Vehicle registration plates of New York

New York

Current series
Name	Excelsior
Slogan	Excelsior
Size	12 in × 6 in 30 cm × 15 cm
Material	Aluminum
Serial format	ABC-1234
Introduced	June 2020 (2020-06)
Availability
Issued by	New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
Manufactured by	Corcraft Products, Auburn Correctional Facility, Auburn, New York
History
First issued	August 1, 1910 (1910-08-01) (pre-state plates from 1901 to July 31, 1910)
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The U.S. state of New York was the first to require its residents to register their motor vehicles, in 1901. Registrants provided their own license plates for display, featuring their initials until 1903 and numbers thereafter, until the state began to issue plates in 1910. ^[1]

Plates are currently issued by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYSDMV). Front and rear plates are required on all vehicles except for motorcycles and trailers.

Passenger baseplates

1910 to 1965

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 6 inches (15 cm) in height by 12 inches (30 cm) in width, with standardized mounting holes. ^[2] The 1956 (dated 1957) issue was the first New York license plate that complied with these standards.

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1910	Riveted white serial on dark blue plate; vertical "NY" at right	none	12345	1 to 999; 3000 to approximately 61000	Serials 1000 through 2999 reserved for dealers; this practice continued through 1913. [3]
	1911	Embossed white serial on maroon plate; vertical "NY" at right	none	12345	1 to 999; 3000 to approximately 85000
	1912	White serial on red porcelain plate; vertical "NY" at right	none	123456	1 to 999; 3000 to approximately 106000
	1913	Embossed white serial on purple plate; "NY 1913" at right	none	12345	1 to 999; 3000 to 99999	First dated plate.
				A1234	A1 to approximately E2000
	1914	Embossed white serial on brown plate; "NY 1914" at left	none	12345	1 to 5999; 8000 to 99999	Serials 6000 through 7999 reserved for dealers. [3]
				A1234	A1 to approximately F5000
	1915	Embossed black serial on yellow plate; "NY 1915" at right	none	12345	1 to 999; 3000 to 99999	Serials 1000 through 2999 reserved for dealers (as from 1910 to 1913). Letters A, B, D, E, F, H, K, R, S, V, X and Y used in the A1234 serial format. [3]
				A1234	A1 to approximately Y3000
	1916	Embossed dark blue serial on white plate; "N.Y. 1916" centered at bottom	none	123-456 A12-345 B12-345	Coded by district	All-numeric serials issued in New York City district; 'A' series in Albany district (eastern upstate New York); and 'B' series in Buffalo district (western upstate New York). This happened again in 1917. [4]
	1917	Embossed white serial on dark olive green plate with border line; "N.Y. 1917" centered at bottom	none	123-456 A123-456 B123-456	Coded by district
	1918	Embossed white serial on maroon plate with border line; "N.Y. 1918" centered at top	none	123-456		Single series of all-numeric serials used for all classes of vehicles, with blocks allocated to passenger vehicles in each of the three districts (above). This practice continued through 1921. [3]
	1919	Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "N.Y. 1919" centered at top	none	123-456
	1920	Embossed black serial on light green plate with border line; "N.Y. 1920" centered at bottom	none	123-456
	1921	Embossed white serial on dark blue plate with border line; "N.Y. 1921" centered at bottom	none	123-456
	1922	Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "N.Y. 1922" centered at bottom	none	123-456 1-234-567	Issued in blocks by county
	1923	Embossed white serial on purple plate with border line; "N.Y. 1923" centered at top	none	123-456 1-234-567	Issued in blocks by county
	1924	Embossed white serial on gray plate with border line; "N.Y. 1924" centered at bottom	none	123-456 1-234-567	Issued in blocks by county
	1925	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "N.Y. 1925" centered at top	none	1A·12-34	County-coded	First use of county codes.
	1926	Embossed white serial on dark blue plate with border line; "N.Y. 1926" centered at bottom	none	1A·12-34	County-coded
	1927	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate with border line; "NY 27" centered at top	none	1A-12-34 A-12-34	County-coded
	1928	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 28" centered at bottom	none	1A-12-34 A-12-34	County-coded
	1929	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY·29" centered at bottom	none	A/1 12-34 A/ 12-34	County-coded
	1930	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 30" centered at top	none	A 12-34 1A12-34	County-coded
	1931	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY 31" centered at bottom	none	A-12-34 1A12-34	County-coded
	1932	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 32" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34	County-coded
	1933	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY 33" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34	County-coded
	1934	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 34" centered at bottom	none	A-12-34 1A12-34	County-coded
	1935	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY 35" centered at bottom	none	A-12-34 1A12-34	County-coded
	1936	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 36" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34	County-coded
	1937	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY 37" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34	County-coded
	1938	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 38" centered at top	"NEW YORK WORLD"S FAIR 1939" at bottom	A-12-34 1A12-34	County-coded	First base to feature the full state name.
	1939	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate	"NEW YORK WORLD"S FAIR 1939" at top	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB-123	County-coded
	1940	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate	"NEW YORK WORLD"S FAIR 1940" at bottom	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB-123	County-coded
	1941	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY 41" centered at bottom	none	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB-123	County-coded
	1942–43	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 42" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded	Only rear plates issued due to metal conservation for World War II. Revalidated for 1943 with golden yellow tabs.
	1944	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY 44" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded	Restamped and repainted 1942 plates.
	1945	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 45" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded
	1946	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY 46" centered at bottom	none	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded
	1947	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 47" centered at bottom	none	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded
	1948–49	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY 48" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded	Revalidated for 1949 with black tabs.
	1950	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY 50" centered at top	none	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded
	1951–52	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY", slogan and "51" at bottom	"THE EMPIRE STATE" between state abbreviation and year	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded	Revalidated for 1952 with black tabs.
	1953–54	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY", slogan and "53" at bottom	"THE EMPIRE STATE" between state abbreviation and year	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded	Revalidated for 1954 with golden yellow tabs.
	1955–56	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY", slogan and "55" at top	"THE EMPIRE STATE" between state abbreviation and year	A-12-34 1A12-34 AB12-34	County-coded	Revalidated for 1956 with black tabs.
	1957	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate; "NY", slogan and "57" at bottom	"EMPIRE STATE" between state abbreviation and year	A-1234 AB-1234 1234-A 1234-AB 1A-1234	County-coded	First 6" x 12" plate.
	1958–59	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "NY", slogan and "58" at bottom	"EMPIRE STATE" between state abbreviation and year	A-1234 AB-1234 1234-A 1234-AB 1A-1234	County-coded	Revalidated for 1959 with black tabs.
	1960–61	As 1957 base, but with "60" at bottom right	"EMPIRE STATE" as on 1957 base	A-1234 AB-1234 1234-A 1234-AB 1A-1234	County-coded	Revalidated for 1961 with golden yellow tabs.
	1962–63	As 1958–59 base, but with "62" at bottom right	"EMPIRE STATE" as on 1958–59 base	A-1234 AB-1234 1234-A 1234-AB 1A-1234	County-coded	Revalidated for 1963 with black tabs.
	1964–65	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "NY", slogan and "64" at bottom	"WORLD'S FAIR" between state abbreviation and year	A-1234 AB-1234 1234-A 1234-AB 1A-1234	County-coded	Revalidated for 1965 with red stickers placed at far right.

