Alabama (AL)
Alabama Department of Revenue
Personalized License Plates rule
Application approval and objectionable-message restrictions.
Know your plate’s rules.
Character limits, message guidelines, and the official place to start.
Find your state’s guidance below. Sources include policy pages, application instructions, and PDFs; each card explains what its source covers. Hawaii uses county guidance. These links do not confirm plate availability.
Filter by state
Alaska (AK)
Alaska DMV
License plates and personalized plate rules
Ordering, transfers, and restrictions on demeaning, vulgar, violent, or criminal references.
Arizona (AZ)
Arizona MVD
Special Plate Application
Official download page for form 96-0143, with personalized plate application instructions.
Arkansas (AR)
Arkansas DFA
Passenger Car Personalized Plate Request Form
Character limits, prohibited combinations, vehicle eligibility, and application instructions.
California (CA)
California DMV
Personalized Configurations — Mandatory Refusal
Content restrictions, confusing configurations, and letter/number substitution rules.
Colorado (CO)
Colorado DMV
Personalized License Plate Application DR 2810
Application instructions and personalized plate requirements.
Connecticut (CT)
Connecticut DMV
Get special and vanity plates
Character limits, dot and spacing rules, eligible registrations, and application requirements.
Delaware (DE)
Delaware DMV
Vanity Plate Search and Reservation — instructions
Current online ordering instructions, registration eligibility, and DMV approval requirements.
Florida (FL)
Florida FLHSMV
Personalized and Specialty License Plates
Personalized plate ordering instructions and links to the current application and availability service.
Georgia (GA)
Georgia Department of Revenue
Order Prestige and Specialty License Plates
Prestige plate application requirements and prohibited message categories.
Hawaii (HI)
City and County of Honolulu
Special Plates — Personalized Plates
Character and punctuation rules, prohibited messages, and links to administrative rules. Applies to Oahu; other counties administer their own applications.
Idaho (ID)
Idaho Transportation Department
License Plates — Personalized Plates
Message guidelines, eligible vehicles, character rules, and a link to the administrative code.
Illinois (IL)
Illinois Secretary of State
Vanity and Personalized License Plates Brochure
Vanity versus personalized formats, allowed combinations, and ordering guidance.
Indiana (IN)
Indiana BMV
Personalized License Plates
PLP formatting, eligible plate types, application review, and denial procedures.
Iowa (IA)
Iowa DOT
Personalized Plate — Regular County Design
Standard-design character limits and prohibited message categories; other designs have different limits.
Kansas (KS)
Kansas Department of Revenue
Kansas Personalized and Disabled Personalized Plates
A plate-by-plate table of personalization eligibility and character limits. Not a complete content-rejection policy.
Kentucky (KY)
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
License Plates — Personalized Plates
Requirements and restrictions, excluded letters, pre-approval, and appeals.
Louisiana (LA)
Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles
Personalized Prestige License Plates policy
Louisiana DPS policy hosted in its public document system; character choices, reserved prefixes, and issuance requirements.
Maine (ME)
Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Vanity Plate Information and Instructions
Plate-class character limits and vanity plate instructions.
Maryland (MD)
Maryland MVA
Specialty & Personalized License Plates
Allowed characters, eligible vehicle classes, message review, and application options.
Massachusetts (MA)
Massachusetts RMV
Request a vanity license plate
Detailed plate criteria, initial letters, placement of numbers, punctuation rules, and prohibited content.
Michigan (MI)
Michigan Secretary of State
Personalized plates
Character rules, spaces, O/zero treatment, prohibited configurations, and review.
Minnesota (MN)
Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services
Application for Special Plates
Personalized plate application instructions and eligibility requirements.
Mississippi (MS)
Mississippi Department of Revenue
Motor Vehicle License Tags — personalized specifications
Page 30 specifies personalized passenger-tag character formatting. This is a manufacturing document, not a complete applicant content policy; confirm approval rules with your county Tax Collector.
