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This page presents the history of Maryland passenger car license plates, from the 1976 expiration plates through the present day. Latest noteworthy updates to this page
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Back to History of Maryland passenger car plates, part 1: 1910 to 1975
This page addresses sequentially-numbered Maryland passenger car plates dated from 1976 to the present. However, while studying these, it's important to be aware of the existence of organizational member reserved-series plates, which between 1954 and 1986 expirations, had passenger car serial formats with reserved serial letters. Often these reserved serial letters were within the range of sequentially-issued plates and cannot be readily distinguished without knowing the specific reserved letter codes. In other instances, the letter codes reserved for an organization were outside the range of sequentially-issued plates, or included letters such as the letter "I" that were not used on sequential passenger car plates. These organizational member plates are are only mentioned in passing on this page, as they're covered in detail on my Maryland organizational member plates through 1986 page.
Besides standard passenger car plates, special interest plates are also covered on this page. These have completely different backgrounds than the standard-issue plates. All special interest bases have been issued in passenger as well as non-passenger types; this page specifically addresses only the passenger car versions. As a rule, non-passenger special interest plates are addressed on the appropriate Maryland non-passenger plate pages. (Just FYI, graphic plates that are made on the current standard white reflective base are either organizational member or military service plates; these are not covered on this page, but rather may be found on the Maryland organizational member plates 1986-present page.
Maryland license plates dated 1939 and later indicate on the plates themselves, or via metal tabs or stickers, the year in which they expire. Exceptions to this include undated, unstickered plates that expired in 1976 and 1981, and front plates issued since 1986, which are not dated and do not bear stickers. I consistently refer to plates by the year that is shown on the plate, regardless of when the plate was actually issued.
Between 1939 and 1986, all passenger car registrations expired annually each March 31. In some years, the expiration month, or month and day were indicated, at other times only the expiration year was shown. Beginning October 1986, passenger car registrations can expire in any month. Two-year registration periods were phased in during the early 1990s for passenger cars owned by individuals, and during the late 1990s for passenger cars owned by businesses and organizations. Two-year registrations have now become virtually mandatory.
All Maryland passenger car plates since those expiring in 1956 have been issued in pairs. The 1957 expiration plates were the first to conform to the North American standard dimensions of 12 inches wide by 6 inches high. The letters I, O, Q, and U have never been used on Maryland regular passenger car serial numbers, although the letter I has been used on organizational member reserved-series plates with passenger car serial formats.
I sincerely hope that you find this information useful. If you find an error or have additional information, or can provide a plate or a photo of a plate that I'm missing, please send me an e-mail. There's a link to my e-mail address at the bottom of every page. Please note that all plates shown that are credited to another person are plates that I am still seeking for my own collection.
Maryland standard-issue license plates from this period continued with an embossed border, round bolt holes, and only a space serial separator. Passenger car plates continued to expire on March 31 of each year. The embossed Maryland and sticker box were relocated to the top of the plate, with the sticker box remaining on the right side of the plate. All standard passenger car plates, and most organizational member plates, were given a new serial format xxx 000, and for the first time could have serial numbers with lead zeroes. Triple zeroes were not used however; each letter series began at 001.
Two natural 1980 plates are shown, with and without the red-bordered sticker box, respectively.
The red-on-white base plate was a general replacement introduced in March 1975; unlike the previous base, there was no initial expiration year stamped on the plate. However, this undated base plate was valid without stickers through March 1976. Both front and rear plates were then renewed annually with year stickers indicating the expiration years "77" through "80". All red-on-white passenger car base plates then expired on March 31, 1980.
During the last year of issuance of the red-on-white base, the height of the embossed sticker box border was reduced so that it was still raised but no longer painted red. This change occurred during either the very late HCx or early HDx series. The lower-height sticker box border continued on the subsequent black-on-white base.
In early 1979 – January, I believe – a new vehicle registration class was introduced for multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs). This new class included SUVs, passenger vans, and motor homes, among other vehicle types. These vehicles had all previously been issued passenger car plates. New registrations of these vehicle types received MPV plates, and car plates for existing registrations of these vehicles were replaced with MPV plates, some in March 1979 on the red-and-white base with 1980 expirations, and the remainder in March 1980 on the undated black-and-white base expiring in 1981. I don't know why they weren't all replaced at the same time, but they weren't.
MPV license plates are covered in their own section on the Maryland miscellaneous personal vehicle plate page. Although MPV plates are for specific passenger vehicle types, they more closely resemble plates used for true non-passenger vehicles. MPV plates continue to be issued today for these same vehicle types. See an early issue MPV plate.
| 1976 – | no sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. AAA to middle E series. |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 – | white on blue sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle E series to early F series. |
| 1978 – | white on red sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. early F series to late F series. |
| 1979 – | white on blue sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. late F series to late G series. |
| 1980 – | white on red sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. late G series to HNS series. |
Two natural 1986 plates are shown, with normal and wide spacing between serial letters and numbers, respectively.
