Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1989

All of the 50 constituent states of the United States and several of its territories and the District of Columbia issued individual passenger license plates for the year 1989.[1][2][3][4]

Passenger baseplates

Passenger  car  plates

Image	Region	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Alabama	Blue embossed digits on reflective white; red stylized "Alabama" at bottom center; two red hearts in upper corners, with two thin red lines at top of plate.	"HEART OF DIXIE" in plain wide red letters centered between red lines at top	0AB 1234 00AB 123	Coded by county of issuance (0 or 00)
	Alaska	Embossed blue numbers on reflective golden yellow plate; screened state flag in the center between letters and digits; "ALASKA" screened in blue serifed letters centered at top; indented top corners for revalidation stickers	"The Last Frontier" screened in blue serifed letters centered at bottom.	ABC 123	BAA 100 to DJX 999
	American Samoa	Black letters on white background, image of palm tree at left.	"MOTU O FIAFIAGA" centered at top	1234
	Arizona	Embossed reflective white numbers on maroon plate with border line; embossed white saguaro cactus used as separator; "ARIZONA" centered at top.	"GRAND CANYON STATE" centered at bottom	ABC-123	AAA-001 to approximately NXG-200	Front and rear plates issued until around the ETT series (1989); rear plates only thereafter. Still currently revalidated.
	Arkansas	Embossed blue numbers on reflective white plate; red band screened at top containing "Arkansas" in white in the center	"The Natural State" screened in red centered at bottom	ABC 123	POR 001 to approximately ZWO 999
	California	Blue numbers on reflective white background with embossed state name, "CALIFORNIA", in red	None	1ABC123	2GQA000 to 3FMG999
	Colorado	Embossed white on reflective green; mountains at top	None	ABC-123	County-coded
	Connecticut	Embossed reflective (glass-beaded) white numbers on blue plate with border line, "CONNECTICUT" centered at bottom, and embossed state shape in top left corner	"CONSTITUTION STATE" at bottom	123·ABC1	100·EVY to 999·NZM	Serials with L as the first letter were reserved for optional Preserve the Sound plates.
	Delaware	Screened gold numbers on reflective dark blue plate with gold border; "DELAWARE" centered at bottom	"THE FIRST STATE" centered at top	123456	4 to 999999^1-2	Several variations of the font used for the serial exist. Some replacement plates have riveted numbers.
	District of Columbia	Embossed blue numbers on reflective white plate; screened district flag used as separator; screened red stripes above and below numbers; "Washington, D.C." screened in blue centered at bottom; debossed sticker boxes in bottom corners	"A Capital City" screened in blue centered at top	123-456	925-001 to 999-999; 010-001 to 501-750	Plates with all-numeric serials validated until April 2016.[5] Slogan changed in 1991 in honor of the district's bicentennial.
	Florida	Embossed red numbers on reflective white plate; green state map screened to left of center behind numbers; "FLORIDA" centered at top	County name centered at bottom	ABC 12D	Exclusively from AAA 00A to approximately JUQ 99Z; intermittently from JUR 00A to approximately KGW 99Z	Early plates used a lighter shade of green for the state map, while some plates manufactured during 1988 featured a smaller-size state name. Letter O not used in serials (this practice continues today); 'M' series reserved for dealers and 'Y' and 'Z' series for rental vehicles. Replaced from 1992 through 1996 as part of five-year plate replacement cycle.
	Georgia	Embossed green on reflective white; screened "19 GEORGIA 83" at top	County name on sticker centered at bottom	ABC 123	AAA 001 to approximately WCW 999	Vanity plates featured the "Peach State" slogan in place of the county-name sticker.
	Guam	Green on reflective white with green map graphic in center with two latte stones	"HAFA ADAI" centered at top	ABC 123	AAA 001 to approximately AFN 999
	Hawaii	Brown on reflective white; "HAWAII" centered at top; orange warrior head image screened in background; "81" screened in top right corner	"ALOHA STATE" centered at bottom	ABC 123	County-coded (see right)	Honolulu County used A, B, C and D as the first letter; Hawaii County used H; Maui County used M; Kauai County used K.[6][7]
	Idaho	Embossed green numbers on white plate; screened green lines above and below numbers; screened green Sawtooth Mountains graphic on top line at the right; "IDAHO" screened in green to left of graphic, with the 'A' resembling a mountain peak	"Famous Potatoes" centered at bottom	A 12345 0/A 12345 1/A A1234 2/C 123456	Coded by county of issuance (A or 0/A)	Top line cut off at the left, allowing for taller county-code characters. This plate replaced all 1974–87 plates; serials in each county thus restarted from 1.
	Illinois	Dark blue on reflective white with light and dark blue stripes; state name screened in dark blue at top left	"Land of Lincoln" at top right corner	123 456 AB 1234	Reissues of 1979–82 serials
	Indiana	Blue serial on reflective blue, white and gold background	"Back Home Again" centered at top	0A1234 00A1234	County-coded	Small white-on-blue county name sticker in bottom right corner. Plates were valid through October 31, 1990.
	Iowa	Embossed reflective white numbers on blue plate with border line; "IOWA" and county name centered at top and bottom respectively; "86" at top right	County name centered at bottom	ABC 123	LAA 000 to YZZ 999	Non-resident plates discontinued.
	Kansas	Embossed dark blue digits on white plate; brown stalk of wheat screened in the center; pale yellow band screened across top containing stylized "KANSAS" in the center and three dark blue stripes on either side	None	ABC 123	AAA 000 to approximately DVD 999
	Kentucky	Embossed blue numbers on white plate; twin spires of Churchill Downs racetrack screened in blue at the top and a mare and foal screened in light blue in the center; "Kentucky" screened in blue serifed letters centered between spires; county name on blue sticker between state name and numbers	"Bluegrass State" centered at bottom	ABC 123	TAA 000 to ZZZ 999; AAA 000 to approximately EBP 999	Mare and foal based on the photograph The Soul of a Horse, taken by Peter Thomann. The base was withdrawn when Thomann threatened to sue for copyright infringement.
