The U.S. federal district of the District of Columbia first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1903. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1907, when the district began to issue plates.[1]
Front and rear plates are required on all vehicles in the District of Columbia except for motorcycles.
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 (except those for motorcycles) at {{convert|6|in|cm}} in height by {{convert|12|in|cm}} in width, with standardized mounting holes.[2] The first District of Columbia license plate that complied with these standards was issued three years beforehand, in 1953 (dated March 31, 1954).
| Image | Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|
| 1907–17 | White serial on black porcelain plate; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" at top | none | 12345 | 1 to approximately 65000, with gaps | Some serial blocks believed to be reserved for motorcycles.[3] |
| 1918 | Embossed black serial on yellow plate; "DC 18" at right | none | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 38-000 |
| 1919 | Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "D.C. 1919" at right | none | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 46-000 |
| 1920 | Embossed black serial on white plate with border line; "D.C. 1920" at right | none | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 55-000 |
| 1921 | Embossed blue serial on white plate with border line; "D.C. 1921" at right | none | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 67-500 |
| 1922 | Embossed white serial on red plate with border line; "D.C. 1922" at right | none | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 80-000 |
| 1923 | Embossed white serial on brown plate with border line; "D.C. 1923" at right | none | 123-456 | 1 to approximately 112-000 |
| 1924 | Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "DIST. COL. 1924" centered at top | none | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 91-000 |
| 1925 | Embossed white serial on dark gray plate with border line; "DIST. COL. 1925" centered at top | none | 123-456 | 1 to approximately 114-000 |
| 1926 | Embossed black serial on orange plate with border line; "DIST. COL. 1926" centered at top | none | 123-456 | 1 to approximately 112-000 |
| 1927 | Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "DIST. COL. 1927" centered at top | none | A-1234 | E-1 to approximately V-1000 | Letters A, B, C, D, H and R used on non-passenger vehicles. This practice continued until 1935.[4] |
| 1928 | Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "DIST. OF COLUMBIA - 1928" at bottom | none | A-1234 | E-1 to approximately W-9000 |
| 1929 | Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "DIST. OF COLUMBIA - 1929" at bottom | none | A-1234 | E-1 to approximately Z-8000 |
| 1930 | As 1928 base, but with "DIST. OF COLUMBIA - 1930" at bottom | none | A-1234 | E-1 to approximately Y-3000 |
| 1931 | As 1929 base, but with "DIST. OF COLUMBIA - 1931" at bottom | none | A-1234 | E-1 to approximately Z-3000 |
| 1932 | As 1928 base, but with "DIST. OF COLUMBIA - 1932" at bottom | none | A-1234 | E-1 to approximately W-1000 |
| 1933 | As 1929 base, but with "DIST. OF COLUMBIA - 1933" at bottom | none | A-1234 | E-1 to approximately X-4000 |
| 1934 | As 1928 base, but with "DIST. OF COLUMBIA - 1934" at bottom | none | A-1234 | E-1 to approximately X-3000 |
| 1935 | Embossed green serial on white plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - 1935" at bottom | none | 123-456 | 57-001 to approximately 191-000 |
| 1936 | Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" and "1936" centered at top and bottom respectively | none | 123-456 | 54-001 to approximately 202-000 |
| 1937 | Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" and "1937" centered at top and bottom respectively | none | 123-456 | 46-001 to approximately 193-000 |
| 1938 | Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate with border line; "1938" and "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at top and bottom respectively | none | 123-456 | 46-001 to approximately 182-000 |
| January 1, 1939 – February 29, 1940 | Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" and "EX-2-29-40" centered at top and bottom respectively | none | 123-456 | 46-001 to approximately 174-000 |
| March 1, 1940 – March 31, 1941 | Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" and "EX-3-31-41" centered at top and bottom respectively | none | 123-456 | 52-000 to approximately 182-000 |
| April 1, 1941 – March 31, 1942 | Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "EX-3-31-42" and "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at top and bottom respectively | none | 123-456 | 46-001 to approximately 183-000 |
| April 1, 1942 – March 31, 1945 | As 1940–41 base, but with "EX-3-31-43" at bottom | none | 123-456 | 52-001 to approximately 216-000 | Revalidated until March 31, 1944 with black tabs, then until March 31, 1945 with white tabs, due to metal conservation for World War II. |
