Timeline of Tag Types and Laws

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New plate types show in red.
This list is not 100% exhaustive, please contact me if you have anything to add or change!

1905 Delaware issues automobile registration numbers for the first time. Motorists are required to provide their own license plates. Numbering begins at 10.

1909 License plates begin to be issued by the state, starting May 1.

1913 New plate type: Motorcycle (September). For most of the year, motorcyclists received a regular plate that was part of the Passenger series. Motorcyclists complained so the state began to issue fender-size "flexible" plates starting in September. Only 10 were issued and only 1 is known in collections. Number 1 is issued to the Governor for the first time.

1914 New plate type: Dealer. Numbers issued to Dealers prior to 1914 were part of the Passenger series, first mixed in with the series (1905 to early 1909) and later as a reserved number block (late 1909 to 1913). Dealer numbers had an "X" prefix starting in 1914 and continuting through 1936.

1916 License plates switch from porcelain to steel.

1919 New plate type: Trailer. The law to authorize Trailer plates was passed in mid-1919 but it is thought that actual plates were not issued until 1920.

1921 A law to require vehicle titles is enacted.

1923 New plate type: Commercial. Commercial plates are oval in shape, all 5-digit numbers, and the same color scheme as passenger plates.

1925 New plate type: Hearse ("H" prefix).

1928 New plate type: State Owned. These plates had no prefix, just "STATE OF DELAWARE" in 1928, "S" prefix starting in 1929.

1929 New plate type: Convertible. Reserved block of numbers in the Passenger series. Commercial plates drop oval shape and add "C" prefix, starting at "C1". A diamond is added to plates for the first time.

1930 New plate type: Exempt. "E" prefix, issued to public service vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks.

1936 The Commercial series surpasses C9999 for the first time, rolling over to C-X 100 (presumably 100, not confirmed). The X has a macron over it, which together is the Roman numeral for 10,000.

1938 C-X is replaced with C-A for Commercial numbers over C9999. C-B and C-C are also known for later years.

1939 New plate type: Congress. Members of U.S. Congress, not state legislature. In September 1939, the Motor Vehicle Commissioner of Delaware announced that 1940 plates would be county-coded and use numbers 10-999: N for New Castle County, K for Kent County, S for Sussex County, and W for the City of Wilmington. On January 2, 1940, a new Motor Vehicle Commission was sworn in and, per newspaper records, he stood behind his predecessor's decision to use county coding for plates, citing the cost to change their order that was apparently ready to be shipped. Three days later, the MVC announced that the order could be cancelled, meaning Delaware's all-numeric system lived to see another day.

1940 New plate type: Judiciary.

1941 New plate types: Representative and Senator. Governor Bacon signed a bill on February 13, 1941 allowing for the production and use of license plates for state-level Representatives and Senators. The original bill would have used "REPRESENTATIVE" or "SENATOR" and would have used numbering instead of the legislator's initials. At the suggestion of Delaware State Highway Commissioner Francis V. du Pont, Delaware moved from annual plates to permanent plates. These white on black porcelain plates were first issued in July 1941 and are the plates that are reproduced today. Renewals switched from annual to quarterly.

1943 License plates were issued as singles, not pairs, starting March 1943 due to World War II steel conservation effort.

1947 New plate type: Taxi. Stainless steel base begins, black/white porcelain ends.

1949 New plate type: Farm Truck. Number 100000 is reached for the first time, issued to Governor Bacon.

1951 Scotchlite reflective tape is applied to plate numbers. Tag retention bill is passed.

1953 New plate types: PC ("Pleasure-Commercial"), Towed Car, and Amateur Radio.

1955 New plate types: Temporary and Antique Automobile (blue porcelain, for front of vehicle).

1958 Delaware is the last state in the USA to adopt 6" x 12" plate standard. First blue and gold plate debuts.

1962 "THE FIRST STATE" first printed on tags.

1968 Silk screened plates with gold border begin (October, starting at number 262000).

1969 Renewals switched from quarterly to monthly.

1973 New plate types: RV and CT (Construction).

1974 New plate types: Ambulance, Fire Department, and Rescue (white on red plates). Legislative and Judicial plates add state seal on left (design still used today). Motorcycle plates hit 9999, moves to B100-B999, then E100, then J100.

1977 New plate types: Moped and Street Rod.

1982 New plate type: Motorcycle Vanity. Numbers for all types started to be recycled/reissued. Wheelchair symbol added to Handicapped plates.

