Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual

Driver Education illustration

Section 22 of 38

Chapter 21: Special Plates

21.180 Personalized Configurations—Mandatory Refusal

DMV must refuse any personalized license plate configuration that may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency, or which would be misleading, based on criteria which includes, but is not limited to, any configuration that:

  • Has a sexual connotation or is a term of lust or depravity.
  • Is a vulgar term; a term of contempt, prejudice, or hostility; an insulting or degrading term; a racially degrading term; or an ethnically degrading term.
  • Is a swear word or term considered profane, obscene, or repulsive.
  • Has been restricted (deleted) from regular series license plates.
  • Has a negative connotation to a specific group.
  • Misrepresents a law enforcement entity.
  • Is a foreign or slang word or term.
  • Is a phonetic spelling or mirror image of a word or term falling into the categories described above.

Similar Configurations— A personalized license plate application for a configuration similar in appearance to an existing special license plate are not accepted. Applicants cannot substitute a letter for a number or a number for a letter in the middle, front, or end of a configuration it it creates a configuration similar to an existing special license plate.

Unacceptable Letter/Number Substitutions—Any special license plate application which contains “1” and “I” used interchangeable or “0” and “O” or “Q” used interchangeably must be rejected.

Restricted License Plate Configurations—The following configurations are deleted from the regular series license plate configuration and are not available for personalized license plates:

ABM       ANO       APE       ARS        ASB       ASS        BAD       BAG       BED
BRA        BUN       BUT       BVD       CHP       CIA        COC        COK       CON
COP        CQC       CQK       CQN       CUL       CUM      CUN       CUR        CUZ
DAG       DAM      DDT        DIC        DIE        DIK        DOA       DUD       DUF
DUM       DUN      FAG        FAN        FAT        FBI         FCK        FKU       FOC
FOK        FQC       FQK        FQU        FUC       FUD       FUG        FUK       FUN
FUX        FUY       GAT        GAY       GEE       GOD       GQD       GUT       HAG
HAM       HEL       HEN        HIC        HIK        HIV        HOG       HOR       HQR
JAP          JAZ        JEW        JIG         KIK        KKK       KOC       KOK      KON
KOX        KQC      KQK       KQN       KQX      KYK       LAY        LSD       MEX
NAG        NGR      NIG         NIP         NUN      OVA       PEA        PEE        PEW
PIG          PIS         POT        POW       PST        PUD       PUS        PYS        QVA
RAG        RAT       RAW       RUT       SAC       SAK        SAM       SEX       SHT
SIF           SIN        SLA        SOB        SOT       SQB        SUC       SUK       SUR
SUX        TIT         TUB        UCK       UPP       UPU        URN      URP        USB
USR        VUC       VUK       VUX       WAD      WOP      WQP      YEP        YID

Restricted Letter/Number Combinations—The following combinations are not available for personalized license plates, because they conflict with existing license plate series:

License Plate Configuration
Example
License Type
3 numbers; 2 letters
(restricted only to letters AA through E0)
000AA–000E0
Reserved
3 numbers; 3 letters
123SAM
Automobile
4 numbers; 2 letters
0000PH
1234AB
0000DP
0000DV
Purple Heart Vessels
Disabled Person
Disabled Veteran
5 numbers; 1 letter
12345R
Commercial
5 numbers; 2 letters
30000DP
00000DV
Disabled Person
Disabled Veteran
5 numbers; 1 letter; 1 number
11111A1
Commercial
7 numbers
1234567
CA Exempt