Vehicle registration plates of Washington, D.C.

The U.S. federal district of Washington, D.C. first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1907.

Passenger baseplates 1907 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 first Washington, D.C. license plate that complied with these standards was issued three years beforehand, in 1953 (dated March 31, 1954).

Since November 2000, the standard Washington, D.C. license plate design has featured the slogan "Taxation Without Representation," referring to the unique circumstance that the district's residents face, in which they must pay federal income tax but cannot elect a voting member of the United States Congress.

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
150px	1940	Embossed black lettering and rims on golden yellow background. "EX-3-31-41" embossed at bottom.		12-345
150px	1951–52	Embossed black numbers on golden yellow plate with border line; "D.C." embossed in black block letters centered at top; "19" embossed in top left corner and "51" in top right corner	none	1234	1 to 9999
				1-2345	1-1000 to 9-9999
				A-1234	A-1 to approximately S-2000
	1952–53	Embossed golden yellow numbers on black plate with border line; "D.C." embossed in golden yellow block letters centered at bottom; "19" embossed in bottom left corner and "52" in bottom right corner	none	1234	1 to 9999
				1-2345	1-1000 to 9-9999
				A-1234	A-1 to approximately P-1000
	1953–55	Embossed dark green numbers on white plate with border line; "DIST. OF COLUMBIA" embossed in dark green block letters centered at top; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "54" in top right corner	"THE NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in dark green block letters centered at bottom	1234	1 to 9999	Validated from April 1, 1954 through March 31, 1955 with dark green tabs.
				1-2345	1-1000 to 9-9999
				A-1234	A-1 to Z-9999
				AB-123	AA-1 to approximately AB-999
	1955–56	Embossed white numbers on dark green plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" embossed in white block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "56" in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in white block letters centered at top	AB♦12♦34	AA♦10♦00 to AY♦99♦99; EA♦10♦00 to approximately EA♦99♦99
	1956–57	Embossed black numbers on golden yellow plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" embossed in black block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "57" in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in black block letters centered at top	AB♦12♦34	AA♦10♦00 to AY♦99♦99; EA♦10♦00 to approximately EA♦99♦99
	1957–58	Embossed golden yellow numbers on royal blue plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" embossed in golden yellow block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "58" in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in golden yellow block letters centered at top	AB♦123	AA♦100 to approximately SZ♦999
	1958–59	Embossed royal blue numbers on golden yellow plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" embossed in royal blue block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "59" in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in royal blue block letters centered at top	AB♦123	AA♦100 to approximately WB♦999
150px	1959–60	As 1957–58 base, but with "60" embossed in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" as on 1957–58 base	AB♦123	AA♦100 to approximately WK♦999
	1960–61	As 1958–59 base, but with "61" embossed in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" as on 1958–59 base	AB♦123	AA♦100 to approximately WP♦999
	1961–62	As 1957–58 base, but with "62" embossed in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" as on 1957–58 base	AB♦123	AA♦100 to approximately WV♦999
	1962–63	Embossed dark green numbers on reflective white plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" embossed in dark green block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "63" in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in dark green block letters centered at top	AB♦123	AA♦100 to approximately WV♦999
	1963–64	Embossed black numbers on reflective yellow plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" embossed in black block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "64" in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in black block letters centered at top	AB♦123	AA♦100 to approximately XJ♦999
	1964–65	Embossed red numbers on reflective white plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" embossed in red block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "65" in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in red block letters centered at top	1A234	1A101 to 9Z999
				1A23	1A01 to approximately 2T99
	1965–66	Embossed black numbers on reflective golden yellow plate with border line; "WASHINGTON, D.C." embossed in black block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in top left corner and "66" in top right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in black block letters centered at top	1AB23	1AA01 to approximately 2MH99
	1966–67	Embossed black numbers on reflective white plate with border line; "WASHINGTON, D.C." embossed in black block letters centered at top; "3-31" embossed in bottom left corner and "67" in bottom right corner	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in black block letters centered at bottom	123-456	100-001 to 300-000	Validated from April 1, 1967 through March 31, 1968 with stickers.
	1967–68	As above, but without embossed "67"			300-001 to approximately 368-000
150px	1968–74	As 1966–68 plates, but with "WASHINGTON, D.C." at bottom rather than top, and no embossed date or year	"NATION'S CAPITAL" as on 1966–68 plates, but at top	123-456	500-001 to 999-999
	1974–78	Embossed blue numbers on reflective white plate; embossed blue U.S. Capitol dome graphic used as separator; screened red stripes above and below numbers; "WASHINGTON, D.C." embossed in blue block letters centered at bottom; "3-31" embossed in bottom left corner and sticker box debossed in bottom right corner	"BICENTENNIAL" embossed in blue block letters centered at top, with "1776" to the left and "1976" to the right	123-456	100-001 to 500-000	Staggered registration introduced August 1, 1983. All plates replaced between 1984 and 1986.
	1978–79	As above, but with "3-31" on sticker in bottom left corner (applied during production)	"NATION'S CAPITAL" embossed in blue block letters centered at top		500-001 to 562-000
	1979–84	As above, but without "3-31" sticker			562-001 to 925-000
	1984–91	Embossed blue numbers on reflective white plate; screened district flag used as separator; screened red stripes above and below numbers; "Washington, D.C." screened in blue cursive letters centered at bottom; debossed sticker boxes in bottom corners	"A Capital City" screened in blue cursive letters centered at top	123-456	925-001 to 999-999; 010-001 to 501-750
150px	1991 – April 1997		"Celebrate & Discover" screened in blue cursive letters centered at top		501-751 to approximately 853-000	Slogan changed in honor of the district's bicentennial.
	April 1997 – November 2000	As above, but with "Washington, D.C." and sticker boxes at top rather than bottom	"Celebrate & Discover" as above, but at bottom	AB-1234	AA-0000 to AY-9999
	November 2000 – October 2001		"TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" screened in blue block letters at bottom		AZ-0000 to BA-9999; BC-0000 to approximately BG-1999
	January 2001 – January 2002		"WWW.Washingtondc.gov" screened in blue cursive letters centered at bottom		BB-0000 to approximately BB-1999	Alternative issue.
	October 2001 – October 2002	As above, but with numbers screened rather than embossed, and without debossed sticker boxes	"TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" as above		BG-2000 to BH-9999; BK-0000 to approximately BP-1399
	January 2002 – present		"www.washingtondc.gov" screened in blue cursive letters centered at bottom		BJ-0000 to BJ-9999; EA-0000 to present	Alternative issue. EA series began in mid-2010.
	October 2002 – July 2013	As above, but with "WASHINGTON, DC" in blue block letters at top	"TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" as above		BP-1400 to DZ-9999; EB-0000 to EJ-9999
	July 2013 – present	As above, but with "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" in blue block letters at top			EK-0000 to FB-9999 (as of January 6, 2016)