1966 to present

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1966–72	Embossed orange serial on blue plate; border lines around plate and around registration sticker spot at bottom right; "NEW YORK" centered at bottom	none	A-1234 AB-1234 1234-A 1234-AB 1A-1234	County-coded	Some later plates use the 1973 serial dies; all revalidated with stickers.
	1973–80	Embossed dark blue serial on reflective orange plate; border lines around plate and around registration sticker spot at bottom right; "NEW YORK" centered at bottom	none	12-ABC 123-ABC1	County-coded	Numbers 51 through 999 were used on the 12-ABC and 123-ABC serial formats. Narrower dies introduced 1979 to accommodate 1234-ABC format. All plates revalidated with windshield decals; plate stickers never used despite sticker box. (Except on Trailer plates)
	1980 – June 30, 1986			1234-ABC1	1000-AAA to approximately 9999-BUR; 1000-TAA to approximately 9999-TCS
	July 1, 1986 – December 2000	Liberty plates. Embossed dark blue serial on reflective white plate, with red stripes at top and bottom; red Statue of Liberty graphic screened in center (or at left on vanity plates); "NEW YORK" screened in dark blue centered at top	none	ABC 123 1AB 2342	County-coded	Validated with windshield decal.
				A1B 234 A12 3BC AB1 23C2	A2A 100 to Y9Z 999; A10 0AA to Z99 9ZZ; AA1 00A to GS9 99E
	January 2001 – March 31, 2010	Empire State plates. Embossed dark blue serial with state-shaped separator on reflective white plate with blue bars above and below; upper blue bar has the words "NEW YORK" in white with dark blue outline, over a skyline of Niagara Falls, the Adirondack Mountains, and New York City, with sky above all	"THE EMPIRE STATE" screened in white on lower blue bar	ABC-12343	AAA-1000 to EYH-2999	Validated with windshield decal. Letters I, O and Q not used in serials. [3] AAA-1000 through ABZ-9999 reserved for Transit Permit; EYH-3000 through EZZ-9999 may be issued on custom plates. TWY series used by New York State Thruway Authority.
	April 1, 2010 [5]  – May, 2020	Empire Gold plates. Embossed dark blue serial with state-shaped separator on golden yellow plate, with small blue bar at bottom with thin blue stripe above and curved larger blue bar at top with thin blue stripe below, with orange "NEW YORK" curving to edges of top bar	"EMPIRE STATE" screened in dark blue centered at bottom	ABC-12344	FAA-1000 to JSF-9999	Validated with windshield decal. JTA-3000 through JZZ-9999 may be issued on custom plates.
	June 2020 [6]  – present	Excelsior plates. Dark blue serial with state-shaped separator on white plate; images of Niagara Falls and New York City skyline at bottom; "NEW YORK" in dark blue centered at top with gold and blue stripes on either side	"EXCELSIOR" in gold, with blue outline, centered at bottom	ABC-12346	KAA-1000 to KCH-9999;7 KDA-1000 to LNU-9999 (as of May 1, 2024)5	Plate design chosen by online vote. [7]

Notes on serials

1. Plus remakes of 1966–72 serials, issued upon request.
2. Plus remakes of 1966–72 and 1973–86 serials, issued upon request.
3. Plus remakes of Liberty serials, issued upon request.
4. Plus remakes of Liberty and Empire State serials, issued upon request.
5. This is the highest serial reserved by the NYSDMV.
6. Plus remakes of Liberty, Empire State and Empire Gold serials, issued upon request.
7. These were originally recalled as being too reflective but have been reprinted and reissued.

Passenger baseplate variations

1973–1986: Blue on orange

The letter series on the original run of 1973 orange plates were allocated by county and were determined by a number of factors such as geographical names or features found in any said county. The entire 1973–74 allocation list is displayed below.

By 1975, the DMV began to issue letter series that were not part of the original allocation. These were issued alphabetically, beginning with the 'A' series and running until the final 'V' and 'W' plates were issued in 1979–80. This was done on a rotating basis in the alphabetical order of the county name. At times, issuing offices or counties ran short of plates and plates would be diverted to where they were needed, sometimes breaking the intended issuing order.

In late 1979, the state introduced new narrower dies that were to be used on the upcoming seven-character passenger plates. Most of the 'V' series of six-character plates used these dies (except for VS, VV, and the series issued in the original allocation), as well as series UYA through UYH, WXC through WXZ, and WYX through WZZ.

The new seven-character passenger plates started to be issued in late 1980. These plates were issued sequentially, starting at 1000-AAA, with the letters I, O and Q not used, and 0 not used as the first digit. The 'A' series ran until around the end of 1983 and the 'B' series from around the beginning of 1984 until June 1986; there were also a few mis-stamped plates with the GAM suffix in Nassau County. The final known issue was in the BUR series.

The seven-character passenger plates were issued without regard of the meaning of any specific three-letter combination, with one exception: 1000-AUB through 4999-AUB were assigned to Cayuga County for its county seat at Auburn, where the Corcraft plate facility is located.

In 1984 the DMV began to issue plates directly through dealers, using the 'T' series. The plates were issued in the same manner as described above, and can be dated in this manner: TAA-TAZ in 1984, TBA-TBZ in 1985, and TCA-TCS in 1986. The final known issue was in the TCS series.

In July 1986 the DMV began to issue the Liberty plates to replace this issue, and it took two years for the blue-on-orange plates to be fully off the road.

1986–2001: Statue of Liberty

All Statue of Liberty plates in the ABC 123 serial format, plus those in the early 1AB 234 format, featured the word "Liberty" in their 3M security marks. During 1990, the security marks changed, with "Liberty" replaced by the last two digits of the year in which the sheeting was manufactured (the plates may actually date from later). In 1993, the marks changed again to feature 3M lot numbers, which were used until the end of Liberty plate manufacture in 2000. Plates were issued two ways: "over-the-counter" from a DMV or County office or "mail-out" in which registrants received new plates directly by mail.

When the 1AB 234 serial format made its first appearance in September 1988, the first serials observed began with 6VB; this was because most plates with serials from 2VA 100 through 9VZ 999 and 2XA 100 through 9XZ 999 were issued from new car dealers, which had exhausted their allocations in the ABC 123 format (roughly VAA 100 through VZZ 999 and XGA 100 through XZZ 999; XAA 100 through XFZ 999 were issued in Suffolk County as mail-out replacement passenger plates).

Most plates, including specialty, vanity, and non-passenger plates, contained embossed characters, except a few in the A12 3BC format, which had screened characters.

To date, these earlier Liberty plates are:

Type One

ABC 123 format, issued from July 1, 1986, through at least July 1989. These plates were issued primarily on a county-code basis (so, for instance, BXW 415 and ULK 767 could have been issued in different parts of the state on the same day in 1986). The letters I, O and Q were used only as the first letter; they were not used at all on subsequent Liberty standard passenger issues, as they could be confused with the numbers 1 and 0. ^[3]

Type Two

1AB 234 format, issued from around September 1988 through at least October 1991. These plates were at least partially issued on a county-code basis (so, for instance, 4LV 392 and 7TC 806 could have been issued in different parts of the state on the same day in 1989) and became the last standard passenger plates issued in this manner. The numbers 0 and 1 were not used in the first position, to avoid confusion with the letters O and I respectively, while 0 was also not used in the fourth position. Plates stamped out during 1990 featured the "90" security mark.

Type Three

A1B 234 format, issued from around January 1991 through at least November 1993. These plates were issued in strict alphanumeric order, beginning with A2A 100 and ending with Y9Z 999. The numbers 0 and 1 were not used in the second position for the reasons mentioned above, while 0 was also not used in the fourth position. "90", "91" and "92" security marks featured on these plates.

Type Four

A12 3BC format, issued from February 1993 through at least August 1999. The first plates featured "92" security marks and were the final plates on galvanized steel; by the end of the 'A' series, plates had lot-number security marks and were on thin gauge aluminum. Some 'Y' series plates during 1998 had screened, rather than embossed, serials and were issued in the Rochester area.

Type Five

AB1 23C format, issued from May 1999 through February 28, 2001. All had lot-number security marks, and were aluminum. GS9 99E was the final known Type Five issue.

"Preferred" plates

Plates in the 1A 234 format were usually issued by county clerks' offices to constituents who contributed significantly to the counties; some were also issued as remakes of pre-1973 serials.

Rental plates

Plates with serials ZAA 100 through ZZZ 999 were assigned for use on rental cars from 1986 through September 1996. They featured "Liberty", "90", and "91" security marks. They were manufactured as needed in small quantities, and none were made after 1992. The use of rental plates was eventually discontinued and standard passenger plates used instead, in order to discourage carjacking of rental cars.

2001–2010: "Empire State"

In 2001, the state began the process of replacing all of the Liberty plates with a new "Empire State" design depicting Niagara Falls, the Adirondack Mountains, and the New York City skyline, including the Empire State Building. This base was the first to use the "Empire State" slogan since 1963. As with the Liberty base, standard passenger plates had embossed serials, but unlike on the Liberty base, all vanity plates, most specialty plates, and many non-passenger plates had screened serials. Existing registrants with Liberty plates were given the option of keeping the serials from these plates on new Empire State plates, for a one-time fee. Many took this option, and thus many Liberty serials can still be seen on the road; plates with these serials have them embossed.

The ABC-1234 serial format for standard passenger plates was introduced with this base, beginning at ACA-1000 (series AAA through ABZ were reserved for Transit Permit plates). The 'A', 'B', and early 'C' series were issued during the replacement of the Liberty plates, the last of which came off the road in early 2003. The 'D' series began in 2004, followed by the 'E' series in 2007. The last standard passenger serial issued was EYH-2999. The letters I, O and Q are not used in this serial format.

