Vehicle registration plates of Ohio


The U.S. state of Ohio first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1908, although several cities within the state issued their own license plates from as early as 1902.
, plates are issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Only rear plates have been required for all classes of vehicles, except commercial tractors, since July 1, 2020. However, vehicle owners can request specialized, personalized plate serials, in addition to their rear plates, for an extra charge. But eventually, that second-plate option will phase out entirely when state legislation passes a bill. All plates are manufactured by inmates at Ohio Penal Industries at the Lebanon Correctional Institution; since 2015, they have been manufactured out of aluminum, having been made of galvanized steel beforehand. The BMV issues a new license plate design about every five years, or with each new administration in the state government.
A new "Sunrise in Ohio" plate design was unveiled by Governor Mike DeWine on October 21, 2021, and was made available to drivers December 29, 2021, replacing the "Ohio Pride" design which had been issued since April 2013.
WWW oplates.com

History

On May 19, 1902, Cleveland became one of the first cities in the country to require motorists to display government-issued registration numbers on their vehicles. In the following years, various local governments in Ohio issued standard metal plates of varying design or numerals, including:
In 1906, the state attempted to take over auto registration under the Ward Automobile Law, but litigation delayed the program until the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in favor of the law. The Ohio Secretary of State's Automobile Division, precursor to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, was established in 1907. The Ward Law went into effect on June 11, 1908, but the Automobile Division did not begin issuing plates for another 30 days due to a manufacturing defect. The first state vehicle registration was issued to Cincinnati resident Thomas B. Paxton, Jr., for his Franklin automobile. Locally issued and owner-provided license plates were phased out by 1909 for automobiles, but local plates continued to be used for motorcycles until 1914. One effect of the Ward Law was to eliminate a significant revenue stream for cities like Cincinnati, which took in about $5,000 a year from auto registrations.
The Ward Law required automobile owners to display plates at both the front and the rear of the vehicle. Front and rear plates would be issued for passenger vehicles for over a century, through June 30, 2020, with the exception of 1944–46 when only rear plates were issued due to metal conservation for World War II. Ohio issued single-year plates from 1910 through 1973, except in 1943 and 1952 when windshield stickers were issued to revalidate the previous year's plates, again due to metal conservation.
Various Ohio license plate designs from 1908 to 1921 used distinctive monograms instead of a fully spelled-out state name. The 1938 plate commemorated the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Northwest Territory, and thus was the first plate in the state to feature a graphic and a slogan. In 1953, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles commemorated the state's sesquicentennial by issuing a special front plate bearing the state shape and the word "sesqui-centennial" instead of the passenger serial, which was carried only on the rear plate.
From 1935 through 1979, serials were allocated in blocks to each of the state's 88 counties. Serials were originally up to five characters in length and featured one or two letters. Increased demand resulted in the introduction of six-character serials in 1949, followed by all-numeric serials in 1962. The scheme was finally abandoned in 1980.
In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles at in height by in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1956 issue was the first Ohio license plate that fully complied with these standards: the state had been issuing plates 6 inches in height by 12 inches in width since 1926, and all plates of the 1952 and 1955 issues were to these dimensions, but none had had standard mounting holes.
In 1967, the state began issuing special plates to DUI offenders with limited driving privileges. Judges in Ohio, however, rarely issued them until a 2004 state law made it mandatory for all DUI offenders with limited driving privileges to have them.
After the last single-year plate was issued in 1973, the 1974 plate was revalidated for 1975 with a sticker placed at the bottom right corner. The first undated, multi-year plate was issued in 1976, while monthly staggered registration was introduced in 1979.
Since 1983, plates have carried the county of issuance on a sticker. Originally, this was a long sticker centered at the bottom of the plate, displaying the county name. In 1992, the state introduced a numerical county-coding scheme, with the county number being displayed on a red sticker at the bottom left corner of the plate; this scheme was initially used only on specialty plates before being adopted on standard passenger plates when the Bicentennial base was introduced in October 2001. The scheme was discontinued on standard passenger plates in 2018 in favor of a return to county-name stickers, again centered at the bottom of the plate.
On April 3, 2019, Governor Mike DeWine signed a two-year state transportation budget bill that included the elimination of the requirement for front license plates to be displayed. This became effective on July 1, 2020.

