Since 1921, the U.S. state of Alaska has issued license plates for vehicles registered there.
State law requires two license plates, one on the front and on on the rear, to be displayed on a motor vehicle, with the exception of motorcycles and trailers. Only the rear plate is required to be stickered.[1]
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In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that fixed the size for all their passenger vehicle plates at six inches in height by twelve inches in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Alaska license plate that complied with these standards.
| Image | Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Blue embossed digits on white with border line; embossed state flag to left; ALASKA embossed in plain text centered at top; registration year embossed at upper right | none | 12345 | renewed with metal tab | ||
| 1957 | Blue embossed digits on golden yellow with border line; embossed state flag to left; ALASKA embossed in plain text centered at top; registration year embossed at upper right | none | 12345 | renewed with metal tab | ||
| 1959 | Blue embossed digits on white with border line; embossed state flag to left; ALASKA embossed in plain text centered at top; registration year embossed at upper right | none | 12345 | renewed with metal tab | ||
| 1961 | Blue embossed digits on white with border line; embossed state flag to left; ALASKA embossed in plain text centered at bottom; registration year embossed at lower right | none | 12345 | renewed with metal tab for 1963 later with stickers | ||
| 1965 | Yellow embossed digits on blue with border line; Eagle totem pole on left; stylized embossed ALASKA at top | 1867 NORTH TO THE FUTURE 1967 embossed in plain letters and centered at bottom | 12345 | |||
| 1967 | Blue embossed digits on white with border line; embossed state flag to left; ALASKA embossed in plain text centered at top; registration year reverse embossed in blue square at upper right | THE GREAT LAND embossed in plain text centered at bottom | 12345 | |||
| 1969 | Blue embossed digits on golden yellow with blue border line; embossed state flag to left; ALASKA-U.S.A. embossed in plain text centered at top; registration year reverse embossed in blue square at upper left | NORTH TO THE FUTURE embossed in small plain text centered at bottom | 12345 | |||
| 1971 | Blue embossed digits on golden yellow with blue border line; embossed state flag to left; ALASKA-U.S.A. embossed in plain text centered at top; registration year reverse embossed in blue square at upper left | NORTH TO THE FUTURE embossed in small plain text centered at bottom | AB 1234 | |||
| 1972 | Blue embossed digits on golden yellow with blue border line and rectangle for registration sticker at upper left corner; embossed state flag centered between letters and numbers; ALASKA-U.S.A. embossed in plain text centered at top; registration year embossed in upper right corner | none | ABC 123 | Produced: AAA-100 to ? | Not issued. | |
| 1973 | Blue embossed digits on golden yellow with blue border line and rectangle for registration sticker at upper left corner; embossed state flag to left; ALASKA embossed in plain text centered at top; registration year embossed in upper right corner | NORTH TO THE FUTURE in small embossed text centered at bottom | AB123 | |||
| 1975 | Red embossed letters on reflective white background, with brown mountain and field screened behind numbers; standing brown grizzly bear at center of plate; red embossed ALASKA in wide serifed text centered at top | none | ABC 123 | AAA-100 to ASZ-999 | ||
| 1981 | Blue embossed digits on reflective golden yellow plate with indented upper corners for registration stickers; screened state flag at center, with ALASKA in wide serifed letters screened at top | "The Last Frontier" in wide serifed letters screened at bottom | ABC-123 | BAA-100 to DJX-999 | Briefly reused old sheeting for ERU-100 to ERV-4?? in 2005 | |
| 1997 | Black embossed digits on reflective plate with gold fading to white mountain tops, with blue sky above and sun rising near left corner; ALASKA with mining equipment substituting for the middle A in golden yellow screened at top; black prospectors following the Yukon Trail starting at the bottom left and scrolling to top center | "Gold Rush" in golden yellow offset to right below ALASKA, and "Centennial" in black below at bottom | ABC 123 | DJY-100 to ERT-999 | Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new standard-issue license plate of 1998 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Alaska has been so honored. Co-recipient with Idaho. | |
| 2000 | Blue embossed digits on reflective yellow plate; ALASKA screened in serif font centered along top. | "THE LAST FRONTIER" screened in serif font centered along bottom; Alaskan flag screened in center. | ABC 123 | |||
| 2005 | Blue embossed digits on reflective golden yellow plate; ALASKA in plain serifed letters embossed at top; state flag embossed at center | "THE LAST FRONTIER" embossed in plain text centered at bottom | ABC-123 | ERV-4?? to FGE-999 | Leftover 1981 stock was used for ERU-100 to ERV-4?? | |
| January 2, 2008 to December 31, 2009[1][2][3] | Blue embossed digits on reflective yellow plate with embossed blue border; blue bottom quickly fading to white mountains, with red sunburst over tallest mountain screened behind numbers; Alaska 50 state flag logo screened to left; ALASKA screened in plain blue letters at top | "CELEBRATING STATEHOOD 1959-2009" in thin plain red letters at bottom, above blue | ABC123 | FGF100 to present | Also used for vanity plates. |
All plates issued since 1981 remain valid with proper validation.
In 1972, the 9000 pairs of new plates for 1973 were produced. For the first time they were going to be in an ABC-123 format, with the state flag acting as the separator. The stars on the embossed flag didn't look like stars and Governor William Allen Egan rejected the plates. 1973 stickers were issued and a new base plate was introduced the following year almost identical to the previous one. The rejected plates are considered prototypes and are common enough to be easily found among license plate collectors.
Alaska offers a variety of optional plates that motorists may display upon the payment of an additional fee as well as non-passenger plate types that are displayed on vehicles for specialized uses.[1]
| Image | Type | First issued | Serial format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur Radio | call sign | |||
| Charitable/Church Exempt | YYx 123 | |||
| Children's Trust | KID 012 123 KID |
KID-prefixed sequence started with 001. | ||
| Collector's Car | HA 123 | |||
| Disabled Person | HAB 123 | |||
| Disabled Veteran | DAV 123 | |||
| Ex-Prisoner of War | POW 012 | Started with 001. | ||
| Farm Vehicle | 1234 FA | "Farm" legend. | ||
| Gold Star Family | Personalized | |||
| Historic Vehicle | HA 123 | |||
| Iditarod | IDT 123 or personalized | |||
| I Support Our Veterans | 2007 | Personalized | ||
| Low-Speed Vehicle | 2007 | LSV 012 | Started with 001. | |
| Motorcycle | 1234 Mx, 1234 Rx, 1234 Tx | Same plates also issued to small trailers. | ||
| National Guard | VAB 123 | |||
| Pearl Harbor Survivor | P/H 123 | "PH" is stacked vertically and in center of plate. | ||
| Personalized - Passenger | Six alphanumeric characters. | Three different designs. | ||
| Prince William Sound Community College | PWS 123 | |||
| Purple Heart | VPH 123 | |||
| Support Our Troops! | 2008 | Available in personalized format. | ||
| University of Alaska Anchorage | UAA 123 UAA123 |
Two styles; newer style available in personalized format. | ||
| University of Alaska Fairbanks | UAF 123 | Two styles; newer style available in personalized format. | ||
| University of Alaska Southeast | UAS 123 | |||
| Veteran - Air Force | VAB 123 | |||
| Veteran - Army | VAB 123 | |||
| Veteran - Coast Guard | VAB 123 | |||
| Veteran - Marine Corps | VAB 123 | |||
| Veteran - Navy | VAB 123 |
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