| April 1, 1945 – March 31, 1946 | As 1941–42 base, but with "EX-3-31-46" at top | none | 123-456 | 45-001 to approximately 136-000 | Only rear plates issued due to ongoing metal shortage. |
| April 1, 1946 – March 31, 1948 | As 1940–41 base, but with "EX-3-31-47" at bottom | none | 123-456 | 50-001 to approximately 181-000 | Revalidated until March 31, 1948 with white tabs. |
| April 1, 1948 – March 31, 1949 | Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "19 D.C. 48" at top | none | 1234 | 1 to 9999 | Letters B, C, D, H, L, M, R and T used on non-passenger vehicles. This practice continued until 1955.[4] |
| 1-2345 | 1-1000 to
9-9999 |
| A-1234 | A-1 to approximately N-1000 |
| April 1, 1949 – March 31, 1950 | Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "19 D.C. 49" at bottom | none | 1234 | 1 to 9999 | |
| 1-2345 | 1-1000 to
9-9999 |
| A-1234 | A-1 to approximately P-7000 |
| April 1, 1950 – March 31, 1951 | Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "19 D.C. 50" at bottom | none | 1234 | 1 to 9999 | |
| 1-2345 | 1-1000 to
9-9999 |
| A-1234 | A-1 to approximately S-5000 |
| April 1, 1951 – March 31, 1952 | Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate with border line; "19 D.C. 51" at top | none | 1234 | 1 to 9999 | |
| 1-2345 | 1-1000 to
9-9999 |
| A-1234 | A-1 to approximately S-2000 |
| April 1, 1952 – March 31, 1953 | Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "19 D.C. 52" at bottom | none | 1234 | 1 to 9999 | |
| 1-2345 | 1-1000 to
9-9999 |
| A-1234 | A-1 to approximately P-1000 |
| April 1, 1953 – March 31, 1955 | Embossed dark green serial on white plate with border line; "DIST. OF COLUMBIA" centered at top; "3-31" at top left and "54" at top right | "THE NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at bottom | 1234 | 1 to 9999 | Revalidated until March 31, 1955 with dark green tabs. |
| 1-2345 | 1-1000 to
9-9999 |
| A-1234 | A-1 to
Z-9999 |
| AB-123 | AA-1 to approximately AB-999 |
| April 1, 1955 – March 31, 1956 | Embossed white serial on dark green plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at bottom; "3-31" at top left and "56" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦12♦34 | AA♦10♦00 to AY♦99♦99; EA♦10♦00 to approximately EA♦99♦99 | Serials with B, C, D, H and L as the first letter used on non-passenger vehicles. This practice continued until 1964.[4] |
| April 1, 1956 – March 31, 1957 | Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at bottom; "3-31" at top left and "57" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦12♦34 | AA♦10♦00 to AY♦99♦99; EA♦10♦00 to approximately EA♦99♦99 |
| April 1, 1957 – March 31, 1958 | Embossed golden yellow serial on royal blue plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at bottom; "3-31" at top left and "58" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦123 | AA♦100 to approximately SZ♦999 |
| April 1, 1958 – March 31, 1959 | Embossed royal blue serial on golden yellow plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at bottom; "3-31" at top left and "59" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦123 | AA♦100 to approximately WB♦999 |
| April 1, 1959 – March 31, 1960 | As 1957–58 base, but with "60" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦123 | AA♦100 to approximately WK♦999 |
| April 1, 1960 – March 31, 1961 | As 1958–59 base, but with "61" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦123 | AA♦100 to approximately WP♦999 |
| April 1, 1961 – March 31, 1962 | As 1957–58 base, but with "62" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦123 | AA♦100 to approximately WV♦999 |
| April 1, 1962 – March 31, 1963 | Embossed dark green serial on reflective white plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at bottom; "3-31" at top left and "63" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦123 | AA♦100 to approximately WV♦999 |
| April 1, 1963 – March 31, 1964 | Embossed black serial on reflective yellow plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at bottom; "3-31" at top left and "64" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | AB♦123 | AA♦100 to approximately XJ♦999 |
| April 1, 1964 – March 31, 1965 | Embossed red serial on reflective white plate with border line; "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" centered at bottom; "3-31" at top left and "65" at top right | 1A234 | 1A101 to 9Z999 | |
| 1A23 | 1A01 to approximately 2T99 |
| April 1, 1965 – March 31, 1966 | Embossed black serial on reflective golden yellow plate with border line; "WASHINGTON, D.C." centered at bottom; "3-31" at top left and "66" at top right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | 1AB23 | 1AA01 to approximately 2MH99 |
