Vehicle registration plates of North Carolina
Encyclopedia
The U.S. state
of North Carolina
first required its residents to register their motor vehicle
s and display license plates in 1913.
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 North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
first required its residents to register their motor vehicle
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
s and display license plates in 1913.
Passenger baseplates 1933 to present
| Image | Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1933 | Blue base with white lettering | 123-456 | |||
 |
1935 | Black base with silver lettering | 123-456 | |||
 |
1941 | Black base with yellow lettering | 123-456 | |||
 |
1942 | Yellow base with black lettering | 123-456 | Red tab attached over date at bottom for 1943 due to wartime steel shortages. This took the place of issuing new plates for 1943. | ||
 |
1944 | Black base with yellow lettering | 123-456 | |||
| 1964 | Yellow base with black lettering | AB-1234 | ||||
| 1965 | Black base with yellow lettering | AB-1234 | ||||
| 1982 | Blue on reflective white with Wright Flyer Wright Flyer The Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft, designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.The U.S... graphic |
First in Flight | ABC-12 and ABC-123 ABC-1234 |
AAA-01 to ZZZ-99 AAA-001 to ZZZ-999 ANA-0000 to early-WTF series (second letter is N to Z only, skipping G, I, O, Q and U in ALL positions) |
Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1982 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association Automobile License Plate Collectors Association The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association is the largest such organization in the world. Founded in Rumney Depot, New Hampshire, United States, in 1953 and holding its first meeting in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, in 1954, its members have come from all 50 U.S... , the first and, to date, only time North Carolina has been so honored. Also, first time in NC history that registration stickers are issued instead of replacing the license plate itself. |
|
| 2007 | Red on reflective white with Wright Flyer graphic | First in Flight | ABC-1234 | early-WTF series to ZNC series (second letter is N to Z only, skipping G, I, O, Q and U in ALL positions, with the exception of OBX) | Red serial characters replaced blue in 2007 | |
| 2009 | Blue on reflective white with Wright Flyer graphic | First in Flight | ABC-1234 | Late ZND series to ZZZ (second letter is N to Z only, skipping G, I, O, Q and U in ALL positions) | Switched back to blue lettering, claiming the red was too hard to read from a distance. | |
| 2010–2011 | Blue on reflective white with Wright Flyer graphic | First in Flight | ABC-1234 | AAA series to present (second letter is A to M, skipping G, I, O, Q and U in ALL positions) | 1st time North Carolina has issued A to M in the 2nd position. Will be using this format until the end of ZMZ series. Next serial format unknown. |