The painted black-on-white base plate was a general replacement introduced in March 1980. Like its immediate predecessor, this plate did not indicate an expiration year; it was valid without stickers through March 1981. Both front and rear plates were then renewed annually with year stickers indicating the expiration years "82" through "86". This plate was issued to new applicants through January 1986.
During the last year of issuance of the painted black-on white-plate, the space separating the serial letters and numbers was widened, as was being done on the new reflective plate being produced as an upcoming general replacement.
White-on-red "86" stickers expired at the end of March 1986. At this point, the conversion to staggered registrations took place, and existing registrations of this base plate were renewed one last time, with both month and year stickers on the rear plate only, to an expiration month falling between October 1986 and September 1987. This conversion is covered more fully below. The last of these expired on September 30, 1987.
 This plate was issued out of sequence in about August 1980. |
Black-on-white plates in series HNA through HNE were issued out of sequence in the summer of 1980, during the first registration year of this base. It has been stated by some knowledgeable collectors that these must have been organizational member plates for the Holy Name Society, a Catholic group. However, I personally knew someone who was issued an HNE series plate in August 1980, and she and her family were Mormons.
Rather, I've concluded that what likely happened is that late in the life of the previous red-on-white base, two batches of HNA-HNE series plates were inadvertently stamped. The first batch had its embossed features painted red and was issued during the final months of the red-on-white base. The mistake was discovered before the second batch had its raised areas painted. So, the embossed features on this second batch of plates were painted black, and rather than having to keep them in storage for several years until they would be in sequence, the plates were just distributed to new registrants as ordinary passenger car plates, once the black-on-white plates were on the street.
Or, perhaps both were partly true – maybe the HNA plates were issued as organizational member plates, since that's the letter code the Holy Name Society uses on their current plates, and the HNB through HNE plates were given out to the general public. We may never know for sure, unless someone can provide additional information about these plates.
| 1981 – | no sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. AAA to late E series; also HNA to HNE. |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 – | black on yellow sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. early F series to late F series. |
| 1983 – | white on red sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. late F series to middle G series. |
| 1984 – | white on blue sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle G series to middle H series (excludng HNA to HNE). |
| 1985 – | white on black sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle H series (excluding HNA to HNE) to middle J series. |
| 1986 #1 – | white on orangeish-red sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle J series to KEL (narrow space), KEM to KHN (wide space). |
| 1986 #2 – | black on white sticker | No naturals on this base; renewals only, expiration months Oct. - Dec. only. |
| 1987 – | red on white sticker | No naturals on this base; renewals only, expiration months Jan. - Mar. and May - Sept. only. |
Natural 1976, 1977, 1984, and 1985 expirations are shown.
The optional U.S. Bicentennial base plate was Maryland's first graphic plate. The graphic elements and legends were screened onto reflective sheeting, and only the serial numbers were embossed. As you can see from the example shown above, the off-white reflective background has tended to yellow with age.
This plate was available only for private passenger vehicles, including cars, SUVs, passenger vans, and motor homes. Sequentially-numbered passenger car plates in serial format 000 xxx were issued to all of these vehicle types. Like on the standard base, lead zeroes were used in the serial numbers. Other plate types that would be appropriate for such vehicles were also made on this base, including vanity plates, amateur radio operator plates, organizational member plates for a few specific groups, and government official plates. Examples of some of these may be seen on the corresponding History of Maryland License Plates pages.
As far as I know, this base plate was issued with natural 1976 and 1977 expirations only. One report from that time period states that the plates were available between December 1975 and February 1977, which is consistent with my own observations. In any event, the plates were valid through March 1976 without stickers, and then until March 1980 with appropriate renewal stickers. The same stickers used on the standard red-on-white base were also used on this optional base.
The optional 350th Anniversary base plate was Maryland's second graphic plate. It was introduced in the summer of 1983, and was offered in 1983 and 1984 (and possibly January and February 1985) only, and so could have only natural 1984 or 1985 expirations. I obtained a pair of these for my own car soon after they were introduced in 1983. However, I tried to get a pair for my wife's car in June 1985 and was told that they were no longer available.
Like the earlier Bicenetennial plate, all elements were screened except for the serial number. 350th Anniversary plates were available only for private passenger cars and multi-purpose vehicles. Serial numbers for passenger car plates were again in the format 000*xxx, with the asterisk indicating the location of the graphic shield separator. Lead zeroes were used in the serial numbers. Multi-purpose vehicles (primarily SUVs, passenger vans and mini-vans, and motor homes) were issued sequential plates with a different serial format, with no shield separator. Vanity plates and amateur radio operator plates could also be had on the 350th Anniversary base; these also did not get a shield separator, even if there was space for one. I'm not aware of organizational member plates or government official plates being made in 350th Anniversary versions.
