Washington License Plates

10/19/24: Flat from at least CPJ7623. (ALPCA members, see Steven Boswell's photo)

Washington currently issues passenger license plates with seven characters starting at AAA0000 in late-2009. The letters I, O and Q are not used in the 3rd position on these plates. Although I is usually skipped, 3000 AGI-series plates were made by mistake. Rather than to waste the material, they were all issued in Snohomish County in 2011. AIA-AIZ and AOA-AOZ were also issued in 2012 and 2013 but ATF was skipped. Washington uses the same die for the letter O and number 0.

Paul Petrinovich advised that Whitman County received AAA0000 - 0599 and Whatcom County received AAA0600 - 6599. The ZZZ series was distributed among nine counties.

Numerous suffixes were skipped from the 123-ABC series for unknown reasons between 1987-2009:

WXx, PIx, POx, PQx, PUx, KOx, FXx, AOx, AQx

3rd position O and Q skipped until AWO and AWQ emerged

Regular current series Washington disabled parking licence plates feature the wheelchair symbol and stacked DP in prefix position. The prior series used five-digits plus wheelchair symbol and stacked DP suffix until 2008. Switched from dies to flat by 71961DP in 2005.

Motorcycle: D/P 9716

Regular series Washington motorcycle license plates were all-numeric six-digit until 2008 when the current 0A0000 numbering format debuted. Progression is 0A then 1A up to 9A, then to 0B and so on.

The current high belongs to a type of temp tags that are computer generated by the dealer. Washington discontinued pre-printed temp tags in summer 2011.

Walter Wong noted this was the first Washington plate type to exceed one million.

OA-OZ, QA-QZ and W-series skipped from this large trailer plate.

This 4 x 7" motorcycle-sized smaller trailer series debuted in 1987, slowing the issue rate of full-size trailer plates. Numbering started with WW-suffix, then to WA-WZ, QA-QZ plus some Rx 2013-19 and finally AA-present since 2020.

B-I and B-J series skipped and only the first 6000 B-M plates were issued up to B05999M before the B-N series appeared in 2009.

New tracking bucket coming soon: Apportioned Truck type debuted in 1987 with PR suffix used for the original embossed series, changing to flat around 90xxxPR. The next and current series uses RP-suffix.

57208RP (Flat)  2016-02-09  Willie C, Brock, Jr.

This plate uses the standard specialty plate format with the 4H stacked left of the number.

Low: 4/H00005 2014-10-03 Paul Petrinovich

Low: C/W/U0001 Paul Petrinovich

Nick Gallegos reports a new background for this plate. Skyline view of Ellensburg no longer on plate. Stylized watermark of CWU logo now on background with mountain caricature graphic on bottom of plate. The changeover is around 1600.

Another new design: Plate is all red with WASHINGTON on top and Eastern Washington University on bottom in white text. Middle of plate is black with EWU logo on the left and the E/W/U stack in the middle with the plate # (also in white text).

Earlier new design - includes the popular EWU Eagle logo featured on the previous series, with silhouettes of cheering fans in the background and the words National Champions inscribed in red on the bottom.

Low: E/W/U0027 Paul Petrinovich

Sponsored by the Free Masons for charities to help children with speech problems.

Standard embossed font appears to have started at M/M2000. This is also what happened when the L/E/M and P/F plates reached 2000.

From Andy DeCeunynck: I have now seen three plates below 2000 that are in the standard embossed font. The Masonic/Kid Speak plates started in 2004 and most were issued in the first couple years so these are likely replacements of the original flat plates.

As with Professional Firefighter plates (below), LEM plates now have the newer font that looks more like embossed Washington plates.

Upon reaching L/E/M 7999, the series changed to 0000 L/E/M since L/E/M 8000 - 9999 is reserved for Trailer and Motorcycle. The series LEM 9000-9999 has been issued and has restarted at 9000LEM.

Low: 0733L/E/M

Motorcycle high: 9088 L/E/M 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich

Low:  L/H00001  Paul Petrinovich

Motorcycle:  L/H95003  2014-09-28  Paul Petrinovich

Unlike most other Washington optional plates, the "MU" prefix is not stacked. Low: MU00001 spotted on 2015-05-04 by Paul Petrinovich

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Mike Kraft reports that these screened plates now have a new font with characters that more closely resemble the dies Washington uses on embossed plates.

