NC passenger license plate identification1913-16
1913-16 plates are made of porcelain covered steel. All numbering is numeric.
| NC truck license plate identification1920-30
1920-30 truck plates can be identified by a T prefix
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1917-23
1917 through 1923 plates are steel with all numeric numbers beginning with 1001. Lower numbers were reserved for state officials.
| 1931-35
1931, 1933-35 truck plates can be identified by the "TON" weight on the right side of the plate. 1932 plates have a T suffix and 1935 have a B/T suffix.
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1924-38
1924-38 passenger plates came in many sizes, but all are numerically numbered with 6 digits and some in the 1920s and early 1930s had weight codes.
| 1936-42
1936 truck plates had a B prefix while 1937-42 plates had a B over a weight class numbered 1 through 4 in the center of the plate. A number 5 weight class has been mentioned but not verified.
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1939-55
1939-55 plates are all numeric with 6 digits. Some 1949-55 plates have N,R,W,X prefixes. Late 1955 plates had 1956 dies with an A prefix. Some 1953 and 1954 plates had a "DRIVE SAFELY" slogan along the bottom of the plate.
| 1944-55
1944-45 truck plates used 400000 and 500000 blocks of numbers. 1946-55 truck plates used blocks in the 800000 and 900000 range. 1950-55 plates had TRUCK along the bottom of the plate. 1955 overstock had 1956 dies with a Y prefix
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1956-63
1956-63 plates have 1 or 2 alphanumeric prefixes. All have the "DRIVE SAFELY" slogan and alternated with black and yellow paint each year.
| 1956-63
1956-63 truck plates all have a 1 or 2 alphanumeric suffix with the first digit being a S or T. All have the "DRIVE SAFELY" slogan and alternated with black and yellow paint each year.
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1964-72
1964-72 passenger plates all have 1 or 2 alphanumeric prefixes. 1964-66 plates were painted and 1967-72 plates were made with scotchlite reflective facing.
| 1964-73
1964-73 truck plates all have a 1 or 2 alphanumeric suffix
with the first digit being a S or T. V suffixes were introduced in 1969. 1964-66 plates were painted and 1967 was the first year for scotchlite reflective surfaces. |
1973-74
1973-74 plates began the 3x3 letter-number serials which carried on into the First in Flight plates. Numbering started at AAA-101 and continued into the H series.
| 1974-77
1974-77 truck plates changed to two digit alpha prefix like the passenger plates a few years before. Numbering started at 1001 for each letter combination.
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1975-78 First in Freedom base
1975 began the first of stickered passenger plates in NC. There are 3 different fonts of the "75" and many saw use into the mid-1980s.
| 1978 base (up to 4000 lb GVW)
1978 was the year when trucks received two different plates based on the GVW of the truck. Trucks rated up to 4000GVW received this green on white 1978 base which was renewed annually with stickers just like passenger cars.
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1978 Plain base
Controversy on the subject of being "First in Freedom" caused the removal of the slogan which made for a bland plate. These plates continued on from there the Freedom plates left off in 1978 although there seems to be more of these plates with a natural issuance in 1979.
| 1978-80 annual truck plates (>4000GVW)
For 1978, trucks with a GVW over 4000 lbs. still received annual plates with a 2-alpha prefix. These plates had "COMMERCIAL" added in 1981.
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1980 dated base
1980 base plates were issued to new registrants in 1980 and like the First in Freedom plates had 3 different fonts for the date 1980.
| 1981-2003 COMMERCIAL plates
1981 was the year COMMERCIAL was added to all trucks over 4000 lbs GVW. These plates continued to be issued annually through 2003 and were changed to WEIGHTED for 2004
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1981-82 dated bases
1981 and 82 plates were issued to new registrants and were renewed with stickers. Numbering continued on from the previous bases through ZRZ-999 when the First in Flight base started.
| 2004-current WEIGHTED plates
In 2004, WEIGHTED replaced COMMERCIAL for annual dated truck plates. In 2006, the plates began staggered registration being validated with stickers.
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