Vehicle registration plates of Tennessee
Encyclopedia
The U.S. state
of Tennessee
first required its residents to register their motor vehicle
s and display license plates in 1915.
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 Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
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 baseplates 1953 to present
| Image | First issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1953 | Blue embossed lettering and border on unpainted steel base. | none | 1A-2345 | unknown | |
 |
1955 | Red embossed lettering and border on white base. | none | 1A-2345, 1-2345 | unknown | |
 |
1966 | black on white | none | AB-1234 | County sticker applied at bottom. | |
|
1970 | Coded by county of issuance
ABC-123 (uncoded, following exhaustion of county-coded plates in more populous counties) |
||||
|
1976 | dark blue on white with yellow state seal graphic | Volunteer State | Coded by county of issuance:
ABC-123 (uncoded, in larger counties when second format was exhausted) |
? | Only time state shape not referenced on plates. Nickname "Volunteer State" first appears. State seal appears in dim yellow behind serial number. Registration decals moved to bottom. Month decal debuts, with second decal well added accordingly. |
|
1985 | blue on white with green legends | Volunteer State | Coded by county of issuance:
ABC-123 (uncoded, when above format was exhausted, beginning in 1988) |
Marked return of state shape to plates. | |
|
1992 | three stars Flag of Tennessee The flag of the state of Tennessee consists of an emblem on a field of red, with a strip of blue on the fly. The emblem of the middle consists of three stars on a blue circle. The flag was designed by Colonel LeRoy Reeves of the Tennessee National Guard. The Tennessee State Legislature officially... |
none | ABC-123 | AAA-000 to ZZZ-999 | Returned to 3/3 serial. County stickers return, applied at bottom. Registration decals move to top of plate, with two blank decal wells at bottom reserved for city and county tax decals. Only standard tag issued since 1978 not to include "Volunteer State". Three-star-design a variation of state flag. |
|
1995 | Tennessee State Capitol Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the home of the Tennessee legislature, the location of the governor's office, and a National Historic Landmark. Designed by architect William Strickland, it is one of Nashville's most prominent examples of Greek Revival architecture... |
BicenTENNial / Volunteer State | 123-ABC | 000-AAA to 999-ZZZ | County sticker applied at bottom. Commemorated 200 years of statehood (1796–1996). |
|
2001 | rising sun over state silhouette | Sounds good to me / Volunteer State | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to ? | County sticker applied at bottom. Color of Tennessee-shaped graphic had to be brightened mid-issue to avoid interference with serial numbers. Last plate to be embossed. Later issues include digitally screen-printed barcode. |
| 2007 | rolling hills | The Volunteer State | 123-ABC | 001-BBB to present | County sticker applied at bottom. First plate to be digitally screen-printed. All issues contain barcode. Vowel Vowel In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some... s not used in serials. |
Passenger baseplates 1955 to present
| Image | Type | First issued | Design | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freemasonry Freemasonry Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge... |
1234 |