Massachusetts License Plates
Two bases are in use, in various formats. In all cases, the trailing numeral is keyed to the expiration month (0 for October, and 1 through 9 for January through September). No passenger plates expire in November or December.
Order of Progression: Each format below has its own rules of sequence. A numeral indicates that position's order, while "#" is a placeholder for the month. For example, in the green/white 000·AAA series, the order of progression would be 21#·543 (the numbers increment first, right to left, and then the letters increment right to left).Month abbreviations on the Spirit of America base were originally embossed, but have been screened since 2009.
Green/White Base
The all-embossed, sloganless green/white base was issued as a single plate from 1979 to 1993, initially in an all-numeric 000·000 format, followed by a 000·AAA format from AAA through VZZ. Existing plates remain eligible for renewal.“Spirit of America” First Format: 000·AAA
Order of Progression: 21#·543 with the first alpha descending Z through W.The Spirit of America base (1993-present) is issued in pairs. The original format was 000·AAA (using WAA through ZZZ).2nd Format: 0000 AA
Order of Progression: 321# 54Once the 000·AAA format was exhausted, it was followed by the 0000 AA format. The dot separator was removed at that time and has not returned. This format was current (in all months) when we began tracking highs in 2000.3rd Format: 00A A00
Order of Progression: 214 35#This format started November 1, 2001 for October and spread to the other months as needed. At least three distinct discrepancies have been observed within this format:- When the June high was still in the first series, which would have had the plate ending in 06, a mysterious 46 was reported. The 16, 26, and 36 series should have been issued before any 46 plates could appear. No explanation has been given for this large jump.
- When July plates were still in the second series with the 17 suffix, a 97 suffix was reported.
- With July in the fourth series with the 37 suffix, a 77 suffix appeared. Again, no explanation has been found.
