Colorado

Current series
Size	12 in × 6 in 30 cm × 15 cm
Material	Aluminum
Serial format	ABC-D12
Introduced	January 2000 (2000-01)
Availability
Issued by	Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles
History
First issued	July 15, 1913 (1913-07-15)
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The U.S. state of Colorado first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1913. As of 2024^[update], 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 basic design of Colorado's license plate, a range of mountains against a white or green background, has been in use since 1960 (except for 1973 and 1975–76). In 2000, a screened, more detailed version of the mountain range replaced the previous dark green version.

Passenger baseplates

1913 to 1974

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.^[1] The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Colorado license plate that fully complied with these standards: the 1954 (dated 1955) issue was 6 inches in height by 12 inches in width, but had non-standard mounting holes.

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1913	Black serial on white porcelain plate; vertical "COLO" and "1913" at left and right respectively	none	12345	1 to approximately 14500
	1914	White serial on dark blue porcelain plate; vertical "COLO" and "1914" at left and right respectively	none	12345	1 to approximately 20000
	1915	Black serial on yellow porcelain plate; vertical "COLO" and "1915" at left and right respectively	none	12345	1 to approximately 29000
	1916	Embossed white serial on brown plate with border line; vertical "COLO" and "1916" at left and right respectively	none	12345	1 to approximately 47000	First embossed plate. Serials issued in blocks by county; this practice continued through 1931.[2]
	1917	Embossed black serial on pink plate with border line; vertical "COLO" and "1917" at left and right respectively	none	12345	1 to approximately 68000
	1918	Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; vertical "COLO" and "1918" at left and right respectively	none	123-456	1 to approximately 102-000
	1919–20	Welded silver serial on dark brown plate; "COLO." centered at top	none	123-456	1 to approximately 233-000	Validated for 1919 with dark brown tabs, and for 1920 with dark blue tabs.
	1920	Embossed silver serial on dark brown plate with border line; vertical "COLO" and "1920" at left and right respectively	none			Issued only to new registrants.
	1921	Embossed silver serial on dark blue plate with border line; "COLO-1921" centered at top	none	123-456	1 to approximately 177-000
	1922	Embossed black serial on white plate with border line; stylized vertical "COLO" and "22" at right	none	123-456	1 to approximately 190-000
	1923	Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "COLO. 1923" centered at bottom	none	123-456	1 to approximately 192-000
	1924	Embossed black serial on beige plate with border line; "COLO. 1924" centered at bottom	none	123-456	1 to approximately 224-000
	1925	Embossed white serial on maroon plate with border line; "COLO. 1925" centered at bottom	none	123-456	1 to approximately 266-000
	1926	Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "COLO. 1926" centered at bottom	none	123-456	1 to approximately 274-000
	1927	Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "COLO. 1927" centered at bottom	none	123-456	1 to approximately 308-000
	1928	Embossed maroon serial on beige plate with border line; "COLO. 1928" centered at bottom	none	123-456	1 to approximately 314-000
	1929	Embossed white serial on maroon plate with border line; "COLO. 1929" centered at bottom	none	123-456	1 to approximately 326-000
	1930	Embossed orange serial on black plate with border line; "COLORADO-1930" at top	none	12-34-56	1 to approximately 34-40-00	First use of the full state name.
	1931	Embossed black serial on orange plate; "COLORADO-1931" at bottom	none	123-456	1 to approximately 386-000
	1932	Embossed orange serial on black plate; "COLORADO 1932" at bottom	none	1-12-345 10-1-234	County-coded	First use of county codes.
	1933	Embossed black serial on orange plate; "COLORADO 1933" at bottom	none	1-12345 10-1234	County-coded
	1934	Embossed yellow serial on black plate; "COLORADO 1934" at bottom	none	1-12345 10-1234	County-coded
	1935	Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "COLO. 1935" centered at top	none	1-12345 10-1234	County-coded
	1936	Embossed white serial on blue plate with border line; "COLO. 1936" centered at top	none	1-12345 10-1234	County-coded
	1937	Embossed black serial on silver plate with border line; "COLO. 1937" centered at top	none	1-12345 10-1234	County-coded
	1938	Embossed white serial on turquoise plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 38" at top	none	1-12345 10-1234	County-coded
	1939	Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 39" at top	none	1-12345 10-12345	County-coded
	1940	Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 40" at top	none	1-12345 10-12345	County-coded
