Vehicle registration plates of Rhode Island
The U.S. state of Rhode Island first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1904.
Passenger baseplates 1957 to present
In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that standardized 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 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Rhode Island license plate that complied with these standards.
| Image | Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1957-58 | Embossed black on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND and 2-digit year of registration above numbers | None | A 123 | ||
|
1959-60 | Embossed white on black, with border and RHODE ISLAND and 2-digit year of registration above numbers | None | AB 123 (no dash; the letters were squarer and smaller than the numbers, centered in height) | ||
|
1961-66 | Embossed black on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND above numbers, to left | None | AB 123 (in same style as 1959 plate) | Polarized version of 1959 plate, but without embossed registration year | |
|
1967-71 | Embossed black on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND centered below numbers | DISCOVER (embossed and centered above numbers) | AB-123 (all numbers same size and template; dash is a circle) | First use of a slogan on a Rhode Island license plate | |
|
1972-79 | Embossed black on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND centered below numbers | OCEAN STATE (embossed and centered above numbers) | AB-123 (Same as 1967, but with true dash between letters and numbers) | First year of OCEAN STATE moniker on modern plates | |
 |
1980-96 | Embossed royal blue on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND centered below numbers | OCEAN STATE (same as 1972, but with embossed anchor to left of left screw hole) | AB-123 | First year of blue plates; first year of anchor logo (styled after anchor in the Seal of Rhode Island) | |
| 1992 to present | Dark blue on white with grey sailboat graphic; red RHODE ISLAND in serifed font screened above numbers, offset, with five stripes to left of Rhode and right of Island; blue bar with thirteen white stars along bottom of plate (approximately 1/4" high, 1/8" above bottom) | Ocean State (screened in blue above star bar) | as requested by registrant: 12345 AB-12 and AB-123 |
Optional, extra-cost issue | ||
|
1996 to present | Navy blue on stylized grey and white wave graphic; navy blue serifed screened Rhode Island above numbers with anchor screened to left of left screw hole | Ocean State (same font and color as Rhode Island, screened) | 12345 (variable number of digits) AB-12 and AB-123 123-456 |
1 to 99999 AA-00 to ZZ-999 710-001 (issued in reversed sequential order) to present |
Colloquially referred to as "wave plates" |
External links
| ||||||||||