	Louisiana	Embossed dark blue numbers on reflective white plate, screened dark blue graphics of mother pelicans with chicks at top corners, "LoUiSiAna" screened in red and dark blue (the 'U', 'S', and 'A' in dark blue) centered at bottom	"SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE" screened in red centered at top	123A456	Letter corresponds to State Police troop area of issue
	Maine	Embossed navy blue numbers on reflective white plate with border line; red American lobster screened behind numbers, offset to right; "MAINE" screened in wide red block letters centered at top	"Vacationland" centered at bottom	12345 A	1 P to 99999 Z
	Maryland	Embossed black numbers on white plate; shield with the design of the Maryland state flag screened in the center; "Maryland" screened in black centered at top	None	ABC 123	NAA 001 to ZZZ 999
	Massachusetts	Embossed green numbers on reflective white plate with border line; "MASSACHUSETTS" centered at top	None	123·456	100·000 to 999·999 (see right)	Only rear plates issued (except for reserved and non-passenger plates). On all plates, the last digit corresponded to the month of expiration, with November and December expirations discontinued except on non-passenger plates and on red-and-white plates until 1980–81. All-numeric plates were generally issued to holders of the same serials on the red-on-white base. Still currently revalidated.
		Red characters on reflective white plate; "MASSACHUSETTS" in blue centered at top	The Spirit of America
	Michigan	Embossed reflective (glass-beaded) white numbers on blue plate; "MICHIGAN" centered at top	"GREAT LAKES" centered at bottom	123 ABC	000 AAA to 999 ZZZ	All variants of this base revalidated with stickers until 2007. Letters I and O not used in serials; this practice continues today.
	Minnesota	Embossed blue numbers on reflective graphic plate featuring a lake scene with pale blue and white water, pale blue sky, green island and trees, and a small green canoe; "Minnesota" screened in blue centered at top	"EXPLORE" screened in blue to left of state name, giving "Explore Minnesota"; "10,000 lakes" screened in blue centered at bottom	123-ABC; state icon used as dash	001-AAA to approximately 999-HZK	Replaced all 1977–87 plates.
	Mississippi	Embossed dark blue numbers on reflective white plate; "MISSISSIPPI" screened in red stylized serifed letters centered at top; county name embossed in dark blue block letters centered at bottom	County name centered at bottom	1ABC123	1AAA001 to approximately 1FNJ999	Narrow dies reintroduced. The initial '1' indicated the passenger class of vehicles. Letters I, O, Q and U and number 666 not used in serials.[8]
	Missouri	Embossed reflective (glass-beaded) white numbers on maroon plate with border line; "MISSOURI" centered at top; month of expiration at top left	"SHOW-ME STATE" centered at bottom	AAB 123	First letter corresponds to month of expiration
	Montana	Embossed sky blue numbers on reflective white plate with screened red state-shaped border; red "76 Bicentennial" logo and sky blue buffalo skull screened at top left and bottom left corners respectively; red band screened above numbers containing "MONTANA" in white block letters; screened sky blue "'76" in bottom right corner	"BIG SKY" screened in sky blue block letters centered at bottom	1·123456 10·12345	Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10)	A straight-line die was originally used for the number '1', before being replaced by a serifed version.
	Nebraska	Red on reflective white with yellow, orange and red sunset graphic at top	None	1-A1234 1-AB123 10-A123 10-AB12 5/9-A1234	Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10)
	Nevada	Embossed blue numbers on white and silver graphic plate with a mountain scene featuring a Bighorn sheep; "NEVADA" screened in blue serifed letters centered at top	"THE SILVER STATE" screened in blue serifed letters centered at bottom	123·ABC	001·BAA to approximately 999·LDE	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1985 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Nevada has been so honored. Co-recipient with North Dakota.
	New Hampshire	Embossed forest green numbers on reflective white plate; "NEW HAMPSHIRE" screened in dark green centered at top, with a graphic of the Old Man of the Mountain in a circle between the two words	"LIVE FREE OR DIE" screened in dark green sans serif text centered at bottom	ABC-123	AAA-001 to approximately DEX-500[9]
	New Jersey	Embossed buff lettering on medium blue plate, non-reflective, "NEW JERSEY" embossed in plain block letters centered at top	"GARDEN STATE" embossed in plain block letters centered at bottom	ABC-12D; New Jersey state icon used as dash	AAA-10A to HZZ-99Z2, 3, 5	Between ETC and EXB the NJ map separator got changed, this happened again between GED and GML.
	New Mexico	Embossed red numbers on yellow plate; embossed Zia sun symbol used as separator; "New Mexico USA" screened in red centered below numbers; stamped indentation at top center for county-name sticker	"Land of Enchantment" centered at bottom	ABC-123	KAK-001 to approximately LKL-999
	New York	Embossed dark blue numbers on reflective white plate, with red stripe at top and bottom; "NEW YORK" in plain serifed block font centered at top; red outlined Statue of Liberty screen printed in center (or at left on vanity plates)	None		County-coded	Validated with windshield decal.
	North Carolina	Blue on reflective white with light blue Wright Flyer graphic	"First in Flight" screened at top	ABC-1234	ANA-1001 to approximately WTF-1975	A through M not used as second letters in serials (so AZZ was followed by BNA, BZZ was followed by CNA and so on); this practice continued until ZZZ-9999 was issued in 2010. OBX started to be issued in 1999 as a special series for Dare County, and continues to be issued as such today.
	North Dakota	Embossed black numbers on light blue, white and light orange gradient plate; long black bar screened below numbers with "NORTH DAKOTA" in white serifed letters in the center, "1889" to the left and "1989" to the right	Short black bar screened above numbers with "CENTENNIAL" in white serifed letters in the center; "PEACE GARDEN STATE" screened in black block letters centered above short black bar	ABC 123	BAA 000 to approximately CNP 999
