State License Plate Identification

Looking at the license plates below and remembering them is pretty easy when viewing them on the computer. Put put them on a moving car, add some dirt or mud to the plate, or make it late at night..... and some close numbers can easily be mistaken. Can you tell the difference between the letter O and the number 0 on any of the plates? In minor hit and run accidents, an officer does not have the time to run all the possibilities of a partial plate. In a fatality, law enforcement agencies will take the time.

If you witness a hit and run, write down the license plate immediately. If you don't have a pen, wet your finger and write it on your window. In a stressful situation, trying to remember a # is nearly impossible, and when others start comparing what they saw, you can easliy become confused or swayed in what you saw. If you have a cell phone, give the number or any part that you saw to "any" 911 operator immediately.

Chart showing 50 most common state license plates here

Links to state DMV sites which usually show photo's of state specialty license plates

Alabama	Alaska	Arizona	Arkansas	California	Colorado	Connecticut
Delaware	Florida	Georgia	Hawaii	Idaho	Illinois	Indiana
Iowa	Kansas	Kentucky	Louisiana	Maine	Maryland	Massachusetts
Michigan	Minnesota	Mississippi	Missouri	Montana	Nebraska	Nevada
New Hampshire	New Jersey	New Mexico	New York	North Carolina	North Dakota	Ohio
Oklahoma	Oregon	Pennsylvania	Rhode Island	South Carolina	South Dakota	Tennessee
Texas	Utah	Vermont	Virginia	Washington	Washington DC	West Virginia
Wisconsin	Wyoming

The license plates above were furnished by Acme License Maker.
R.T. Blank Plates has some pages that make looking for the US and Canada's most popular license plates very easy.
For US and Canadian plates, look here.
Another good source for identifying state license plates here.

Did you know that the FBI can identify the model of a hit and run vehicle by using a small paint chip left on a victim's body?
It's true - in their criminal labaratories they have paint samples of every model and color of car made in the United States since the Model T Ford.

Car Identification with photo's

Recognizing Suspicious Damage

Similar Digits on License Plates and common or possible mistakes when reading a dirty plate, at night, or in a stressful situation


1 - I, L T, J, 7 2 - Z 3 - 8, 9, B 4 - A 5 - 6 6 - 5, G, C, 8 7 - Z 8 - 3, 6, 0, B 9 - 8, B 0 - O, Q, C, G		A - 4 B - 3, 8, E, P, F, R, D C - 0, Q, O D - P, 0, O, B E - F, B, 8, P F - P, E, R G - 6, C, Q H - N I - 1, L, T J - U, 9 K - B, X, Y L - I, B		M - N, H O - 0, G, C, Q P - R, B, E, H Q - O, 0, C R - P, B S - 3, 8, 9 T - 1, 7, E, F U - 0, O, V V - W, Y, X X - V, K Y - V, X, 7 Z - 7

Some states have a pattern to their plates. Look at the plates in your neighbrohood to see if you see a ltter, numerical pattern.

HOME