Vehicle registration plates of Idaho

1997-2008 Idaho license plate

The U.S. state of Idaho first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1913.

Passenger baseplates 1947 to present

In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that standardized 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 1956 (dated 1957) issue was the first Idaho license plate that fully complied with these standards: the issues from 1952 through 1955 (dated 1953 through 1956) were all six inches in height by twelve inches in width, but had non-standard mounting holes.

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1947	Embossed white numbers on dark blue plate with border line; embossed white graphic in the center featuring a skier and mountains; "19 IDAHO 47" embossed in white block letters centered at top	"Vacation Wonderland" embossed in white block letters centered at bottom	A 1234 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1948–49	Embossed black numbers on silver plate; baked potato sticker in the center; "IDAHO 48" embossed in wide black block letters centered at top	"World Famous POTATOES" embossed in narrow black block letters centered at bottom	A 1234 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)	Revalidated for 1949 with silver tabs.
	1950	Embossed white numbers on black plate with border line; "IDAHO 50" embossed in white block letters centered at top	none	A 1234 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1951–52	Embossed white numbers on maroon plate with border line; "IDAHO 51" embossed in white block letters centered at top	none	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)	Revalidated for 1952 with silver tabs.
	1953	Embossed white numbers on black plate with border line; "IDAHO 53" embossed in wide white block letters centered at top	"WORLD FAMOUS POTATO" embossed in narrow white block letters at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1954	Embossed black numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 54" embossed in black block letters centered at bottom	none	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1955	Embossed white numbers on black plate with border line; "IDAHO 55" embossed in white block letters centered at bottom	none	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1956	Embossed black numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 56" embossed in wide black block letters centered at top	"WORLD FAMOUS POTATO" embossed in narrow black block letters at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1957	Embossed white numbers on light green plate with border line; "IDAHO 57" embossed in wide white block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow white block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1958	Embossed dark green numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 58" embossed in wide dark green block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow dark green block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1959	Embossed white numbers on dark green plate with border line; "IDAHO 59" embossed in wide white block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow white block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1960	Embossed dark green numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 60" embossed in wide dark green block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow dark green block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1961	Embossed white numbers on dark green plate with border line; "IDAHO 61" embossed in wide white block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow white block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1962	Embossed dark green numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 62" embossed in wide dark green block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow dark green block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1963	Embossed white numbers on dark green plate with border line; "IDAHO 63" embossed in wide white block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow white block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1964	Embossed dark green numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 64" embossed in wide dark green block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow dark green block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1965	Embossed white numbers on dark green plate with border line; "IDAHO 65" embossed in wide white block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow white block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1966	Embossed dark green numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 66" embossed in wide dark green block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow dark green block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1967	Embossed white numbers on dark green plate with border line; "IDAHO 67" embossed in wide white block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in narrow white block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1968–70	Embossed green numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 68" embossed in green block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in green block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345 0/A A1234	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1971–73	As above, but with simply "IDAHO" centered at top
	1974	Embossed green numbers on white plate with border line; "IDAHO 74" embossed in green block letters centered at top	"FAMOUS POTATOES" embossed in green block letters centered at bottom	A 12345 A A1234 0/A 12345 0/A A1234 0/A AB123	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)
	1975–82	As above, but with simply "IDAHO" centered at top
	1982–85	Embossed green numbers on white plate; "IDAHO" screened in green block letters centered at top, with the 'A' resembling a mountain peak	"Famous Potatoes" screened in green serifed letters centered at bottom			Serials in each county continued from where the 1974–82 plates left off.
	1985–87	Embossed green numbers on white plate; screened green lines above and below numbers; screened green Sawtooth Mountains graphic on top line at the right; "IDAHO" screened in green block letters to left of graphic, with the 'A' resembling a mountain peak	"Famous Potatoes" screened in green serifed letters centered below numbers, just above bottom line			Serials in each county continued from where the 1982–85 plates left off.
	1987 – early 1991			A 12345 0/A 12345 1/A A1234 2/C 123456	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)	Top line cut off at the left, allowing for taller county-code characters. This plate replaced all 1974–87 plates; serials in each county thus restarted from 1.
	early 1991 – September 1991					Narrow dies introduced, allowing for six-digit serials in Canyon County. (Ada County had already gone over to one-letter, four-digit serials after reaching 99999.)
	September 1991 – June 1997	Embossed dark blue numbers on mountain scene with red and white gradient sky, pale blue mountains and dark blue forest; tall dark blue tree screened at far right; "IDAHO" screened in white serifed letters in center of red section of sky	"Scenic" screened in white handwritten font to left of state name, giving "Scenic Idaho"; "FAMOUS POTATOES" screened in white serifed letters in center of dark blue forest section	A 123456 0/A 123456	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)	Modification of the optional Centennial base introduced in 1987 (see Optional types below). Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1991 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the second time Idaho was so honored.
	June 1997 – April 2008	As above, but with tall dark blue tree removed and red section of sky reduced in height		A 123456 0A 12345 0A A1234 0A AB123 0A 1A234 0A 1234A 10B 1234 10B A123	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0A)	Full-size county codes introduced in addition to design modifications, all for better visibility. Serials in each county continued from where the 1991–97 plates left off, but were now restricted to seven characters (including the county-code characters).
	April 2008[1] – present	As above, but with screened black numbers and full white border around plate				Serials in each county continued from where the 1997–2008 plates left off.