	Northern Mariana Islands
	Ohio	Green on reflective white; state shape used as separator	County name centered at bottom	123•ABC	001•AAA to approximately 999•YOZ
	Oklahoma	Embossed green numbers on reflective white plate; battle shield of the Osage Nation screened in the center; "OKLAHOMA" screened in black cursive letters centered at top	"OK!" screened in tan cursive letters centered between state name and battle shield	ABC 123	County-coded	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1989 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first time Oklahoma was so honored. Co-recipient with Nova Scotia. Serials in each county continued from where the 1983–88 plates left off, with leading zeros added in numbers below 100. Revalidated with stickers until 2009.
	Oregon	Embossed dark blue numbers on mountain skyline with pale lavender mountains, light khaki sky and pale green Douglas Fir in the center; "Oregon" screened in pale blue serifed letters centered at top	None	ABC 123	PDN 001 to QNL 999	Was introduced the previous year, and was awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of that year by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first time Oregon was so honored.
	Pennsylvania	Reflective yellow on blue with large keystone separator	"KEYSTONE STATE" centered at top	ABC-123	HAA-000 to RZZ-999 ^1	Sticker validation through 2002. Letter U not used in the ABC-1234 serial format (in addition to I, O and Q).[10]
	Puerto Rico	Black characters on reflective white base	"Isla Del Encanto"	ABC 123
	Rhode Island	Embossed blue numbers on reflective white plate with border line; "RHODE ISLAND" embossed in blue block letters centered at bottom; blue anchor embossed in top left corner	"⚓ OCEAN STATE" at top	AB-123	AA-100 to ZZ-999 (see right)	On all variants of this base, serials were issued and reissued in random order, as existing registrants generally retained the serials from their previous plates (including 1967–79 plates) when receiving new ones. During 1992, plates were manufactured in Massachusetts, using that state's dies.
	South Carolina	Embossed blue numbers on reflective white plate; pale blue Sabal palmetto screened in the center; "SOUTH CAROLINA" screened in red at top	None	ABC 123	AAA 501 to ZZZ 999	Numbers 501 to 900 issued for each three-letter series, with 901 to 999 added in 1988.
	South Dakota	Embossed red on white with screened blue Mount Rushmore graphic in bottom right corner	"1889–1989" centered at bottom	1AB 123 10A 123	Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10)	Numeric county codes reintroduced. Letters I, O and Q not used in serials; this practice continues today.
	Tennessee	Embossed red numbers on reflective white plate; blue circle with three white stars (from the Tennessean state flag) screened in the center; "Tennessee" screened in blue centered at top; county name on blue sticker centered at bottom	County name centered at bottom	ABC 123	ABB 001 to ZZZ 999 (see right)	Serials began at DBB 001 and ran to ZZZ 999, followed by BBB 001 through CZZ 999; vowels and Y were not used until 1993, when Y and then A were used as the first letter (the last serial issued was in the APP series).
	Texas	Dark blue on reflective white, screened red state-shaped separator	None	123-ABC	975-PAY to 999-ZZZ
	Utah	Blue on white with skier graphic	"GREATEST SNOW ON EARTH" centered at bottom	001 AAA to 999 DWW		Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1986 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Utah has been so honored. Letters G, U, X, Y and Z added to serials in late 1992, beginning with the FPG series.[11]
	Vermont	Debossed white numbers on green plate; screened white rectangular box around numbers; "Vermont" screened in white centered at top; white sugar maple screened at top left	"Green Mountain State" centered at bottom
	Virginia	Embossed dark blue numbers on reflective white plate with border line; "Virginia" screened in blue centered at top	None	ABC-123	AAA-101 to ZZZ-999 (see right)	Still currently revalidated. Serials UAA-101 through ZZZ-999 issued first, followed by AAA-101 through SZZ-999 as 1973–79 plates were invalidated, then (from 1988) all serials with I, O, Q and T as the first letter, and finally (from 1990) all remaining serials with I, O or Q as the second and/or third letters (beginning with AAI-101 and ending with ZZQ-999).[12]
	Washington	Embossed dark blue numbers on reflective white plate with light blue Mount Rainier graphic and dark blue border line; "Washington" screened in red centered at top	"Centennial Celebration" screened in red centered at bottom	123-ABC	000-AAA to 999-DGP
	West Virginia	Embossed dark blue numbers on reflective white plate; yellow state shape screened at left behind numbers; "WEST VIRGINIA" screened in dark blue centered at bottom	"Wild, Wonderful" centered at top	0A-1234 0AB-123 AA-1234 AAB-123	First character corresponds to month of expiration	Two-letter series introduced for each month as single-letter series were exhausted. These series progressed as follows: both letters A through M only, then first letter N through Z and second letter A through M, then first letter A through M and second letter N through Z.
	Wisconsin	Embossed dark red numbers on reflective white plate; "WISCONSIN" screened in dark blue at top left and graphics screened at top right featuring a sailboat and sunset, flying geese, and a farm scene; green and dark blue lines separating state name and graphics from numbers	"America's Dairyland" centered at bottom	ABC-123	BAA-101 to NMD-999	Numbers changed from dark blue to red in response to concerns of confusion with Illinois' license plates of the time.
	Wyoming	Embossed red numbers and Bucking Horse and Rider on graphic plate featuring white cloud-covered mountains against a blue sky; "Wyoming" screened in dark blue serifed letters at top, offset to right.	"1890 Centennial 1990" screened in dark blue serifed letters at bottom	1-1234 1-123A/B 1/0-1234 1/0-123A/B	Coded by county of issuance (1 or 1/0)

