Vehicle registration plates of Nevada explained

Nickname:	Home Means Nevada
Slogan Label:	Slogan
Slogan:	Home Means Nevada
Size:	12x
Material:	Aluminum
Serial Format:	12A·345 123·4A5
Issuer:	Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
Manufacturer:	Northern Nevada Correctional Center
Start Date:	(pre-state plates from 1913 through December 31, 1915)

The U.S. state of Nevada first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1913. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1916, when the state began to issue plates.^[1]

, plates are issued by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers. Front plates are not required if the vehicle was not designed for a front plate and the manufacturer did not provide a means of mounting such a plate.^[2]

From 1928 to 2012, Nevada's license plates were made at Nevada State Prison. The license plate factory moved to the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in 2012.

Passenger baseplates

1916 to 1960

In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at 6inches in height by 12inches in width, with standardized mounting holes.^[3] The 1956 (expired June 30, 1957) issue was the first Nevada license plate that fully complied with these standards: the 1955 (expired June 30, 1956) issue was 6 inches in height by 12 inches in width, but had non-standard mounting holes.

No slogans were used on passenger plates during the period covered by this subsection.

Dates issued	Description	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
1916	Embossed yellow serial on green plate; vertical "NEV" at left	1234	2001 to approximately 6700
1917	Silver serial on blue flat metal plate; "NEVADA" and "1917" centered at top and bottom respectively	12345	10001 to approximately 16700
1918	Black serial on yellow flat metal plate; "NEVADA" and "1918" centered at top and bottom respectively	12345	20001 to approximately 28400
1919	Red serial on white flat metal plate; "NEVADA, 1919" centered at top	12345	30001 to approximately 39400
1920	Yellow serial on red flat metal plate; "NEVADA, 1920" centered at bottom	12345	40001 to approximately 50500
1921	Green serial on white flat metal plate; "NEVADA 1921" at bottom	12-345	50-001 to approximately 60-900
1922	Black serial on gray flat metal plate; "NEVADA 1922" at bottom	12-345	70-001 to approximately 82-800
1923	Debossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "NEVADA 1923" at bottom	12-345	80-001 to approximately 95-700
1924	Debossed white serial on green plate with border line; "NEVADA 1924" at bottom	12-345	00-001 to approximately 18-500
1925	Debossed white serial on purple plate with border line; "NEVADA 1925" at bottom	12-345	00-001 to approximately 17-500
1926	Debossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "NEVADA 1926" at bottom	12-345	00-001 to approximately 21-000
1927	Debossed yellow serial on green plate with border line; "NEVADA 1927" at bottom	12-345	00-001 to approximately 21-000
1928	Embossed white serial on red plate with border line; "NEVADA 1928" at bottom	12-345	00-001 to approximately 22-000
1929	Embossed black serial on orange plate with border line; "NEVADA 1929" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 25-000
1930	Embossed orange serial on black plate with border line; "NEVADA 1930" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 25-000
1931	Embossed black serial on orange plate with border line; "NEVADA 1931" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 24-000
1932	Embossed orange serial on black plate with border line; "NEVADA 1932" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 28-000
1933	Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "NEVADA 1933" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 26-000
1934	Embossed green serial on white plate with border line; "NEVADA 1934" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 26-000
1935	Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "NEVADA 1935" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 28-000
1936	Embossed silver serial on dark blue plate with border line; "NEVADA 1936" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 31-000
1937	Embossed dark blue serial on silver plate with border line; "NEVADA 1937" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 34-000
1938	As 1936 base, but with "NEVADA 1938" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 34-000
1939	As 1937 base, but with "NEVADA 1939" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 34-000
1940	As 1936 base, but with "NEVADA 1940" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 38-000
1941	As 1937 base, but with "NEVADA 1941" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 40-000
	As 1936 base, but with "NEVADA 1942" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 45-000	Revalidated for 1943 with red tabs, due to metal conservation for World War II.
1944	Embossed white serial on red plate with border line; "NEVADA 1944" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 44-000
1945	As 1937 base, but with "NEVADA 1945" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 41-000
1946	As 1936 base, but with "NEVADA 1946" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 44-000
1947	As 1937 base, but with "NEVADA 1947" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 46-000
1948	As 1936 base, but with "NEVADA 1948" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 53-000
1949	As 1937 base, but with "NEVADA 1949" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 55-000
1950	As 1936 base, but with "NEVADA 1950" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 57-000
1951	As 1937 base, but with "NEVADA 1951" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 67-000
1952	As 1936 base, but with "NEVADA 1952" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 74-000
1953	Embossed copper serial on green plate with border line; "NEVADA 1953" at bottom	12-345	1 to approximately 82-000
1954–55	As 1936 base, but with "NEVADA 1954" at bottom	1-234	Coded by county of issuance	Validated from January 1 through June 30, 1955 with red sticker.
1955–56	Embossed blue serial on silver plate with border line; "NEVADA 6 30 56" at bottom	1234 1234	Coded by county of issuance
1956–57	Embossed silver serial on light blue plate with border line; "NEVADA" centered at top; "56" at top left and "57" at top right	A12345 AB1234	Coded by county of issuance
1957–58	Embossed light blue serial on silver plate with border line; "NEVADA" centered at top; "EXP" at top left and "JUN 58" at top right	A12345 AB1234	Coded by county of issuance
1958–59	Embossed silver serial on light blue plate with border line; "NEVADA" centered at top; "EXP" at top left and "JUN 59" at top right	A12345 AB1234	Coded by county of issuance
1959–60	Embossed blue serial on white plate with border line; "NEVADA" centered at top; "EXP" at top left and "JUN 60" at top right	A12345 AB1234	Coded by county of issuance

