The U.S. state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1904. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1910, when the state began to issue plates. Plates are currently issued by the Motor Vehicle Administration of the Maryland Department of Transportation. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers, as well as classes L (historic, 20+ years and unaltered) and N (street rod, 25+ years and altered) that are at least 50 years old.

Passenger baseplates

1910 to 1970

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

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...

s) at in height by in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1956 (expired March 31, 1957) issue was the first Maryland license plate that complied with these standards.

1970 to present

Optional plates

Non-passenger plates

Multi-purpose vehicles (such as

minivan Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...

s and

sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon defini ...

s), as well as pickup trucks and cargo vans, have traditionally been issued separate plate types. However, since June 14, 2010, trucks and multi-purpose vehicles have been issued passenger plates with the same serial format, first on the War of 1812 commemorative base and currently on the "Maryland Proud" base.

Government plates

Plates issued to local and state government agencies, including police and transit buses operated by a city or county or the state (for City of Baltimore).

Passenger baseplates

1910 to 1970

1970 to present

Optional plates

Non-passenger plates

Government plates

Temporary plates

Organization plates

See also

References

Further reading

External links