Missouri (MO)
Missouri Department of Revenue
Personalized and Specialty License Plates
Configuration limits, allowed separators, prohibited content, and application processing.
Montana (MT)
Montana MVD
License Plate Information — Personalized Plates
Personalized plate overview and a link to the current MV8 application for character limits and message requirements.
Nebraska (NE)
Nebraska DMV
Message Plates
Message selection, approval restrictions, and application requirements.
Nevada (NV)
Nevada DMV
Personalized License Plates
Selection tips, punctuation restrictions, content review, and plate-specific applications.
New Hampshire (NH)
New Hampshire DMV
Vanity Plates — Requirements and Compliance
Character limits by plate type, prohibited configurations, application instructions, and approval or appeal procedures.
New Jersey (NJ)
New Jersey MVC
Personalized Plates
Basic combination requirements, eligibility, and links to SP-1/SP-2 for detailed information.
New Mexico (NM)
New Mexico MVD
Personalized Plates
Limits by background and vehicle type, allowed characters, and reasons for rejection.
New York (NY)
New York DMV
Personalized Plate Numbers
Plate Combination Guidelines cover character counts, restricted combinations, and substitutions.
North Carolina (NC)
North Carolina DMV
License Plates — Personalized plates help
Character limits by plate type, permitted special characters, and personalized plate FAQs.
North Dakota (ND)
North Dakota DOT
Special Plate Request/Personalized SFN 53612
Personalized plate request instructions and required explanation of the requested message.
Ohio (OH)
Ohio BMV
Special Plates — General Information
Personalized and initial-reserve plate formatting, spacing, and appeals.
Oklahoma (OK)
Service Oklahoma
Personalized License Plate Application Form 749
Personalized plate choices, punctuation restrictions, message review, and application instructions. This form excludes motorcycles.
Oregon (OR)
Oregon DMV
Custom Plate Application 735-205
Custom configuration choices, plate rules, and application instructions.
Pennsylvania (PA)
Pennsylvania DOT
Personalized Registration Plate Guidelines
Personalized registration mark rules and reasons for rejection.
Rhode Island (RI)
Rhode Island DMV
Vanity Plates
Character limits and eligible plate types. The page currently says new vanity applications are not being accepted; check the live notice.
South Carolina (SC)
South Carolina DMV
Personalized Plates
Personalized plate application guidance and a link to Form MV-96 for requirements.
South Dakota (SD)
South Dakota Department of Revenue
Personalized Plates Policy MV118
Character rules, prohibited combinations, and approval procedures, with the attached court order incorporated into the policy.
Tennessee (TN)
Tennessee Department of Revenue
PSP-2 — Personalized License Plate Description and Application
Eligible vehicles and links to online and paper applications. This page is not a complete content-rejection policy.
Texas (TX)
MyPlates / Texas DMV
Personalized License Plate Guidelines and Restrictions
The vendor-hosted guidelines supplied for Texas: message restrictions and plate approval criteria.
Utah (UT)
Utah DMV
Personalized Plates — Guidelines and Standards
Plate-specific character limits, message standards, and review requirements.
Vermont (VT)
Vermont DMV
License Plates — Vanity Application and FAQs
License plate information and personalized plate FAQs, with a link to the vanity application. Vermont instructs applicants to download forms and open them in Adobe Reader.
Virginia (VA)
Virginia DMV
Personalized License Plate Guidelines and Restrictions
Message creation, permissible characters, prohibited content, and recall policy.
Washington (WA)
Washington DOL
Personalized plates
Character selection, excluded plate backgrounds, invalid combinations, and final review.
West Virginia (WV)
West Virginia DMV
Personalized Plate Ordering Information
Character limits by plate design, message restrictions, eligibility, and application instructions.
Wisconsin (WI)
Wisconsin DMV
Personalized and special group license plates FAQs
Eligible vehicles and objectionable personalized messages.
Wyoming (WY)
Wyoming DOT
Application for Prestige Plates MV-416
Prestige plate choice rules, application instructions, and WYDOT approval requirements.