Optional Passenger Car License Plates
Unrestricted Commemorative Plates |
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| City Bicentennial | |
| Anacostia River | |
| War of 1812 | |
| Optional General-Issue Plate | |
| www.washington.gov | |
| Restricted Optional Plates | |
| Organizational Plate Program | |
For some drivers the regular license plate, the one that most everyone else has, just isn't distinctive enough. Optional design license plates were first offered by three states (Georgia, Maryland, and Virginia) to commemorate the U.S. bicentennial. The practice of offering an option to the general-issue design didn't catch on at that time, but rather got rolling in the mid-1980s.
The number of optional plates offered in the U.S. has exploded during the past fifteen years. Alternative, extra-cost designs are now available in all fifty states and Washington, D.C., although clearly some jurisdictions have embraced the concept more than others. Florida, New York, and Virginia have among the largest specialty plate programs, whereas in states like North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Wyoming the offerings are limited to just a few designs. Sales of many specialty plates benefit colleges and universities, not-for-profit organizations, charitable foundations, and other causes.
Optional plates have been issued in the District of Columbia since 1991, albeit in small quantities, for various purposes.
City Bicentennial Commemorative License Plate
This design was introduced in 1991 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Washington, D.C., a historical event discussed briefly on our 2000 baseplate page. The exact months during which plates of this design were first and last offered for sale are unknown, but we believe that they were sold for approximately 10 years. Specifically, their introduction probably occurred in the late summer or autumn of 1991, and sales were likely suspended sometime during 2001, possibly in the spring. Number 200-OYV was observed in use in late March 2001, and the highest number observed is 200-OYZ. Although City Bicentennial plates may continue to be used if properly validated, their no longer being produced is thought to be a result to the shift from embossed to flat plates that occurred in the summer of 2001.
In addition to general-issue passenger plates, the unique numbering configuration of which is discussed below, personalized and Disabled American Veteran plates are also known to have been made on this base. No other types are known. As is evident in one of the images below, the layout of personalized plates differs slightly from that of passenger plates in that the logo centered on regular plates is offset to the left on vanities so as to not interrupt the appearance of plates comprised of more than three letters.
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Click on each of these images of rare non-passenger City Bicentennial plates in use for close-up images of the plates. |
The most unusual characteristic of this colorful, attractive plate is a unique numbering system. It's not unusual, of course, for plates to be marked with three numbers followed by three letters. What's different about the D.C. city bicentennial plate is that the three digits on every single one are two, zero, zero, to reinforce the theme of celebrating the city's 200th year. Letters progress sequentially from right to left. For example, plate number 200-DDS pictured above was issued immediately after 200-DDR was handed out, and was followed by 200-DDT, 200-DDU, 200-DDV, etc. The only exceptions are the rare reserved-number plates that were specially-ordered when, for at least one registration year, individuals to whom these numbers were assigned chose to have their plates made on the optional base. Whether this option was offered for registration years other than 1991 is unknown.
A close-up of the city bicentennial logo appears to the left. When used in contexts other than license plates, WASHINGTON, D.C.is printed in the wide bar across the bottom. On plates, the fireworks are shown in red. This logo and the Celebrate the City... Beyond the Monuments theme was used in a variety of promotional contexts.
Like general-issue plates, the expiration of these special, colorful graphic plates is staggered monthly based upon the date of issuance. City bicentennial plates were issued in pairs and cost $25 in addition to the regular registration fee upon initial purchase. There is no surcharge upon renewal, and they may still be renewed even though they are no longer available.
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Upon its introduction in 1991, the design of the City Bicentennial plate was recognized as being unlike anything previously issued in Washington, D.C., and indeed its numbering system has never been used anywhere, ever. We're still not sure if every letter was used in the serial (i.e. letter) positions, but even if they were, this photo of a Ford Mustang taken in late 1991 or 1992 shows no later than the 42nd plate issued. Its October expiration suggests that this optional base was first offered late in the summer or fall of 1991, but the exact introduction date has not yet been determined. |
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Although samples of passenger (left) and personalized City Bicentennial plates were made, they are not believed to have been available to plate collectors or otherwise widely distributed. |  |
Anacostia River Commemorative License Plate
The Anacostia River Commemorative License Plate was introduced in mid-2010, probably in May or early June. Mention of it was included on the DMV's Web site by June 1, and the first photograph of a plate in use is no. 1011 observed on June 19. The plate is part of a broader campaign to reduce trash, especially non-recyclable plastic bags commonly provided by retail establishments, that wind up in the Anacostia River and other waterways of the District. The plates cost $25 initially and $20 upon renewal every two years, in addition to the regular registration fee. After costs of producing the plates are retained by the DMV, excess surcharge proceeds support a new fund established to support initiatives of the 2009 law under which the plates were created.
The Anacostia River plate is authorized in a measure approved by the Council during 2009, the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act of 2009, "to protect the aquatic and environmental assets of the District of Columbia; to ban the use of disposable non-recyclable plastic carryout bags; to establish a fee on disposable carryout bags provided by grocery stores, drug stores, liquor stores, restaurants, and food vendors; to give the Office of Tax and Revenue the authority to implement rules and procedures to collect the fee; to provide for the issuance of Anacostia River Commemorative License Plates; to establish a non-lapsing fund known as the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund in which the fees, the net proceeds from the issuance of Anacostia River Commemorative License Plates, and the net proceeds from a voluntary income tax check-off are deposited; to authorize use of the fees; and to amend Title 47 of the District of Columbia Official Code and the District of Columbia Revenue Act of 1937 to make conforming amendments, including the creation of a voluntary income tax check-off."
