Vehicle registration plates of New Mexico
Encyclopedia
The U.S. state
of New Mexico
first required its residents to register their motor vehicle
s and display license plates in 1912.
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 New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
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 1912.
Passenger baseplates 1988 to present
| Image | Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1988 to 1991 | red on yellow | Land of Enchantment | ABC-123 | "USA" added to state name. County sticker (bearing county name) at top of plate. | |
|
1991 to 1998 | red on yellow; yucca Yucca Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North... |
Land of Enchantment | ABC-123 123-ABC |
Plate had blank/stamped indentation for county sticker. County stickers discontinued sometime after 1996. | |
|
1997 | red on yellow; no yucca | none | 123-ABC | Made on non-passenger blanks. | |
|
1998 to present | red on yellow; yucca | Land of Enchantment | 123-ABC | ? to present | No stamped indentation for county sticker |
|
1999 to 2010 | hot air balloon Hot air balloon The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air... |
Land of Enchantment | NM1234 1234NM AB 123 ABC123 |
NM0001 to NM9999 0001NM to 9999NM AA 001 to BZ 999 CAA001 to LGP999 |
Issued concurrently with red-on-yellow base. |
|
2010 to present | yellow on turquoise | Centennial 1912-2012; Land of Enchantment | ABC-123 | LGR-001 to present | Issued concurrently with red-on-yellow base. Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 2010 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association Automobile License Plate Collectors Association The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association is the largest such organization in the world. Founded in Rumney Depot, New Hampshire, United States, in 1953 and holding its first meeting in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, in 1954, its members have come from all 50 U.S... , the first time New Mexico was so honored. |