Vehicle registration plates of Hawaii

Hawaii
Current series
Slogan	Aloha State
Size	12 in × 6 in; 30 cm × 15 cm
Material	Aluminum
Serial format	ABC 123
Introduced	1991
Availability
Issued by	County government offices
Manufactured by	Irwin-Hodson Company, Portland, Oregon
History
First issued	January 1, 1922; (city and county plates from 1906 to December 31, 1921)
	v ; t ; e ;

Last updated August 20, 2024

Hawaii was a sovereign constitutional monarchy until this government was overthrown in January 1893, but many of its laws were already modeled after those of the United States, including (for example) registering dogs and issuing metal tags for them since the 1870s. The Republic of Hawaii which replaced the previous government was annexed as a Territory by the United States in August 1898, and the first automobiles to be shipped to the Hawaiian Islands arrived in 1899. Each of Hawaii's four counties registered vehicles completely autonomously starting with the City & County of Honolulu in 1906, and license plates were homemade / owner-provided. The first government-issued plates were used by both Honolulu and the County of Hawaii in 1915. Maui County first issued plates in 1919, while Kauai County retained homemade plates through 1921; this was the last jurisdiction in the United States to do so. All license plates were standardized throughout the Territory of Hawaii for the first time in 1922. Despite its status as a territory, Hawaii's vehicle registration laws and license plates were the same as the rest of the United States. Hawaii was admitted to the Union as the 50th state in August 1959.

Passenger baseplates

1922 to 1952

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

Dates issued	Design	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
1922	Embossed white on dark green; vertical "HAWAII" and "1922" at right	12-345	Issued in blocks by county	Serials started from 1-000 in Honolulu County, from 20-000 in Hawaii County, from 30-000 in Maui County, and from 40-000 in Kauai County. This continued through 1925.^[1]
1923	Embossed green on white with border line; "HAWAII 1923" at bottom	12345	Issued in blocks by county
1924	Embossed red on white with border line; "HAWAII 1924" at top	12345	Issued in blocks by county
1925	Embossed black on orange with border line; "HAWAII 1925" at bottom	12345	Issued in blocks by county
1926	Embossed white on green with border line; vertical "HAWAII" and "1926" at left	12345	Issued in blocks by county	Serials started from 50000 in Honolulu County; starting serials in other counties same as 1922–25. This continued through 1939.^[1]
1927	Embossed black on silver with border line; "HAWAII 1927" centered at bottom	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1928	Embossed orange on black with border line; "HAWAII 1928" centered at bottom	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1929	Embossed golden yellow on blue with border line; "HAWAII 1929" centered at top	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1930	Embossed white on red with border line; "HAWAII 1930" centered at bottom	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1931	Embossed white on black with border line; "HAWAII 1931" centered at top	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1932	Embossed yellow on green with border line; "HAWAII 1932" centered at bottom	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1933	Embossed red on orange; "HAWAII 1933" centered at top	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1934	Embossed white on blue; "HAWAII 1934" centered at bottom	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1935	Embossed black on golden yellow; "HAWAII 1935" centered at top	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1936	Embossed white on green; "HAWAII 1936" centered at bottom	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1937	Embossed blue on white; "HAWAII 1937" centered at top	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1938	Embossed yellow on black; "HAWAII 1938" centered at bottom	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1939	Embossed white on blue; "HAWAII 1939" centered at top	12-345	Issued in blocks by county
1940	Embossed black on yellow; "HAWAII 1940" at bottom, offset to right	A/A1234	County-coded (see right)	Honolulu County used O as the second letter and numbers 5000–9999; Hawaii County used H and numbers 2000–2999; Maui County used M and numbers 3000–3999; and Kauai County used K and numbers 4000–4999. The number allocations were used through 1950.^[1]
1941	Embossed red on gray; "HAWAII 1941" centered at top	A1234	County-coded
1942–45	Embossed white on black; "HAWAII 1942" centered at bottom	A1234	County-coded	Revalidated for 1943, 1944 and 1945 with windshield stickers, due to metal conservation for World War II.
1946	Embossed black on white; "HAWAII 1946" centered at top	A1234	County-coded
1947	Embossed white on green; "HAWAII 1947" centered at bottom	A1234	County-coded
1948	Embossed black on golden yellow; "HAWAII 1948" centered at top	A1234	County-coded
1949	Embossed golden yellow on black; "HAWAII 1949" centered at bottom	A1234	County-coded
1950	As 1948 base, but with "HAWAII 1950" at top	1A1234 A1234	County-coded	1A1234 serial format used in Honolulu County, with the prefix progressing 1A-5A, 1B-5B, etc.^[1]
1951	As 1949 base, but with "HAWAII 51" at bottom	1A-123 A 123 A-1234	County-coded	Honolulu County used letters A, B, C, E, F, N, T, W and X; Hawaii County used H and Z; Maui County used M and L; and Kauai County used K. This continued through 1980.^[1]
1952	As 1948 base, but with "HAWAII 52" at top	1A-123 A-123 A-1234	County-coded

1953 to present

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.^[2] The first Hawaii license plate that complied with these standards was a modification of the 1953 plate, introduced in 1956.^[3]

Since 1969, all Hawaii passenger plates have featured a round mounting hole at the top right and horizontal slots in the other three corners. This irregularity is to accommodate the yearly registration sticker in the upper right corner of the rear plate.

Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
1953–56	Embossed golden yellow on black; "HAWAII" at bottom, offset to left	none	1A-123 A-123 A-1234 1A-1234	County-coded	Validated annually with one metal tab attached to the lower right corner of the front license plate: 1953 - plain aluminum, 1954 - black on yellow, 1955 - red on white, and 1956 - black on deep yellow.
1957–60	Embossed white on red with border line; "HAWAII" centered at bottom	"ALOHA" centered at top	1A-123 A-123 A-1234 1A-1234	County-coded	Validated annually with windshield stickers: 1957 - red on white, 1958 - gold on green, 1959 - black on yellow, 1960 - white on blue.
1961–68	Embossed white on green with border line; "HAWAII" centered at top	"ALOHA STATE" centered at bottom	1A-1234 A-1234 K-12345	County-coded	Validated annually with windshield stickers: 1961- white on green, 1962 - red on yellow with Hawaii Visitors Bureau Hawaiian warrior logo, 1963 - yellow on red with Hawaii Visitors Bureau Hawaiian warrior logo, 1964 - black on gold, 1965 - white on blue, 1966 - white on green, 1967 - yellow on red, 1968 - black on gold.
1969–75	Embossed black on reflective yellow with border line; "HAWAII" centered at top; "69" etched at top right	"ALOHA STATE" centered at bottom	1A-1234 A-1234 K-12345	County-coded
1976–80	Embossed blue on reflective white with border line; "HAWAII" centered at top; pink graphics of King Kamehameha I and Diamond Head screened in background; red hibiscus screened at top left and "76" at top right	"ALOHA STATE" centered at bottom	1A-1234 A-12345	County-coded
1981–90	Embossed brown on reflective white; orange warrior head graphic screened in center; "HAWAII" screened in brown centered at top; "81" screened at top right	"ALOHA STATE" screened in brown centered at bottom	ABC 123	County-coded (see right)	Honolulu County used A, B, C and D as the first letter; Hawaii County used H; Maui County used M; and Kauai County used K. Letters I, O and Q not used, and H, K, L and M not used in Honolulu County; these practices continue today.^[1]^[4]^[5]
1991–present	Embossed black on reflective white; rainbow graphic screened in background; "HAWAII" screened in black centered at top	"ALOHA STATE" screened in black centered at bottom	ABC 123	County-coded	Honolulu County has used E, F, G, J, N, P, R, S, T, and W as the first letter; Hawaii County has used H and Z; Maui County has used M and L; and Kauai County has used K.^[1]^[4] The design was set to run out in Honolulu County mid 2024 with the letter W however it was announced in late 2023 that the letters Y, A, B, C, and D have been added to Honolulu County. It is estimated that this will keep the Rainbow series in production for the next 15 years.^[6]

Non-passenger types

1981 base

Type	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
City and County Government	City and County of Honolulu: C&C #### City and County Of Honolulu: 3 Numbers: ### County of Hawaii: CofH ### County of Maui: CofM ### County of Kauai: CofK ### County of Kauai: 1981 Vehicles: 2 Numbers: CofK ##	City and County of Honolulu: C&C 1700-3199 County Of Hawaii: CofH 430-999 County Of Maui: CofM 100-799 County Of Kauai: CofK 130-599 County Of Kauai: 1981-1982: 2 Numbers: CofK 10-99	County and State Governments have a history of renewing their old vehicles, so some vehicles that have fairly new license plates may be an old vehicle. Also, the state/county tends to reuse numbers, so it may not be accurate, this data has been reported and estimated based on remaining renewed state/county vehicle title information.
Motorcycle	123 ABC	County-coded	Honolulu County used X as the first letter; Hawaii County used H (starting from HMC); Maui County used M (starting from MMC); and Kauai County used K (starting from KMC).^[7]
State Government	1981-1990: State #### Some Older Vehicles: (such as 1970, 1960, etc or some vehicles) State ###	1981-1990: State 2600-5699 Airport Division: Older Vehicles: State 2100-2599 Early 1981: State 200-299 - State 300-399 - State 400-499 - State 500-599 - State 700-799 - State 800-899 - State 900-999 - State 1000-1099 - State 1100-1199 - State 1200-1299 - State 1500-1599 - State 1600-1699 - State 1700-1799 - State 1800-1899 - State 1900-1999 - State 2000-2099 - State 2600-2699	County and State Governments have a history of renewing their old vehicles, so some vehicles that have fairly new license plates may be an old vehicle. Also, the state/county tends to reuse numbers, so it may not be accurate, this data has been reported and estimated based on remaining renewed state/county vehicle title information.
Truck	123 ABC	County-coded	Honolulu County used T as the first letter; Hawaii County used H; Maui County used M; and Kauai County used K.