1960 to present

Dates issued	Description	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
1960–64	Embossed silver serial on dark blue plate with border line; "NEVADA" centered at top; "JUN 61" at top left and state outline at top right	none	A12345 AB1234	Coded by county of issuance	Revalidated with stickers through December 31, 1964. To commemorate Nevada's 100 years of statehood that year, dark blue strips were fitted to the top of each plate containing "NEVADA CENTENNIAL" in silver in the center, "1864" to the left and "1964" to the right.
1965–67	Embossed dark blue serial on silver plate with border line; "NEVADA" centered at top; "65" at top left	none	A12345 AB1234 12345	Coded by county of issuance	Counties with two-letter codes issued five-digit serials with stacked codes after reaching 9999.
1967–68	As above, but reflective white rather than silver	none	A12345 AB1234 12345	Coded by county of issuance
1969–70	Debossed white serial on reflective blue plate with border line; "NEVADA" centered at top; "69" at top left	none	A12345 AB1234 ABC123	Coded by county of issuance
1970–74	As above, but with "NEV" at top, offset to left
1974–81	As above, but with thinner dies and "NEVADA" at top, offset to left
1982–84	As above, but with "NEVADA" roughly centered at top		123ABC	001AAA to approximately 999ANR	Some plates carried the county of issuance on a sticker at the bottom.
1984 – December 2000	Embossed blue serial on reflective white and silver graphic plate with mountain scene featuring a Bighorn sheep; "NEVADA" screened in blue centered at top	"THE SILVER STATE" screened in blue centered at bottom	123·ABC	001·BAA to approximately 999·LDE	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1985 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Nevada has been so honored. Co-recipient with North Dakota.
January 2001 – December 2006	Embossed dark blue serial on graphic plate featuring the Sierra Nevada mountains, in light blue, against a yellow and orange gradient sky; "NEVADA" screened in dark blue centered at top	"THE SILVER STATE" screened in white centered at bottom	123·ABC	001·MAA to 999·TUU	Letters I, O and Q not used in serials; this practice continues today.^[4]
December 2006^[5] – April 2015	As above, but with serial screened rather than embossed		123·ABC	001·TUV to 999·YZZ; 001·LDF to 999·LZZ; 001·ANS to 999·AZZ	After 999·YZZ was issued, the 'L' series not issued on the 1984 sheep base were issued, followed by the 'A' series not issued on the 1982 blue base. 'Z' series reserved for issuance through dealerships (up to the ZZZ series on the "Home Means Nevada" base as of March 2024).^[6]
April – July 2015	As above, but with serial screened rather than embossed		12A·345	00A·000 to 56B·999
July 2015^[7] – mid-2017	As above, but with serial embossed (different dies to those used from 2001 to 2006) and state shape used as separator		12A·345	57B·000 to 48H·999	Issued concurrently with the "Home Means Nevada" base from 2016/11/1 until supplies were exhausted.
November 1, 2016^[8] – early 2024	Embossed black serial with state-shaped separator on sky blue plate; stylized multi-colored mountain range at bottom; "NEVADA" screened in black centered at top	"Home Means Nevada" screened in black at bottom, in center of mountain range	123·A45	000·A00 to 999·Z99
November 1, 2016^[8] – early 2024			123·ABC	000·ZDK to 999·ZZZ	Dealer-issue series
March 2024 – present			123·4A5	000·0A0 to 762·9B1
March 2024 – present			12A·345	49H·000 to 83H·872

