Vehicle registration plates of Illinois

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

first required motorists to register their vehicles in 1907 and began issuing license plates to registrants in 1911. Plates were issued annually until 1978.

Early history

In 1907, Illinois

Illinois

motorists were first required to register their vehicles with the Secretary of State’s office and pay a one time registration fee of $2. Registrants were issued a numbered aluminum disc to place on their dashboard, but they had to provide their own license plates. The registration became annual in 1909 with motorists being issued aluminum dashboard discs and still had to provide their own license plates.

1911 was the first year that the state began issuing license plates itself. The aluminum dashboard discs were also issued, matching the license plate number. The legislation authorizing the state issuance of license plates also provided for the registration and plating of motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

s and issued special licenses and plates to mechanics and chauffeurs. Both plates and aluminum dashboard discs were issued annually.

By 1914, plates with letter prefixes (H, K, P, and R) were issued for the first time after reaching plate 99999 in order to keep the plates five characters. In 1916, the first six digit plates began to be issued. The next year, 1917, would be the final year of the issuance of the aluminum dashboard discs.

1920 marked the first year that plates were issued to different classes of vehicles. Only two general classes were specified, vehicles carrying less than seven people and those that carried more than seven people or carried freight. Truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

s received their own special plate for the first time with a vertical "TRUCK" embossed onto the plate. Four years later, the first plates for trailer

Trailer (vehicle)

A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....

s were issued.

Annually issued passenger baseplates 1940 through 1978

First issued	Description	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
1927	Black embossed serial number, border, and state shape on orange base. "ILL 27" in orange base incused within state shape.	none	123456
1943	White lettering on green base	none	1234 567		First year plates are made of fiberboard due to WWII steel rationing
1944	White lettering on brown base	none	1234 567
1945	Orange lettering on black base	none	1234 567
1946	White lettering on red base	none	1234 567
1948	Black lettering on orange base	none	1234 567		Last year plates are made of fiberboard due to WWII steel rationing.
1949		none
1950	Black lettering on yellow base	none			Plates are manufactured out of aluminum for the first time
1951	Maroon on unpainted aluminum	none	1234 567 A123456 123 456		Only year plates manufactured with unpainted background.
1952	Blue lettering on orange base	none
1953	Black lettering on yellow base	none			License plates placed under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State
1954	White lettering on black base	Land of Lincoln			First year the "Land of Lincoln" slogan appears on plates
1955	Orange lettering on blue base	Land of Lincoln			Colors selected to honor the state's flagship university, the University of Illinois
1956	Black lettering on white base	Land of Lincoln			Size of license plates standardized to national standard of 6" by 12"
1957	White lettering on red base	Land of Lincoln			Colors chosen to commemorate the centennial of the state's oldest university, Illinois State University Illinois State University Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
1958	Purple lettering on white base	Land of Lincoln			Colors chosen to honor Northwestern University in Evanston
1959	White lettering on brown base	Land of Lincoln			Colors chosen to honor Quincy College Quincy College Quincy College is a public junior college located in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is an open admission commuter school that offers associate's degrees in professional fields of study.-History:...
1960	Gold lettering on royal blue base	Land of Lincoln			Colors chosen to honor the centennials of both Augustana College Augustana College Augustana College may refer to:Augustana College Augustana College Augustana University College, Alberta... and Wheaton College Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: Wheaton College , private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois* Wheaton College , private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Norton, Massachusetts...
1961	White lettering on red base	Land of Lincoln			The system of pure numeric numbering of plates is modified; plates with two letters and four numbers are added to the available combinations.
1962	White lettering on orange base	Land of Lincoln
1963	Yellow lettering on dark green base	Land of Lincoln			Colors chosen for the quasquicentennial of the founding of the John Deere John Deere John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world... company in Moline
1964	White lettering on purple base	Land of Lincoln
1965	Green lettering on white base	Land of Lincoln
1966	Red lettering on yellow base	Land of Lincoln			First-ever issue of reflective license plates
1967	Black lettering on yellow base	Land of Lincoln
1968	Red lettering on yellow base	Land of Lincoln			To honor the sesquicentennial of Illinois admission to the Union, "1818" is incorporated in the upper corners of all license plates
1969	Black lettering on orange base	Land of Lincoln
1970	red on reflective yellow	Land of Lincoln	123 456 AB 1234
1971	black on reflective white	Land of Lincoln	123 456 AB 1234
1972	blue on reflective white	Land of Lincoln	123 456 AB 1234
1973	Black lettering on reflective yellow	Land of Lincoln			Total license plates issued exceeds five million for the first time
1974	Red lettering on reflective yellow	Land of Lincoln			First ever license plates with three letters and three numbers; also, first handicapped plates issued
1975	Black lettering on reflective yellow	Land of Lincoln			Colors chosen to honor the 50th anniversary of the Caterpillar Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas... Company of Peoria.
1976	blue on reflective white with red and blue United States Bicentennial United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic... graphics	Land of Lincoln	AB 1234 various	? remakes of previously issued serials	Bicentennial plate design contest won by 10-year-old Kelley Jordan of Normal, Illinois Normal, Illinois Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
1977	green on reflective white	Land of Lincoln	AB 1234 various	? remakes of previously issued serials	Plates issued reach the six million mark
1978	black on reflective white	Land of Lincoln	AB 1234 various	? remakes of previously issued serials	Last single-year plate, and last year that all license plates in the state expire on the same date.

Multi-year passenger baseplates 1979 to present

First issued	Description	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
1979	dark blue on reflective white	Land of Lincoln	ABC 123 various	? remakes of previously issued serials	First multi-year plate and first plate to be issued on a staggered schedule throughout the year. Colors selected to honor the sesquicentennial of Illinois College Illinois College Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,... .
1980	dark blue on reflective white	Land of Lincoln	ABC 123 various	? remakes of previously issued serials	First year the state allows residents to order vanity plates, maximum of six characters
1983	dark blue on reflective white	Land of Lincoln	ABC 123 A 12 345 A 123 456 various	? ? ? remakes of previously issued serials
1984	dark blue reflective white with light and dark blue stripes, screened dark blue state name	Land of Lincoln	ABC 123 A 12 345 A 123 456 various	? ? ? remakes of previously issued serials	First new plate design since introduction of mult-year tag. Plates made of steel, with "Land of Lincoln" restored to a more prominent, readable position. Vanity plates may now be ordered with up to seven characters
1987	dark blue reflective white with light and dark blue stripes, screened dark blue state name.	Land of Lincoln	ABC 123 A 12 345 A 123 456 various	? ? ? remakes of previously issued serials	sticker size now 1 inch tall and 3 inches wide
2001	reflective gradient white to blue fade with Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... portrait at center, state name screened in blue	Land of Lincoln	123 4567 A12 3456 various ABC 1234	100 0001 to 999 9999 Letters Used As First Character (in approximate order): A, J, X, B, C, D, F, T, Y, G, H, K, L, N, P (current) remakes of previously issued serials	First new plate design since 1984, design selected by a vote (in 2000) of the residents of Illinois, in which 230,000 persons participated

Non-passenger types

Image	Type	Design	Serial Format	Serials Issued	Notes
	1984 B Truck	Red reflective white with light and red stripes, screened red state name., B Truck vertical text on right	1234 AB	Various
	2001 B Truck	Full reflective white with Abraham Lincoln portrait at center, state name screened in red, B Truck vertical text on right	1234 A, 12 345 A, 1234567 (current)	Various, remakes of previous issued serials

Optional types

Image	Type	Design	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	Passenger—Personalized		various	various

External links

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