1991 base

Type	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
City and County Government	City and County of Honolulu: C&C #### County of Hawaii: CofH #### County of Maui: CofM #### County of Kauai: Older Plates: CK #### County of Kauai: Newer Plates: CofK/Or CK ####	City and County of Honolulu: 1991-1992: C&C 3000-3499/5000-5499 1993-present: C&C 4000-9444 County Of Hawaii: CofH 1000-3775 County Of Maui: CofM 1000-2728 County Of Kauai: Older Plates: CK 1000-1999 County of Kauai: Newer Plates: CofK/Or CK 2000-2528	County and State Governments have a history of renewing their old vehicles, so some vehicles that have fairly new license plates may be an old vehicle.
Honolulu Police Department	HPD1234		Numeric portion of serial is the unit number of the plated vehicle.
Motorcycle	123 XBC		First letter is X.^[4]
State Government	1991-2001: State #### 2001-present: State A###	1991-1992: State 5500-6499 1993-2001: State 4000-9999 2001-present: State A101-H788	County and State Governments have a history of renewing their old vehicles, so some vehicles that have fairly new license plates may be an old vehicle.
TheBus	BUS123		Numeric portion of serial is the unit number of the plated vehicle.
Trailer	123 WBC		First letter is W.^[4]
Truck	123 TBC		First letter is T.^[4]

Optional types

1991 base


Type	Design	Serial format
America United (issued 2 weeks after 9/11/01)	Sticker at left	AB123
Bishop Museum (first optional plate, issued 2000)	Sticker at left	AB123
Hawaii Arts Council (2 sticker designs used)	Sticker at left	AB123
Hawaiian Humane Society (2 sticker designs used)	Sticker at left	AB123
Honolulu Zoo	Sticker at left	AB123
Honolulu Police Relief Association	Sticker at left	AB123
Hawaii Firefighters	Sticker at left	AB123
Maui Fire Dept.	Sticker at left	AB123
Protect Our Native Species	Sticker at left	AB123
University of Hawaii	Sticker at left	AB123
Kamehameha Schools	Sticker at left	AB123
Hawaii Lions Clubs	Sticker at left	AB123
Mighty Mo (Battleship Missouri)	Sticker at left	AB123
National Marine Sanctuaries	Sticker at left	AB123
Olelo Hawaii (Hawaiian language)	Sticker at left	AB123
Respect Choice	Sticker at left	AB123
Choose Life	Sticker at left	AB123
Veteran	Text and American flag on left	1-9999; 001A-999Z
Combat Veteran	Text on left	1-9999; 001A-999Z
Combat Wounded	Text and Purple Heart design on left	1-9999; 001A-999Z
World War II Veteran	Text on left	1-9999
Korea Veteran	Text on left	1-9999
Vietnam Veteran	Text on left	1-9999
Persian Gulf Veteran	Text on left	1-9999
Pearl Harbor Survivor	Text on left	1-9999
Electric Vehicle	Text on left	1-9999; 001A-999Z
Disabled	Wheelchair logo on left	1-9999; 001-999Z
Honorary Consul	Text on left	1-9999

Unique base

Type	Serial format	Notes
Haleakalā National Park	AB12A
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park	AB123
Polynesian Voyaging Society	AB12A	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 2022 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first time Hawaii was so honored.

Related Research Articles

The U.S. state of Idaho first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1913. As of 2024, plates are issued by the Idaho Transportation Department through its Division of Motor Vehicles. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicle registration plates of Nebraska</span> Nebraska vehicle license plates

The U.S. state of Nebraska first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1905. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1915, when the state began to issue plates.

The U.S. state of Maryland 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.

The U.S. state of New Mexico first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1912. As of 2024, plates are issued by the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department through its Motor Vehicle Division. Only rear plates have been required since 1961.

The U.S. state of Colorado first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1913. As of 2024, plates are issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue through its Division of Motor Vehicles. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

The U.S. state of Iowa first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1904. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1911, when the state began to issue plates.