County coding

The following county codes have been used on standard-issue Idaho license plates since 1945. The naming convention is the order of the county in an alphabetical list followed by the first letter of the county name. For example, 2T indicates the second county beginning with T in an alphabetical list, or Twin Falls County. If only one county begins with a particular letter, the letter alone serves as the county code. Specialty and vanity license plates do not use county codes; some non-passenger types are county-coded, while others are not.

County	Code
Ada	1A
Adams	2A
Bannock	1B
Bear Lake	2B
Benewah	3B
Bingham	4B
Blaine	5B
Boise	6B
Bonner	7B
Bonneville	8B
Boundary	9B
Butte	10B
Camas	1C
Canyon	2C
Caribou	3C
Cassia	4C
Clark	5C
Clearwater	6C
Custer	7C
Elmore	E
Franklin	1F
Fremont	2F
Gem	1G
Gooding	2G
Idaho	I
Jefferson	1J
Jerome	2J
Kootenai	K
Latah	1L
Lemhi	2L
Lewis	3L
Lincoln	4L
Madison	1M
Minidoka	2M
Nez Perce	N
Oneida	1O
Owyhee	2O
Payette	1P
Power	2P
Shoshone	S
Teton	1T
Twin Falls	2T
Valley	V
Washington	W

Non-passenger types

Image	Type	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Apportioned Tractor	P/R/P AA 1234	P/R/P AA 1 to present
	Apportioned Trailer	P/R/P CA 1234	P/R/P CA 1 to present
	Apportioned Truck	P/R/P BA 1234	P/R/P BA 1 to present
	Classic	1234		Serials became screened by 9991.
	Commercial	KA 1234	KA 1 to present	Serials became screened around KL 5000.
	Dealer	D/L/R 1234-56
	Motorcycle	MAB 123	MAA 1 to present	Serials became screened between MPC 309 and MPH 714.
	Old Timer	12
	Street Rod	123A
	Truck	Coded by county of issuance: A 12345T A A1234T (following exhaustion of above format) 0A 1234T 0A A123T (following exhaustion of above format)	A 1T to A 99999T A A1T to A Z9999T 0A 1T to 0A 9999T 0A A1T to 0A Z999T
	Utility Trailer	123 UAB	1 UAA to present	Motorcycle-sized plate.

Government types

Image	Type	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Ada County Sheriff	AC123	AC1 to present	At least some plates issued on "Celebrate Idaho Youth: America's Promise" base.
	Department of Building Safety	DBS 123	DBS 1 to present
	Department of Labor	J 12	J 1 to present
	Fire Department	F 1	F 1 to present
	Gem County Sheriff	GCS 123	GCS 1 to present
	Idaho State Police	ISP 123	ISP 1 to present