Effective January 1, 2010, consumers that utilize non-recyclable plastic bags in conjunction with their patronage of retail stores within the District pay a five-cent fee for each bag that they use. Of this fee, a portion (usually two cents) is remitted by the retailer to the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund, which also derives revenue from license plate sales and contributions made through a voluntary check-off box on the city's income tax return. According to the regulation, assets accumulated in the fund "shall be used for the following projects in the following order of priority:
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A public education campaign to educate residents, businesses, and tourists about the impact of trash on the District's environmental health;
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Providing reusable carryout bags to District residents, with priority distribution to seniors and low-income residents;
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Purchasing and installing equipment, such as storm drain screens and trash traps, designed to minimize trash pollution that enters waterways through storm drains, with priority given to storm drains surrounding the significantly imparied tributaries identified by the District Department of the Environment;
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Creating youth-oriented water resource and water pollution educational campaigns for students and the District public and charter schools;
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Monitoring and recording pollution indices;
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Preserving or enhancing water quality and fishery or wildlife habitat;
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Promoting conservation programs, including programs for wildlife and endangered species;
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Purchasing and installing equipment designed to minimize trash pollution, including recycling containers and covered trash receptacles;
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Restoring and enhancing wetlands and green infrastructure to protect the health of watershed and restore the aquatic and land resources of its watershed;
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Funding community cleanup efforts and other activities that reduce trash, such as increased litter collection;
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Funding a circuit rider program with neighboring jurisdictions to focus river and tributary clean-up efforts upstream;
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Supporting vocational and job training experiences in environmental and sustainable professions that enhance the health of the watershed;
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Maintaining a public website that educates District residents on the progress of clean-up efforts; and
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Paying for the administration of this program."
War of 1812 Commemorative License Plate
An optional license plate with a design that will commemorate the effect of the War of 1812 on the District of Columbia is in the planning stages as this is being written in late June 2010. Through its Web site and presumably other mediums, the Washington, D.C. War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission has solicited plate design ideas from the public, and the deadline for submitting these proposals in a prescribed format is June 30, 2010. The plate layout will be similar to organizational plates, with a graphic feature to the left of the registration number, which itself will begin with a vertical three-letter prefix. A slogan will appear across the bottom. According to the Commission's guidelines, "Entrants are encouraged to depict at least one or more of the following: the Star-Spangled Banner Flag, U.S. Capitol, White House, President James Madison, and First Lady Dolley Madison."
The design contest will result in first-, second-, and third-place winners being chosen. The first-place winner will have his or her design used on the War of 1812 Commemorative License Plate and will be presented with a $200 prize. All three winning designs will be featured on the Commission's Web site.
Based upon information about the contest provided on the site, all entries will first be reviewed by members of the Commission, who will choose a group of submissions that "will be evaluated by a prestigious panel of judges, including members of the Washington, D.C. War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, artists, and historians." This panel will apparently choose a relatively small number of designs, from which members of the public will be asked to vote for their favorites, resulting in three finalist designs ranked in first, second, and third place based upon the number of votes each receives.
Contest guidelines dated May 5, 2010, indicate that the registration number and other identifying features will be blue or black on a white background, and that the legend at the bottom of the plate may be comprised of up to 40 characters on one or two lines. Which three letters will identify the type and precede the serial characters are not specified.
Optional General-Issue Plate:
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Organizational Plate Program
It's likely that an organizational plate program was developed here because the District is enveloped by the state with the largest one, by far. With over 600 graphic and non-graphic organizational plates offered in Maryland, it was probably inevitable that some D.C. groups would request, and ultimately be issued, their own distinctive plates. To qualify for them, a non-profit organization must submit written commitments from at least 25 Washington motorists to the effect that they would purchase plates of a particular design if they were made available. In the Maryland tradition, all D.C. organizational plates have a logo on the left side followed by a four-digit number that is immediately preceded by a stacked three-letter code.
Washington, D.C. organizational plates cost $52 initially, in addition to the regular registration fee, and there is also a surcharge for them upon renewal. Only sequentially-assigned numbers are available: they cannot be personalized. The 15 organizational plates presently available are as follows:
*Considered an organizational plate by the D.C. DMV but classified as a separate non-passenger type by DCplates.net. DAV existed long before the organizational plate program began but has been folded into this classification by the DMV. |
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N.C. A&T State Univ. Alumni |
Bad Boys Club |
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority |
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D.C. Firefighters Local 36 (early style) |
D.C. Firefighters Local 36 (later style) |
Fraternal Order of Police |
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Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity |
Morehouse College Alumni Assn. |
Order of the Eastern Star |
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Prince Hall Masonic Family |
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity |
Spirit of Faith Christian Center |
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National Association of Black Scuba Divers |
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Like all organizational plates, the issuance of Foreign Organization plates is restricted. In this case, however, the organization is not a fraternity, sorority, or fraternal organization: it's the government of Taiwan. Foreign Organization plates were introduced in D.C. (and many states in which Taiwan has official representation) presumably becuase this island, part of the Republic of China, does not have a separate seat in the United Nations, a distinction that would permit its representatives to obtain official diplomatic plates issued by the U.S. Dept. of State.
Taiwan lost its separate seat in the U.N. in October 1971 upon the admittance of the People's Republic of China. Since then, the Taipei government has continually lobbied for a separate seat, as well as, of course, independence from China. Taiwan's autonomy in the U.N. has repeatedly been denied by Beijing. An increase in visible signs of Taipei's push for independence, even if in the form of something as simple as license plates used on the other side of the globe, may have come as a result of the election of pro-independence candidate Chen Shui-bian to the presidency in March 2000. D.C.'s Foreign Organization plates are thought to have been introduced in the same year as the historic election that brought about the end of 50 years of Nationalist rule.
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This page last updated on July 3, 2010 |
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