Non-passenger plates

Non-passenger  plates  

Image	Region	Type	Design and slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Indiana	Temporary	Red on white, with relevant vehicular information hand-written in black ink.			21-day period
	Maryland	Temporary	Black serials on white background.
	New York	Motorcycle
	Virginia	Temporary	Red on white, with relevant vehicular information hand-written in black ink.			30-day period

See also

• Antique vehicle registration
• Electronic license plate
• Motor vehicle registration
• Vehicle license

References

1. Fox, Jams K. (1997). License Plates of the United States: A Pictorial History 1903-To the Present. Jerico, New York: Interstate Directory Publishing Company. ISBN 9781886777002.
2. Minard, Jeff; Stentiford, Tim (2004). A Moving History, 50 Years Of ALPCA. 100 Years Of License Plates. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company. p. 58. ISBN 1-56311-975-7.
3. Crisler, Bob; Crisler, Chuck, eds. (2007). License Plate Values (7th ed.). King Publishing Company.
4. Martells, Jack (1980). Antique Automotive Collectibles. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. pp. 128–145. ISBN 0-8092-7205-9.
5. "1984 Capital City Baseplate". DCplates.net. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
6. "Hawaii License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
7. Watanabe, June (February 19, 2010). "Kokua Line: Alphabet soup". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
8. "Mississippi License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
9. "New Hampshire License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
10. "Pennsylvania License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
11. "Utah License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
12. "Virginia License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved July 11, 2015.

External links