2010–2020: "Empire Gold"

In 2010, the standard plate was redesigned to "Empire Gold". This plate consists of dark blue numbers on a gold background, and retains the ABC-1234 serial format. As with the Empire State base, standard passenger plates have embossed serials, while all vanity plates, all specialty plates, and many non-passenger plates have screened serials. Originally, the Empire Gold plate was supposed to be a reissue, replacing all of the Empire State plates in two years; however, after controversy over the new design and the $25 fee for reissue plates, mandatory replacement was called off, and the Empire State plates remain valid. All new registrants received Empire Gold plates, while existing registrants with Empire State plates could keep them or pay $25 for new Empire Gold plates; ^[8] they could also keep their previous serials on new plates for an additional one-time fee of $20.

Standard passenger serials on the Empire Gold plate began at FAA-1000. The 'G' series began in 2012, followed by the 'H' series in 2015 and the 'J' series in 2018.

2020–present: "Excelsior"

On August 19, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the initiation of a statewide survey to select a new design for New York's license plates, which would be available in April 2020. A design was selected in September 2019, depicting the words "New York"; images of Niagara Falls and mountains on the bottom left; the state motto "Excelsior" at bottom center; and a New York City skyline and Long Island lighthouse at bottom right. ^{[9] [10]}

Originally, starting in April 2020, plates older than ten years would have to be replaced upon the renewal of vehicle registration. ^{[11] [12]} However, as with the Empire Gold plates, there was controversy over the mandatory replacement scheme, ^[13] leading Cuomo's administration to consider reducing the new-plate fees. ^[14] Ultimately, the requirement to replace plates greater than ten years old was dropped, as long as the plates remained legible. ^{[15] [16]}

The first deliveries of the new plate design to state DMVs took place in April 2020, but ended up being returned without entering circulation. These early manufactures, in the series KAA through KCH, were too reflective and thus impossible for toll and speed cameras to read. ^[17] New York state therefore only started issuing Excelsior plates beginning with the KDA series. The earlier codes are to be reissued in the future. As of February 2022, the earlier codes are being issued to motorists.

Standard passenger serials on the Excelsior Plate began at KAA-1000. The L' series began in 2023, Followed by the M' series 3 to 5 years later.

Optional plates

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	from unknown	Blue bar with script New York with thin red stripe below. Logo picture on the left followed by 2 to 6 plate digits. Red and blue stripes run along the bottom. Newer plates have a curved blue banner with yellow stripe below on top, though some of the older designs (such as "regions") have not been transitioned to the new style.	Custom Picture plates with sports logos, universities, professions, emergency services, and military organizations. Also used for some official plates, such as those of the press, judges and assemblypeople.	Up to six letters and numbers. If number is random it will be in pre-allocated blocks in the 123ABC format. Serial numbers proceed sequentially within their own plate type, but non-sequentially otherwise, setting them apart from standard-issue plates.		Validated with windshield decal.

Non-passenger plates

Below are the non-passenger plates on the Empire Gold base. ^[18] Empire State non-passenger plates remain valid as of October 2019.

Image	Type	Serial format	Notes
	Agriculture	12345-GL	Embossed.
	Ambulance	12345-EV	Embossed. EV = Emergency Vehicle.
	Apportioned	12345-PF	Flat.
	Architect	AR-123	Flat.
	Bus	12345-BT	Flat. (Formerly Embossed) The BA Series was used for the 2001 series and The BB Series was used for the 2010 Series.
	Commercial	12345-NA [19]	Embossed.
	Dealer	1234567	Flat. Began at 7100000.
	Disability	123456	Flat. Began at 600000. Wheelchair symbol updated 2014. [20]
	Farm	12345-FR	Embossed.
	Historical Car	12345-HL	Flat. Began at 10000-HL
	Livery	12345-LY	Flat. (Formerly Embossed) The LA Series was used for the 2001 series and The LV Series was used for the 2010 Series.
	Motorcycle	12AB34	Flat. Began at 10RA00.
	Official	R-12345 A/B1234	Older plates with the R-12345 serial format were embossed. Newer plates with the A/B1234 format are flat, and display the political subdivision at the left and the county name at the bottom.
	Press	NYP-1234	Flat.
	School	12345-SV	Flat. (Formerly Embossed) The SL Series was used for the 2001 series and The SH Series was used for the 2010 Series.
	Special Commercial	12345-SM	Embossed.
	T&LC	T123456C	Flat. Began at T600000C.
	T&LC – Nassau County	N123456C	Flat.
	T&LC – Westchester County	W123456C	Flat.
	Taxi	12345-TY	Flat.
	Taxi – NYC medallion cabs	Y123456C	Flat. New serial format from March 2018. Standby vehicles have the format S123456V. [21] Previous plates display the medallion number with a serial subscript (e.g. 1X97A), or 999SBVA for standby vehicles, and remain valid.
	Tow Truck	12345-TV	Flat. (Formerly Embossed) The TW Series was used for the 2001 series and The TT Series was used for the 2010 Series.
	Tractor	12345-TC	Flat.
	Trailer	CA-12345	Flat. Embossed prior to Excelsior Series. Serial format was initially from AE-12345, then changed to BA-12345, and finally to CA-12345 with the introduction of Excelsior Series plates.
	Transporter	1234567	Flat. Probably began at 2100000.

Vanity plates

Prior to 1977, all vanity plates, or special registration plates in NYSDMV parlance, in New York had combinations consisting of up to three letters and up to three digits (e.g. RED-123, JD-555, JIM-1).

In 1977, the NYSDMV began to allow vanity plates featuring up to six letters (e.g. ALBANY, WAYNE, METS-1). In 1978, narrower dies were introduced that allowed for vanity plates featuring up to eight characters (e.g. BROOKLYN, AMERICA, GRADE-12). Until 1982, digits could not be interspersed with letters (e.g. GOOD2GO, ALL4U2, TERMIN8R), and a dash (itself considered a character) could only separate letters and digits. Vanity plates began to be issued for some non-passenger types in 1982, including Commercial, Motorcycle, and Trailer.

Since the introduction of the Empire State base in 2001, all vanity plates have been manufactured with screened, rather than embossed, combinations.

As of 2019, vanity plates continue to feature up to eight characters, including letters, digits, spaces, and state-shaped dashes (the last two are not recognized as characters on the vehicle's windshield decal). All plates must feature at least one letter, and combinations that are currently in use on standard plates are not allowed: for instance, if FAB-1000 is currently in use on a standard passenger plate, then FAB 1000 (with a space instead of a dash) and FAB1000 (without a dash or space) cannot be used. Offensive and questionable combinations are also not allowed, and some are permanently banned. Of 152,430 applications for vanity plates from 2010 to 2015, more than 5,000 were rejected. ^[22]

County coding

New York never placed the full name of the county of registration explicitly on its standard-issue plates. Some states encode the county of issuance into the selection of serial number, with varying degrees of subtlety. New York intentionally encoded county into the serial number from 1946 through 1986. One system was used from 1946 through 1973, and a second system was used from 1973 through 1986. County coding was also used on the first two formats of Liberty plates, 1986 to 1990. While mostly similar, the county coding on Liberty plates did have variations from the 1973-86 orange base (for example, JTA and JTB being used on Liberty plates in Chautauqua County).

1973 base: original allocation

On the 1973–86 orange base, plates were issued in letter blocks by county, initially with phonetic combinations similar to the county's name or the names of communities, companies, or colleges/universities within the county.