Non-passenger types

Image	Type	Dates issued	Design	Serial format	Notes
	Annual Special Permit		Annual plates; unique design each year.	1234-65 TC-1234 TT-123	2009: black on blue 2010: white on green 2011: black on magenta 2012: white on black 2013: black on white 2014: black on orange 2015: black on yellow
	Apportioned			AP-1234
	Bus			B-12345
	Commercial vehicle			C 12345
	Dealer		Annual plates; unique design each year.	DLR-1234	2005: white on red 2006: white on blue 2007: black on yellow 2008: black on pink 2009: black on teal 2010: white on light blue 2011: black on yellow 2012: white on dark green
				DLR12345	2013: black on blue 2014: black on maroon
	D.C. Government Fleet			GT-1234 -DC 1234 -DC 12345	7-digit plates began in August 2013.
	District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority			WASA 1234 DCW 1234	D.C. Water plates replaced WASA plates in October 2011.
	Livery			L-1234
	Manufacturer		Annual plates; unique design each year.	MFR-1234
150px 150px	Motorcycle			1234M MC123 MT 1234 MR 1234 MC 1234	MT series began in 2002. MR series began in 2010 but was not issued to completion. MC series began in 2012.
	Rental vehicle			R-12345	Rental plates have generally been phased out in favor of regular passenger or commercial plates
	Taxi			H-12345 12345-H	H suffix series began in 2011.
	Temporary registration		Orange-red on white cardboard.	12345DA K 12345 N 12345	K series began in 2007. N series began in 2011.
150px	Temporary registration — motorcycle		Black on white cardboard.	MM 1234
	Trailer		White with blue letter/number	T 12345	Generally used for truck trailers
	WMATA Transit police		White with black lettering	12345	The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority issues these to itself replacing standard passenger plates on WMATA-owned transit police cars

Optional types

Image	Type	Dates issued	Design	Serial format	Notes
	Passenger—low number		Annual plates; unique design each year 2001 to present.	1 12 123 1234	Serials issued: 1 to 1250
	Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority			AKA 1234
	Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity			APA 1234
	Anacostia River environmental protection			ENV 1234
	Bad Boys Club			BBC 1234
	Blue Knights			unknown
	The Children First Foundation	October 23, 2013–present		CFF 1234
	D.C. Firefighters Local 36			FFA 1234
	Delta Sigma Theta Sorority			DST 1234
	Disabled American Veteran			DAV123 DAV 123 DAV-1234
	Disabled American Veteran—Disabled			♿DAV 123 DV♿-1234 DV♿-123
	Florida A&M University			FAM 1234
	Fraternal Order of Police District of Columbia Lodge			FOP 123 FOP 1234
	George Washington University			unknown
	Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity			KAP 1234
	Morehouse College Alumni			MCA 1234
	National Association of Black Scuba Divers			UAS 1234
	North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Alumni			ATU 1234
	Omega Psi Phi Fraternity			QUE 1234
	Porsche Club of America			PCA 1234
	Prince Hall Family (Order of the Eastern Star)			OES 1234
	Prince Hall Masonic Family			PHA 1234
	Purple Heart Veteran			PH-1234
	Spirit of Faith Christian Center			SOF 1234
	University of Michigan			UMI 1234
	St. John's College			SJC 1234
	Veterans of Foreign Wars			VFW 1234
	Washington Nationals	June 2013–present		NAT 123
	White Stars			unknown

Political types

Image	Type	Dates issued	Design	Serial format	Notes
150 px	Richard Nixon First Inaugural
150px	Ronald Reagan First Inaugural
150px	City Council

External links

• District of Columbia License Plates, Permits, and Vehicle Registration History
• Washington, D.C. license plates 1969-present