County coding, 1954–81

County	1954–56	1- and 2-letter codes, 1956–81	3-letter codes, 1969–81
Churchill	A	CH	CHA–CHX
Clark	B, B/A – B/D	C, CA–CF, CJ–CZ	CAA–CGZ, CJA–CZZ, TAA–TLU
Douglas	C	DS	DSA–DSZ, DAA–DAB
Elko	F	EL	ELA–ELZ, EAA–EAC
Esmeralda	G	ES
Eureka	H	EU
Humboldt	J	HU	HUA–HUK
Lander	K	LA
Lincoln	L	LN
Lyon	N	LY	LYA–LYF
Mineral	P	MN	MNA–MND
Nye	R	NY	NYA–NYP
Ormsby / Carson City	S	OR	ORA–ORZ, OAA–OCH
Pershing	U	PE
Storey	V	ST
Washoe	W, W/A – W/B	W, WA (1965–68 only)	WAA–WOZ, WRA–WRX
White Pine	X	WP	WPA–WPJ

Non-passenger plates

Type	First issued	Description	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
Apportioned Bus		Blue serial on white plate; "NEVADA" and "APPORTIONED" screened in blue centered at top and bottom respectively	12345 A	00001 A to present
Apportioned Truck		As Apportioned Bus plate, but without "APPORTIONED" at bottom	12345 P	00001 P to present
Dealer		Same design as passenger base	12345	00001 to present
Exempt		Same design as passenger base	12345	00001 to present	^[9]
Handicapped		Same design as passenger base	12345	00001 to 99999
Handicapped	2009	Same design as passenger base	A1234	A0001 to K6682
Loan		Same design as passenger base	12345	00001 to present
Motorcycle	2005	Similar to Sierra Nevada passenger base, but with border line	123456	000001 to approximately 044000
	2007	As above, but with screened serial and no border line		044001 to approximately 288000
	2017	Similar to Home Means Nevada passenger base		288001 to 363633
Trailer		Same design as passenger base	12345 A	00001 E to 59584 Y	Letters E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, S, U, V, W, X and Y have been used.

Optional types

Charitable & Collegiate plates

First issued	Description	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Agriculture	1234	0001-9999	^[10]
	Animal Appreciation	1234	0001-9999
May 2012^[11]	Autonomous Vehicle	123	001 to present	Autonomous vehicles are currently not available to the general public.^[12]
	Children in the Arts	1234	0001 to 9999
	Children in the Arts	A123	A001 to present
October 2011^[13]	Conserve Wildlife	1234
	Hoover Dam	1234	0001-9999
	Hot August Nights	1234	0001-9999
February 1998^[14]	Lake Tahoe	LT12345	LT00001-LT99999	Originally embossed; became screened circa 2005 at approximately LT31800.
	Las Vegas Centennial with image of Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign	1234	0001-ZZZZ
	Missing and Exploited Children	1234	0001 to 9999
	Missing and Exploited Children	A123	A001 to present
	Mount Charleston	1234	0001-9999
	Nevada Test Site	1234	0001-9999
	Organ Donor	1234	0001-9999
	Preserve Pyramid Lake	1234	0001-9999
June 2008^[15]	Red Rock Canyon	1234	0001-9999
	Reno Air Races	1234	0001-9999
	Rodeo	1234	0001 to 9999
	Rodeo	A123	A001 to present
	Support Wildlife	1234	0001-9999
October 2004^[16]	United We Stand	1234	0001 to 9999
		A123	A001 to Z999
		123A	001A to present
	UNLV Collegiate	12345	00001-99999	Full serial number has a prefix of ULV. Redesigned March 2010.^[17]
September 2011^[18]	UNR Collegiate	12345	00001-99999	Original design first issued 1993; the current design includes the slogan "Go Pack!". Full serial number has a prefix of UNR.
	Veterans	1234	0001-9999
	Virginia & Truckee Railroad	1234	0001-9999

Classic Vehicle plates

Description	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
Antique Truck/Truck-Tractor	123	001-999	^[19] Full serial number has a prefix of AVT.
Classic Rod	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of CROD.
Classic Vehicle	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of CVEH.
Fire Truck	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of FT.
Horseless Carriage	12	01-99
Old Timer	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of OT.
Old Timer Motorcycle	12	01-99	Full serial number has a prefix of OTM.
Street Rod	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of SROD.
Vintage		various

Firefighter plates

Image	First issued	Description	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
		Professional Firefighter	1234	0001 to present	^[20]
		Volunteer Firefighter	1234	0001 to present

Organization plates

Description	Serial format	Notes
Amateur Radio	FCC call sign	^[21]
Civil Air Patrol	1234	Full serial number has a prefix of CVAP.
Hall of Fame	123	Full serial number has a prefix of HF.
Honorary Consular	123	Full serial number has a prefix of CON.
Masonic Lodge	1234
National Guard	1234
Press	123	Full serial number has a prefix of PRS.