County	Letter blocks
Albany	AAA–ABM, ABO–ACB, ACD, ACF–ADK, ADN–AED, AJM, BSM, CEM, CPC, DFG, DFM, EJK, FGS, JAG, JGS, LEA, MAC, RJH, RJR, SPM, WJR
Allegany	ALF–ALG, ALL–ALM, ALY, AND, ANG, ARI, BEL, BIS, BOL, CUB, FIL, HOU, HUM, NIL, SWA, WEL
Bronx	BWB, BXA–BXZ, BZA–BZZ, CBE, FOR, HWB, JPS, LSG, MSV, NYU, SLG, VCP, XAA–XHZ, XJA–XJJ
Broome	BEY–BEZ, BNA–BNZ, BRB–BRC, BRF–BRG, BRI–BRK, BRM–BRU, BRW–BRZ, BTA–BTU, BTW–BTY, ECT, ENA–ENU, ENW–ENZ, IBM, JCI, JON, VES
Cattaraugus	AIR, ASP, BBS, BOV, CAC, CAF–CAH, CAK, CAM, CAO, CAQ, CAT–CAX, CCC, CCV, CGS, CTG, CVC, ELC, LTV, OLE, OLN, ROP, SLC, SLN
Cayuga	AUB, CAY, CGK–CGR, CGU–CGZ, CYA–CYG, CYI–CYS, CYU–CYX, CYZ
Chautauqua	CCA–CCB, CCD–CCS, CCU, CCW–CCZ, CHA, CHC–CHD, CHJ–CHL, CHQ–CHR, CHU, CHW–CHZ, CXA–CXZ, JMT, MAY
Chemung	CHE, CHM, CMA–CMO, CMQ–CMS, CMU–CMZ, EHG, ELA, ELD, ELF–ELH, ELJ–ELK, ELM, ELO–ELR, HHD, NBR
Chenango	AFT, BBG, BER, CHG, CHN–CHO, EAR, JID, NBL, NRH, NWC, NWH–NWI, REM, SBN, SBR, TYN
Clinton	AFB, CDV, CHP, CLI–CLJ, CLL–CLP, CMP, CUH, CZY, DAM, DJW, ELE, KDL, PLA–PLB, PLT, PRU, PTG, ROP, RPT
Columbia	AUS, CAA, CHH, CLA–CLB, CLE–CLH, CLQ–CLS, CLU–CLW, COL, FFM, HLD, HUD, KDH, LFN, PLM, TSP, VLT
Cortland	CLD, COR, CRA–CRF, CRH–CRL, CRQ–CRV, CRX–CRZ, CSU, GPS, HMR, MCG, MRT
Delaware	DEL, DWA–DWL, DWN–DWX
Dutchess	BDV, BEA, DCA–DCG, DCI–DDR, DDT–DDZ, DHA–DHZ, DUB–DUZ, FHK, MIL, PAW, PGH, PGK, POK, POU, RHB, TIV
Erie	BBA–BBF, BBH–BBR, BBT–BBZ, BFA–BFZ, BQA–BQB, BUA–BYZ, CEA–CEL, CEN–CFR, CFT–CGA, DEP, EEA–EEY, EQA–ERN, ERP–ERZ, EUA–EWZ, EYA–EZZ, HMB, KEA–KEM, KEO–KEQ, KES–KET, KEW–KEZ
Essex	ELB, ELI, ELY, ESX, FTY, JAY, KEV, LPE, MIV, NHU, PHE, TYE, WIT
Franklin	CHT, CLC, CRP, DBK, DJH, DUA, FRA, FRN, FTC, HAR, JJC, MAL, MLC, PSM, RRL, SRL, TUP, WAV, WDS
Fulton	BDA, BRD, EKT, EPH, FLT, FUL, GLO, GLV, JOH, JST, KAT, MCO, MYF, NHB, PER, RWT, SAC, VMI, WPR
Genesee	ALE, BAV, BTV, EIL, GNA–GNZ, LER, OAK
Greene	ATH, CAI, CGF, CKL, CTK, CTS, GRE, GRN, HNF, HTR, KAR, LED, PHM, PRV, TEM, TMC, WND
Hamilton	HAM, LPL
Herkimer	DGV, FFT, HRA–HRU, HRW–HRZ, LIT, MOH
Jefferson	ADM, ALX, AWP, BRV, CMT, CVI, CYT, DEX, HAL, HDS, JEA–JEY, PHL, SKH, TMB, WTO, WTR, WTT, WTW
Kings (Brooklyn)	BMT, DAR, GAP, JJG, KAA–KAG, KAI–KAQ, KAS, KAU–KDG, KDI–KDK, KDM–KDZ, KFA–KGR, KGU–KHR, KHT–KHZ, KIB–KIF, KIH–KIM, KIO–KNF, KNH–KNW, KNY–KNZ, KPA–KZK, KZM–KZZ, WKH
Lewis	CGH, CRG, CTL, DMK, LEW, LOW, LWS, LYF, TUR
Livingston	LVA–LVY
Madison	CAZ, CGT, CHF, CHI, CLK, CST, DYT, MAD, MDA–MDC, MDE–MDR, MRV, PTB, WMP
Monroe	BDL, BPT, BSU, CGJ, DJB, EGY, FAI, GRC, GRI, HEN, HNR–HNT, MCA–MCC, MCE–MCF, MCH–MCN, MCP–MCU, MCW–MCZ, MJA–MJZ, MMA–MNE, MNG–MNS, MNU–MOG, MOI–MPA, MQA–MRS, MRU, MRW–MRZ, MUA–MVZ, PIT, PTF, RHA, RHC–RHZ, RMA–RMC, RME–RMR, RMT–RMZ, RPA–RPL, RQA–RQZ, SPP, WEB
Montgomery	AMD, AMS, AST, AUR, CAJ, CJH, FDA, FON, MTG, MTI–MTU, NJN, PGT, VPR, VWN
Nassau	ADL, AMA, AOA, BHF, BMF, CWP, DGA–DGU, DGW–DGZ, DLC, DNA–DNL, DNN–DNZ, DQA–DRX, DRZ–DTZ, DWM, EJA, ERO, FPA–FPZ, FRB–FRM, FRO–FSZ, GCA–GCZ, HBF, HEM, HIA–HIZ, HMF, HOF, HPA–HPS, HPU–HPZ, JBA–JBZ, LBA–LBX, LBZ, LIA, LIC–LIR, LIU–LIZ, LYA–LYE, LYG–LYL, LYN–LYZ, MLA, MLD–MLK, MLM–MLZ, NAA–NAZ, NCA–NCK, NCM–NCQ, NCS–NCZ, NET, NHI, NNA–NPK, NPM, NPO–NPS, NPU–NPY, RSA–RSB, RSD–RSZ, RVA–RVZ, SRX–SSL, SSN–SSZ, TRI, VSA–VSZ, WBA–WBZ, WMF
New York (Manhattan)	AYP, BJP, JPT, YSA–YZZ
Niagara	LOA–LOV, LOX–LOZ, LPD, LWT, NFB–NFJ, NFL–NGZ, NIA–NIK, NIM–NIR, NIT–NIZ, NTA–NTU, NTW–NTZ, NWF, OFN, TIR, TNA–TNZ, TUS, YON, YOU
Oneida	BON, CDE, DMF, GAB, NHF, NHT, NLP, NYM, ORF, RMS, RNY, ROA–RON, ROQ–ROZ, SYL, UHC, UKA–UKZ, UNY, UQA–UQB, UTA–UTZ, VRN, WML
Onondaga	BWT, CIC, DEW, ESY, FAB, FAY, FYV, JMV, JOR, KKV, LEM, LPO, MAN, MAT, NED, ONA–OND, ONF–ONS, ONU–ONZ, OVB–OVZ, POM, SFA–SFE, SFG–SFZ, SLY, SNK–SNZ, SPX, SPZ, SVA–SVM, SVO–SVZ, SWB–SWX, SWZ–SYK, SYM–SYZ, TUL
Ontario	CAN, CNA–CNC, CNE, GEN, GVA–GVF, ONT, OTA–OTN
Orange	BLG, CHS, CNG–CNZ, CRW, CWL, DPK, GSN, HBG, HLF, KNX, MDT, MIA–MIC, MIE–MIJ, MIM–MIU, MIW–MIZ, MTA–MTB, MTD–MTE, MTH, MTX–MTZ, NBA–NBK, NBM–NBQ, NBS–NBZ, NEW, ORA–ORE, ORG–ORK, PJV, PTJ, TUX, WDY, WRK
Orleans	ABN, HLY, LNV, MLL, ORL–ORZ, RGW, SLB, WPT
Oswego	AMB, CSQ, CVD, FTO, FUT, HBL, LMG, MXO, OSA–OSB, OSD–OSZ, PLK, PSK, RCM, TEX, VER
Otsego	CHV, CPS–CPT, CPW, DBL, DOU, FAM, FEN, JFC, ONE, OTP–OTZ, RIC, RIS
Putnam	ACE, AOK, BAL, BCR, BHG, BRE, CAS, CFS, CRM, CRO, CTY, FMP, GAR, KEN, LAK, MAH, NEL, OSC, PAT, PCO, PHI, PTN, PTV–PUZ, VAL
Queens	JAA–JAF, JAH–JAJ, JFK, QAA–QBX, QBZ–QZZ
Rensselaer	AVP, BRL, BYS, CPH, EGB, ESC, GSM, JRG, LES, PBP, POE, REA–REL, REN–RER, RET–REZ, RJE, RPI, TRJ–TRZ, WSL, WYS
Richmond (Staten Island)	RAA–RAP, RAR–RBZ, RGA–RGV, RGX–RGZ, RLA–RLB, RLD–RLZ, RTA–RTC, RTE–RUA, TRA, TRC–TRH
Rockland	CKT, HVS, NYA, PJC, PLR, RCA–RCL, RCN–RCQ, RCS–RCZ, RKA–RKZ, RNA–RNX, RNZ, RPO, RZA–RZZ, SFF, SPT, SPV, TJD, TPP, TZB
St. Lawrence	ASW, ATC, ATG, BIW, CTT, CLT, CNF, CTN, DEK, DJP, DNM, ELT, GOU, GRA, GUV, HVT, HWF, LIS, LSR, MAS, MTW, NDM, NFA, NFK, NRW, OGB, OGD, PAR, PDM, PTO, RAQ, RMD, ROO, RUS, SLA, SLS, SLU, SSM, SWY, WGT, WTP
Saratoga	BLL, BRH, BST, BUR, CTH, DMB, HDL, MCV, MHV, SAR, SGR–SGS, SGU–SGZ, SPA, SRA–SRK, SRM–SRV, TES, WLT
Schenectady	AEL, AGL, DBG, DLS, DMC, EAL, GEC, GLN, MAR, NIS, RDJ, RTD, SDA–SDO, SDQ–SDT, SDV–SDZ, SGA–SGD, SGF–SGQ, SNA–SNJ, WGB, WGY
Schoharie	SHA–SHM
Schuyler	HEC, KYU, MNF, MTF, SCH, SCR, TYR, WGK, WNE, WTK
Seneca	SEB–SEW
Steuben	STA–STZ, THA–THV
Suffolk	BAA–BAK, BAM–BAU, BAW–BAY, BOA, CAE, CAP, CBK–CBL, CGI, COA–COB, ESP, FIA–FIK, FIM–FIZ, FIL, GSA–GSL, GSO–GSX, GSZ, HUA–HUC, HUE–HUL, HUO–HUZ, LDA–LDZ, LEE, LHA–LHZ, LRA–LRZ, MHA–MHU, MHW–MHZ, MID, MLB, PCA, PCP–PCZ, PJA–PJB, PJD–PJU, PJW–PJZ, RFA–RFZ, RIA–RIB, RID–RIR, RIT–RIZ, RRA–RRK, RRM–RRZ, SAG, SAY, SBB–SBM, SBO–SBQ, SBS–SCG, SCI, SCK–SCQ, SCS–SCZ, SEA, SHO–SJZ, SMB–SMZ, SOA–SOZ, SQA–SQZ, SUA–SUJ, SUM–SUZ, SZA–SZZ, TPM
Sullivan	GRV, GSY, HRV, KIA, KZL, LBY, LCS, LIB, LLH, LTY, LYM, MGP, MNT, MTC, RSC, SLV–SLX, SUL, SVN, TMR, WDB, WSS, WTB
Tioga	APL, BKS, CND, NCL, NKV, OWE, SPN, TIA–TIO, WVL
Tompkins	CRN, CYH, DRY, ETN, ITH, MDD, TAU, TOA–TOX, TRB
Ulster	ACC, ATW, CUL, ELL, ELN, ELV, ENV, HGH, KER, KGS–KGT, KHS, KIG, KIN, LKT, NEP, NPL, NPN, NPT, NPZ, PHO, SDK, SGT, ULA–ULZ, UST
Warren	BLT, CTW, DPT, FWH, GLE–GLF, GOR, LGE, LUZ, NCR, PRS, QBY, SDP, SKI, WRA–WRJ, WRN
Washington	ARG, BKK, CBR, CSK, DLT, EDW, FTA, FTE, GIM, GPH, GVL, GWH, HCK, HCM, HFA, HFD, HFL, HPT, WHH, WSA–WSK
Wayne	ALT, CHB, CLY, LYO, NWK, PAL, PLY, PMY, RCR, SAV, SDU, WAA–WAQ, WAS–WAU, WAX–WAZ, WIL, WOL, WYN
Westchester	AOH, ARM, DOB, HAW, HJD, HOH, JMG, KAH, MAM, MKS, MTV, NER, NRA–NRG, NRI–NRV, NRX, NRZ, PKA–PKZ, PLE, RYA–RYZ, TAA–TAT, TAV–TAZ, TUC, VVA–VVZ, WCA–WDA, WDC–WDR, WDT–WDX, WEA, WEC–WEK, WEM–WEZ, WHA–WHG, WHI–WHZ, WPA–WPQ, WPS, WPU–WPZ, WTA, WTC–WTJ, WTL–WTN, WTQ, WTS, WTU–WTV, WTX–WTZ, YKA–YKZ, YOA–YOM, YOO–YOT, YOV–YOZ, YQA–YQK, YRA–YRZ
Wyoming	ARC, ATT, LET, VAR, WAR, WYA–WYM, WYO–WYQ
Yates	YCA–YCJ

