The U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

first required its residents to register their motor vehicle

Motor vehicle

A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...

s and display license plates in 1915.

Passenger plates 1963 to present

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1963	Green base with embossed white lettering and border and pelican in center.	"Sportsmen's Paradise"	12 345		The last year that the embossed pelican was featured on Louisiana plates.
	January 1, 2002 until December 31, 2003	Dark blue on reflective white with red and blue graphics and embossed border.	Louisiana Purchase Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...  Bicentennial 1803—2003	ABC 123	? to NEV 999
	2005	Black on pink gradient with pelican Pelican A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....  graphic.	Sportsman's Paradise	ABC 123	NFV 000 to present	Initial plates featured a larger font for the state name.

|2011
|White on Green with forest on bottom
|200 Years
|ABC 123
| NSF 000 to present
| In celebration for the 200 years of state hood.
|}

Non-passenger types

Image	Type	Design	First issued	Serial format	Notes
	Boat trailer Boat trailer A boat trailer is a trailer designed to launch, retrieve, carry and sometimes store boats.-Commercial boat trailers:Commercial hydraulic boat trailers are used by marinas, boatyards, boat hauliers, boat dealers and boat builders...	White base with embossed blue lettering and border.	unknown	D123456	"Boat trailer" embossed at top.
	Commercial Commercial vehicle A commercial vehicle is a type of motor vehicle that may be used for transporting goods or passengers. The European Union defines "commercial motor vehicle" as any motorised road vehicle, which by its type of construction and equipment is designed for, and capable of transporting, whether for...	"COMMERCIAL" embossed at bottom.		A123456
	Dealer Car dealership A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...	"DEALER" embossed at bottom.		DI12345
	Motorcycle Motorcycle A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...	"MC" embossed at bottom.		123456
	Private Truck Pick-Up Truck "Pick-Up Truck" is a song written and recorded by Belgian acid house musician Praga Khan. It is the third single from Praga's eighth studio album, Soundscraper....	"PRIVATE" embossed at bottom.		S123456
				V123456
				W123456
		"SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE" screened at bottom.
	Tractor Tractor A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...	"TRACTOR" embossed at top; weight of vehicle embossed in top right corner.	1963	123456
	Truck Truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...	"TRUCK" embossed at top; weight of vehicle embossed in top right corner.	1966	B123456
	Truck Truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...	"TRUCK" embossed at top; weight of vehicle embossed in top right corner.	1967	123456

Optional types

Optional types do not use leading zeros in their serials.

Image	Type	Design	First issued	Serial format	Notes
	American Indian Native Americans in the United States Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...			A/I 1234
	Animal Friendly			F/A 1234
	Bring Back the Bobwhite			12
	Choose Life Pro-life Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...			C/L 1234
	Emergency Medical Technician Emergency medical technician Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
	Firefighter—Retired			123
	"In God We Trust In God We Trust "In God We Trust" was adopted as the official motto of the United States in 1956. It is also the motto of the U.S. state of Florida. The Legality of this motto has been questioned because of the United States Constitution forbidding the government to make any law respecting the establishment of a... "			T/G 1234
	Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...			123
	Marine Corps League Marine Corps League The Marine Corps League is the only Congressionally chartered United States Marine Corps-related veterans organization in the United States. Its Congressional Charter was approved by the 75th U.S. Congress and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 4, 1937. The organization credits...			12
	Our Environment Environmentalism Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements... ...Our Future	Black on reflective light blue, white, and dark blue with multicolored graphic of pelican Pelican A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....  at right.		123 E/E 1234
	"Preserve Our Hunting Heritage"			W/D 1234
	Save the Louisiana Black Bear American black bear The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...			B/B 1234
	Sons of Confederate Veterans Sons of Confederate Veterans Sons of Confederate Veterans is an American national heritage organization with members in all fifty states and in almost a dozen countries in Europe, Australia and South America...			C/V 1234
	Special Olympics Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....			12
	Think Safe Kids			12
	U.S. Veteran—Marine Corps	"USMC" printed diagonally to left of serial		M/A 1234
	U.S. Veteran—Navy—Retired	"NAVY" printed diagonally and "RETIRED" printed horizontally to left of serial		123

Government plates

Image	Type	Design	First issued	Serial format	Notes
	Public	"PUBLIC" embossed vertically at left; "SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE" screened at bottom.		123456
	Wildlife & Fisheries Enforcement Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries - Enforcement Division The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdiction anywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety...			SF 12

State Police troop codes

From 1965 until 1993, Louisiana State Police

Louisiana State Police

The Louisiana State Police is the state police department of Louisiana, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state, headquartered in Baton Rouge. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Louisiana. It falls under the authority of the Louisiana...

 troop area codes were used as part of the serial on the plate, invariably in the center of the serial. From 1993 until 1996, stickers were used to show the troop. This was done to give some idea of where the plates were issued. However, registrants who applied via the mail got plates with the "X" code, which was used for Baton Rouge.

Code	Troop or area
A	Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
B	New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
C	Raceland Raceland, Louisiana Raceland is a census-designated place on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 10,224 at the 2000 census... , (later Gray Gray, Louisiana Gray is a census-designated place in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,958 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...  after troop office was moved in the mid 1970s)
D	Lake Charles Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
E	Alexandria Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
F	Monroe Monroe, Louisiana Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
G	Shreveport Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
H	Leesville Leesville, Louisiana Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
I	Lafayette Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
K	Opelousas Opelousas, Louisiana Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
L	Covington Covington, Louisiana Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
M	Raceland Raceland, Louisiana Raceland is a census-designated place on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 10,224 at the 2000 census... (eliminated in 1973)
N	New Orleans (overflow)
X	Baton Rouge/statewide mail

External links

• Louisiana license plates 1969-present