350th Anniversary plates were valid until March 1984 without stickers, and were updated with annual stickers for March 1985 and March 1986 expirations on both the front and rear. Stickers were the same as were used on the standard black-and-white embossed base. Correct renewal sticker location was in the lower right corner, so as not to cover the screened 1634 and 1984 dates in the upper corners, but there was no sticker box or well to provide guidance. Many motorists were confused about the correct sticker location, since it differed from the standard-issue plates, and placed their renewal year stickers in the upper right corner, covering the screened 1984. This plate, like the standard black-and-white base of the same time period, was converted to staggered registration with month and year stickers applied to the rear plate only, extending its life one final registration period to a new expiration date falling between October 1986 and September 1987.
Motorists who were assigned staggered expiration months of October, November, or December ended up with two
1986 stickers. The white-on-red "86" sticker was the last non-staggered expiration sticker, and it expired at the
end of March 1986 for all passenger cars. The black-on-white "86" sticker was used for subsequent staggered
expirations, and was only valid with an accompanying month sticker, which could be October, November, or December
1986. Both the standard base and optional 350th Anniversary base were affected similarly.
Motorists who were assigned staggered expiration months of January through September were instead issued red-on-white "87"
stickers and appropriate month stickers. Both the standard base and optional 350th Anniversary base were affected
similarly.
From 1939 to 1986, all Maryland passenger car license plates expired and were renewed every March. But registrations of passenger cars owned by individuals that were renewed in March 1986 were assigned staggered expiration dates 7 to 18 months out; in other words, between October 1986 and September 1987. Generally, the new expiration month was assigned based on the first letter of the owner's last name. Registration fees were prorated based on the length of the registration period.
Month stickers, which consisted of a white month number on a red background, were issued for the first time. A new black-on-white 1986 year sticker was issued for those plates assigned October through December expiration dates. (The 1986 sticker that expired in March was white on red.) Month stickers and their corresponding year stickers were placed on the rear only, unlike the earlier non-staggered year stickers which were placed both front and back. The black-on-white 1986 sticker and the 1987 sticker were larger than previous years' stickers and did not completely fit into the embossed sticker box on the standard base plates.
Passenger cars owned by businesses and organizations were not staggered at this time; they continued to expire each March, and those renewing in March 1986 were issued a "3" month sticker along with an "87" year sticker.
Black-on-white, all-embossed plates, and 350th anniversary plates, with a month sticker and either a black-on-white 1986 year sticker or a 1987 year sticker, are renewals only; there were no naturals of these bases with these stickers. (That is, except for a small number of dump truck plates issued in April 1986 with May 1986 expirations.)
Maryland license plates from this period do not have an embossed border, nor do they have sticker boxes or wells. They do have holograms running vertically down the center of the plate which contain "MD" and a two-digit year of manufacture. Month and year expiration stickers are applied to the upper corners of the rear plate only.
Standard plates very closely resemble the optional 350th Anniversary base issued in 1983 and 1984 (and used through September 1987). They're black on reflective white, with a screened script Maryland at the top center. Standard passenger car plates, and some non-passenger plate types, have a four-color graphic shield resembling the state flag in the center of the plate.
1986 expirations on this base were rather unusual. Two natural 1994 plates are shown, from the late "Z" series and
the early "A" series. These as well as the 1993 plate were issued in 1992; two-year registrations began on July 1,
1992. Two natural 2006 plates are shown, with old and new serial formats, respectively.
The reflective black-on-white base was introduced in February 1986, and through September 1986, it was issued to only to new registrants. This base had staggered registrations from the very start; normally, for vehicles owned by individuals, the first registration period would end on the last day of the same month in the following year. In other words, if you registered your vehicle any time in May, the registration would expire on May 31 of the following year. The new design was then also issued as a general replacement plate between October 1986 and September 1987.
Passenger car plates again had serial format xxx*000, but serial numbers began in the "N" series to avoid conflicting with the previous base plates which had gotten into the "K" series and were still in use. Serial numbers began in the NAA series, but many copies of plate number NAA*001 were made and distrbuted as sample plates, so I seriously doubt that plate number was actually issued. The lowest-numbered plate I've come across that was actually issued is NAA*166. I do not have any idea why Maryland chose to start the new base in the "N" series rather than the "L" or "M" series.
Generally speaking, "N" series plates were issued in 1986 to new registrants only; "P" through early "V" series were issued between October 1986 and September 1987 both to new registrants and as replacements for motorists renewing their existing registrations, and then beginning October 1987 from the early "V" series forward were again only issued to new registrants. Nearly all plates issued on this base during 1986 had initial expiration dates in February 1987 or later, but there were a few special situations where registration periods could be shorter than one year, and as a result, a very small number of the new base plates had initial March, October, November, or December 1986 expirations, such as the one shown above. Likewise with January 1987 expirations.
