Ordering Vanity and Specialty Plates

By: Josh Tyson June 5, 2012
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Like it or not, you car becomes an extension of your personality. Many people even judge you based on the car you drive!

If you are still rolling in the same Dodge Omni you bought in 1987, you might want to offset the, uh, understated antiquity of your whip with a sophisticated license plate. Maybe a personalized plate reminding your fellow motorists that you ROLLHRD, or the collector or antique plate your beloved Chrysler finally qualifies for.

Why Choose Personalized Plates?

Nail your personalized plate and you are a living legend for as long as you drive your car.

Think about it: How many times have you pointed out a clever vanity plate to a car-mate, or told your better half over dinner, "You will not believe this, but I saw a Dodge Omni with the license plate ROLLHRD!"

Paying for Personalization

Living legend status has never come free of charge (just ask Elvis), and you will have to pay some extra coin for your clever metal sign.

In most states the charge is added on to your normal vehicle registration fee, which makes sense as you generally order specialty or vanity plates during the vehicle registration process, anyway.

State Guidelines for Choosing a Personalized Plate

It is unfortunate that so much hilarity in this life is dirty, because your vanity tags need to be clean.

Here are some of the no-go elements in Vermont, for example:

Combinations of letters or numbers that is suggestive of, in any language, to breasts, genitalia, pubic area, or buttocks or relate to sexual or eliminatory functions. Additionally, "69" formats are prohibited unless used in combination with the vehicle make, for example, “69 CHEV.”

It should go without saying, but racial and homophobic slurs are out as well.

Specific Specialty Plates

Most states offer specialty license plates that let the world know that you are, for instance, driving a Dodge Omni that is, indeed, a collector's item.

These things can get pretty specific to unique tastes and hobbies as well. Take Maryland, for example, where ham radio enthusiasts can have their call letters etched onto their plates.

States across the nation also offer military plates, plates celebrating non-profit organizations like Masonic clubs and plates commemorating major events (in Colorado, for instance, the specialty plate honoring victims and survivors of the Columbine shooting remains a very popular choice).

We'd love to hear what clever personal plates you can come up with. Drop us a comment with your best seven-character punchline. Do you already have it, or will you order it during your next car registration renewal?

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