	1941	Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 41" at top	none	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded
	1942	Embossed white serial on maroon plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 42" at top	none	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded
	1943–44	Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 43" at top	none	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded	Revalidated for 1944 with yellow tabs, due to metal conservation for World War II.
	1945	Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 45" at top	none	1-12345 10-12345	County-coded
	1946	Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 46" at bottom	none	1-12345 10-12345	County-coded
	1947	Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 47" at bottom	none	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded
	1948	Embossed black serial on unpainted aluminum plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 48" at top	none	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded
	1949	Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 49" at bottom	none	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded
	1950	Embossed green serial on white plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 50" at bottom	"COLORFUL" centered at top	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded
	1951–52	Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 51" at bottom	"COLORFUL" centered at top	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded	Revalidated for 1952 with yellow tabs, due to metal conservation for the Korean War.
	1953	Embossed green serial on yellow plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 53" at bottom	"COLORFUL" centered at top	1-123456 10-12345	County-coded
	1954	Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 54" at bottom	"COLORFUL" centered at top	1-1234 A1-1234 1A-1234 10-1234 A10-123 10A-123	County-coded
	1955	Embossed black serial on white plate with border line; "COLORADO" at bottom, slightly offset to right; "55" at top right	"Colorful" at top, slightly offset to right	A/1 1234 A/10 1234	County-coded
	1956	Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 56" at bottom	none	A:1234	A:1 to Z:9999	Issued in Denver County.
				A/10 1234	County-coded	Issued in Arapahoe, Jefferson and Adams Counties.
				2:12345 13:1234		Issued in all other counties.
	1957	Embossed black serial on orange plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 57" at bottom	none	123-456	1001 to approximately 203-000	Issued in Denver County.
				A/10 1234	County-coded	Issued in Arapahoe, Jefferson, Adams, Logan and Morgan Counties.
				2-12345 14-1234		Issued in all other counties.
	1958	Embossed green serial on pale green plate with border line; embossed skier graphic at right; "COLORADO 58" at bottom, offset to right	"Colorful" centered at top	A/B 123	A/A 1 to approximately N/R 999	Issued in Denver County.
				2 123 2/A 123 A/2 123 1/0 123 10/A 123 A/10 123	County-coded	Issued in all other counties.
	1959	Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 59" at bottom	"Colorful" centered at top	AB-1234	County-coded	Letters I, O and Q not used in serials; this practice continued until the early 1990s.[2]
	1960–61	Embossed green serial on white plate with border line; mountain range graphic at top; "19 COLORADO 60" at bottom	none	AB-1234	County-coded	Revalidated for 1961 with stickers.
	1962	Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; mountain range graphic at top; "19 COLORADO 62" at bottom	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1963	Embossed green serial on white plate with border line; mountain range graphic at bottom; "19 COLORADO 63" at top	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1964	As 1962 base, but with "19 COLORADO 64" at bottom	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1965	As 1963 base, but with "19 COLORADO 65" at top	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1966	As 1962 base, but with "19 COLORADO 66" at bottom	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1967	As 1963 base, but with "19 COLORADO 67" at top	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1968	As 1962 base, but with "19 COLORADO 68" at bottom	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1969	As 1963 base, but with "19 COLORADO 69" at top	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1970	As 1962 base, but with "19 COLORADO 70" at bottom	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1971	As 1963 base, but reflective, and with "19 COLORADO 71" at top	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1972	Debossed white serial on reflective green plate with border line; mountain range graphic at top; "19 COLORADO 72" at bottom	none	AB-1234	County-coded
	1973	Embossed green serial on reflective white plate with border line; "19 COLORADO 73" at bottom	"Colorful" centered at top	AB-1234	County-coded
	1974	Debossed white serial on reflective green plate with border line; mountain range graphic above serial; "19 COLORADO 74" at bottom	"Colorful" centered at top	AB-1234	County-coded