New redesigned PF plates start at PF 04301 and have flames in the background.

Low: P/F00001

Motorcycle: P/F95408 (old red style) 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich

Low: S/T00001 2015-04-01 Walter Wong

These plates are screened and use a font similar to typical Washington plate dies. This plate may no longer be available, but higher numbers are still gradually appearing.

Plate S/H00026 and the driver were shown on the news since that is the first plate issued to the general public. Plates S/H00002-S/H00025 were auctioned off for charity. Over 1900 plates were issued the first day.

Low: S/H00001 spotted and photographed by Ian Slade.

Motorcycle: S/H95145 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich

Trailer: S/H99020 2014-07-25 Nick Gallegos

F/C00001 reported as a low by Nick Gallegos on 2015-04-07

Motorcycle: F/C95004 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich

First available on 2015-01-02.

Low: B/K00011 2015-09-09 Paul Petrinovich

Rhododendron (State Flower)

New in 2013.

Low: P/K00007 Paul Petrinovich

Trailer: P/K90172 2014-08-29 Nick Gallegos

This second redesign of the University of Washington specialty license plate was released in December 2013. It features large gold "W" in school colors at left followed by 1234A format white narrow-font numbers and suffix-letter on a purple background. These purple plates started at 8000A but lower numbers appear because holders of the previous gold-background base have the option of updating to purple with their gold number. U of W plates were last re-designed to the gold background in March 2006 and that base reached 8699A in 2013.

Numbers on some gold plates in 2008 starting around 2500A used narrow vanity font by mistake and were later reissued with correct font.

Low unknown base: 0001A  2013-04-08  Paul Petrinovich  This plate belongs to Bill Gates' father!

Smaller purple U of W plates are also available for motorcycles.

Low: V/F00001 Paul Petrinovich

Motorcycle: V/F 03055 2014-09-28

This current crimson red Washington State University (WSU) flat passenger plate design was released in January 2012. Numbers started at K976 with cougar/caption on right side until exhaustion by Z499 in 2015. The next series moved cougar/caption to left side and started at 001A that same year.

Numbers Z500-999 are reserved for 4 x 7" WSU motorcycle plates featuring right-side cougar/caption. Motorcycle Z006 and car Z309 sightings from 2012 confirm the Z series can be found on both car and motorcycle plates.

Original 1990s-era mountain base WSU passenger plates were numbered from 0001 up to K975 in 2012. The cougar and always-stacked "WSU" alternate from left to right side and some plates were all-flat depending on era.

Thanks to Paul Petrinovich for the information.

Nick Gallegos reports a new design featuring a blue background with viking head replacing ship and yellow lettering. New base has regular flat font.

The current high has the personalized font, which could be a mistake or an intentional change.

Low: W/B00008 2014-07-03 Paul Petrinovich

W/D00003 reported as a low by Paul Petrinovich.

Trailer: W/W90114 2008-02-24 Frank Astalosh

Motorcycle: W/W95391 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich

Andy reports that this is the first Specialty plate to go over 6000.

Low: W/W00007 2013-10-15 Paul Petrinovich

The current high has the personalized font, which could be a mistake or an intentional change.

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Low: A/F00001 Paul Petrinovich

Motorcycle: A/F95121 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich

Low: A/R00021 Paul Petrinovich

Motorcycle: A/R95387 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich

Low: C/G00021 Paul Petrinovich

These plates changed from embossed to screened using a font similar to typical Washington plate dies. A further change to no spacing between the letters and numbers occurred around 7800DV. The current DV12345 format followed 9999DV in 2008.

Gold Star families have lost loved ones in a war - these plates first issued in Jan. 2009.

Low: M/C00001 Paul Petrinovich

This type has been using the narrow font that has appeared on some of the graphic plates and is normally used for most of the graphic plate vanities, but now it is back to the regular font.

Motorcycle: M/C95303 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich

Low: N/G00011 Paul Petrinovich

Low: N/A00017 Paul Petrinovich

Motorcycle: N/A95204 2014-09-28 Paul Petrinovich