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Minnesota License Plates

As in Idaho, the introduction of flats has changed the registration characters from blue to black. The state map graphic separating the numbers and letters is still blue. The font closely matches the dies from the embossed plates.

Rob Wood reports passenger plates have JAN screened, but other months use a sticker placed over it. Guy Peterson reports a white month sticker with blue lettering. Nick Jankovich advises that some of the new B series plates were issued with the blue on white month stickers, while the A series plates continued to use the original white on blue.

Standard Passenger Plates

Passenger

RSH 58310,000 Lakes

Travis Clark-Smith - Nov 29 ’24

The letters I, O, and Q are not used. O and Q were used at one time, but not recently.

Skipped from L-series to R-series. (M, N, P reserved for mail-out plates. O, Q not used)

Standard plates are now flat and have reverted to a 000-AAA pattern. The B series appeared before the A series because B series plates were sent to registrants who initiated orders through the mail and over the Internet. The A series began to appear for over the counter sales as each office ran out of embossed plates. Our thanks to Jeremy DeMai for this information!

Low reverse series - 004 AAA 2011-03-10 Nick Jankovich

B series high - 093-BZX

After the A series was exhausted, the C series began for over the counter sales, then the D and E series were used. The F and S series were skipped.

In the previous alpha-numeric format, upon reaching PGR 999, the PGS series was skipped, so the next series started at PGT 001. From then on, the letter S was not used in any position. According to the state, this was because their telephone voice activation system was having difficulty understanding when the letter S was spoken over the phone. The state initially skipped the entire S series and went from RZZ 999 to TAA 001. After VZZ 999 the W series was skipped and went to XAA 001. The reason for this is because they were concerned that the W series would look too much like the DUI plates (locally called "W"hiskey plates). Whiskey plates use a WA0000 format, and they always start with W. After XZZ 999 was reached, the state apparently fixed the problem with their telephone system, and jumped back to the S series. It is unclear if the S was used in the second or third positions prior to this. The Y series was skipped because the state thought they would look too much like truck plates. Truck plates have a Y/A A0000 format, and the top letter of the stack is always Y. Apparently, the Z series was made, but the DMV isn't going to issue them. Management wants to keep them for testing, whatever that means.

Jeff Nelson previously reported that Minnesota seems to have discontinued use of S and F with the switch to flat plates in 2008. Recently, those letters have appeared in the second and third position on K-series plates, but he has not noticed them on any other series, including the L- and M-series that followed K. Now we have a report that the LFA series was issued. To summarize, the only Fs and Ss that he has seen on flat plates are as follows: KF- KS- K-F K-S LFA

Jay Maynard reports 170 LFJ, so others have been issued. Jay has also seen series with LFD, LFF, LFS, LFU, and LFX, so it is possible that all of the LF series was issued.

He also reports 630 LSC. It appears that all of the LFx and LSx series was issued. F and S have not been seen in the third position, only the second, with the exception of LFF and LFS.

Minnesota is on a 7 year replacement cycle, so plates must be replaced upon reaching 7 years of age. Therefore, the lowest alpha-numeric plates still in use are in the Mxx series. The current low for Pass. plates is BDL-830 reported by Nick Jankovich on 2011-08-15.

The M series is beginning to appear, but over the counter issues have just started in the L series. Speculation is that the M series is being used for mailouts, similar to what was done in 2009 with the A and B series.

M series high: 231 MZC

L series high: 089 LZU

Jay Maynard reports the MMG series being issued over the counter in Martin Co. in Jan. 2014, so they could be back filling after running out of L series.

Nick Jankovich reports something new for MN. It appears they are taking up the practice West Virginia has been using of screening the "sticker" for the first year of use. The latest high has the year "14" screened in the lower right. Although MN has been screening the month on new plates for a while, this is the first sighting of a screened year. The lowest screened year plate sighted was in the LBx series. Andrew Osborne reports the LAx used year stickers. LBC was screened.

Non-passenger Plates

Classic

1256CLASSIC

Andrew Turnbull - Dec 30 ’18

Jay Maynard provides us with the description of a Classic Car: Any motor vehicle manufactured between and including the years 1925 and 1948, and designated by the commissioner as a classic car because of its fine design, high engineering standards, and superior workmanship, and owned and operated solely as a collector's item. The law includes a list of cars that are considered classics.

