The U.S. state of Arizona first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1912. Registrants had to provide their own plates for display. In 1914, the state began to supply license plates to registrants. The current Grand Canyon State slogan first appeared in 1940, appearing on all subsequent issues except for 1945. Plates are currently issued by the Motor Vehicle Division of the Arizona Department of Transportation (MVD).
Plates began to be county coded in 1922 and were issued to all vehicle types until 1929, when commercial vehicles were given their own class of plate.[1]
In Arizona, the license plate belongs to the vehicle owner. This allows for the transfer of a license plate from one vehicle to another.[2]
As of FY 2009, the MVD has 6,693,413 license plates registered with the department.[3]
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| Image | First issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | ARIZ embossed vertically along left side; year of issue embossed vertically along right side. | 1234 | ||||
| 1925 | ARIZONA embossed along bottom right; year of issue embossed vertically along right side. | 1-23456 | ||||
| 1947 | Red digits on white background; ARIZ. and last two numbers of year of issue embossed and centered along top. | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed and centered along bottom. | AB-12 | |||
| 1949 | Black digits embossed on reflective white background; ARIZONA and last two numbers of year of issue embossed and centered along top. | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed and centered along bottom. | A-12 | |||
| 1950 | Black digits embossed on white background; ARIZONA and last two numbers of year of issue embossed and centered along top. | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed and centered along bottom. | A-12345 | |||
| 1951 | Green digits embossed on white background; ARIZ. and last two numbers of year of issue embossed and centered along top. | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed and centered along bottom. | 1-234A | |||
| 1952 | White digits embossed on navy blue background; ARIZONA and last two numbers of year of issue embossed and centered along top. | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed and centered along bottom. | A-12 | |||
| 1954 | Navy blue digits on white background; ARIZONA and last two numbers of year of issue embossed and centered along top. | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed and centered along bottom. | A-12 |
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 Arizona license plate that complied with these standards.
| Image | First issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | White embossed digits with white border on black background; ARIZONA and last two digits of registration year embossed in white and centered at top between screw holes | "GRAND CANYON STATE" embossed in white and centered at bottom | A-12345 | Coded by county of issuance. | ||
| 1958 | White embossed digits with white border on blue background; ARIZONA and last two digits of registration year embossed in white and centered at top between screw holes | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed in white and centered at bottom | ABC-123 | AAA-001 to BZZ-999 | ||
| 1960 | Blue embossed digits with blue border on white background; ARIZONA and last two digits of registration year embossed in blue and centered at top between screw holes | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed in blue and centered at bottom | ABC-123 | CAA-001 to DZZ-999 | ||
| 1963 | White embossed digits with white border on blue background; ARIZONA and last two digits of registration year embossed in white and centered at top between screw holes | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed in white and centered at bottom | ABC-123 | EAA-001 to FZZ-999 | ||
| 1965 | Black embossed digits with black border on white background; ARIZONA and last two digits of registration year embossed in black and centered at top between screw holes | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed in black and centered at bottom | ABC-123 | HAA-001 to JZZ-999 | ||
| 1968 | Black embossed digits with black border on yellow background; ARIZONA and last two digits of registration year embossed in black and centered at top between screw holes | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed in black and centered at bottom | ABC-123 | KAA-001 to NZZ-999 | ||
| 1972 | Green embossed digits with green border on pale orange background; ARIZONA and last two digits of registration year embossed in green and centered at top between screw holes | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed in green and centered at bottom | ABC-123 | PAA-001 to WZZ-999 | ||