Alphabetical cross-reference

Letter blocks	County		Letter blocks	County		Letter blocks	County		Letter blocks	County		Letter blocks	County
AAA–ABM	Albany		CRM	Putnam		HGH	Ulster		MTW	St. Lawrence		SAY	Suffolk
ABN	Orleans		CRN	Tompkins		HHD	Chemung		MTX–MTZ	Orange		SBB–SBM	Suffolk
ABO–ACB	Albany		CRO	Putnam		HIA–HIZ	Nassau		MUA–MVZ	Monroe		SBN	Chenango
ACC	Ulster		CRP	Franklin		HJD	Westchester		MXO	Oswego		SBO–SBQ	Suffolk
ACD	Albany		CRQ–CRV	Cortland		HLD	Columbia		MYF	Fulton		SBR	Chenango
ACE	Putnam		CRW	Orange		HLF	Orange		NAA–NAZ	Nassau		SBS–SCG	Suffolk
ACF–ADK	Albany		CRX–CRZ	Cortland		HLY	Orleans		NBA–NBK	Orange		SCH	Schuyler
ADL	Nassau		CSK	Washington		HMB	Erie		NBL	Chenango		SCI	Suffolk
ADM	Jefferson		CSQ	Oswego		HMF	Nassau		NBM–NBQ	Orange		SCK–SCQ	Suffolk
ADN–AED	Albany		CST	Madison		HMR	Cortland		NBR	Chemung		SCR	Schuyler
AEL	Schenectady		CSU	Cortland		HNF	Greene		NBS–NBZ	Orange		SCS–SCZ	Suffolk
AFB	Clinton		CTG	Cattaraugus		HNR–HNT	Monroe		NCA–NCK	Nassau		SDA–SDO	Schenectady
AFT	Chenango		CTH	Saratoga		HOF	Nassau		NCL	Tioga		SDK	Ulster
AGL	Schenectady		CTK	Greene		HOH	Westchester		NCM–NCQ	Nassau		SDP	Warren
AIR	Cattaraugus		CTL	Lewis		HOU	Allegany		NCR	Warren		SDQ–SDT	Schenectady
AJM	Albany		CTN	St. Lawrence		HPA–HPS	Nassau		NCS–NCZ	Nassau		SDU	Wayne
ALE	Genesee		CTS	Greene		HPT	Washington		NDM	St. Lawrence		SDV–SDZ	Schenectady
ALF–ALG	Allegany		CTT	St. Lawrence		HPU–HPZ	Nassau		NED	Onondaga		SEA	Suffolk
ALL–ALM	Allegany		CTW	Warren		HRA–HRU	Herkimer		NEL	Putnam		SEB–SEW	Seneca
ALT	Wayne		CTY	Putnam		HRV	Sullivan		NEP	Ulster		SFA–SFE	Onondaga
ALX	Jefferson		CUB	Allegany		HRW–HRZ	Herkimer		NER	Westchester		SFF	Rockland
ALY	Allegany		CUH	Clinton		HTR	Greene		NET	Nassau		SFG–SFZ	Onondaga
AMA	Nassau		CUL	Ulster		HUA–HUC	Suffolk		NEW	Orange		SGA–SGD	Schenectady
AMB	Oswego		CVC	Cattaraugus		HUD	Columbia		NFA	St. Lawrence		SGF–SGQ	Schenectady
AMD	Montgomery		CVD	Oswego		HUE–HUL	Suffolk		NFB–NFJ	Niagara		SGR–SGS	Saratoga
AMS	Montgomery		CVI	Jefferson		HUM	Allegany		NFK	St. Lawrence		SGT	Ulster
AND	Allegany		CWL	Orange		HUO–HUZ	Suffolk		NFL–NGZ	Niagara		SGU–SGZ	Saratoga
ANG	Allegany		CWP	Nassau		HVS	Rockland		NHB	Fulton		SHA–SHM	Schoharie
AOA	Nassau		CXA–CXZ	Chautauqua		HVT	St. Lawrence		NHF	Oneida		SHO–SJZ	Suffolk
AOH	Westchester		CYA–CYG	Cayuga		HWB	Bronx		NHI	Nassau		SKH	Jefferson
AOK	Putnam		CYH	Tompkins		HWF	St. Lawrence		NHT	Oneida		SKI	Warren
APL	Tioga		CYI–CYS	Cayuga		IBM	Broome		NHU	Essex		SLA	St. Lawrence
ARC	Wyoming		CYT	Jefferson		ITH	Tompkins		NIA–NIK	Niagara		SLB	Orleans
ARG	Washington		CYU–CYX	Cayuga		JAA–JAF	Queens		NIL	Allegany		SLC	Cattaraugus
ARI	Allegany		CYZ	Cayuga		JAG	Albany		NIM–NIR	Niagara		SLG	Bronx
ARM	Westchester		CZY	Clinton		JAH–JAJ	Queens		NIS	Schenectady		SLN	Cattaraugus
ASP	Cattaraugus		DAM	Clinton		JAY	Essex		NIT–NIZ	Niagara		SLS	St. Lawrence
AST	Montgomery		DAR	Kings		JBA–JBZ	Nassau		NJN	Montgomery		SLU	St. Lawrence
ASW	St. Lawrence		DBG	Schenectady		JCI	Broome		NKV	Tioga		SLV–SLX	Sullivan
ATC	St. Lawrence		DBK	Franklin		JEA–JEY	Jefferson		NLP	Oneida		SLY	Onondaga
ATG	St. Lawrence		DBL	Otsego		JFC	Otsego		NNA–NPK	Nassau		SMB–SMZ	Suffolk
ATH	Greene		DCA–DCG	Dutchess		JFK	Queens		NPL	Ulster		SNA–SNJ	Schenectady
ATT	Wyoming		DCI–DDR	Dutchess		JGS	Albany		NPM	Nassau		SNK–SNZ	Onondaga
ATW	Ulster		DDT–DDZ	Dutchess		JID	Chenango		NPN	Ulster		SOA–SOZ	Suffolk
AUB	Cayuga		DEK	St. Lawrence		JJC	Franklin		NPO–NPS	Nassau		SPA	Saratoga
AUR	Montgomery		DEL	Delaware		JJG	Kings		NPT	Ulster		SPM	Albany
AUS	Columbia		DEP	Erie		JMG	Westchester		NPU–NPY	Nassau		SPN	Tioga
AVP	Rensselaer		DEW	Onondaga		JMT	Chautauqua		NPZ	Ulster		SPP	Monroe
AWP	Jefferson		DEX	Jefferson		JMV	Onondaga		NRA–NRG	Westchester		SPT	Rockland
AYP	New York		DFG	Albany		JOH	Fulton		NRH	Chenango		SPV	Rockland
BAA–BAK	Suffolk		DFM	Albany		JON	Broome		NRI–NRV	Westchester		SPX	Onondaga
BAL	Putnam		DGA–DGU	Nassau		JOR	Onondaga		NRW	St. Lawrence		SPZ	Onondaga
BAM–BAU	Suffolk		DGV	Herkimer		JPS	Bronx		NRX	Westchester		SQA–SQZ	Suffolk
BAV	Genesee		DGW–DGZ	Nassau		JPT	New York		NRZ	Westchester		SRA–SRK	Saratoga
BAW–BAY	Suffolk		DHA–DHZ	Dutchess		JRG	Rensselaer		NTA–NTU	Niagara		SRL	Franklin
BBA–BBF	Erie		DJB	Monroe		JST	Fulton		NTW–NTZ	Niagara		SRM–SRV	Saratoga
BBG	Chenango		DJH	Franklin		KAA–KAG	Kings		NWC	Chenango		SRX–SSL	Nassau
BBH–BBR	Erie		DJP	St. Lawrence		KAH	Westchester		NWF	Niagara		SSM	St. Lawrence
BBS	Cattaraugus		DJW	Clinton		KAI–KAQ	Kings		NWH–NWI	Chenango		SSN–SSZ	Nassau
BBT–BBZ	Erie		DLC	Nassau		KAR	Greene		NWK	Wayne		STA–STZ	Steuben
BCR	Putnam		DLS	Schenectady		KAS	Kings		NYA	Rockland		SUA–SUJ	Suffolk
BDA	Fulton		DLT	Washington		KAT	Fulton		NYM	Oneida		SUL	Sullivan
BDL	Monroe		DMB	Saratoga		KAU–KDG	Kings		NYU	Bronx		SUM–SUZ	Suffolk
BDV	Dutchess	DMC	Schenectady	KDH	Columbia	OAK	Genesee	SVA–SVM	Onondaga