1975 to present

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1975–76	Embossed red on reflective white and blue graphic	Centennial	AB-1234	County-coded	Commemorated Colorado's 100 years of statehood. Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1975 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Colorado has been so honored.
	1976	Embossed red on reflective white	Centennial			Issued at end of Centennial graphic supply.
	1977–81	Embossed white on reflective green; mountains at top	none	AB-1234	County-coded	Letters I and O added to serials following the introduction of the ABC1234 format. With the addition of the letter O, the die for the digit '0' was changed for better differentiation.[2]
	1982 – June 1992			ABC-123
	July 1992 – December 1999			ABC1234
	January 2000 – mid 2015	Embossed dark green on reflective graphic plate with white and grey mountains against dark green background	none	123-ABC	001-AAA to 999-ZZZ (see right)	Letter Q not used in serials until early 2013, when all serials containing at least one of this letter were issued in alphabetical order following 999-ZZZ (beginning with 001-AAQ and ending with 999-ZZQ).
	mid 2015 – mid 2018			ABC-123	Unused 1982–92 serials	'Q' series issued first (QAA-001 through QZZ-999); subsequent issues in random order, including other series containing I, O and Q.
	mid 2018 – present			ABC-D12	AAA-A00 to EER-A44 (as of March 11, 2024)[3]	Manufactured, but not issued, alphabetically. The most progressive numbers are often found on low-volume special plates, as they are typically issued after being manufactured rather than kept in stock.

County coding

Colorado introduced numeric county codes on its passenger and motorcycle license plates in 1932, with the order of the codes based on the populations of each of the state's 63 counties at the time. These codes were used through 1958 (except in Denver, which last used code 1 in 1955).

Two-letter codes replaced the numeric codes in 1959, with blocks assigned to each county in the same order. For each code, serials ran to 9999 on passenger plates, and to 999 on motorcycle plates. The move to multi-year plates in the mid-1970s resulted in several counties exhausting their blocks and being assigned new ones.

In 1982, three-letter codes were introduced on passenger plates. AAA through DZZ were assigned to Denver, and GAA through TZZ to the next five most populous counties (Jefferson, El Paso, Boulder, Arapahoe and Adams); blocks of codes in the 'E', 'F', 'U', 'V' and 'W' series were then assigned to the remaining counties in roughly alphabetical order. For each code, serials ran from 001 to 999. Again, several counties exhausted their blocks and were assigned new ones, with Douglas and Elbert borrowing blocks of 'D' series codes from Denver's assignment. From July 1992, serials for each code ran from 1000 to 9999, and the previously unused letters I and O were added. Motorcycle plates continued to use two-letter codes (some of which were reassigned to other counties), with revised formats featuring three and later four digits between the letters (e.g. A123A and A1234A in Denver).

The table below reflects the two- and three-letter codes that were actually issued on passenger plates, rather than what was assigned.

Non-passenger plates

When the current passenger baseplate was introduced in 2000, the state also simplified its non-passenger and specialty plates, issuing them in the same serial format (originally 123-ABC) and with similar graphic elements.

2000 to present

The serials on non-passenger types are embossed unless noted.

Image	Type	Notes
	Apportioned Permanent Trailer	Red background; stacked "PRM" prefix.
	Apportioned Tractor	Red background; stacked "ATR" prefix.
	Apportioned Trailer	Red background; stacked "ATL" prefix.
	Apportioned Truck	Red background; stacked "ATK" prefix.
	Colorado State Patrol	Black background; surface-printed serials in a format of CSP 123.
	Commercial Fleet	Red background; stacked "FLT" prefix.
	Dealer	Blue background; stacked "DLR" prefix.
	Dealer—Demo	Blue background; stacked "DMO" prefix.
	Dealer—In Transit	Blue background; stacked "INT" prefix.
	Depot	Blue background; stacked "DPT" prefix.
	Disabled Person	Green background; wheelchair in center; surface-printed serials.
	Farm Tractor	Green background; stacked "FTR" prefix. Personalized variant also issued, with surface-printed serial.
	Farm Truck	Green background; stacked "FTK" prefix. Personalized variant also issued, with surface-printed serial.
	Government	Green background; stacked "GVT" prefix.
	Gross Vehicle Weight Tractor	Red background; stacked "TVW" prefix.
	Gross Vehicle Weight Truck	Red background; stacked "GVW" prefix. Personalized variant also issued, with surface-printed serial.
	Manufacturer	Blue background; stacked "MFG" prefix.
	Recreational Truck	Green background; stacked "RTK" prefix.
	Special Mobile Machine	Green background; stacked "SMM" prefix.
	Special Mobile Machine—Exempt	Green background; stacked "SMX" prefix; motorcycle-sized plate.
	Trailer	Green background; stacked "TRL" prefix.
	Transporter	Blue background; stacked "TPR" prefix.
	Truck	Green background; stacked "TRK" prefix.

