Washington, D.C. Dealer License Plates

Nov. 2004-Oct. 2005	Nov. 2005-Oct. 2006
Nov. 2006-Oct. 2007	Nov. 2007-Oct. 2008

As in most U.S. jurisdictions, one of the oldest registrations types in D.C. is that issued especially to motor vehicle dealers. The oldest example known is from 1919, which features a letter D prefix. Note that for 1962 (exp. 3-31-63) the type name was made more prominent and the numbering format was changed. The city name was changed from DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA to WASHINGTON, D.C. on the 1969 (exp. 3-31-70) plate, four years after the change was made on plates of most other types (including passenger).

A far more noticeable change was made in late 2005 when the background color was altered in order to make these limited-use plates more visible. Like Manufacturer, a new type at the time, annual dealer plates that expired on Oct. 31, 2005 are white on red, and those that expired on Oct. 31, 2006, are white on blue. Plates of these types do not share a color scheme for their 2006-07 issues, however. Based upon registration numbers on the examples shown it appears that they begin on plates of a new year where the previous year ended as opposed to beginning at 0000 or 0001 annually.

An interesting plate-related custom in Washington, D.C. is that vehicle dealers routinely affix their registration certificate to the back of their plate. Today this is often accomplished with tape, but for many years the registration was laminated or sewn into a plastic sleeve that was then riveted to the plate. That's why you can see rivet heads (or extra holes where rivets were removed) on several of the plates pictured above.

 

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	This page last updated on May 20, 2008
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