Correct sticker placement is in the upper corners, but early issues of this base (primarily "N" and "P" series) are often found with the stickers in the lower corners. Motorists were again confused after finally getting the concept that the stickers went in the lower corners on the similar 350th Anniversary plate.
Rental cars were issued different plates distinct from passenger car plates between approximately 1991 and 1995. See a rental car plate here. In about 1995, these plates were recalled and rental cars were again issued standard passenger car plates.
Starting July 1, 1992, new registrations of personal passenger cars and other personal vehicle types were nearly always for two years periods, rather than the previous one year period. As a result, natural 1993 expirations are normally only found with January through June month stickers, and natural 1994 expirations are normally only found with July through December month stickers. Mandatory two-year registration periods were phased in between July 1992 and June 1994 for individual owners of passenger cars and several other vehicle types who renewed existing expirations.
When serial ZZZ*999 was reached in the late summer of 1992, the previous painted bases were by then off the road, and so the serial numbers just rolled over to AAB*001 and continued. One of my sources states that the Motor Vehicle Administration chose not to make plates with serial prefix AAA on this base.
Company-owned passenger cars continued with one-year registrations, and also continued to have fixed March expirations, until about 1998. At that time, Maryland converted to staggered expiration dates and phased in two-year registration periods for passenger cars and several other vehicle types owned by businesses and organziations.
 2000 "smart" sticker plate |
Some Maryland plates with 1999 through 2003 expirations may be found with rather strange-looking year stickers. These were issued in very small quantities from self-service kiosks found in various malls and shopping centers throughout the state, for renewals only. Sticker colors were not consistent even within the same year, but all of these stickers had black characters on either white, light blue, or light green backgrounds. I don't know whether the kiosks were eventually modified to dispense standard stickers, or whether they were discontinued and removed entirely. The ALPCA archives cover these stickers in greater detail.
In September 2004, after being issued on this base for over 18 years, the xxx*000 serial format was finally exhausted upon reaching serial MZZ*999, and a new serial format 0xx*x00 was begun for passenger car plates. In this new format, all numbers change before any letters do; however, the number zero is never used in the first position. In theory, at least, the first serial in this format was 1AA*A01. When 1AA*A99 was reached, the following plate number was 2AA*A01; when 9AA*A99 was reached, the next plate was 1AA*B01. This format should have served the state for 15 or 20 years before running out of numbers, but it was discontinued in June 2010, in the early G series.
The last of the passenger car plates with no web site legend at the bottom were issued in the spring of 2005, with the highest plate number at about 9AK*Z99. The latest natural expirations of the legend-less base would therefore have been in the spring of 2007. This base plate is considered to be permanent, and even the oldest "N" series plates issued in 1986 are still in use today, if they've maintained continuous registration.
| 1986 – | black on white sticker | Very few issued on this base; format xxx*000, probably all in the N series with March or Oct. – Dec. expiration months. |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 – | red on white sticker | Natural serial letters in the N, P, and early R series, expiration months almost always Feb. – Dec. only. |
| 1988 – | white on black sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. early R series to middle V series (U series skipped). |
| 1989 – | white on red sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle V series to middle W series. |
| 1990 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle W series to middle X series. |
| 1991 – | yellow on black sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle X series to middle Y series. |
| 1992 – | black on yellow sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle Y series to middle Z series. |
| 1993 – | yellow on black sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle Z series to late Z series, expiration months nearly always Jan. - June. |
| 1994 – | white on red sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. very late Z series to early A series; expiration months nearly always July - Dec. |
| 1995 – | red on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle A series to early B series. |
| 1996 – | green on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. early B series to very early C series. |
| 1997 – | blue on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. very early C series to very early D series. |
| 1998 – | white on green sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. early D series to late D series. |
| 1999 – | white on blue sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. very late D series to late E series. |
| 2000 – | green on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. very late E series to late F series. |
| 2001 – | blue on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. very late F series to very early H series. |
| 2002 – | white on green sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. early H series to very early J series (I series skippped). |
| 2003 – | white on blue sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. early J series to very early K series. |
| 2004 – | green on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. early K series to early L series. |
| 2005 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle L series to early M series. |
| 2006 – | green on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. middle M series to MZZ, then format 0xx*x00 from letters AA*x to approx. AF*x. |
| 2007 – | white on green sticker | Continue format 0xx*x00; natural serial letter range approx. AG*x to AK*x without web address. |
| 2008 and beyond | No naturals, renewals only; see subsequent sections for sticker colors. | |
Two 2008 expirations and two 2009 expirations are shown, one of each with Maryland serial dies, and one of each with
New Jersey serial dies. Plates with the letters CN to the left of the sheild graphic were made with New Jersey
serial dies. (2008 New Jersey die plate was photographed in actual use.)
