Vehicle registration plates of Missouri
The U.S. state of Missouri first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1911.
Passenger plates 1911 to present
In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that fixed 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 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Missouri license plate that complied with these standards.
Image | Dates issued | Description | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1915 | Black lettering embossed on bright green base. "MO 15" at right. | none | 123456 | |||
1920 | Black lettering embossed on bright green base. "MO. 1920" at bottom. | none | 123-456 | |||
1928 | Black lettering embossed on golden yellow base. "MO. 1928" at bottom. | none | 123-456 | |||
1931 | Black lettering on gray base | none | 123-456 | |||
1933 | Yellow embossed lettering and border on brown base, "1933 MISSOURI" embossed below registration. | none | 123-456 | |||
1935 | White lettering on dark green base | none | 123-456 | |||
1936 | Black embossed lettering and border on off-white base, "MISSOURI-1936" embossed below registration. | none | 123-456 | |||
1940 | Black embossed lettering and border on bright white base, "MISSOURI-1936" embossed below registration. | none | 123-456 | |||
1944 | Yellow lettering and rims embossed on black base | none | 123-456 | |||
1948 | White lettering on maroon base | none | 123-456 | |||
1968 | White lettering on green base | none | AA1-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1969 | Green lettering on white base | none | AA1-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1970 | Black lettering on white base | none | A1A-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1971 | White lettering on maroon base | none | AA1-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1972 | Blue lettering on reflective white base | none | A1A-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1973 | Maroon lettering on reflective white base | none | AA1-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1974 | Black lettering on reflective white base | none | A1A-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1975 | Reflective blue on reflective white base | none | AA1-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1976 | Reflective yellow on blue base | none | A1A-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1977 | Reflective white on red base | Bicentennial logo at top | AA1-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1978 | Reflective yellow on black base | none | A1A-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
1979 | Reflective white on blue base | none | AA1-234 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
early 1980s | white on maroon | Show-Me State | AAB 123 | First letter corresponds to month of expiration | ||
late 1980s | A1A 234 | |||||
early 1990s – 1996 | 1A2 34A | |||||
1997–2005 | Dark blue on reflective white, blue and green gradient | Show-Me State | 123 ABC | 001 AAA to 999 ZZZ | ||
2006 – June 15, 2008 | 1AB 23C | 0AA 01A to approximately 9DF 99X | ||||
June 16, 2008 – present | Dark blue on light blue gradient fade with bluebird graphic | Show Me State | AA1 B2C[1] AA1 BC2 (following exhaustion of above format) |
First letter corresponds to month of expiration |
Non-passenger types
Image | Type | Serial format | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Disabled Person | AB 12C | All disabled plates expire in September. | |
Local government | varies | Variety of designs issued for vehicles belonging to local governments. | |
Trailer | 12A 3BC | Not yet known whether coded by month of expiration. | |
Truck less than 6,000 lb. | 1AB 234 | Coded by month of expiration. Not yet known whether coded by weight. | |
Truck 6,000 to 12,000 lb. | 1AB 234 | Not yet known whether coded by month of expiration or by weight. |
Month coding
The current base, first issued in June 2008, features serials coded by the month of the registration's expiration. The first letter of the serial constitutes this code. Once all available combinations beginning with the first letter assigned to that month are issued, a second code letter may be used for that month.
1949 to 1996
|
2008 to present
|
History
2008 base
Non-passenger types
Image | Type | Legend | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apportioned Power Unit | 12A B3C | ||||
Apportioned Trailer | 12A 345 | ||||
Bus | 123 45B | ||||
Dealer | D1-A D1-AB D12-A D12-AB D123-A D123-AB D1234-A D1234-AB |
Numerical portion of serial remains constant for each dealer; suffix letter ascends for each plate issued to that dealer. | |||
Disabled Person | AB 12C | ||||
Disabled Person—Truck 6,000 lb. and less | 1A B23 | ||||
Motorcycle | AB 1CD | ||||
Trailer | 12A 3BC | ||||
Truck 6,000 lb. and less | 1AB 234 |
1998 base
Non-passenger types
Image | Type | Legend | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dealer | Dealer | D1-A D1-AB D12-A D12-AB D123-A D123-AB D1234-A D1234-AB |
Annual plates. Numerical portion of serial remains constant for each dealer; suffix letter ascends for each plate issued to that dealer. | ||
Disabled Person | Disabled | Progression of serial formats unknown, but included: 1 ABC 1 AB2 |
|||
Disabled Person - Truck less than 6,000 lb. | Disabled | 1 A2B | "BL6" embossed at upper right. | ||
Motorcycle | none | A0 000 0A 000 |
|||
Shuttle Bus | SHUTTLE BUS | 123 4SB | |||
Trailer | Trailer | AAA 000 | Annual plates. | ||
Trailer - Commercial | COMM TRL | 000 000 | |||
Trailer - HRC | HRC TLR | 000 000 | |||
Trailer - Permanent | PERM TRL | PA0 000 | |||
Truck 6,000 lb. and less | SHOW-ME STATE | 000 AA0 | Second letter: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, or S. "BL6" embossed at upper right. | ||
Truck 6,000 to 12,000 lb. | SHOW-ME STATE | 000 AA0 | Second letter: T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z. "BL12" embossed at upper right. | ||
U.S. Senate | Member of Congress | USS-1 | Black on gold. Number indicates state's senior or junior senator. |
Optional types
Optional types on this base continue to be issued, likely until January 2009. Most, if not all, optional types on this base were available in personalized format and with certain non-passenger designations. Where applicable, this designation was printed in a small rectangle screened in the upper right corner of the plate.
Image | Type | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservation | |||||
Fight Terrorism | |||||
God Bless America | |||||
Helping Schools | |||||
Purple Heart | |||||
St. Louis Cardinals | |||||
Shriners | |||||
Southwest Missouri State University |
References
- ↑ "DOR to begin using new state license plate Monday". Jerfferson City News Tribune. 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-06-23.