, XA123WE (commercial)	WE1234
	United We Stand	2004	UW12AB	UW1234, 1234UW

Sports

The New Jersey sports plates were introduced in the fall of 2010. They share a common serial format – ^R_M12AB – and were the first NJ plates to be issued with screened, rather than embossed, serials.

Image	Type	First issued	Serial format	Notes
	NASCAR	2010	RM12AB	Plates feature the number and signature of one of the following eight drivers: Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Tony Stewart. There is also a Dale Earnhardt Hall of Fame commemorative plate, a Ford Racing plate and a generic NASCAR Fan plate.
	NBA	2010	RM12AB	Plates feature the logo of either the New York Knicks or the Philadelphia 76ers.[7] There was also a New Jersey Nets plate, which was discontinued when the Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012.
	NHL	2010	RM12AB	Plates feature the logo of either the New Jersey Devils or the Philadelphia Flyers.[8]
	MLB	2010	RM12AB	Plates feature the logo of either the New York Yankees, the New York Mets or the Philadelphia Phillies.[9]
	NFL	2010	RM12AB	Plates feature a graphic of the helmet of either the New York Jets, the New York Giants or the Philadelphia Eagles.[10]

References

External links

• New Jersey License Plates 1969-Present
• Garden State Region of the Automobile License Plate Collector's Assoc.