Passenger baseplates

1974 to present

All Ohio passenger plates issued since October 2001 are valid for display today, provided they have been continuously registered. "Ohio Gold" plates, issued from August 1996 through September 2001, were replaced during 2022 due to readability issues arising from degradation of the reflective sheeting through exposure to humidity, rain, snow, and road salt.
ImageDates issuedDesignSloganSerial formatSerials issuedNotes

1974–75Embossed green serial on reflective white plate with border line; "OHIO 74" centered at bottom"SEAT BELTS FASTENED?" at top123456
A 12345
AB 1234
12345 A
1234 AB
A 1234 B		Issued in blocks by countyRevalidated for 1975 with stickers.
1976–79Embossed red serial on reflective white plate with border line; "OHIO" centered at bottomnone123456
A 12345
AB 1234
12345 A
1234 AB
A 1234 B		Issued in blocks by county
1980–84Embossed blue serial with state-shaped separator on reflective white plate; "OHIO" centered at topnoneABC•123AAA•010 to approximately UFU•999I and O used only as the second letter in serials; this practice continues today. County sticker added at bottom of plate in 1983.
1985 – December 1990Embossed green serial with state-shaped separator on reflective white plate; "OHIO" centered at topnone123•ABC010•AAA to approximately 999•YOZ
January 1991 – November 1995Embossed blue serial with state-shaped separator on reflective white plate; "OHIO" screened in blue centered at top"the heart of it all!" screened in red between state name and serialABC•123AAA•010 to XEU•999
November 1995 –
July
1996		Embossed blue serial with state-shaped separator on reflective white plate; "OHIO" screened in blue centered at top"the heart of it all!" screened in red between state name and serialABC•123XEV•010 to YZZ•999Narrower serial dies. Both variants revalidated until 2002.
August 1996 –
mid-1997		"Ohio Gold": Embossed dark blue serial on reflective white and gold gradient plate; "OHIO" screened in dark blue centered at top"the heart of it all!" screened in red between state name and serialABC 1234AAA 1000 to approximately ARR 5900Issued only to new registrants. Gold plates were revalidated until 2022, but plate numbers can be transferred to the most current design.
Mid-1997 – September 2001"Ohio Gold": Embossed dark blue serial on reflective white and gold gradient plate; "OHIO" screened in dark blue centered at top"BIRTHPLACE OF AVIATION" screened in red between state name and serialABC 1234ARR 5901 to approximately BIF 9999;
CAA 1000 to approximately CVV 9999		Issued only to new registrants. Gold plates were revalidated until 2022, but plate numbers can be transferred to the most current design.
October 2001 – February 2004"Bicentennial": embossed dark blue serial on reflective white with Ohio Bicentennial Commission logo and red and blue barsOhio Bicentennial;
Birthplace of Aviation		AB12CDAA01AA to approximately FC99KVIssued to new registrants and as replacements for 1991–96 plates. Letters I and O not used in this serial format.
February 2004 – November 30, 2010"Sunburst": embossed dark blue serial on reflective white with state seal graphic and red and blue bars. This license plate also is the second to have the '"Bicentennial"' font. It features a rising sun with its rays beaming brilliantly.Sunburst; Birthplace of Aviation.ABC 1234DAA 1000 to EQZ 9999;
EUJ 1000 to FAK 9999		Issued concurrently with the "Beautiful Ohio" base from November 23, 2009.
November 23, 2009 – April 14, 2013"Beautiful Ohio": embossed dark blue serial on rolling hills with farm, distant skyline, and airborne biplaneBeautiful Ohio;
Birthplace of Aviation		ABC 1234ERA 1000 to EUH 9999;
FAL 1000 to FVZ 9999		Originally issued as a no-cost alternative to the "Sunburst" base, before replacing it as the standard base on December 1, 2010. With elements designed by Frances Strickland, the plate has been described as "a bucolic affair", in contrast to the later "Ohio Pride" plate.
April 15, 2013 – December 28, 2021"Ohio Pride": embossed dark blue serial on word cloud background and red triangle resembling an airplane wingBirthplace of Aviation;
DiscoverOhio.com;
46 "slogans" total, including facts and famous names		ABC 1234FWA 1000 to JCZ 9999;
JEA 1000 to JPA 3505 		Remaining "Beautiful Ohio" plates melted and recycled into this design so that materials were not wasted. "Ohio Pride" was designed by Aaron Roberts and chosen among four concept drawings put forward by the CCAD Design Group. The design was noted for its simplicity but also criticized for poor legibility. The plate was introduced as part of a coordinated branding campaign that also included a matching driver's license design. Only rear plates required beginning July 1, 2020, the change took place early in the 'J' series of serials.
December 29, 2021 – present"Sunrise in Ohio": screened dark blue serial on sunrise scene featuring skyline, hills, river, wheat field, and child swinging from a tree, with Wright Flyer, state shape and red banner with slogan at topBirthplace of AviationABC 1234JDA 1000 to JDZ 9999;
JRQ 1000 to
KRA 6695 		Beginning with this base, all new Ohio plates are now flat instead of embossed. Remaining "Ohio Pride" plates will be melted and recycled into this design so that materials are not wasted. An error in the initial design had the Wright Flyer flying backwards; around 35,000 plates were manufactured before the error was realized and corrected; these plates will also be melted and recycled.