Beginning in February 2005 at about plate number 1AL*A01, another change to Maryland standard passenger car plates made it appearance. The address of the state government's web site, www.maryland.gov, was added to the bottom of the plates. The web address is screened using the same italicized font as had been previously used on non-passenger and organizational plates that bear identifying legends. Since in some special cases, plates are issued with the initial registration period less than two years, a small number of these early plates had initial expiration dates in 2005 and 2006. The vast majority have had natural expirations in 2007 and later.
Maryland passenger car plates began to be seen with New Jersey-style serial dies beginning in November 2006. New Jersey die characters are much more squared-off than the rounded Maryland die characters. Maryland had New Jersey stamp out more than 30,000 plate pairs for them, due to the Maryland plate manufacturing facility at the state prison in Jessup being shut down for three weeks due to inmate unrest. Passenger car plates made with New Jersey dies have serial numbers between 1CN*A01 and 9CN*Z99. Maryland dies resumed being issued in December 2006 at serial number 1CP*A01, but New Jersey die plates continued to be issued at least into February 2007.
In 2008, Maryland began issuing some different-looking year stickers to a relatively small number of motorists. These new stickers are fairly obvious due to their colors being different than regular year stickers. However, the more significant difference is that these new stickers' serial numbers match the serial numbers of the plates to which they're assigned. Several variations of these stickers have been observed thus far; all are 1-1/2 inches wide by 1 inch high, slightly smaller than regular stickers which are 1-1/2 inches wide by 1-3/16 inches high. These new stickers are addressed in greater detail on my History of Maryland license plates, general information page. All 2011 and subsequent year stickers, other than those for five-year fleet registrations issued in 2006 through 2008, are in the same black-on-white color and the new, smaller size, regardles of whether they have the plate number or an unrelated sequential serial number on them.
This base was last issued in mid-June, 2010, but like all reflective bases issued since 1986, continues to be valid if the registration is kept current.
Regular year sticker colors and natural serial number ranges for two-year registrations are shown below:
| 2005 – | black on white sticker | (2005 expirations on the web address base, if any, would be quite rare.) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 – | green on white sticker | (2006 expirations on the web address base were only used for rare one-year registrations.) |
| 2007 – | white on green sticker | Natural serial letter range AL*x to approx. BL*x with web address. |
| 2008 – | green on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. BM*x to CR*x. |
| 2009 – | white on green sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. CS*x to DV*x. |
| 2010 – | green on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. DW*x to EV*x. |
| 2011 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. EW*x to FV*x. |
| 2012 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letter range approx. FW*x to GD*J. |
| 2013 and beyond | No naturals, renewals only; see subsequent section for sticker colors. | |
Standard passenger car plates with natural 2010 expiration in the initial M/D series; natural 2011 expiration in the
subsequent A/A series; and natural 2012 through 2018 expirations. The 2010 and 2011 plates were both
probably issued in June 2010.
After over 24 years of essentially the same design, on Flag Day, Monday, June 14, 2010, Maryland introduced this graphic plate commemorating the War of 1812, and specifically the Battle of Baltimore, during which the words to the Star-Spangled Banner were written by Marylander Francis Scott Key. However, desipite the graphics, this plate was not another extra-cost, optional plate like the Treasure the Chesapeake and Our Farms, Our Future plates. Rather, it was the standard plate issued for all new registrations of passenger cars and several other personal vehicle types. Passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs; that is, SUVs, mini-vans, and motor homes, mostly), and regular trucks all shared this odd 0x/x0000 serial format. The full-sized, sequentially-numbered plate has a larger flag graphic than is used on some of the other plate types. Unfortunately, this large flag causes some legibility issues. The leftmost serial digit crowds the flag and is therefore difficult to read.
Initially, plates were issued in the M/D series, but after that, plates were issued in the A/A series, and subsequent letter series advanced sequentially. It's not hard to figure out that the significance of the M/D designation is that Md. is the abbreviation for Maryland, but why the Maryland MVA saw fit to issue these first is anyone's guess; they did not just go to VIPs or cost extra. Again, the first digit cannot be a zero, so the lowest number issued on this base was 1M/D0000. These plates were issued through Friday, September 23, 2016, and have been seen with plate numbers as high as the mid C/N series. I believe that these were manufactured with plate numbers as high as 7C/N9999, and that many thousands of plates from the mid C/N series up to that number were never issued and were destroyed.
The state did not autmatically replace older-design plates with War of 1812 plates, however. Black-and-white plates currently in use remain valid and continue to be renewed with updated year stickers. However, motorists who wanted to trade in their old plates for new ones could do so upon payment of a $20 plate replacement fee, either at registration renewal time, or earlier if they so chose. That's one of a few reasons why expiration stickers prior to June 2012 can be found on these plates, such as the 2010 and 2011 expirations shown above.
Standard motorcycles plates, and also vanity and/or handicapped plates in both standard-sized and motorcycle-sized versions, were also produced on the War of 1812 base. Other vehicle classes have continued to be issued the old-design black-on-white plates.
