Vehicle registration plates of New Jersey
The U.S. state of New Jersey first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1903. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1908, when the state began to issue plates.
Plates are currently issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.
Validation
In 1999 the state tried re-validating plates with stickers, but that scheme ended in 2004 with stickers issued to expire in 2005. Some non-passenger plates stickers extended to 2010 with stickers issued to expire in 2011 Since then passenger and non-passenger plates have been re-validated with just the registration card issued to the driver.Passenger baseplates
1908 to 1958
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 at in height by in width, with standardized mounting holes. The first New Jersey license plate that complied with these standards was a modification of the 1952 plate, introduced in 1956.No slogans were used on passenger plates during the period covered by this subsection.
| Image | First issued | Design | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| 1908 | Gold lettering and blue background painted on porcelain-coated steel base | 12345 | 1 to approximately 45000 | Steel registration seal on right side between "N.J." and "08" | |
| 1909 | White serial on black porcelain plate; "N.J", aluminum seal and "09" at right | 12345 | 1 to approximately 24000 | ||
| 1910 | Black serial on bright orange porcelain plate; "N.J", aluminum seal and "10" at left | 12345 | 1 to approximately 30000 | ||
| 1911 | Red serial on gray porcelain plate; "N.J", aluminum seal and "11" at right | 12345 | 1 to approximately 38000 | ||
| 1912 | Yellow serial on blue porcelain plate; "N.J", aluminum seal and "12" at left | 12345 | 1 to approximately 44000 | ||
| 1913 | Red serial on white porcelain plate; "N.J", aluminum seal and "13" at right | 12345 | 1 to approximately 50000 | ||
| 1914 | White serial on red porcelain plate; "N.J", aluminum seal and "14" at left | 12345 | 1 to approximately 61000 | ||
| 1915 | White serial on green porcelain plate; "N.J", aluminum seal and "15" at right | 12345 | 1 to approximately 78000 | ||
| 1916 | Embossed white serial on brown plate; "NJ 16" at left | 12345 | 1 to 99999 | ||
| 1916 | Embossed white serial on brown plate; "NJ 16" at left | A1234 | A1 to approximately A6800 | ||
| 1917 | Embossed white serial on blue plate; "NJ 17" at right | 12345 | 1 to 99999 | ||
| 1917 | Embossed white serial on blue plate; "NJ 17" at right | A1234 | A, B, N and O series; X1 to approximately X1900 | ||
| 1918 | Embossed blue serial on white plate; "N.J.-1918" centered at top | 123456 | 1 to approximately 149500 | ||
| 1919 | Embossed white serial on gray plate; "N.J.−1919" centered at top | 123456 | 1 to approximately 175500 | ||
| 1920 | Embossed white serial on brick red plate; "N.J.−1920" centered at top | 123456 | 1 to approximately 212500 | ||
| 1921 | Embossed white serial on forest green plate; "N.J.−1921" centered at top | 123456 | 1 to approximately 247500 | ||
| 1922 | Embossed white serial on black plate; "N.J.−1922" centered at top | 123456 | 1 to approximately 258500 | ||
| 1923 | Embossed orange serial on black plate; "N.J.—23" centered at top | 123456 | 1 to approximately 331500 | ||
| 1924 | Embossed white serial on red plate; "N.J.−1924" centered at top | 123456 | 1 to approximately 400000 | ||
| 1925 | Embossed silver serial on midnight blue plate; "N.J.—25" centered at top | 123456 | 1 to approximately 460500 | ||
| 1926 | Embossed white serial on orange plate; "N.J.−1926" centered at top | A12345 1E2345 | County-coded | Essex County used E in the second position following E99999; this practice continued through 1930. | |
| 1927 | Embossed white serial on green plate; "N.J.−27." centered at top | A12345 1E2345 O/N12345 | County-coded | Serifs added to letters in serials for better readability. O/N code replaced Q code in Ocean County. | |
| 1928 | Embossed white serial on light blue plate; "N.J.−1928" centered at top | A12345 1E2345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1929 | Embossed white serial on black plate; "N.J.−29." centered at top | A12345 1E2345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1930 | Embossed white serial on gray plate; "N.J.−1930" centered at top | A12345 1E2345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1931 | Embossed white serial on red plate; "N.J.−31." centered at top | A12345 1/E12345 O/N12345 | County-coded | 1/E1001 onwards issued in Essex County following E99999; this practice continued through 1938. | |