1983 New plate types: Ex-POW and Handicapped Motorcycle.

1984 New plate types: DAV and C/L. C/L plates (starting at 10000) began as an overflow series after C99999 was reached. "C/L" is chosen beacuse it's the first and last letters of the word "Commercial" (per former DMV Director Bob Voshell.)

1986 New plate type: Ex-MIA. New cars able to be registered for up to 3 years.

1990 Used cars able to be registered for up to 2 years.

1991 New plate types: National Guard and Armed Forces Reserves.

1992 New plate types: Volunteer Firefighter and Ladies Auxiliary. Bi-monthly expirations begin, effective January 1, 1992 (15th and last day.)

1993 New plate types: Ducks Unlimited and Purple Heart.

1994 New plate types: Recreational Trailer (RT), Retired State Police, and Pearl Harbor Survivor.

1995 New plate types: Apportioned, Nur Shrine, Valor Medals (see Types page, search "Valor"), Retired Military (see Types page, search "Retired"), Order of the Eastern Star, Telephone Pioneers, Lions Club, Delaware Senior Olympics, University of Notre Dame, and Marine Corps League. Vanity plates moved from 6 characters to 7 characters.

1996 New plate types: Animal Welfare special plate, Environmental (Duck) special plate, Lighthouse special plate, University of Delaware, Knights of Columbus, Korean War Veteran, Justice of the Peace.

1997 New plate type: Wilmington Fire Department. Law passed to allow motor vehicles under 5,000 lbs to carry and plate type (e.g. C and PC).

1999 New plate types: VFW and Delaware Standardbred Owners Association.

2002 Demco, the long-time supplier of Delaware license plates, prints its last plate as Waldale Manufacturing takes over production.

2004 New plate type: Farmland Preservation special plate.

2006 New plate type: Submarine Veterans.

2008 New plate types: Vietnam Veteran, Buffalo Soldiers, Gold Star Family, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Delaware Technical & Community College. The Centennial plate is offered for 15 months starting October 2008, celebrating 100 years of state-issued license plates in Delaware. Tag number 6 is sold for $675,000, a nationwide record that still stands to this day.

2009 New plate type: Limousine. The Centennial special plate wins ALPCA's Best Plate Award for 2008.

2010 New plate types: Choose Life and West Point. Beveled edges are added to plates.

2011 New plate type: Disabled American Veteran (HP) and Law Enforcement Memorial. The P and C of PC plates separate for easier reading of red light cameras and police license plate readers.

2012 New plate types: William Henry High School, Civil Air Patrol, Operation Enduring Freedom, Episcopal Diocese of Delaware, and Marine Mammal special plate.

2013 New plate types: Breast Cancer Awareness and Indian River HS Alumni.

2014 New plate types: Stop Child Abuse special plate, Honoring Our Veterans, Farm Vehicle, Cancer Support Community, and Flyers Charities.

2015 Animal Welfare plate is redesigned.

2016 New plate types: International Association of Fire Fighters, Caesar Rodney School District 100th Anniversary, Cape Henlopen High School, Conquer Childhood Cancer, Delta Waterfowl, and Dover High School.

2017 New plate types: Paramedic, Operation Desert Storm, Delaware Equine Council special plate, and National Wild Turkey Federation.

2018 New plate types: Women's Military Monument, Dover Chiefs Group, and Keep Delaware Beautiful special plate.

2019 New plate types: Honorably Discharged Veteran, Freshwater and Saltwater Fish special plates, Bicycle Friendly special plate, Delaware State Education Association 100th Anniversary special plate, Delaware State Fair 100th Anniversary, and Delmar Wildcats.

2020 New plate types: Horseshoe Crab special plate and World War II Veteran.

2021 New plate types: Support Pollinators, Autism Acceptance and Inclusion special plate, and St. Mark's High School.

2022 New plate types: Suicide Prevention special plate, Save Shorebirds special plate, and atTAcK Addiction. The Support Pollinators special plate wins ALPCA's Best Plate Award for 2021, the second time in ALPCA's history that Delaware won "Best Plate."

2023 New plate types: Combat Infantry Badge, Delaware State Police, Plastic Free Delaware, Retired State Legislator, and Whitetails Unlimited. Amy Anthony became DMV Director as of September 1, 2023. Law passed to exempt most Active Duty military members from 4.25% doc fee for the titling cars.

2024 New plate types: Delaware Pride Council, Greenwing Ducks Unlimited, and University of Delaware Athletics. On May 14, 2024, Federal Judge Gregory Williams ruled that the Delaware law authorizing the DMV to censor vanity plates was unconstitutional, leaving Delaware DMV unable to issue any new vanity plates until the law was amended.

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