2010 expirations on the War of 1812 base were only issued as temporary one-month registrations and replacements for existing plates. 2011 expirations on the War of 1812 base were only issued as temporary one-month registrations, replacements for existing plates, and for rare one-year registrations.
Regular year sticker colors and natural serial number ranges for two-year registrations are shown below:
| 2010 – | green on white sticker | (Same serial range as for 2012 expiration two-year registrations.) |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 – | black on white sticker | (Same serial range as for 2012 and 2013 expiration two-year registrations.) |
| 2012 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letters M/D issued first, then the A/x series from A/A to approx. A/E. |
| 2013 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letters approx. A/F to approx. A/N. |
| 2014 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letters approx. A/P to approx. A/Y. |
| 2015 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letters approx. A/Z to approx. B/G. |
| 2016 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letters approx. B/H to approx. B/V. |
| 2017 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letters approx. B/W to approx. C/E. |
| 2018 – | black on white sticker | Natural serial letters approx. C/F to the middle of the C/N series. |
| 2019 and beyond | No naturals, renewals only; see subsequent section for sticker colors. | |
 One month registration plate issued in July 2011 |
I'm not sure when this began, but at some point, Maryland started issuing metal plates, rather that cardboard temporary plates, to newly-titled vehicles that had not been inspected, so that the vehicle could be driven to an inspection station and a repair shop, if necessary. When this situation occurs, the state now issues a set of regular metal plates with regular registration stickers expiring the following month. Once the vehicle passes inspection, it's then registered for the normal two-year period and issued a corresponding year sticker.
These one-month plates are evident when compared to plates with initial two-year registrations, because the plate numbers seem to have been issued way out of sequence. The plate shown at right is a one-month registration plate; it was issued in July 2011 and expired in August 2011. If it had been a natural two-year registration, it would have displayed July 2013 expiraiton stickers. It's highly probable that the 2010 expiration War of 1812 plate shown above, and the 2016 expiration "Maryland Proud" plate shown below, are additional examples of one-month registrations.
Standard "Maryland Proud" base passenger car plates with natural expirations. The 2016 and 2017 expiration
plates were both one-month registrations.
Beginning Monday, September 26, 2016, Maryland began issuing what they call the "Maryland Proud" plate design to new registrants of passenger cars and all other vehicle types and plate types that had been previously issued War of 1812 plates. "Maryland Proud" plates consist of black characters on a white background, with a graphic of the state flag along the bottom edge of the plates. The state name uses the same font as the previous black-on-white plates, but it's noticeably smaller, and is colored red and outlined in black, rather than being solid black.
Numbering for all plate types picked up from where it had ended on the War of 1812 plate design. In the case of passenger car plates, the numbering format is unchanged, but the serial letters are no longer stacked one above the other. Passenger car plate numbering on this base began at 8CN0000. As on the previous base, the letters advance after all numeric digits, including the first one, and the first digit cannot be a zero.
Again, the state is not autmatically replacing older-design plates with "Maryland Proud" plates. Both black-on-white plates and War of 1812 plates currently in use remain valid and continue to be renewed with updated year stickers. Motorists who wanted to trade in their old plates for new ones may do so upon payment of a $20 plate replacement fee, either at registration renewal time, or earlier if they so choose.
Standard motorcycles plates, and also vanity and/or handicapped plates in both standard-sized and motorcycle-sized versions, are also produced on the "Maryland Proud" base. Other vehicle classes continue to be issued the old-design black-on-white plates.
2016 expirations on the "Maryland Proud" base were only issued as temporary one-month registrations and replacements for existing plates. 2017 expirations on the "Maryland Proud" base were only issued as temporary one-month registrations, replacements for existing plates, and for rare one-year registrations.
It took several years, but eventually the state came to the realization that the letters E and F are difficult to distinguish on this base due to the flag graphic along the bottom of the plate. By then, plates had been made as far as the FR series. However, the state skipped the FS through FZ series, jumping directly from FR to GA. The GE and GF series were also skipped for the same reason. I expect there will be no more sequentially-numbered plates made with the letters E or F on this base. Also, the FN series was skipped for unknown but presumably unrelated reasons.
The state significantly increased motor vehicle registration fees effective July 1, 2024, and as a concession, made the two-year registration period optional, with a one-year registration now standard as of the same date. I expect the overwhelming majority of registration periods will now be for only a single year.
