Washington plate number

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If the information on this translated website is unclear, please contact us at These changes were a result from Washington vehicle owners' letters:.

Before , all license plates were mailed from Olympia. In , the system changed so plates were assigned to counties. A system of assigning county letters to the plate number was also adopted. This system discontinued in , and the use of county temporary plates was abandoned. In — , , and , windshield stickers were used instead of license plates because aluminum wasn't available during the war years.

Due to a misunderstanding in the specifications for the new license plates, there was no space on the plate for tabs. The legislature passed a law prohibiting the use of the abbreviation "WASH" on vehicle license plates.

A new law requires all plates to be manufactured with reflectorized material for easier identification in the dark. Personalized plates are voted in by referendum. The revenue would be used to support efforts to protect wildlife species Wild Life Account. Personalized plates, or vanity plates, are authorized by the legislature and made available to the public.

These plates may contain 2—7 numbers or letters in any combination that doesn't conflict with existing plates. The legislature passes a bill requiring license plates being replaced if they were 5 years or older, and plates issued on or before January 1, The legislature passed a bill requiring the Department of Licensing to design a new plate for the Washington State's Centennial.

Washington residents turned in 1, designs. A panel selected 12 finalists, and the final design was selected by the Governor and Department of Licensing's Director.

The design winner was Eric Booth, an year-old high school student. Pearl Harbor Survivor plates were implemented, and surviving spouses of POW's were exempted from fees for 1 vehicle. Centennial license plates were issued starting January 1, The plates had a blue rendition of Mount Rainier on a white background, with "Washington" and "Centennial Celebration" in red. Vanpool vehicles before are exempted from tabs.

The legislature asks the Department of Licensing to conduct a study of specialty plate programs. The legislature passes a bill giving the Department of Licensing the "sole discretion" to determine whether or not to create, design, or issue a special plate. Legislation allows veterans to display a U.

The legislature passes the Collegiate Plate Bill, which allowed the 6 major public universities to use license plates to raise funds for scholarships. All funds from plates under this program go directly to the universities. These plates were first issued in Stadium license plates were approved by the legislature, with additional revenue to pay for construction bonds for the Seattle baseball stadium.

This is meant as a useful tool for dating vintage photos. Many vintage photos show new vehicles with temporary county-issued paper or cardboard licenses. For more information, please see this page. During this period, registration numbers were assigned by the state, but owners were responsible for providing their own plates more information here.