The U.S. state of Alabama first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1911.

The U.S. state of Montana first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1913. As of 2024, plates are issued by the Montana Department of Justice through its Motor Vehicle Division. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

The U.S. state of New Hampshire first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1905. As of 2022, plates are issued by the New Hampshire Department of Safety through its Division of Motor Vehicles. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

The U.S. state of Oklahoma first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1915. As of 2024, plates are issued by Service Oklahoma. Only rear plates have been required since 1944.

The U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1906. Only rear plates have been required since 1976.

The U.S. state of South Carolina first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1917. As of 2023, plates are issued by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Only rear plates have been required since 1975.

The U.S. state of Texas first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1907. Registrants provided their own license plates for display, with serial numbers assigned by their county of residence, until the state began to issue plates in 1917.

The U.S. state of Vermont first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1905. As of 2022, plates are issued by the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), associated with the Vermont Agency of Transportation. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

The U.S. unincorporated territory of the United States Virgin Islands first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1917.

The U.S. federal district of Washington, D.C., first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1903. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1907, when the district began to issue plates. Plates are issued by the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

The Canadian province of Saskatchewan first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1906. Registrants provided their own licence plates for display until 1912, when the province began to issue plates.

The Canadian province of Manitoba first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display licence plates in 1911. As of 2022, plates are issued by Manitoba Public Insurance. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

The Canadian territory of Yukon first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display licence plates in 1914. Only rear plates have been required since 1990.

The Canadian territory of Northwest Territories first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display licence plates in 1941. As of 2022, plates are issued by the Northwest Territories Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Only rear plates have been required since June 1, 1993.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tanner, Eric N. "Hawaii Passenger License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
↑ Garrish, Christopher (October 2016). "Reconsidering the Standard Plate Size". Plates. Vol. 62, no. 5. Automobile License Plate Collectors Association.
↑ "Hawai'i Y2K".
1 2 3 4 5 Watanabe, June (February 19, 2010). "Kokua Line: Alphabet soup". Honolulu Star-Bulletin . Retrieved January 23, 2011.
↑ Watanabe, June (March 2, 2010). "Kokua Line: Some letters exclusive to neighbor island plates". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
↑ "Hawaii's rainbow license plate is not retiring after all". KHON2 News. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
↑ Tanner, Eric N. "Hawaii Motorcycle License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020.

External links

Hawaii license plates 1969-present

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[allaboutlicenseplatesHI-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tanner, Eric N. "Hawaii Passenger License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved July 5, 2021.

[2] Garrish, Christopher (October 2016). "Reconsidering the Standard Plate Size". Plates. Vol. 62, no. 5. Automobile License Plate Collectors Association.

[3] "Hawai'i Y2K".

[Alphabet_soup-4] 1 2 3 4 5 Watanabe, June (February 19, 2010). "Kokua Line: Alphabet soup". Honolulu Star-Bulletin . Retrieved January 23, 2011.

[Some_letters_exclusive-5] Watanabe, June (March 2, 2010). "Kokua Line: Some letters exclusive to neighbor island plates". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved January 23, 2011.

[khon2news-6] "Hawaii's rainbow license plate is not retiring after all". KHON2 News. Retrieved 23 April 2024.

[7] Tanner, Eric N. "Hawaii Motorcycle License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020.

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v t e Vehicle license plates of the United States
States	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 West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Federal district	Washington, D.C.
Territories	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands
Other registration plates	Canal Zone Native American tribes Designs and serial formats
By year	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

v t e Vehicle registration plates of North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands

v t e Vehicle registration plates of Oceania
Sovereign states	Australia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Associated states of New Zealand	Cook Islands Niue
Dependencies and other territories	American Samoa Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna

v t e State of Hawaii
Honolulu (capital)
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Main islands	Hawaiʻi Kahoʻolawe Kauaʻi Lānaʻi Maui Molokaʻi Niʻihau Oʻahu
Northwestern Islands	French Frigate Shoals Gardner Kure Laysan Lisianski Maro Reef Necker Nihoa Pearl and Hermes
Notable communities	Hilo Honolulu Kahului Kailua-Kona Kāneʻohe Kapolei Kihei Līhuʻe Pearl City Waipahu
Counties	Hawaiʻi Honolulu Kalawao Kauaʻi Maui
Pre-statehood history	Bayonet Constitution Hawaiian Kingdom Hawaiian Renaissance Hawaiian sovereignty movement Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom Territory of Hawaii
Hawaiiportal

Vehicle registration plates of Hawaii

Contents

Passenger baseplates

1922 to 1952

1953 to present

Non-passenger types

1981 base

1991 base

Optional types

1991 base

Unique base

Related Research Articles

References

External links