These tables summarize the colours of validation stickers used on passenger-car, light truck, and motorcycle license plates in all North American jurisdictions during the twenty years prior to 2021. As this reference is intended for collectors of expired plates, current stickers are not depicted.
Several interesting trends have come about in this time. One is the increasing use of point-of-sale terminals to generate license plate renewals and print validation stickers on demand. These systems often utilize laser printers, and allow for the license plate number to be printed on the sticker itself. Unfortunately, these trends have been regressive in terms of aesthetics and utility. Thirteen of the states that use such a system don't even bother changing the sticker stock colour from year to year, making it impossible to tell at a glance whether a tag has expired or not. Many more no longer use colour schemes that involve print colours other than black.
Another emerging trend has been the elimination of plate stickers themselves: Due to the growing ubiquity of computers in law-enforcement work, police officers can access details about registration records without needing to rely on stickers to establish validity. Validation stickers have been eliminated altogether by Quebec, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and Manitoba in Canada as well as New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania in the U.S., while New York, Texas, and the D.C. reserve plate stickers for motorcycles and trailers only.
| Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < | British Columbia | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||||
| Alberta | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | |||||||
| Saskatchewan | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Stickers discontinued after 2013. | ||||||||||||||
| Manitoba | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | |||||||
| Ontario | Jan-Mar | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||||
| Apr-Jun | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||
| < | Jul-Sep | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||||
| Oct-Dec | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||
| Quebec | Validation stickers discontinued after 1992. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Brunswick | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||
| Nova Scotia | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||
| Prince Edward Island | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||
| < | Newfoundland & Labradora | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||||
| Yukona | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||
| Northwest Territories | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12b | 13 | 14 | 15 | Stickers discontinued. | ||||||||||||
| Nunavut | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17c | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||||||
a The province of Newfoundland officially changed its name to "Newfoundland & Labrador" in 2001, and the Yukon Territory officially changed its name to simply "Yukon" in 2002. In both cases, this happened decades after the revised names first appeared on license plates.
b Later examples of Northwest Territories '12 stickers were white on green:
| 12 |
c Some examples of these stickers were black on white.
| United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < | Alabama | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18a | 19a | 20 | ||||
| Alaska | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12a | 13a | 14a | 15 | 16a | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Arizona | Emission | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07b | 08c | 09b | 10b | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | |||
| Non-emission | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| California | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| < | Colorado | Emission | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||
| Non-emission | 01 | 02 | 03 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09d | 10d | 11d | 12d | Stickers discontinued. | ||||||||||||
| Delaware | Colours vary. | e f | 11f | 12f | 13f | 14f | 15f | 16f | 17f | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||||||||||
| District of Columbia | 01 | 02 | 03g | 04g | 05d | 06d | 07d | 08d | 09d | 10d | 11d | 12d | 13d | 14d | 15d | ? | 17d | ? | 19d | 20d | |||||
| Florida | 01h | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| < | Georgia | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09i | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | |||
| Hawaii | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04a | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Idaho | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08b | 09a | 10a | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Illinois | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Indiana | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | ||||
| Iowa | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| < | Kansas | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||
| Kentucky | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15b | 16b | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Louisiana | Cars | 01 | 02 | 03b | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||
| Trucks/MCs | 04 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maine | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Maryland | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09ab | 10b | 11b | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| < | Massachusetts | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||
| Michigan | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Minnesota | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Mississippi | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Missouri | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Montana | Cars | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||
| < | Motorcycles | 01 | PERM | Validation stickers discontinued after 2003. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Nevada | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04a | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| New Hampshire | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| New Jersey | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06d | 07d | 08d | 09d | 10d | 11d | Stickers discontinued after 2011. | |||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 01b | 02b | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| < | New York (motorcycles) | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||
| North Carolina | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16b | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| North Dakota | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05a | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Ohio | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | ||||
| Oklahoma | Regular | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||
| Special | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Oregon | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | ||||
| < | Pennsylvania | 01g | 02g | 03g | 04g | 05g | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18j | 19j | 20j | 21j | |||
| Rhode Island | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| South Carolina | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| South Dakota | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Tennessee | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| < | Texas (motorcycles) | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05b | 06b | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | ||||
| Utah | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Vermont | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04b | 05b | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| Virginia | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | ||||
| Washington | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| West Virginia | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
| < | Wisconsin | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | ||
| Wyoming | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | |||||
a Some examples of these stickers had black characters on a colour background.
b Some examples of these stickers were black on white.
c Some examples of these stickers were white on black.
d Issued to motorcycles only. Passenger cars issued windshield stickers instead (except for 2006-11 New Jersey, where no visible validation was used).
e Beginning in December 2005, newly-issued Delaware validation stickers have been black on white regardless of month and year. Expirations from December '06 to (presumably) November '10 existed in both old and new colour schemes.
f Stickers used on Delaware's optional "Centennial Plate" base (introduced October 2008) have been black on gold.
g Or windshield/window sticker.
h Some examples of these stickers were black on yellow.
i Later examples of these stickers had black print and white fields on a colour background.
j Pennsylvania discontinued license plate stickers in 2017. Stickers expiring in 2018 or later were issued primarily to trailers with long-term expirations.
With thanks to: Keith Dickson, Terence Dyson-Curran, Jeff Ellis, Mike Franks, Jimmy Harper, Josh King, Wayne MacKinnon, Eric Maki, John Northup, Mark O'Neil, Eric Tanner, Matthew Thoreson, and Kevin Tucker.
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Part 4: Month stickers