Since November 2000, the standard District of Columbia license plate design has featured some form of the slogan "Taxation Without Representation", referring to the unique circumstance that the district's residents face, in which they must pay federal income tax but cannot elect a voting member of the United States Congress.[5]
| Image(s) | Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|
| April 1, 1966 – March 31, 1967 | Embossed black serial on reflective white plate with border line; "WASHINGTON, D.C." centered at top; "3-31" at bottom left and "67" at bottom right | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at bottom | 123-456 | 100-001 to 300-000 | Validated from April 1, 1967 through March 31, 1968 with stickers. |
| April 1, 1967 – March 31, 1968 | As above, but without "67" | 300-001 to approximately 368-000 |
| April 1, 1968 – March 31, 1974 | Embossed black serial on reflective white plate with border line; "WASHINGTON, D.C." centered at bottom | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | 123-456 | 500-001 to 999-999 |
| April 1, 1974 – March 31, 1978 | Embossed blue serial on reflective white plate; embossed blue U.S. Capitol dome graphic used as separator; screened red stripes above and below serial; "WASHINGTON, D.C." centered at bottom; "3-31" at bottom left and debossed sticker box at bottom right | "1776 BICENTENNIAL 1976" at top | 123-456 | 100-001 to 500-000 | Monthly staggered registration introduced August 1, 1983. All plates replaced between 1984 and 1986. |
| April 1, 1978 – March 31, 1979 | As above, but with "3-31" on sticker at bottom left (applied during production) | "NATION'S CAPITAL" centered at top | 500-001 to 562-000 |
| April 1, 1979 – September 1984 | As above, but without "3-31" sticker | 562-001 to 925-000 |
| October 1984 – August 1991 | Embossed blue serial on reflective white plate; screened district flag used as separator; screened red stripes above and below serial; "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.[6] Slogan changed in 1991 in honor of the district's bicentennial. |
August 1991 –
April
1997 | "Celebrate & Discover" screened in blue centered at top | 501-751 to approximately 853-000 |
April
1997 – November 2000 | As above, but with "Washington, D.C." and sticker boxes at top rather than bottom | "Celebrate & Discover" as above, but at bottom | {{nowrap|AB-1234}} | AA-0000 to AY-9999 | |
| November 2000 – October 2001 | "TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" screened in blue at bottom | AZ-0000 to BA-9999;
BC-0000 to approximately BG-1999 |
| January 2001 – January 2002 | "WWW.Washingtondc.gov" screened in blue centered at bottom | BB-0000 to approximately BB-1999 | Alternative issue. |
| October 2001 – October 2002 | As above, but with serial screened rather than embossed, and without debossed sticker boxes | "TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" as above | BG-2000 to BH-9999;
BK-0000 to approximately BP-1399 |
| January 2002 – present | "www.washingtondc.gov" screened in blue centered at bottom | BJ-0000 to BJ-9999;
EA-0000 to present | Alternative issue. EA series began in mid-2010. |
October 2002 –
July
2013 | As above, but with "WASHINGTON, DC" in blue at top | "TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" as above | BP-1400 to DZ-9999;
EB-0000 to EJ-9999 | |
July
2013 –
April
2017 | As above, but with "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" in blue at top | EK-0000 to FN-3999 |
April
2017 – present | As above, but with "WASHINGTON, DC" at top as from 2002–13 | "END TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION" screened in blue at bottom | FN-4000 to GA-4000 (as of March 20, 2019) |
1. ^{{cite web|url=http://leatherlicenseplates.com/old-district-of-columbia-license-plates-vintage-district-of-columbia-license-plates/ |title=Old District of Columbia License Plates |publisher=LeatherLicensePlates.com |accessdate=September 27, 2017}}
2. ^{{cite magazine |last=Garrish |first=Christopher |date=October 2016 |title=Reconsidering the Standard Plate Size |magazine=Plates |publisher=Automobile License Plate Collectors Association |volume=62 |number=5}}
3. ^{{cite web|url=http://porcelainplates.net/distofcolumbia_archive.html |title=District of Columbia Archive |publisher=PorcelainPlates.net |accessdate=September 27, 2017}}
4. ^1 2 {{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutlicenseplates.com/athome.asp?State=District%20Of%20Columbia |title=District Of Columbia License Plates |publisher=allaboutlicenseplates.com |accessdate=September 27, 2017}}
5. ^{{cite news |title=Message Gets Rolling; D.C. Government Enlists Residents' Vehicles In Campaign for Congressional Representation |first=Sewell |last=Chan |work=The Washington Post |page=C01 |date=November 5, 2000 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/63411917.html?FMT=ABS |accessdate=August 6, 2008}}
6. ^{{cite web|title=1984 Capital City Baseplate |url=http://dcplates.net/Base1984.htm |publisher=DCplates.net |accessdate=September 6, 2018}}