Veterans plates

Description	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
Air Force	1234	0001-9999	^[22] Full serial number has a prefix of VF.
Air National Guard	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of GA.
Army	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of VA.
Army Airborne	1234	0001-9999
Army National Guard	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of GS.
Coast Guard	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of VC.
Congressional Medal of Honor	12	01-99	Full serial number has a prefix of CONMH.
Disabled Veteran	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of DV.
Ex-Prisoner of War	123	001-999	Full serial number has a prefix of POW.
Marines	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of VM.
Navy	1234	0001-9999	Full serial number has a prefix of VN.
Pearl Harbor Survivor	123	001-999	Full serial number has a prefix of PHS.
Pearl Harbor Veteran	123	001-999	Full serial number has a prefix of PHV.
Purple Heart	12345	00001-99999	Full serial number has a prefix of HRT.

Discontinued non-passenger and optional plate types

Type	First issued	Serial format(s)	Serials issued	Notes
Commemorative: 125 Years of Vision		12345N	00001N to approximately 24000N	Commemorated Nevada's 125 years of statehood. Remained valid until 1997.
White Motorcycle/Small Trailer	?	ABC		^[23]
Nevada Libraries		1234	0001 to approximately 1300
Aviation		1234	0001 to approximately 1050
Ducks Unlimited		1234	0001 to approximately 2450
Nevada Tourism		1234	0001 to approximately 2550
Carpenters		1234	0001 to ?
Search and Rescue		1234	0001 to ?
Las Vegas Springs		12345	00001 to approximately 02700
Las Vegas Federal Lands		1234	0001 to ?
March of Dimes		1234	0001 to approximately 0600
Teamsters Local 631		1234	0001 to approximately 0550
Air Force Thunderbirds		1234	0001 to approximately 0600
Share the Road		1234	0001 to ?
City of Reno		1234	0001 to approximately 0600	^[24]
Horse Power		1234 A123	0001 to 9999; A001 to approximately E999	^[25]
Great Reno Balloon Race		1234	0001 to ?	^[26]
Heritage of Sparks		1234	0001 to ?	^[27]

External links

Nevada license plates, 1969–present

Notes and References

Web site: Old Nevada License Plates . LeatherLicensePlates.com . . May 19, 2017.
Web site: License Plates . Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles . 13 May 2022.
Garrish . Christopher . October 2016 . Reconsidering the Standard Plate Size . Plates . . 62 . 5.
Web site: Tanner . Eric N. . Nevada Passenger License Plates . allaboutlicenseplates.com . November 11, 2020.
Web site: Turnbull . Andrew . March of the Flats . The Andrew Turnbull Network . May 17, 2017.
Web site: Nevada License Plates . www.licenseplates.cc . July 3, 2023.
Web site: License Plate Production Moving From Carson City Prison . . July 12, 2015 . December 1, 2015.
Web site: DMV Debuts the new "Home Means Nevada" Plate . Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles . November 1, 2016 . May 17, 2017.
Web site: Nevada License Plates . 2008-04-13 .
Web site: Charitable & Collegiate Plates . 2008-04-13 .
Web site: Nevada DMV Issues First Autonomous Vehicle Testing License to Google . Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles . May 7, 2012 . October 12, 2017.
Web site: Autonomous Vehicles . Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles . November 3, 2017.
Web site: Nevada wildlife license plate . CarsonNow.org . October 20, 2011 . June 28, 2015.
Web site: DMV Now Issuing Lake Tahoe License Plates . Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles . February 2, 1998 . June 29, 2015.
News: Summerlin homeowners await scenic license plate . . June 21, 2008 . March 10, 2016.
Web site: Nevada Unveils "United We Stand" License Plate . Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles . October 11, 2004 . November 1, 2017.
Web site: License Plate Codes & Prefixes . Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles . November 3, 2017.
Web site: DMV to Offer Updated University of Nevada License Plate . . September 12, 2011 . November 3, 2017.
Web site: Classic Vehicle Plates . 2008-04-13 .
Web site: Fire Fighter Plates . 2008-04-13 .
Web site: Organization Plates . 2008-04-13 .
Web site: Veterans Plates . 2008-04-13 .
Web site: Discontinued License Plates . Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles . April 13, 2008.
Web site: Conrad . Bob . January 5, 2018 . Reno License Plate No Longer Available . This Is Reno . February 20, 2022.
News: Wild horse license plate issued . . June 21, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107023333/http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/local/wild-horse-license-plate-issued/ . November 7, 2017 . November 1, 2017.
News: Marroquin . Art . June 21, 2017 . New specialty license plates honor Scouts, Great Reno Balloon Race . . November 1, 2017.
News: Crawford . Angela . November 21, 2017 . New License Plate May Help 'Joe' Get Another Chance . Sparks Tribune . January 21, 2021.