Optional types

Image	Type	First issued	Design	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Idaho Centennial: 1890-1990	1987	Embossed dark blue numbers on mountain scene with red and white gradient sky, pale blue mountains and dark blue forest; two tall dark blue trees screened at far left; "IDAHO" and "CENTENNIAL" screened in white serifed letters centered at top and bottom respectively; "1890" screened in top left corner and "1990" in top right corner	12345C	1C to 99999C	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1987 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first time Idaho was so honored. Adopted as standard passenger base from 1991 onwards (see above). Since the introduction of this design, the plate has been colloquially referred to by Idahoans as the "nuclear winter" plate. It remains so to this day (with the most recent 2008 design retaining the characteristic features).
				C12345	C1 to approximately C78000
		1992		123 ABC	100 AAA to present
	Agriculture		As per the current passenger base, but with a farm scene graphic screened at the far left featuring a red farmhouse, a silver silo and white clouds, and "AGRICULTURE" in white serifed letters on the dark blue forest section	1234A	1A to present
	Basque		As per the current passenger base, but with a graphic of a green and white sheep wagon screened at the far left and "BASQUE" in white serifed letters on the dark blue forest section	B1234	B0001 to present
	Celebrate Idaho Youth: America's Promise			1234Y	1Y to present
	Colleges and Universities			1234S 12SAS 1AB2S	1S to 9999S ? ?	Idaho State University redesigned at least by transition to surface-printed serials.
	Corvette: America's Sports Car		As per the current passenger base, but with the Corvette logo screened at the far left, "Drive" in white italic serifed letters in the top left corner, and "America's Sports Car" in the same letters on the dark blue forest section	1234M	1M to present
	Discover Idaho: 1803 Lewis & Clark 1806		As per the current passenger base, but with a graphic of a pointing Native American Indian woman screened at the far left, "Discover" in white handwritten font to the left of the state name, and "1803 LEWIS & CLARK 1806" in white serifed letters on the dark blue forest section	1234L	1L to present
	Discover Idaho Heritage: Appaloosa	2003		1234B
	Early Detection Saves Lives	c. 2009		unknown	unknown
	Elks USA	c. 2009		unknown	unknown
	Fire Fighters			1234X	1X to present
	Forests Today and Tomorrow			1234F	1F to present
	Historic Idaho: Preserve Our Heritage		As per the current passenger base, but with a graphic of a wooden house and trees screened at the far left, "Historic" in white handwritten font to the left of the state name, and "PRESERVE OUR HERITAGE" in white serifed letters on the dark blue forest section	JA123
	Honoring Our Peace Officers		As per the current passenger base, but with the logo of the Idaho Peace Officers' Memorial screened at the far left and "Honoring our Peace Officers" in white serifed letters on the dark blue forest section	1234J	1J to present
	Idaho Biking: Preserve Our Trails
	Ideas. Innovations. Idaho.		As per the current passenger base, but with a graphic of a light bulb screened at the far left, with a yellow state shape as its filament, and "IDEAS. INNOVATIONS. IDAHO." in white block letters on the dark blue forest section	U1234	U0001 to present
	Mining: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow	c. 2009		12345C	00001C to present
	National Guard			1234G	1G to present
	National Rifle Association	c. 2009		unknown	unknown
	On the Range	c. 2009		12345B	00001B to present
	Purple Heart: Combat Wounded			1234H	1H to present
	Radio Amateur
	Sawtooth National Recreation Area		As per the current passenger base, but with a graphic screened at the far left featuring a white mountain goat against a purple mountain and a white sun, and "Sawtooth National Recreation Area" in white block letters on the dark blue forest section	1234Z	1Z to present
	Scenic Idaho: Wild Rivers			1234U	1U to present
	Ski Idaho: Winter Wonderland		As per the current passenger base, but with a graphic of a skier screened at the far left, "Ski" in white cursive letters to the left of the state name, and "WINTER WONDERLAND" in white serifed letters on the dark blue forest section	1234K	1K to 9999K
				123AK	1AK to present
	Snowmobile: World's Best Trails			1234N	1N to present
	Special Olympics	June 2008[2]	As per the current passenger base, but with the logo of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games screened at the far left and "SPECIAL OLYMPICS" in white block letters on the dark blue forest section	unknown	unknown
	State Capitol Restoration			1234R	1R to present
	Support Our Troops			12345S	00001S to present
	Supporting Rider Education		As per the current passenger base, but with the logo of the Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program, featuring three motorcyclists, screened at the far left and "Supporting Rider Education" in white block letters on the dark blue forest section	1234P	1P to present
	The Gem State		As per the current passenger base, but with a graphic screened at the far left consisting of a diamond, two quartz crystals and a star garnet, and "THE GEM STATE" in white serifed letters on the dark blue forest section	12345E	00001E to present
	Timeless Idaho Values: Boy Scouts			1234I	1I to present
	Veteran			1234V	1V to present
	Wilderness - Frank Church: River of No Return and Selway-Bitterroot
	Wildlife – bluebird			12345	1 to present
	Wildlife – cutthroat	2003		1234D	1D to 9999D
				123AD	1AD to present
	Wildlife – elk	1998 redesigned c. 2008		1234E	1E to 9999E	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new optional license plate of 1998 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the third time Idaho was so honored. Co-recipient with Alaska.
				123AE	1AE to 999ZE
				12ABE	1AAE to 99ZZE
				12A3E	1A0E to present
	World Famous Potatoes		As per the current passenger base, but with a graphic of a baked potato screened at the far left, "World" and "Famous" in white handwritten font on either side of the state name, and "Potatoes" in the same font on the dark blue forest section	1234T	1T to present

Optional license plate types

References

1. "March of the Flats". The Andrew Turnbull Network. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
2. "Sale of new license plates to benefit 2009 Special Olympics World Games in Idaho". Idaho Transportation Department. June 6, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2014.

External links

• Idaho Motor Vehicle County Office Locations
• Idaho license plates 1969-present