BEA	Dutchess	DMF	Oneida	KDI–KDK	Kings	OFN	Niagara	SVN	Sullivan
BEL	Allegany	DMK	Lewis	KDL	Clinton	OGB	St. Lawrence	SVO–SVZ	Onondaga
BER	Chenango	DNA–DNL	Nassau	KDM–KDZ	Kings	OGD	St. Lawrence	SWA	Allegany
BEY–BEZ	Broome	DNM	St. Lawrence	KEA–KEM	Erie	OLE	Cattaraugus	SWB–SWX	Onondaga
BFA–BFZ	Erie	DNN–DNZ	Nassau	KEN	Putnam	OLN	Cattaraugus	SWY	St. Lawrence
BHF	Nassau	DOB	Westchester	KEO–KEQ	Erie	ONA–OND	Onondaga	SWZ–SYK	Onondaga
BHG	Putnam	DOU	Otsego	KER	Ulster	ONE	Otsego	SYL	Oneida
BIS	Allegany	DPK	Orange	KES–KET	Erie	ONF–ONS	Onondaga	SYM–SYZ	Onondaga
BIW	St. Lawrence	DPT	Warren	KEV	Essex	ONT	Ontario	SZA–SZZ	Suffolk
BJP	New York	DQA–DRX	Nassau	KEW–KEZ	Erie	ONU–ONZ	Onondaga	TAA–TAT	Westchester
BKK	Washington	DRY	Tompkins	KFA–KGR	Kings	ORA–ORE	Orange	TAU	Tompkins
BKS	Tioga	DRZ–DTZ	Nassau	KGS–KGT	Ulster	ORF	Oneida	TAV–TAZ	Westchester
BLG	Orange	DUA	Franklin	KGU–KHR	Kings	ORG–ORK	Orange	TEM	Greene
BLL	Saratoga	DUB–DUZ	Dutchess	KHS	Ulster	ORL–ORZ	Orleans	TES	Saratoga
BLT	Warren	DWA–DWL	Delaware	KHT–KHZ	Kings	OSA–OSB	Oswego	TEX	Oswego
BMF	Nassau	DWM	Nassau	KIA	Sullivan	OSC	Putnam	THA–THV	Steuben
BMT	Kings	DWN–DWX	Delaware	KIB–KIF	Kings	OSD–OSZ	Oswego	TIA–TIO	Tioga
BNA–BNZ	Broome	DYT	Madison	KIG	Ulster	OTA–OTN	Ontario	TIR	Niagara
BOA	Suffolk	EAL	Schenectady	KIH–KIM	Kings	OTP–OTZ	Otsego	TIV	Dutchess
BOL	Allegany	EAR	Chenango	KIN	Ulster	OVB–OVZ	Onondaga	TJD	Rockland
BON	Oneida	ECT	Broome	KIO–KNF	Kings	OWE	Tioga	TMB	Jefferson
BOV	Cattaraugus	EDW	Washington	KKV	Onondaga	PAL	Wayne	TMC	Greene
BPT	Monroe	EEA–EEY	Erie	KNH–KNW	Kings	PAR	St. Lawrence	TMR	Sullivan
BQA–BQB	Erie	EGB	Rensselaer	KNX	Orange	PAT	Putnam	TNA–TNZ	Niagara
BRB–BRC	Broome	EGY	Monroe	KNY–KNZ	Kings	PAW	Dutchess	TOA–TOX	Tompkins
BRD	Fulton	EHG	Chemung	KPA–KZK	Kings	PBP	Rensselaer	TPM	Suffolk
BRE	Putnam	EIL	Genesee	KYU a	Schuyler	PCA	Suffolk	TPP	Rockland
BRF–BRG	Broome	EJA	Nassau	KZL	Sullivan	PCO	Putnam	TRA	Richmond
BRH	Saratoga	EJK	Albany	KZM–KZZ	Kings	PCP–PCZ	Suffolk	TRB	Tompkins
BRI–BRK	Broome	EKT	Fulton	LAK	Putnam	PDM	St. Lawrence	TRC–TRH	Richmond
BRL	Rensselaer	ELA	Chemung	LBA–LBX	Nassau	PER	Fulton	TRI	Nassau
BRM–BRU	Broome	ELB	Essex	LBY	Sullivan	PGH	Dutchess	TRJ–TRZ	Rensselaer
BRV	Jefferson	ELC	Cattaraugus	LBZ	Nassau	PGK	Dutchess	TSP	Columbia
BRW–BRZ	Broome	ELD	Chemung	LCS	Sullivan	PGT	Montgomery	TUC	Westchester
BSM	Albany	ELE	Clinton	LDA–LDZ	Suffolk	PHE	Essex	TUL	Onondaga
BST	Saratoga	ELF–ELH	Chemung	LEA	Albany	PHI	Putnam	TUP	Franklin
BSU	Monroe	ELI	Essex	LED	Greene	PHL	Jefferson	TUR	Lewis
BTA–BTU	Broome	ELJ–ELK	Chemung	LEE	Suffolk	PHM	Greene	TUS	Niagara
BTV	Genesee	ELL	Ulster	LEM	Onondaga	PHO	Ulster	TUX	Orange
BTW–BTY	Broome	ELM	Chemung	LER	Genesee	PIT	Monroe	TYE	Essex
BUA–BYZ	Erie	ELN	Ulster	LES	Rensselaer	PJA–PJB	Suffolk	TYN	Chenango
BUR	Saratoga	ELO–ELR	Chemung	LET	Wyoming	PJC	Rockland	TYR	Schuyler
BWB	Bronx	ELT	St. Lawrence	LEW	Lewis	PJD–PJU	Suffolk	TZB	Rockland
BWT	Onondaga	ELV	Ulster	LFN	Columbia	PJV	Orange	UHC	Oneida
BXA–BXZ	Bronx	ELY	Essex	LGE	Warren	PJW–PJZ	Suffolk	UKA–UKZ	Oneida
BYS	Rensselaer	ENA–ENU	Broome	LHA–LHZ	Suffolk	PKA–PKZ	Westchester	ULA–ULZ	Ulster
BZA–BZZ	Bronx	ENV	Ulster	LIA	Nassau	PLA–PLB	Clinton	UNY	Oneida
CAA	Columbia	ENW–ENZ	Broome	LIB	Sullivan	PLE	Westchester	UQA–UQB	Oneida
CAC	Cattaraugus	EPH	Fulton	LIC–LIR	Nassau	PLK	Oswego	UST	Ulster
CAE	Suffolk	EQA–ERN	Erie	LIS	St. Lawrence	PLM	Columbia	UTA–UTZ	Oneida
CAF–CAH	Cattaraugus	ERO	Nassau	LIT	Herkimer	PLR	Rockland	VAL	Putnam
CAI	Greene	ERP–ERZ	Erie	LIU–LIZ	Nassau	PLT	Clinton	VAR	Wyoming
CAJ	Montgomery	ESC	Rensselaer	LKT	Ulster	PLY	Wayne	VCP	Bronx
CAK	Cattaraugus	ESP	Suffolk	LLH	Sullivan	PMY	Wayne	VER	Oswego
CAM	Cattaraugus	ESX	Essex	LMG	Oswego	POE	Rensselaer	VES	Broome
CAN	Ontario	ESY	Onondaga	LNV	Orleans	POK	Dutchess	VLT	Columbia
CAO	Cattaraugus	ETN	Tompkins	LOA–LOV	Niagara	POM	Onondaga	VMI	Fulton
CAP	Suffolk	EUA–EWZ	Erie	LOW	Lewis	POU	Dutchess	VPR	Montgomery
CAQ	Cattaraugus	EYA–EZZ	Erie	LOX–LOZ	Niagara	PRS	Warren	VRN	Oneida
CAS	Putnam	FAB	Onondaga	LPD	Niagara	PRU	Clinton	VSA–VSZ	Nassau
CAT–CAX	Cattaraugus	FAI	Monroe	LPE	Essex	PRV	Greene	VVA–VVZ	Westchester
CAY	Cayuga	FAM	Otsego	LPL	Hamilton	PSK	Oswego	VWN	Montgomery
CAZ	Madison	FAY	Onondaga	LPO	Onondaga	PSM	Franklin	WAA–WAQ	Wayne
CBE	Bronx	FDA	Montgomery	LRA–LRZ	Suffolk	PTB	Madison	WAR	Wyoming
CBK–CBL	Suffolk	FEN	Otsego	LSG	Bronx	PTF	Monroe	WAS–WAU	Wayne
CBR	Washington	FFM	Columbia	LSR	St. Lawrence	PTG	Clinton	WAV	Franklin
CCA–CCB	Chautauqua	FFT	Herkimer	LTV	Cattaraugus	PTJ	Orange	WAX–WAZ	Wayne
CCC	Cattaraugus	FGS	Albany	LTY	Sullivan	PTN	Putnam	WBA–WBZ	Nassau
CCD–CCS	Chautauqua	FHK	Dutchess	LUZ	Warren	PTO	St. Lawrence	WCA–WDA	Westchester
CCU	Chautauqua	FIA–FIK	Suffolk	LVA–LVY	Livingston	PTV–PUZ	Putnam	WDB	Sullivan
CCV	Cattaraugus	FIL a	Allegany	LWS	Lewis	QAA–QBX	Queens	WDC–WDR	Westchester
CCW–CCZ	Chautauqua	FIL a	Suffolk	LWT	Niagara	QBY	Warren	WDS	Franklin
