History of DMV

From the simple black or dark brown leather "marker plates" used at the turn of the last century, to the sky blue aluminum and plastic "faded" plates of today, Connecticut license plates have come a long way. Here are some facts and highlights from the last 100 years:

• Before 1905, vehicle owners had to supply their own license plates.

• Beginning in 1905, Connecticut required all vehicles to register with the Secretary of State.

• Beginning in 1907, Connecticut required annual registration of all vehicles.

• Beginning in 1910, Connecticut required all registrations to run concurrent to the calendar year.

• In 1914, all porcelain license plates were replaced with steel.

• In 1917, the DMV was established.

• In 1920, state prisons began to manufacture license plates.

• In 1932, the size of all license plates was standardized.

• During World War II, the war effort required a large amount of aluminum, so the state switched to steel plates. After the war, plates were once again made with aluminum.

• In 1935, Tercentenary plates were issued, marking the 300th anniversary of the first European settlers' arrival to the area in 1635.

• Beginning in 1937, permanent plates were issued, rather than yearly plates.

• Beginning in 1948, the state began using a reflective material on the plates that made them more visible to oncoming traffic when headlights shone on them in the dark.

• Beginning in 1957, Connecticut began spelling out the full state name on the license plate.

• Beginning in 1974, the "Constitution State" motto was added.

• Beginning in 1977, the state switched back to aluminum white-on-blue plates.

• Beginning in 2000, the current blue-fade license plates were issued.