Washington, D.C. Dealer License Plates

Nov. 2004-Oct. 2005	Nov. 2005-Oct. 2006
Nov. 2006-Oct. 2007	Nov. 2007-Oct. 2008

Nov. 2008-Oct. 2009 Our best representation of the true color of the 2008-09 dealer plate is shown in these images of no. 7240, pictured in direct sunlight. No. 7353 (above right) shows how much darker the plate looks when not in the sun. Dealer registration numbers continue to be assigned sequentially, regardless of the annual plate upon which they are displayed, as shown in numbers on the 2004-05 and later plates pictured above.

As in most U.S. jurisdictions, one of the oldest registrations types in the District of Columbia is that issued especially for use by motor vehicle dealers. Distinctive license plates, with a letter D prefix, were first issued for dealers in 1919. One might expect the type to have been introduced a year earlier, when annual, dated plates for passenger cars and motorcycles made their debut. However, when plans for the 1918 plates were being made during 1917, as the porcelain era drew to a close, officials realized that they no idea how many valid registrations were in use by dealers. In fact, they also had absolutely no idea of the quantity of private passenger and motorcycle registrations, because 1903-17 registrations were permanent, with no renewal (annual or otherwise) required. This problem, which was largely responsible for the retirement of the District's permanent 1907-17 porcelain enamel plates, made it impossible to estimate how many plates to have made. Officials had no choice but to have 1918 auto plates made (and it turns out that they underestimated the number required and had to have more made during the year), but they had the option of not issuing distinctive plates for dealers. They apparently kept track of how many auto plates were issued for use by dealers so that for 1919 they were able to order a reasonable number of D-prefix markers.

Washington, D.C. dealer plates have almost always featured a letter D prefix. Note that for 1962 (exp. 3-31-63) the type name was made more prominent and the numbering format was changed. The city name was changed from DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA to WASHINGTON, D.C. on the 1969 (exp. 3-31-70) plate, four years after the change was made on plates of most other types (including passenger).

A far more noticeable change was made in late 2005 when the background color was altered in order to make these limited-use plates more visible. Like Manufacturer, a new type at the time, annual dealer plates that expired on Oct. 31, 2005 are white on red, and those that expired on Oct. 31, 2006, are white on blue. Plates of these types do not share a color scheme for their 2006-07 issues, however. Based upon registration numbers on the examples shown it appears that they begin on plates of a new year where the previous year ended as opposed to beginning at 0000 or 0001 annually.

An interesting plate-related custom in Washington, D.C. is that vehicle dealers routinely affix their registration certificate to the back of their plate. Today this is often accomplished with tape, but for many years the registration was laminated or sewn into a plastic sleeve that was then riveted to the plate. That's why you can see rivet heads (or extra holes where rivets were removed) on several of the plates pictured above.

	This page last updated on July 24, 2010
	copyright 2010 Eastern Seaboard Press Information and images on this Web site may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without consent of the owner. For information, send an e-mail to admin@DCplates.net