| 1980 | White embossed digits with white embossed border on maroon background, with white embossed saguaro cactus dividing the letters and numbers; ARIZONA embossed in white and centered at top | GRAND CANYON STATE embossed in white and centered at bottom | ABC-123 | AAA-001 to NZZ-999 | ||
| 1996 | Dark green embossed digits on screened background of purple mountains and cacti with white setting sun and sky fading from orange to white to turquoise at top; ARIZONA in wide plain dark green letters outlined in white and centered at top | GRAND CANYON STATE in dark green thin plain letters at bottom right in orange part of screen | 123·ABC | 101·AAA to 999·ZZZ | Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1996 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Arizona has been so honored. | |
| 2007 or 2008 | Dark green screened digits on screened background of purple mountains and cacti with white setting sun and sky fading from orange to white to turquoise at top; ARIZONA in wide plain dark green letters outlined in white and centered at top; security stripe through center of plate | ABC1234 | AAA0001 to present |
| Image | Type | First issued | Design | Serial format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative Fuel—Government | GA·12345 | Blue on sky and clouds graphic. | |||
| Alternative Fuel—Passenger | AF·1234 AF·123B AF·12A3 |
Blue on sky and clouds graphic. Earlier plates had lighter-colored background. | |||
| Alternative Fuel—hybrid vehicle | 2008 | 12L N34 | Blue on sky and clouds graphic. | Issuance ceased at 99L N99. | |
| Amateur Radio | On passenger base. Starting in around 1997, a radio tower graphic appears to the left of the serial, and "GRAND CANYON STATE" is replaced with "AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR". | call sign | |||
| Apportioned | On passenger base, but "APPORTIONED" legend replaces slogan. | AA·12345 AB·12345 AD·12345 |
Serials became surface-printed during AD series. | ||
| Disabled Person | On passenger base. | -1ABC ABC12 |
Wheelchair embossed to left of serial. First series used older dies. | ||
| Historic Vehicle | All-embossed red on copper. | 1A2 ABC1 |
Dated-1977 base issued continuously through the present. | ||
| Manufacturer | On passenger base. | MT-1234 | |||
| Motorcycle | M/C1ABC | ||||
| Transporter | On passenger base. | XP-123A |
| Image | Type | Design | Serial format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apportioned | On passenger base, but "APPORTIONED" legend replaces slogan. | 12A-345 | ||
| Trailer | On passenger base. | G·12345 |
Arizona offers its motorists a number of optional issue designs that are available upon the payment of an additional fee.
| Image | Type | First issued | Serial format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | April 4, 2007 | DB12345 | ||
| Arizona Highways Magazine | early 2009 | 1AH2345 | ||
| Arizona Historical Society | June 2007 | AH123 | ||
| Arizona State University | A1234 C1234 (series halted early for Pet plates) D1234 |
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| Choose Life | early 2009 | 12CL34 | ||
| Conserving Wildlife | W/A12345 | |||
| Donate Life/Be an Organ Donor | B1ABC | |||
| Early Detection Saves Lives | March 26, 2006 | JK1234 | ||
| Environmental | E1234 1234E 123E4 12E34 1E234 EA·1234 (counting up from EV) |
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| Former Prisoner of War | A12 | |||
| Fraternal Order of Police | L/E1234 | |||
| Freedom | January 14, 2007 | 1FR2345 | ||
| Gold Star Family | May 2009 | B123 | Serials are surface-printed. | |
| Home of the Apache | March 2007 | C123E4 | ||
| Honoring Fallen Officers | November 2007 | FP12345 | Serials are surface-printed. | |
| It Shouldn't Hurt to Be a Child | AC·12345 | |||
| It Shouldn't Hurt to Be a Child—Disabled Person | AC·1234 | Wheelchair embossed to left of serial | ||
| Live the Golden Rule | November 2007 | LM12345 | Serials are surface-printed. | |
| Medal of Honor | 123 | |||
| National Guard | N1234 | |||
| Navajo Nation | September 2003 | B/A1234 | ||
| Northern Arizona University | V1234 | |||
| Pets Enrich Our Lives | May 2005 | C1234 1234C |
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| Phoenix Suns | May 5, 2009 | 1PS2345 | Serials are surface-printed. | |
| Professional Fire Fighters | F/F1234 | |||
| Purple Heart | 1234 | |||
| A State of Good Character | September 2005 | A12B34 | ||
| Veteran | V/T1234 | |||
| Veteran—Disabled Person | V/T123 | Wheelchair embossed to left of serial. | ||
| University of Arizona | P1234 | |||
| University of Phoenix | F/A1234 | |||
| White Mountain Apache | November 2007 | WM123 123WM |
Serials are surface-printed. |
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