Vehicle registration plates of Washington (state)

The U.S. state of Washington first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1916.

Passenger baseplates 1916 to present

In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that fixed 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 first Washington license plate that complied with these standards was a modification of the 1954 plate, introduced in January 1956.

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1916	Embossed white numbers and border on navy base; "WN" embossed at left and "1916" embossed at right	none	123456
	1917	Embossed white lettering and border on lavender base; "WN" embossed at left and "X17" embossed at right	none	123456
	1920	Black lettering with yellow base painted on porcelain-coated steel; "WN" above "X20" painted in black letters on white field	none	123456
	1927	Embossed green numbers on white base; "X27" embossed at left and state name embossed at bottom	none	123-456
	1928	Embossed black lettering and border on orange base; "X" and "-28" embossed at left and right of state name at bottom	none	123-456
	1935	Embossed white numbers on dark blue plate with border line; "WASHINGTON" embossed in white block letters centered at bottom; "X" embossed in bottom left corner and "35" in bottom right corner	none	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)
	1936	Embossed dark blue numbers on white plate with border line; "WASHINGTON" embossed in dark blue block letters centered at bottom; "19" embossed in bottom left corner and "36" in bottom right corner	none	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)
	1937	Embossed white numbers on dark blue plate with border line; "WASHINGTON 1937" embossed in white block letters at top	none	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)
	1938	Embossed green numbers on white plate with border line; "1938 WASHINGTON" embossed in green block letters at top	none	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)
	1939	Embossed golden yellow numbers on green plate with border line; "STATE OF WASHINGTON" embossed in golden yellow block letters at bottom	"GOLDEN JUBILEE" embossed in golden yellow block letters centered at top, with "1889" to the left and "1939" to the right	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)	Commemorated Washington's 50 years of statehood.
	1940	Embossed green numbers on white plate with border line; "WASHINGTON 1940" embossed in green block letters at bottom	none	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)
	1941	Embossed white numbers on green plate with border line; "WASHINGTON 1941" embossed in white block letters at top	none	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)
	1942–44	Embossed green numbers on white plate; "WASHINGTON 1942" embossed in green block letters at bottom	none	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)	Revalidated for 1943 and 1944 with windshield stickers, due to metal conservation for World War II.
	1945–46	Embossed green numbers on white plate; "WASHINGTON 1945" embossed in green block letters at top	none	A-12345 AB-1234	County-coded (A or AB)	Revalidated for 1946 with windshield stickers.
	1947–48	Embossed green numbers on unpainted aluminum plate; "WASHINGTON 1947" embossed in green block letters at bottom	none	A·12·345 AB·1234	County-coded (A or AB)	Revalidated for 1948 with windshield stickers.
	1949	Embossed green numbers on unpainted aluminum plate; "WASHINGTON 1949" embossed in green block letters at top	none	A·12·345 AB·1234	County-coded (A or AB)
	1950	Embossed green numbers on white plate; "WASHINGTON 50" embossed in green block letters at bottom	none	A123·456 AB·1234	County-coded (A or AB)	Revalidated for 1951 with silver tabs, for 1952 with windshield stickers, and for 1953 with green tabs.
	1951–53	As above, but with "51" instead of "50"				Single plate issued only to new registrants. Revalidated for 1952 and 1953 in the same manner as for 1950 plates.
	1954–55	Embossed white numbers on green plate; "54 WASHINGTON" embossed in white block letters at bottom	none	123-456 A 12-345 AB	County-coded (A or AB)	Revalidated for 1955 with silver tabs, for 1956 with white tabs, and for 1957 with green tabs.
	1956–57	As above, but to 6" x 12" size, and with narrower dies and border line				Validated for 1956 and 1957 in the same manner as for 1954–55 plates.
	1958–62	Embossed white numbers on green plate with border line; "WASHINGTON" embossed in white block letters centered at bottom	none	ABC 123	County-coded
	1963–64	Embossed green numbers on non-reflective white plate with border line; "WASH. 63" embossed in green block letters centered at bottom	none	ABC 123	County-coded
	1965–67	As above, but with "WASHINGTON" centered at bottom
	1968–82	As above, but reflective, and with "WASHINGTON" at top, offset to left
	1983–86	As above, but with "WASHINGTON" screened rather than embossed
	1987 – late 1990	Embossed dark blue numbers on reflective white plate with light blue Mount Rainier graphic and dark blue border line; "Washington" screened in red serifed letters centered at top	"Centennial Celebration" screened in red serifed letters centered at bottom	123-ABC	000-AAA to 999-DGP
	late 1990 – July 1998		none		000-DGQ to 999-JNZ
	July 1998 – December 31, 2009	As above, but without dark blue border line, and with "WASHINGTON" screened in red block letters at top, offset to left	"EVERGREEN STATE" screened in red block letters centered at bottom		000-JOA to 999-ZZZ
	January 1, 2010 – present			ABC1234[1]	AAA0000 to AYZ9999 (as of February 12, 2016)

County coding

References

External links

• Washington license plates 1969-present