| 1932 | Embossed white serial on black plate; "N.J.−1932." centered at top | A12345 1/E12345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1933 | Embossed orange serial on black plate; "N.J.−'33." centered at top | A12345 1/E12345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1934 | Embossed light green serial on black plate; "N.J.−1934" centered at top | A12345 1/E12345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1935 | Embossed silver serial on black plate; "N.J.−'35." centered at top | A12345 1/E12345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1936 | Embossed bright orange serial on black plate; "N.J.−1936" centered at top | A12345 1/E12345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1937 | Embossed light green serial on black plate; "N.J.−'37." centered at top | A12345 1/E12345 O/N12345 | County-coded | ||
| 1938 | Embossed silver serial on black plate; "N.J.−1938" centered at top | A12345 1/B1234 1/E12345 O/N12345 | County-coded | 1/B1001 onwards issued in Bergen County following B99999. | |
| 1939 | Embossed bright orange serial on black plate; vertical "NJ 39" at right | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | For each two-letter code, the numbers 100 to 999 were issued, followed by 10A through 99Z. | |
| 1940 | Embossed light green serial on black plate; vertical "NJ 40" at right | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1941 | Embossed white serial on black plate; "N.J. '41" roughly centered at bottom | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1942 | Embossed yellow serial on black plate; "N.J. 1942" roughly centered at bottom | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | Revalidated for 1943 with white-on-black tabs, due to metal conservation for World War II. | |
| 1944 | Embossed black serial on straw-colored plate; "N.J. '44" roughly centered at bottom | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | Only rear plates issued due to ongoing metal conservation. Issuance of front plates resumed in 1947. | |
| 1945 | Embossed blue serial on straw-colored plate; "N.J. 1945" at bottom, offset to right | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1946 | Embossed black serial on straw-colored plate; "N.J. '46" centered at top | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1947 | Embossed blue serial on straw-colored plate; "N.J. 1947" at bottom, offset to right | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1948 | Embossed black serial on straw-colored plate; "N.J. '48" centered at top | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1949 | Embossed straw-colored serial on black plate; "N.J. 1949" at bottom, offset to right | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1950 | As 1948 base, but with "N.J. '50" at top | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1951 | As 1949 base, but with "N.J. 1951" at bottom | A/B123 A/B12A | County-coded | ||
| 1952 | Embossed orange lettering on black plate with border line; "N. 52 J." embossed at bottom. | A/B 123 A/B 12A A/B A12 A/B 1A2 A/B 1234 | Coded by county | Revalidated for 1953, 1954, 1955 and 1956 with tabs 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1960 with tabs. | |
| 1957 | As above but changed to 6" x 12" size, and with stacked "NJ" embossed at right | A/B 1234 | Coded by county | Revalidated for 1958 with windshield stickers. The older 1952 plates were also validated with windshield stickers. |
1959 to present
All passenger plates from 1959 until present are still valid, provided they have been continuously registered. It is also possible to have a serial from an older plate remade on a plate of a newer design.| Image | First issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| 1959 | Embossed black serial on non-reflective buff plate; "N.J." centered at top | "GARDEN STATE" centered at bottom | ABC-123 | AAA-100 to RHZ-999 | Letter Q not used in serials, and 'D', 'O', 'T' and 'X' series reserved for Dealer, Omnibus, Trailer and Commercial plates respectively. This practice continued until late 1992. | |
| 1969 | As above, but reflective | "GARDEN STATE" centered at bottom | ABC-123 | RIA-100 to SZZ-999 | Experimental plates. | |
| 1970 | As above, but non-reflective as from 1959–69 | "GARDEN STATE" centered at bottom | ABC-123 | UAA-100 to YZZ-999 | 'Z' series initially reserved for Commercial plates; issued 1985 on blue base. | |
| 1973 | As above, but non-reflective as from 1959–69 | "GARDEN STATE" centered at bottom | 123-ABC | 100-AAA to 999-HBZ | ||
| 1977 | As above, but with "NEW JERSEY" centered at top | "GARDEN STATE" centered at bottom | 123-ABC | 100-HCA to 999-KZZ | First use of the full state name on passenger plates. | |