Commercial Zone

YCF507210,000 Lakes

Josh - May 16 ’24

Flat plate on graphic base. Still has weight sticker but no stacked characters. Previous type was non-graphic embossed with stacked letters.

Y/B Annnn followed Y/A Z9999 on the previous type.

Minnesota has a non-commercial Y class (registered by weight) for one-ton pickup trucks registered at a gross weight of 10,000, 12,000, or 15,000 pounds, exclusively for personal use. We think it is the YNA series.

YNA series high: YNA5818 2015-09-27 Jay Maynard

Here is a unique type...Commercial Concrete Pumper and Street Sweeper. This plate is flat and according to the DMV site - "The plate for vehicles registered under this subdivision is a distinctive powder blue." High: YZA0375

Fleet

AC2866Fleet Reg

Jay Maynard - Aug 8 ’18

Fleet plates are now flat on the graphic base and are used by companies such as Qwest, Comcast, UPS, and several other large companies. Some nnn FLF fleet (embossed) registration plates from several years ago may still be in circulation.

Nick Jankovich reports a new Fleet issue using the FLAnnnn format. The plate he saw was on a trailer, so it is not known yet if it was a Fleet Trailer plate, or just a standard Fleet plate in the new format. It was being towed by a truck with the older embossed Fleet plates in the ABnnnn format.

The current high was on a trailer again, being pulled by a truck with a Truck plate, an older YAYxxxx embossed plate. The plate said "Fleet Reg" which is also what the other version - ABxxxx - had at the bottom of the plate as well.

AB series high: AB9441 2015-11-18 Nick Jankovich

Special Registration

WW204910,000 Lakes

Jay Maynard - Aug 30 ’19

Flat

Black on white, "Minnesota" on top, "10,000 Lakes" on bottom.

Special Registration Plates (WX, Impounded, or "Whiskey" Plates)

These plates are issued to allow a licensed driver to operate a motor vehicle when the original license plates have been impounded by court order or through administrative action.

Nick Jankovich has observed that this type appears to be going backwards. Both the WJ and WK series are flat, but the earlier WL and WM series were embossed. The WH series followed, then WG and WE, WD, WB, and now WA. WC is used for Motorcycle.

There is now a Motorcycle version of this plate with the same look as the automobile plates, white background with black serial, no graphics.

Motorcycle: WC0983

Specialty Plates

Critical Habitat - Deer

6DA193

A. S. - Sep 1 ’24

This is the latest version with a new numbering format.

An interim issue of Critical Habitat deer was flat and changed to a 123JA format.

Guy Peterson reports an old style flat Deer plate - 1AC 627. The low he has seen on the previous flat version was NZ911, and a high flat of 350JA.

Older Critical Habitat deer plates appear in the A, D, G, and N series (AA 123 format) in the old embossed format with the deer on the left side. Other specialty plates appear in the 2 letter/3 number format. The B series is used on specialty plates such as Veteran, Firefighters, and other service-oriented plates. Jeremy DeMai reports that the Z series is starting to appear on some Veteran plates, so it is possible that the B series has been exhausted and the Z series is now being used for specialty plates of that type. The C and U series were used on University plates. The E series was skipped, probably because it is used on exempt plates. Exempt plates are used in the 2 letter/4 number format, so there is a possibility that the E series could still appear on special plates in the 2 letter/3number format. The H series was used for disabled plates, but only with a stacked suffix. It is unknown why the F series has not been used, but probably due to avoid potentially offensive combinations.

Handicapped high: 212ZK 2015-06-22 Hap Huber

Support Our Troops

9093BC

Matt Reilly - May 15 ’24

The B series seems to be a newly issued plate and it has the revised design with the red stripe in the center removed for better visibility, but it is unknown why B series was being issued out of order unless some existing plates were being replaced with the newer design.

The C series was skipped originally and the D series features a slight revision in the design that was supposed to make the plates easier to read, but word is that it didn't help much. Now the E series is being issued.

Jeff Nelson reports that a second revision of the design removed the middle red stripe of the flag, making the plates much more legible.

Guy Peterson reports one of these in the nnnZA series on a 1 ton truck with a weight sticker.

Support Our Troops - Handicapped: 50ZB 2010-02-12 Nick Jankovich

Support Our Troops - Motorcycle: 04939MT 2013-09-17 Nick Jankovich

Nick also reports seeing a POLICE plate in the Support Our Troops format.

Military and Veteran Plates

Retired Series