LicensePlates.cc

New Jersey License Plates

The current yellow fade New Jersey license plate debuted in 1992. Most plates are stickerless and use 3M reflective sheeting except for a brief period between 2002-04 when stickers and Avery sheeting were used. Plates changed from embossed to flat in 2014. See individual buckets for numbering format, progression and other details.

Standard Passenger Plates

Passenger

K89-VME

David Adamsbaum - Jan 24 ’25

New Jersey passenger plates changed from embossed to flat by A10-EFF in April 2014. The FQ- suffix series was later skipped. The last embossed plate was possibly T99-EEK, highest embossed observation R40-EEK. No suffixes between EEL and EFE have been observed and there was no overlap between the embossed and flat plates.

After reaching ZZZ-99Z in 2010, the numbering format changed to A10-AAA. Letters T and X are being used in the first position (i.e. T10-AAA and X10-AAA), but they do not conflict with Trailer or Commercial plates.

2010+ current format low: A27-AAA 2011-04-15 Jim Moini, Prior format high: ZZZ-86Z 2011-08-01 Brad Harding

There were some notable letter gaps in New Jersey passenger plates in 2009-10:

Pre-jump high: W74-ASP 2011-04-02 Dave Mackey, Jump low: C14-AUF 2010-11-24 Ed Angiolillo

YYH-prefix plate was spotted around 2009 when YND was high.

Passenger plates jumped from the Sxx to the Uxx prefixes in 2005 as the Txx-prefix series was used for TRAILER plates from 2004-22.

Simon observed blue passenger plate UVT-83G on 2006-05-08.

New Jersey stopped issuing new passenger license plate stickers around RVA-prefix series on October 1, 2004 and ceased for renewals as of Jan. 1, 2005.

Plate sticker boxes were dropped in 2006 during the late Vxx series yet reappeared in 2008 during the Y-- series (YBX or YBZ). There was no clean break as to exactly where they were dropped. VYX, VZS and VZT series plates have been observed with and without boxes. Thanks to Jeff Fazekas, Jim Moini and Dave Mackey.

New Jersey passenger license plates since 1992 have used 3M reflective sheeting except for a brief period from 2002-04 when Avery sheeting was used.

2004+ current 3M low PXS-prefix, more pronounced bottom border, standard middle 3M holograms.

Avery high PXL, Avery low LHM-76M

Original 3M high LGL-83P (state name in slightly larger font since LGX series)

Thanks to Wally Punzmann, Clark Wothe, Jeff Ellis and Bobby Pressimone.

Non-passenger Plates

County Government

CG-3ECECOUNTY GOVT

Quinn Iuliano - Aug 19 ’24

2012+ current format is CG prefix, divider, number and three letters

Frank Khan believes the seven digit format is not issued concurrently with the six digit format. The seven digit format was originally issued around 1992, and went from CG10000 to around CG21000. Issuance of that series should have stopped a long time ago.

High: CG21007 2012-09-29 Dave Mackey

Highway Authority

HA-A774

Frank Khan - Nov 3 ’15

These are on official vehicles that patrol the Garden State Parkway (help stranded motorists, etc.) Bottom of plate still reads Garden State.

There was a block of 100 plates in the HA- series, HA-701 through -800, that were assigned to State Police cruisers on the GSP. Most of these cars have since been replated, but some still use HA, some have TPA, and some just regular Passenger. All should have TPA eventually.

Motorcycle

5VXL8MOTORCYCLE

Quinn Iuliano - Oct 30 ’24

Now flat MC base no longer has sticker boxes with serial centered on plate. Upon reaching 9999Z, the format changed to A000A. Β Upon reaching Z999Z, it changed to 1AAA1. Β Progression: 1AAA1 to 1ZZZ9, then 2AAA1, etc. New Jersey has reached 9999Z for motorcycle plates, and has started issuing plates in the A000A format again. This format was used years ago, and was dropped in 1994 at N999Z. The new plates started at P100A. Β The R, S, and T series were skipped. Somewhere in the xxxxV, the "MOTORCYCLE" caption changed from embossed to screened, but the plate numbers are still embossed. Β Some other M/C types (such as DEALER) still have embossed captions. Motorcycle Handicapped Β - Β A349 Β 2009-05-25 Β Dave Mackey Historic Motorcycle - Q4814 Β 2009-08-18 Β Dave Mackey Commercial Motorcycle - XG161 Β 2009-09-21 Β Bob Mackey Plate has COMM CYCLE screened on bottom.

Temporary new

C844698

Quinn Iuliano - Feb 1 ’25

New style Temporary, mounted where the rear plate is, with the standard "New Jersey" (same font as regular plates) across the top. Expiration date is pre-printed, not hand written as in the past.

Back window temps no longer issued as of 7/1/2012.

The series advanced from F to H, skipping G, then to J, skipping I. Β Series then skipped from J to L, skipping K.

New Jersey has been known for odd jumps in recent years, and one occurred with Temporary plates in early 2015. Β We have a high of J873263 reported on 2015-02-09 by Andrew Persaud, but everything else was in the J200000 range at the time. Β We also had J666606 reported by Chris Scott on 2015-02-01. Β However, all recent reports have been back in the more sequential J300000 range, so we will continue to report what is still showing up sequentially.

Turnpike Authority

TPA2088

Dave Mackey - Jun 10 ’10

State Police cruisers on the Garden State Parkway are now being issued license plates from TPA1101 to TPA1200 with the last three digits corresponding to the number of the cruiser (101-200). Previously they had civilian plates, but most famously the HA-A701 to HA-A800 series which were among the very first black-on-goldfinch yellow plates NJ issued in 1992.

Colin MG reports TP-A858 on 2014-01-18.

Specialty Plates

Military and Veteran Plates