| 1979 | Embossed buff serial with state-shaped separator on non-reflective medium blue plate; "NEW JERSEY" centered at top | "GARDEN STATE" centered at bottom | 123-ABC | 100-LAA to 999-ZZZ | ||
| 1985 | Embossed buff serial with state-shaped separator on non-reflective medium blue plate; "NEW JERSEY" centered at top | "GARDEN STATE" centered at bottom | ABC-123 | ZAA-100 to ZZZ-999 | ||
| 1985 | Embossed buff serial with state-shaped separator on non-reflective medium blue plate; "NEW JERSEY" centered at top | "GARDEN STATE" centered at bottom | ABC-12D | AAA-10A to HZZ-99Z | I and O not used as suffix letters in this serial format. | |
| late 1992 | Embossed black serial on reflective yellow to gradient white plate; "New Jersey" screened in black centered at top; black outlines for registration stickers at top corners | "Garden State" screened in black centered at bottom | ABC1234 | AAA1000 to ADJ9999 | Letters I, O and Q not used in serials; this practice continues today. | |
| spring 1993 | As above, but with state-shaped separator added to serial | "Garden State" screened in black centered at bottom | AB-123C | BA-100A to ZY-999Z | 'D', 'H', 'T' and 'X' series reserved for Dealer, Handicapped, Trailer and Commercial plates respectively, and 'S' series for optional Shore to Please plate. 'A' series used on Apportioned plates from 1996 onwards. | |
| May 1999 | As above, but with state-shaped separator added to serial | "Garden State" screened in black centered at bottom | ABC-12D | JAA-10A to VZT-99Z | 'T' series reserved for Trailer plates. Between 2001 and 2004, plates used Avery reflective sheeting instead of 3M reflective sheeting. | |
| mid 2007 | As above, but without black outlines at top corners | "Garden State" screened in black centered at bottom | ABC-12D | VZU-10A to ZZZ-99Z | 'X' series reserved for Commercial plates. | |
| July 2010 | As above, but with security threads added to center of plate | "Garden State" screened in black centered at bottom | A12-BCD | A10-AAA to Y40-EEK | Y40-EEK | |
| April 2014 | As above, but with serial and separator screened rather than embossed | "Garden State" screened in black centered at bottom | A12-BCD | A10-EFF to L65-MSD |
Courtesy plates
Courtesy plates have been issued to individuals with political connections since 1920. The current serial formats on these plates consist of three letters followed or preceded by a number between 1 and 20. On standard courtesy plates the first letter is a county code, the second letter is the first initial of the vehicle owner's name, and the third letter is the initial of the last name of the vehicle owner. Courtesy plates may also be personalized, with all three letters making up the owner's initials.Courtesy plates can be used on several types of vehicles, including cars, motorcycles and historic vehicles. They must be approved by a NJ State Senator from the applicant's election district prior to being submitted to the MVC. The staff for the applicant's senator must also get approval from the state senator from the county that corresponds to the first letter on the plate being requested. The letter Q cannot be used on these plates, and D, O, T, and X cannot be used as the first letter.
Courtesy plate county codes 1959 to present
Current plate types
All bases of all classes of plates from 1959 to present are still valid for display in New Jersey.Non-Passenger
Discontinued
Governmental
Professional
Organizational
Military and Veteran
College and University Optionals
Specialty
Sports
The New Jersey sports plates were introduced in the fall of 2010. They share a common serial format – 12AB – and were the first NJ plates to be issued with screened, rather than embossed, serials.| Image | Type | Notes |
| NASCAR | Plates feature the number and signature of one of the following eight drivers: Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Tony Stewart. There is also a Dale Earnhardt Hall of Fame commemorative plate, a Ford Racing plate and a generic NASCAR Fan plate. | |
| NBA | Plates feature the logo of either the New York Knicks or the Philadelphia 76ers. There was also a New Jersey Nets plate, which was discontinued when the Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012. | |
| NHL | Plates feature the logo of either the New Jersey Devils or the Philadelphia Flyers. | |
| MLB | Plates feature the logo of either the New York Yankees, the New York Mets or the Philadelphia Phillies. | |
| NFL | Plates feature a graphic of the helmet of either the New York Jets, the New York Giants or the Philadelphia Eagles. |