CDE	Oneida	FIM–FIZ	Suffolk	LYA–LYE	Nassau	QBZ–QZZ	Queens	WDT–WDX	Westchester
CDV	Clinton	FLT	Fulton	LYF	Lewis	RAA–RAP	Richmond	WDY	Orange
CEA–CEL	Erie	FMP	Putnam	LYG–LYL	Nassau	RAQ	St. Lawrence	WEA	Westchester
CEM	Albany	FON	Montgomery	LYM	Sullivan	RAR–RBZ	Richmond	WEB	Monroe
CEN–CFR	Erie	FOR	Bronx	LYN–LYZ	Nassau	RCA–RCL	Rockland	WEC–WEK	Westchester
CFS	Putnam	FPA–FPZ	Nassau	LYO a	Wayne	RCM	Oswego	WEL	Allegany
CFT–CGA	Erie	FRA	Franklin	MAC	Albany	RCN–RCQ	Rockland	WEM–WEZ	Westchester
CGF	Greene	FRB–FRM	Nassau	MAD	Madison	RCR	Wayne	WGB	Schenectady
CGH	Lewis	FRN	Franklin	MAH	Putnam	RCS–RCZ	Rockland	WGK	Schuyler
CGI	Suffolk	FRO–FSZ	Nassau	MAL	Franklin	RDJ	Schenectady	WGT	St. Lawrence
CGJ	Monroe	FTA	Washington	MAM	Westchester	REA–REL	Rensselaer	WGY	Schenectady
CGK–CGR	Cayuga	FTC	Franklin	MAN	Onondaga	REM	Chenango	WHA–WHG	Westchester
CGS	Cattaraugus	FTE	Washington	MAR	Schenectady	REN–RER	Rensselaer	WHH	Washington
CGT	Madison	FTO	Oswego	MAS	St. Lawrence	RET–REZ	Rensselaer	WHI–WHZ	Westchester
CGU–CGZ	Cayuga	FTY	Essex	MAT	Onondaga	RFA–RFZ	Suffolk	WIL	Wayne
CHA	Chautauqua	FUL	Fulton	MAY	Chautauqua	RGA–RGV	Richmond	WIT	Essex
CHB	Wayne	FUT	Oswego	MCA–MCC	Monroe	RGW	Orleans	WJR	Albany
CHC–CHD	Chautauqua	FWH	Warren	MCE–MCF	Monroe	RGX–RGZ	Richmond	WKH	Kings
CHE	Chemung	FYV	Onondaga	MCG	Cortland	RHA	Monroe	WLT	Saratoga
CHF	Madison	GAB	Oneida	MCH–MCN	Monroe	RHB	Dutchess	WMF	Nassau
CHG	Chenango	GAP	Kings	MCO	Fulton	RHC–RHZ	Monroe	WML	Oneida
CHH	Columbia	GAR	Putnam	MCP–MCU	Monroe	RIA–RIB	Suffolk	WMP	Madison
CHI	Madison	GCA–GCZ	Nassau	MCV	Saratoga	RIC	Otsego	WND	Greene
CHJ–CHL	Chautauqua	GEC	Schenectady	MCW–MCZ	Monroe	RID–RIR	Suffolk	WNE	Schuyler
CHM	Chemung	GEN	Ontario	MDA–MDC	Madison	RIS	Otsego	WOL	Wayne
CHN–CHO	Chenango	GIM	Washington	MDD	Tompkins	RIT–RIZ	Suffolk	WPA–WPQ	Westchester
CHP	Clinton	GLE–GLF	Warren	MDE–MDR	Madison	RJE	Rensselaer	WPR	Fulton
CHQ–CHR	Chautauqua	GLN	Schenectady	MDT	Orange	RJH	Albany	WPS	Westchester
CHS	Orange	GLO	Fulton	MGP	Sullivan	RJR	Albany	WPT	Orleans
CHT	Franklin	GLV	Fulton	MHA–MHU	Suffolk	RKA–RKZ	Rockland	WPU–WPZ	Westchester
CHU	Chautauqua	GNA–GNZ	Genesee	MHV	Saratoga	RLA–RLB	Richmond	WRA–WRJ	Warren
CHV	Otsego	GOR	Warren	MHW–MHZ	Suffolk	RLD–RLZ	Richmond	WRK	Orange
CHW–CHZ	Chautauqua	GOU	St. Lawrence	MIA–MIC	Orange	RMA–RMC	Monroe	WRN	Warren
CIC	Onondaga	GPH	Washington	MID	Suffolk	RMD	St. Lawrence	WSA–WSK	Washington
CJH	Montgomery	GPS	Cortland	MIE–MIJ	Orange	RME–RMR	Monroe	WSL	Rensselaer
CKL	Greene	GRA	St. Lawrence	MIL	Dutchess	RMS	Oneida	WSS	Sullivan
CKT	Rockland	GRC	Monroe	MIM–MIU	Orange	RMT–RMZ	Monroe	WTA	Westchester
CLA–CLB	Columbia	GRE	Greene	MIV	Essex	RNA–RNX	Rockland	WTB	Sullivan
CLC	Franklin	GRI	Monroe	MIW–MIZ	Orange	RNY	Oneida	WTC–WTJ	Westchester
CLD	Cortland	GRN	Greene	MJA–MJZ	Monroe	RNZ	Rockland	WTK	Schuyler
CLE–CLH	Columbia	GRV	Sullivan	MKS	Westchester	ROA–RON	Oneida	WTL–WTN	Westchester
CLI–CLJ	Clinton	GSA–GSL	Suffolk	MLA	Nassau	ROO	St. Lawrence	WTO	Jefferson
CLK	Madison	GSM	Rensselaer	MLB	Suffolk	ROP a	Cattaraugus	WTP	St. Lawrence
CLL–CLP	Clinton	GSN	Orange	MLC	Franklin	ROP a	Clinton	WTQ	Westchester
CLQ–CLS	Columbia	GSO–GSX	Suffolk	MLD–MLK	Nassau	ROQ–ROZ	Oneida	WTR	Jefferson
CLT	St. Lawrence	GSY	Sullivan	MLL	Orleans	RPA–RPL	Monroe	WTS	Westchester
CLU–CLW	Columbia	GSZ	Suffolk	MLM–MLZ	Nassau	RPI	Rensselaer	WTT	Jefferson
CLY	Wayne	GUV	St. Lawrence	MMA–MNE	Monroe	RPO	Rockland	WTU–WTV	Westchester
CMA–CMO	Chemung	GVA–GVF	Ontario	MNF	Schuyler	RPT	Clinton	WTW	Jefferson
CMP	Clinton	GVL	Washington	MNG–MNS	Monroe	RQA–RQZ	Monroe	WTX–WTZ	Westchester
CMQ–CMS	Chemung	GWH	Washington	MNT	Sullivan	RRA–RRK	Suffolk	WVL	Tioga
CMT	Jefferson	HAL	Jefferson	MNU–MOG	Monroe	RRL	Franklin	WYA–WYM	Wyoming
CMU–CMZ	Chemung	HAM	Hamilton	MOH	Herkimer	RRM–RRZ	Suffolk	WYN	Wayne
CNA–CNC	Ontario	HAR	Franklin	MOI–MPA	Monroe	RSA–RSB	Nassau	WYO–WYQ	Wyoming
CND	Tioga	HAW	Westchester	MQA–MRS	Monroe	RSC	Sullivan	WYS	Rensselaer
CNE	Ontario	HBF	Nassau	MRT	Cortland	RSD–RSZ	Nassau	XAA–XHZ	Bronx
CNF	St. Lawrence	HBG	Orange	MRU	Monroe	RTA–RTC	Richmond	XJA–XJJ	Bronx
CNG–CNZ	Orange	HBL	Oswego	MRV	Madison	RTD	Schenectady	YCA–YCJ	Yates
COA–COB	Suffolk	HCK	Washington	MRW–MRZ	Monroe	RTE–RUA	Richmond	YKA–YKZ	Westchester
COL	Columbia	HCM	Washington	MSV	Bronx	RUS	St. Lawrence	YOA–YOM	Westchester
COR	Cortland	HDL	Saratoga	MTA–MTB	Orange	RVA–RVZ	Nassau	YON	Niagara
CPC	Albany	HDS	Jefferson	MTC	Sullivan	RWT	Fulton	YOO–YOT	Westchester
CPH	Rensselaer	HEC	Schuyler	MTD–MTE	Orange	RYA–RYZ	Westchester	YOU	Niagara
CPS–CPT	Otsego	HEM	Nassau	MTF	Schuyler	RZA–RZZ	Rockland	YOV–YOZ	Westchester
CPW	Otsego	HEN	Monroe	MTG	Montgomery	SAC	Fulton	YQA–YQK	Westchester
CRA–CRF	Cortland	HFA	Washington	MTH	Orange	SAG	Suffolk	YRA–YRZ	Westchester
CRG	Lewis	HFD	Washington	MTI–MTU	Montgomery	SAR	Saratoga	YSA–YZZ	New York
CRH–CRL	Cortland	HFL	Washington	MTV	Westchester	SAV	Wayne