Regular year sticker colors and natural serial number ranges are shown below:
| 2016 – | black on white sticker | (Same serial range as for 2018 expiration two-year registrations.) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 – | black on white sticker | (Same serial range as for 2018 and 2019 expiration two-year registrations.) |
| 2018 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from 8CN0000 to about the middle of the CT series. |
| 2019 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from about the middle of the CT series to the middle of the DE series. |
| 2020 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from about the middle of the DE series to the middle of the DP series. |
| 2021 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from about the middle of the DP series to the middle of the EC series. |
| 2022 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from about the middle of the EC series to about the end of the EL series. |
| 2023 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from about the beginning of the EM series to about the end of the EX series. |
| 2024 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from about the beginning of the EY series to about the upper FF series. |
| 2025 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from about the upper FF series to about the upper GA series (two year registrations) and from about the lower GH series on up (one year registrations). The FN and FS-FZ series were skipped. |
| 2026 – | black on white sticker | Natural serials from about the upper GA series on up (two year registrations). The GE and GF series were skipped. |
Although Maryland offers many hundreds of various optional plate styles to motorists, nearly all of them are actually organizational member plates, which are distributed through the organizations to their members, employees, and donors. Organizational member plates are always made on the standard black-on-white base. There are actually only three special interest plates avaialable. Well, four, if you count both versions of the Chesapeake Bay plate. Special interest plates are completely different in appearance than standard black-on-white plates.
I'm including special interest plates on my passenger car plate page because Maryland offers sequentially-numbered passenger car versions as well as other versions of all four special interest bases. I'm actually covering just the sequentially-numbered passenger car versions on this page; I address the various other special interest plate types in detail on the respective non-passsenger plate pages.
1991 through 1995 first-generation Treasure the Chesapeake passenger car plates.
These years used different color year stickers from standard plates. All have natural expirations.
The original Chesapeake Bay special interest plate made its debut during the last week of December 1990. It was available for use on passenger cars as well as certain types of non-passenger vehicles; vanity and handicapped plate types could also be had. The colors are green embossed characters, and blue and green graphics, on a reflective, mostly white background that transitions to light blue at the bottom. The prominent graphic is a blue heron bird which appears between the numbers and letters on passenger car plates. The heron is omitted on some other plate types on this base. All elements are screened execpt for the serial number.
Passenger car serial numbers are in the same 000*xxx format as was used for earlier Bicentennial and 350th Anniversary plates, and lead zeroes were again used. Passenger car serials began at 001*AAB and reportedly continued up to 899*BNN before this base was discontinued. Other vehicle types – multi-purpose vehicles, trucks, taxis, and trailers – as well as handicapped plates had different serial formats on this base.
First-generation Chesapeake passenger car plates in the standard 000*xxx format with letters "BAY" were issued early and were sold for substatially more money than their bretheren with ordinary, sequentially-issued letters. Multi-purpose vehicles were also able to get similar plates with the letters "BAY" on them.
White-on-green month stickers were introduced for use on this plate, rather than the normal white-on-red month stickers used on standard plates, to better coordinate with the plate colors. For the same reason, during the first few years of this plate's existence, the year stickers were also in different colors than were used on standard plates. However, beginning with the 1996 sticker, all Maryland plates, standard or otherwise, have generally been issued the same color year stickers.
Since this plate was introduced in very late 1990, when only one-year registration periods were available, 1991 is the earliest expiration year, but it's quite rare. 1991 stickers would have only been issued during those last few days of December 1990, and during 1991 to the few people who replaced their existing standard plates with Chesapeake plates midway during their registration year, such as if their plates were stolen.
This plate was issued until late 2003, or possibly January 2004, when the second-generation Chesapeake plate took its place. Although they're no longer issued, it seems that the old-school Chesapeake plates will remain in use indefinitely.
| 1991 – | white on blue sticker | 1993 – | white on blue sticker | 1995 – | white on blue sticker | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 – | blue on white sticker | 1994 – | blue on white sticker |
2004 and 2020 Our Farms passenger car plates.
The Our Farms, Our Future special interest plate was introduced in early 2001. Affectionately known as the "ag tag", proceeds from this plate benefit the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation. This plate is available for passenger cars as well as certain types of non-passenger vehicles, for handicapped persons, and as vanity registrations. The colors are black embossed serial characters on a background that fades from orange at the top to yellow at the bottom, with a farm scene at the bottom of the plate featuring red buildings and green trees. All elements are screened except for the serial number.
The passenger car serial format is A000000, but, departing from tradition, this format is also used for plates issued to some other vehicle types as well, including multi-purpose vehicles, light trucks, and taxis. (At some point, the state stopped issuing specialty plates to taxis; I'm not sure if they recalled the ones that were in use.) Lead zeroes are used in the serial number. Trailer plates also have the same format but are restricted to the A900000 series.
This plate did not receive its own color stickers. One can readily find these agricultural plates bearing either a white-on-green Chesapeake month sticker or a white-on-red standard month sticker. Apparently, the green month sticker is "correct" for this plate, but personally, I think the red month sticker looks better on it.
Since Maryland's vehicle registrations are now normally for two year periods, and this plate was introduced in 2001, the earliest expiration dates should nomally be in 2003. However, it's not impossible that there may have been a small number of 2001 and 2002 expirations on this base.
2009 and two 2015 second generation Chesapeake passenger car plates.