Prior to 2000

Image	Type	Design	Serial format	Notes
	Disabled Person	Reflective white on green.	12345
	Fleet	Reflective gold on blue.	1234IA5

Specialty plates

2000 to present

Specialty types have surface-printed serials. Some types are available in personalized format, in which case the type logo, which normally appears at the center of the plate between the numbers and the letters of the serial, is absent.

Image	Type	Notes
	10th Mountain Division
	4th Infantry Division	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	"Adopt a Greyhound"
	"Adopt a Shelter Pet"	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	"Advancing Clean Energy"	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	Air Force Cross	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Amateur Radio—Commercial	Stacked "CCL" prefix. Serial is callsign.
	Amateur Radio—Passenger	Stacked "SCL" prefix. Serial is callsign.
	American Indian Scholars	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	'Born To Be Wild'	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	"Broncos Country"	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	Bronze Star	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Bronze Star of Valor	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Child Loss Awareness	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	Civil Air Patrol
	Collector Truck/Tractor	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	Collector Vehicle	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	Colorado College	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	Colorado Mesa University	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	Colorado School of Mines	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	Colorado State University	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	Colorado State University Pueblo	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	"Committed to a Cure"	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	Denver Firefighter
	Designer	Serial is embossed. Personalized variant also issued.
	Designer—Truck	Stacked "TRK" prefix; serial is embossed.
	Disabled Veteran	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Disabled Veteran Handicapped	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Distinguished Flying Cross	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Distinguished Service Cross	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	"Elks Care, Elks Share"
	Fallen Airman	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Fallen Guardsman	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Fallen Marine	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Fallen Sailor	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Fallen Soldier	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Firefighter	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Fort Lewis College	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	"Growing Your Future"	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	Honorably Discharged Veteran	Plate is screen printed. Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Honorary Consul
	Horseless Carriage
	Italian American	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	Kids1st	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	Korean War Veteran	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Medal of Honor	Motorcycle variant also issued.
	Member U.S. Congress
	Member U.S. Senate
	Motorcycle Collector	Issued only on motorcycles. Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	MSU Denver	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	National Guard
	Navy Cross
	NORAD	Commemorated NORAD's 50th anniversary. Issued from July 1, 2008 through January 1, 2010.[4]
	Pearl Harbor Survivor
	Pioneer
	Prisoner of War
	Purple Heart
	Regis University	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	"Respect Life"	Plate was made to recognize the survivors and victims of the Columbine High School massacre.
	Respects Wildlife
	Passenger—Personalized
	Share the Road	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	Silver Star
	Ski Country U.S.A
	State Representative	R-000 serial format.
	State Senator	S-00 serial format.
	Street Rod	Personalized variant also issued.
	Submarine Service
	Support Education	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	Support the 10th Mountain Division
	Support the Troops	Personalized, motorcycle, and personalized motorcycle variants also issued; neither personalized variant has the logo at the center.
	University of Colorado	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	University of Denver	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	University of Northern Colorado	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	U.S. Air Force	Available only to veterans.
	U.S. Air Force 50th Anniversary	Available to general public.
	U.S. Air Force Academy	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	U.S. Army
	U.S. Army Special Forces
	U.S. Coast Guard
	U.S. Marine Corps
	U.S. Navy
	Vietnam Veteran
	Western Colorado University	Personalized variant also issued, with no logo at center.
	World War II Veteran

Prior to 2000

Image	Type	Serial format	Notes
	10th Mountain Division	12345E
	Collector Truck/Tractor	12Z34
	Collector Vehicle	12N34 12R34
	Denim	Coded by county of issuance: A1B1234	Successor to Designer base; issued from July 1992 to December 1999. Still currently revalidated.
	Designer	Coded by county of issuance: A1B-123	Issued from January 1989 to June 1992. Still currently revalidated.
	Firefighter	12345F
	Honorably Discharged Veteran	12345B
	Pioneers	12345D
	Purple Heart	012345
	United States Air Force	12345C

Renewal date tags

Colorado implemented a monthly staggered registration system in 1978, with separate stickers for the month and year of the expiration date (placed at the bottom left and bottom right of the plate respectively). As of 2024^[update], month stickers are blue on white, while year stickers rotate through a four-color system introduced in 2002, as follows: