Vehicle registration plates of Alaska

Alaska first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1921, while still an organized incorporated territory of the United States. It was admitted to the Union as the 49th state in January 1959.

State law requires two license plates, one on the front and one on the rear, to be displayed on a motor vehicle, with the exception of motorcycles and trailers. Only the rear plate is required to be stickered.

Passenger baseplates 1921 to present

In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles, except those for motorcycles, at six inches in height by twelve inches in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Alaska license plate that complied with these standards.

Image	Dates issued	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
	1948	Embossed blue numbers on golden yellow plate; embossed territorial flag at left; "ALASKA — 1948" embossed in blue block letters at bottom	none	12345	1 to approximately 15000
	1949	Embossed blue numbers on white plate; blue lines at top and bottom borders; embossed territorial flag at left; "ALASKA — 1949" embossed in blue block letters at bottom	none	12345	1 to approximately 20000
	1950	Embossed black numbers on orange plate with border line; embossed territorial flag at left; "ALASKA — 1950" embossed in black block letters at bottom	none	12345	1 to approximately 26000
	1951	Embossed blue numbers on golden yellow plate with border line; embossed territorial flag at left; "ALASKA — 1951" embossed in blue block letters at top	none	12345	1 to approximately 35000
	1952	Embossed blue numbers on white plate with border line; embossed territorial flag at left; "ALASKA — 1952" embossed in blue block letters at top	none	12345	1 to approximately 35000
	1953–55	Embossed blue numbers on golden yellow plate with border line; embossed territorial flag at left; "ALASKA" embossed in blue block letters centered at top; "53" embossed in top right corner	none	12345	1 to approximately 96000	Revalidated for 1954 with white tabs, and for 1955 with black tabs.
	1956–57	Embossed blue numbers on white plate with border line; embossed territorial flag at left; "ALASKA" embossed in blue block letters centered at top; "56" embossed in top right corner	none	12345	1 to approximately 63000	Revalidated for 1957 with red tabs.
	1958–59	Embossed blue numbers on golden yellow plate with border line; embossed territorial/state flag at left; "ALASKA" embossed in blue block letters centered at top; "58" embossed in top right corner	none	12345	1 to approximately 74000	Revalidated for 1959 with white tabs.
150px	1960–61	Embossed blue numbers on white plate with border line; embossed state flag at left; "ALASKA" embossed in blue block letters centered at top; "60" embossed in top right corner	none	12345	1 to approximately 93000	Revalidated for 1961 with blue tabs.
150px	1962–65	Embossed blue numbers on white plate with border line; embossed state flag at left; "ALASKA" embossed in blue block letters centered at bottom; "62" embossed in bottom right corner	none	12345	1 to 99999	Revalidated for 1963 with blue tabs, and for 1964 and 1965 with stickers.
				A1234	A1000 to approximately E3250
150px	1966–67	Embossed yellow numbers on blue plate with border line; embossed yellow eagle totem pole at left; "ALASKA" embossed in yellow stylized letters centered at top; embossed yellow box in top right corner containing debossed "66" in blue	"NORTH TO THE FUTURE" embossed in yellow block letters centered at bottom, with "1867" to the left and "1967" to the right	12345	1 to 99999	Commemorated the centennial of the Alaska Purchase. Revalidated for 1967 with stickers.
	1968–69	Embossed blue numbers on white plate with border line; embossed state flag at left; "ALASKA" embossed in blue block letters centered at top; embossed blue box in top right corner containing debossed "68" in white	"THE GREAT LAND" embossed in blue block letters centered at bottom	12345	1 to 99999	Revalidated for 1969 with stickers.
				B1234	B1000 to approximately B7250
	1970	Embossed blue numbers on golden yellow plate with border line; embossed state flag at left; "ALASKA–U.S.A." embossed in blue block letters centered at top; embossed blue box in top right corner containing debossed "70" in golden yellow	"NORTH TO THE FUTURE" embossed in small blue block letters centered at bottom	12345	1 to 99999	All plates were valid without stickers until the end of the year of issue, then revalidated with stickers until the end of 1975.
				A1234	A1 to approximately A5200
150px	1971	As above, but with additional embossed blue box in top left corner containing debossed "71" in golden yellow			B1 to approximately E1100
	1972–73	As above, but with box in top right corner containing debossed "72" instead of "70"			G1 to G9999; K1 to approximately M9999
	(1973)	Embossed blue numbers on golden yellow plate; border line around plate and around revalidation sticker spot in top left corner; embossed state flag in the center between letters and digits; "ALASKA" embossed in blue block letters centered at top; "73" embossed in top right corner	none	ABC 123	AAA 100 to AAD 999	Not issued; considered prototypes (see 1973 plate controversy section below).
	1974	As 1970, 1971 and 1972–73 plates, but with "ALASKA" centered at top, border line around revalidation sticker spot in top left corner, and "74" embossed in top right corner	"NORTH TO THE FUTURE" as on 1970, 1971 and 1972–73 plates	AB123	AA100 to DB699
	1975	As above, but with "75" embossed in top right corner			DB700 to ED999
150px	1975–81	Embossed red numbers on reflective white plate; standing brown Kodiak bear screened in the center between letters and digits, with pale brown mountain and forest landscape in the background; "ALASKA" embossed in red serifed letters centered at top	none	ABC 123	AAA 100 to ASZ 999
150px	1981–97	Embossed blue numbers on reflective golden yellow plate; screened state flag in the center between letters and digits; "ALASKA" screened in blue serifed letters centered at top; indented top corners for revalidation stickers	"The Last Frontier" screened in blue serifed letters centered at bottom	ABC 123	BAA 100 to DJX 999
	1997 – October 2004	Embossed black numbers on reflective graphic plate featuring a blue sky, yellow rising sun, white mountains fading to golden yellow at the bottom, and black silhouettes of gold prospectors from the top center to the bottom left corner; "ALASKA" screened in golden yellow serifed letters, plus mining equipment for the second 'A', centered at top	"Gold Rush" screened in golden yellow serifed letters offset to right below state name; "Centennial" screened in black serifed letters at bottom, also offset to right	ABC 123	DJY 100 to ERT 999	Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new standard-issue license plate of 1998 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Alaska has been so honored. Co-recipient with Idaho.
	October 2004	As 1981–97 base, but without indented top corners	"The Last Frontier" as on 1981–97 base	ABC 123	ERU 100 to approximately ERV 489	Serials stamped on leftover 1981–97 blanks, before production of all-embossed variants began (below).
	October 2004 – July 2005	As above, but with embossed state name and flag	"THE LAST FRONTIER" embossed in blue block letters centered at bottom	ABC 123	ERV 490 to EUB 999
	July 2005 – December 2007	As above, but with larger stars in flag			EUC 100 to FGE 999
	January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2009	Embossed dark blue numbers on reflective graphic plate featuring a yellow sky, gradient orange sunburst and white mountains fading to blue at the bottom; Alaska 50 logo (featuring the state flag) screened at left; "ALASKA" screened in dark blue block letters centered at top	"CELEBRATING STATEHOOD 1959-2009" screened in red block letters on white section of mountains, offset to right	ABC123	FGF100 to FUW999	Also used for vanity plates.
	January 1, 2010 – present	As 2005–07 base	"THE LAST FRONTIER" as from 2004–07	ABC 123	GAA 100 to GZV 999 (as of December 3, 2015)

All plates issued since 1981 remain valid with proper validation.

1973 plate controversy

A new plate design was to have been introduced in 1973, featuring the state flag in the center of the plate and a new ABC 123 serial format. During 1972, nine thousand pairs of these plates were produced, but before they could be issued they were rejected by Governor William A. Egan, who objected to the use of dots rather than stars in the state flag. The plates were instead considered prototypes, with their elements being used on future plates: the revalidation sticker box in the top left corner was used on the 1974 and 1975 versions of the 1970 plate; the ABC 123 serial format was adopted in 1976; and the "Last Frontier" plates issued since 1981 have the state flag in the center (with stars).

These prototype plates are common enough to be easily found among license plate collectors.

Non-passenger and optional types

Alaska offers a variety of optional plates that motorists may display upon the payment of an additional fee as well as non-passenger plate types that are displayed on vehicles for specialized uses.

Image	Type	First issued	Serial format	Notes
	Alaska State Trooper		123 AST
	Amateur Radio		call sign
	Charitable/Church Exempt		XYx 123 YYx 123
	Children's Trust		KID 012 123 KID	KID-prefixed sequence started with 001.
	Collector's Car		HA 123
	Disabled Person		HAB 123
	Disabled Veteran		DAV 123
	Ex-Prisoner of War		POW 012	Started with 001.
	Farm Vehicle		1234 FA	"Farm" legend.
	Gold Star Family		Personalized
	Historic Vehicle		HA 123
	Iditarod		IDT 123 or personalized
	I Support Our Veterans	2007	Personalized
	Low-Speed Vehicle	2007	LSV 012	Started with 001.
	Motorcycle		1234 Mx, 1234 Rx, 1234 Tx	Same plates also issued to small trailers.
	National Guard		VAB 123
	Pearl Harbor Survivor		P/H 123	"PH" is stacked vertically and in center of plate.
	Personalized - Passenger		Six alphanumeric characters.	Three different designs.
	Prince William Sound College		PWS 123
	Purple Heart		VPH 123
	Support Our Troops!	2008		Available in personalized format.
	University of Alaska Anchorage		UAA 123 UAA123	Two styles; newer style available in personalized format.
	University of Alaska Fairbanks		UAF 123	Two styles; newer style available in personalized format.
	University of Alaska Southeast		UAS 123
	Veteran - Air Force		VAB 123
	Veteran - Army		VAB 123
	Veteran - Coast Guard		VAB 123
	Veteran - Marine Corps		VAB 123
	Veteran - Navy		VAB 123

External links

• Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles—License Plate Information
• Alaska license plates 1969-present
• Royce's Alaskan License Plates