Vehicle registration plates of Delaware

Delaware vehicle license plates

Delaware

Size	12 in × 6 in 30 cm × 15 cm
Material	Aluminum
Serial format	123456
Introduced	2008 (2008)
Issued by	Delaware Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles
Manufactured by	Waldale Manufacturing Limited, Amherst, Nova Scotia
First issued	May 1, 1909 (1909-05-01) (pre-state plates from 1905 through April 30, 1909)

The U.S. state of Delaware first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1905. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1909, when the state began to issue plates.^[1]

As of 2022^[update], plates are issued by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) through its Division of Motor Vehicles. Only rear plates have been required on standard passenger vehicles since 1945. All plates issued since 1942 can still be used with current stickers. Authorized reproductions of porcelain enamel plates can be obtained through a private vendor,^[2] provided they fall within the state’s guidelines.

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.^[3] The first Delaware license plate that complied with these standards was issued in 1958.

Passenger baseplates[edit]

1909 to 1942[edit]

No slogans were used on passenger plates during the period covered by this subsection.

Image	First issued	Design	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
1234	1909	White on black porcelain; “DEL. 1909” at top	1234	1001 to approximately 1500	Serials followed on from those on pre-state-issued plates.
123	1910	Black on white porcelain; “DEL. 1910” at top	123	1 to approximately 900
1234	1911	White on dark blue porcelain; “DEL. 1911” at top	1234	1 to approximately 1300
1234	1912	White on maroon porcelain; “DEL. 1912” at top	1234	1 to approximately 1800
1234	1913	White on black porcelain; vertical “DEL” and “1913” at left and right respectively	1234	1 to approximately 2000
1234		As above, but with “DEL 13” at right		2001 to approximately 2500
1234	1914	Yellow on black porcelain; “DEL 14” at right	1234	1 to approximately 3200
1234	1915	Blue on white porcelain; “DEL 15” at right	1234	1 to approximately 4700
1234	1916	White on dark green; “DEL 16” at right	1234	1 to approximately 7000
1234	1917	White on black; “DEL 17” at right	12345	1 to approximately 10700
12345	1918	White on brown; “DEL 18” at right	12345	1 to approximately 13000
12345	1919	White on dark blue with border line; “DEL 19” at right	12345	1 to approximately 13100
12345	1920	Black on light green with border line; “DEL 20” at right	12345	1 to approximately 18100
	1921	Red on white with border line; “DEL 21” at right	12345	1 to approximately 20800
12-345	1922	Blue on white with border line; “DEL 22” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 23-300
12-345	1923	White on black with border line; “DEL 23” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 25-000
12-345	1924	Brown on white with border line; “DEL 24” at right	12-345	1 to 20-000; 30-001 to approximately 39-000	Serials 20-001 through 30-000 reserved for commercial vehicles.[4]
12-345	1925	Black on orange with border line; “DEL 25” at right	12-345	1 to 30-000; 45-001 to approximately 48-000	Serials 30-001 through 45-000 reserved for commercial vehicles and tractor units.[4]
12-345	1926	Yellow on blue with border line; “DEL 26” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 37-000
	1927	Red on gray with border line; “DEL 27” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 40-000
12-345	1928	Black on white with border line; “DEL 28” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 50-000
♦12-345	1929	Blue on golden yellow with border line; diamond at left and “DEL 29” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 47-000
♦12-345	1930	Golden yellow on blue with border line; diamond at left and “DEL 30” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 45-000
	1931	As 1929 base, but with “DEL 31” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 48-000
♦12-345	1932	As 1930 base, but with “DEL ’32” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 47-000
♦12-345	1933	As 1929 base, but with “DEL ’33” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 48-000
♦12-345	1934	As 1930 base, but with “DEL ’34” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 47-000
♦12-345	1935	As 1929 base, but with “DEL ’35” at right	12-345	1 to approximately 48-000
12♦345	1936	Golden yellow on blue with border line; “DELAWARE – 36” at bottom	12♦345	1 to approximately 51♦000	First use of the full state name.
12♦345	1937	Blue on golden yellow with border line; “DELAWARE – 37” at bottom	12♦345	1 to approximately 53♦000
	1938	Red on silver with border line; “DELAWARE – 38” at bottom	12♦345	1 to approximately 55♦000
	1939	Silver on maroon with border line; “DELAWARE – 39” at bottom	12♦345	1 to approximately 58♦000
12♦345	1940	Blue on golden yellow; “DEL. EX. 3-31-41” at bottom	12♦345	1 to approximately 60♦000
12♦345	1941	Golden yellow on blue; “DELAWARE 3-31-42” at top	12♦345	1 to approximately 59♦000

1942 to present[edit]

Notes:
1 The state recycles serials, so they can be found on any base.
2 Serials 1, 2 and 3 reserved for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State respectively. Plates with these serials are blue on gold with the state’s coat of arms at the left.

Non-passenger plates[edit]

Delaware does not use leading zeros on its plates, so serials are composed of a variable number of digits.

Optional plates[edit]

Delaware does not use leading zeros on its plates, so serials are composed of a variable number of digits.

References[edit]

External links[edit]