Notes

a. Duplicate use.

FIL: Allegany County (from "Fillmore")

ROP: Clinton County (from "Rouses Point")

LG: Warren County (from "Lake George")

References

1. "Old New York License Plates". LeatherLicensePlates.com. 27 August 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
2. Garrish, Christopher (October 2016). "Reconsidering the Standard Plate Size". Plates. Vol. 62, no. 5. Automobile License Plate Collectors Association.
3. Tanner, Eric N. "New York License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
4. Tanner, Eric N. "New York License Plates - County Codes". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
5. "DMV Commissioner Announces Empire Gold License Plate Availability" (Press release). New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. April 1, 2010. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
6. Campbell, Jon (June 25, 2020). "New York's new license plates have finally hit the road". Democrat and Chronicle . Rochester, NY. Retrieved July 1, 2020. The Excelsior plates are being issued in counties that have depleted their supply of Empire Gold. As of Tuesday [June 23], that included Albany, Columbia, Franklin, Greene, Madison, Oneida, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schuyler, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Warren, Wyoming and Yates counties, as well as several auto dealerships across the state.
7. "Governor Cuomo Launches Statewide Survey Allowing New Yorkers to Choose State's New License Plate Design" (Press release). August 19, 2019.
8. Frankel, Katherine (July 19, 2010). "Not Everyone Happy With New NYS License Plates". Patch.com . Retrieved September 22, 2016.
9. Campbell, Jon. "This is New York's new license plate. Here's when it will hit the road". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
10. Harding, Robert (2019-09-07). "And the winner is...: NY DMV announces new license plate design". Auburnpub.com. The Citizen, a division of Lee Publications, Inc.
11. Lombardo, David (August 19, 2019). "Cuomo advances mandatory license plate replacement with $25 fee". www.timesunion.com. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
12. "Governor Cuomo Launches Statewide Survey Allowing New Yorkers to Choose State's New License Plate Design". Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
13. Campanile, Carl (2019-09-17). "New Yorkers strongly oppose license plate replacement plan, poll shows". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
14. Hogan, Bernadette (2019-08-29). "Cuomo admin. softens stance on $25 license plate replacement". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
15. Hogan, Bernadette; Meyer, David (2019-09-17). "Andrew Cuomo scraps plan to charge New Yorkers for new license plates". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
16. Gross, Courtney (2019-09-17). "Cuomo Officially Puts the Brakes on New License Plate Requirement". Spectrum Local News. Charter Communications. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
17. Reisman, Nick (2020-05-12). "New 'Excelsior' License Plates Sent Back Due To Manufacturing Problem". Spectrum News. Charter Communications. Archived from the original on 2020-05-29.
18. "New York License Plates". LicensePlates.cc. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
19. "New York plate" (JPG).
20. "New York Updates the Handicap Symbol". National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. October 22, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
21. "Industry Notice #18-04: DMV to Issue New Taxi Plates" (PDF). New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. March 23, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
22. Eisenstadt, Marnie (March 25, 2015). "In New York, you can't have these 6,942 dirty vanity plates (search for banned licenses)". Syracuse.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.

External links

• Information about Empire Gold plates | New York State DMV
• Information on custom plates | New York State DMV
• Look up and order personalized plates | New York State DMV
• Order picture and professional plates | New York State DMV
• New York license plates, 1969–present
• Scott Smith's New York License Plates at the Wayback Machine (archived May 5, 2016)
• County codes for NY license plates (1946–1986)