What Can’t I Put On A Vanity Plate? Question Of The Day

Yahoo Autos Staff

Some are kooky, some serious but every vanity plate goes under careful scrutiny at the DMV before it gets onto your bumper.

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Photo by Eli Christman / Flickr

Question: What can’t I put on a vanity plate?

Answer: It depends on where you live. Every state has a process for reviewing personalized plate requests and the decision of what is appropriate depends on who reviews it.

In the case of California, which reviews 7,000 vanity plate requests per month, about 10% get flagged.

Artemio Armenta, Public Information Officer at the California Department of Motor Vehicles says, “DMV has a thorough process for vetting personalized plate applications. Trained DMV examiners review the letters and numbers for offensive references. DMV seeks to reject any application that may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency, or which would be misleading.”

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Photo by Eli Christman / Flickr

This exhausting (and likely hilarious) work requires the state to employ four people dedicated to the review of personalized plate requests. Most states publish their guidelines or, in the case of California, the Code of Regulations. The Code claims that some the reasons a plate can be denied include:

  • Has a sexual connotation or is a term of lust or depravity.

  • Is a vulgar term; a term of contempt, prejudice, or hostility; an insulting or degrading term; a racially degrading term; or an ethnically degrading term.

  • Is a swear word or term considered profane, obscene, or repulsive.

  • Negatively identifies a specific group or misrepresents a law enforcement entity.

  • Is a foreign or slang word or term.

  • Is a phonetic spelling or mirror image of a word or term, falling into the categories described above.

  • Has the number 69 unless the year model vehicle to which the plates will be assigned is a 1969.”

Yes, that year had some amazing cars—the GTO, the Mustang, the Jaguar E Type, the Holden Hurricane, but enough to be reserved just for plates? There must be another reason. Another exception in California is the number 13, which is banned due to gang affiliation.

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Photo by Eli Christma / Flickr

Some unusual California plates that did make the cut include “BDDRVR” and “AWTO PLT” (on a Honda Pilot no less), which may have been considered a public service message because both are hilarious. But “ORGAGASEM,” “COP CHSR,” and “FOCKERR/” did not get approved. Texas is just as tough as Cali. They’ve said no to bullies (“FATKID”), swearing (“O HELL”), car snobs (“BLOWM3”) and bad puns (“FORKU”). But they did allow “I(HEART)VAG.” Let’s hope that’s somebody’s initials or owned by an enthusiastic Texan gynecologist. Ohio rejected the angry “PPL SUCK,”, the racist “HONKEY,” and the alarming “CRAZYMF.” And sadly, the enthusiastic “HELYEAH’ and immature “BOOGR” didn’t make the cut.

Personalized plates are big business to these agencies. Georgia, for example, made $2.3 million in fiscal 2011-2012, so by rejecting “GOTBEER” and others, they have seen a $200,000 loss in revenue (based on the national average). California’s vanity plates brought in an estimated $40 million for fiscal 2014-2015. The funds go straight to the California Environmental Plate Fund which is administered by the California Natural Resources Agency.

So go ahead PHAKEDR??, “IM MCLVN,” and “JAAAZY,” put your crazy nameplates on, because your vanity is helping preserve the state parks, and that’s just good (Ohio-approved) “KAARMUH!”

We’re scouring the Internet to uncover interesting questions that people have posted looking for advice from the unwashed masses. We will contact experts to give you well-researched, professional advice. You can also submit questions to autos_qotd@yahoo.com.