Alternative passenger plates

Ohio state law authorizes the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to issue a number of specialty passenger plates, as defined in, sections 4 and 5.

Non-passenger plates

From 1976 until 1996, license plates for pickup trucks and other light truck-related vehicles were issued truck plates that said "Non Comm" while semi-trucks were issued plates that said "Commercial". Since 1996, however, the more consumer-oriented truck plates now say "Truck" instead of "Non-Comm."

Temporary tags

Vehicles purchased from a dealership are given a 30-day or 45-day temporary tag. The paper tag is filled out by hand. Since March 2001, it has featured a hologram. On a 2001-series temporary tag, the plate number is preprinted, while the expiration date and vehicle details are written in permanent marker. As of August, 2020, the Ohio Department of Public Safety issues print-on-demand temporary tags and will phase out traditional paper tags in January 2021.

County coding

In 1992, Ohio began using a numerical county-coding scheme to indicate the county of registration. The scheme assigns a two-digit number to each of the state's 88 counties in alphabetical order, beginning with 01 for Adams County and ending with 88 for Wyandot County. The scheme has been used on specialty plates since its introduction, and was also used on standard passenger plates from 2001 until 2018.
The county number is displayed on red or white stickers placed at the bottom left corner the plate. The stickers also display the county name, in small print below the number.

Reserved series

On recent seven-character baseplates, the state has reserved certain letter series to be issued in coordination with specific car dealerships or leasing agencies.
SeriesAssigned to
FACFirst Automotive Corp., Cincinnati
GLRGrand Leasing and Sales
GANGanley Automotive Lease
HONHonda
HOMHonda of Mentor
JAYJay Auto Group, Bedford
JSLJake Sweeney Leasing, Cincinnati
LASShaker Auto Leasing
LEXMetro Lexus
LXSMetro Lexus
MALMike Albert Resale Center and Leasing, Cincinnati
MBZMercedes-Benz
MCTMotorcars Toyota, Cleveland Heights
MCHMotorcars Honda, Cleveland Heights
METMetro Toyota, Cleveland
MGMMarshall Goldman Motors
MKBMKB Leasing, Marietta
MVPClassic Auto Group
NONNissan of North Olmsted
SUNSunnyside, Cleveland
SSASunnyside Audi
SSHSunnyside Honda
SSTSunnyside Toyota
TOBToyota of Bedford
TOYToyota
VCJAdventure Chrysler Jeep, Willoughby
WINClassic Auto Group