On January 20, 2004, the Motor Vehicle Administration introduced a revised, more colorful design for the successful Treasure the Chesapeake special interest plate. This plate, like its predecessor, benefits the Chesapeake Bay Trust. This second-generation Chesapeake plate features black characters on a background fading from blue at the top to white at the bottom, with a heron sea bird on the left side of the plate, and a crab at the lower right corner. This design is available for passenger cars, certain types of non-passenger vehicles, handicapped persons, and as vanity plates.
The standard numbering format is 00000x/x. The initial suffix letters were C/B, which presumably stand for "Chesapeake Bay"; these were exhausted fairly quickly. Later in 2004, suffix letters B/Y (for "Bay", I suppose) were then introduced, and then about the first of the year 2006, B/Y gave way to C/A. In July 2007, the C/A suffix was used up, and suffix C/C was introduced. After that, the suffix letters continued in alphabetical order through the mid-C/H series. (Wait, they forgot to use B/Z!) This numbering format and suffix letters were used not only for passenger cars, but also multi-purpose vehicles, trucks, and taxis, similar to the agricultural plate. (At some point, the state stopped issuing specialty plates to taxis; I'm not sure if they recalled the ones that were in use.) The same format is also used for trailer plates, but with suffix letters G/A.
Most, if not all of the plates in the C/F series, and possibly also some plates in adjacent letter series, have significantly darker blue backgrounds as shown by the example above.
This plate is normally issued with the green month sticker, but it's not too hard to find one bearing a red month sticker, which actually doesn't look bad. Since Maryland's vehicle registrations are now normally for two year periods, and this plate was introduced in 2004, the earliest expiration dates should nomally be in 2006. However, it's not out of the question that there may have been a small number of 2004 and 2005 expirations on this base.
This plate design was issued until October 2018, when the third-generation Chesapeake plate took its place. Although they're no longer issued, these second-gen Chesapeake plates will remain in use indefinitely.
2014 1910 Vintage passenger car plate (Crum photo / plate).
In January 2014, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration began offering rather plain, black-on-yellow plates with the words 1910 Vintage at the bottom, as shown above. It wasn't the MVA's idea to issue these plates, however. A law passed by the state legislature and signed by the governor in May 2013 required the MVA to issue for a period of one year a "special vintage reproduction plate" that resembled the first Maryland state-issued plates from 1910. So, this plate was only issued during calendar year 2014. Anyone who got a set then will be able to continue to use them, but they're no longer available to anyone else.
Although the law provides few clues as to the motivation for such a plate, some of the draft versions of the bill that wound its way through the legislature do. Maryland law allows for original, vintage state-issued plates to be used on historic vehicles whose model year matches the year on the plates. Two matching vintage plates must be used on the front and back of the vehicle, respectively. 1910 was the first year for state-issued Maryland plates, but the 1910 plates were crudely made using inferior materials and methods, and relatively few have survived to the present day. Those that have are generally rather beat-up looking, and cannot be restored to anything approximating their original codition. Extremely few matched pairs of 1910 plates are still in existence. It seems that owners of 1910 antique cars wanted the state to authorize a replica 1910 plate that they could legally use instead of the original 1910 plates or modern Historic plates.
 Actual 1910 plate (Ritterhoff plate) |
The resulting 1910 Vintage plate looks nothing like the actual 1910 plate, shown at right, other than the colors being more-or-less the same. The law required that the reproduction plate resemble the original plate, but provided no specific details other than the color scheme. It seems that the MVA either had no idea what a real 1910 plate actually looked like, or they didn't care, and just chose to follow the letter of the law rather than to honor its intent.
In actual practice, 1910 Vintage plates were issued for use not only on 1910 model vehicles, but on all years of historic vehicles and street rods, as well as on all modern passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, and trucks up to one ton capacity. Sequentially-numbered modern passenger car plates, also used on modern MPVs and trucks, use numbering format VR00000, where the prefix letters are constant. Distinct 1910 Vintage plates for handicapped persons, historic vehicles, and street rods each have their own numbering formats. 1910 Vintage plates were also issued with vanity registration numbers.
2021 third generation Chesapeake passenger car plate.
On October 29, 2018, Maryland began issuing a third generation of the fully-graphic Chesapeake Bay special interest plate. This one substitutes an image of one of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge spans rather than the blue heron featured on the previous generation plates. It also has a revised legend across the bottom, now Protect the Chesapeake instead of Treasure the Chesapeake. Numbering continued uninterrupted from the second-gen Chesapeake plate, starting at 50000 C/H.
In March 2019, the Maryland Protect the Chesapeake plate beat out 12 other new and redesigned license plate designs to be named the Best Plate of 2018 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors' Association.
Back to History of Maryland passenger car plates, part 1: 1910 to 1975
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Thanks to those who have directly contributed to the information on this page: Greg Crum, Jeff Ellis.
Crum photograph is presumed to be copyrighted by Greg Crum, and is used with permission. Ritterhoff plate is from the collection of Paul Ritterhoff.
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