Vehicle registration plates of Rhode Island
Encyclopedia
The U.S. state
of Rhode Island
first required its residents to register their motor vehicle
s and display license plates in 1904.
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 Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by 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 1904.
Passenger baseplates 1957 to present
| Image | Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1957-58 | Embossed black on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND and 2-digit year of registration above numbers | None | A 123 | ||
|
1959-60 | Embossed white on black, with border and RHODE ISLAND and 2-digit year of registration above numbers | None | AB 123 (no dash; the letters were squarer and smaller than the numbers, centered in height) | ||
|
1961-66 | Embossed black on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND above numbers, to left | None | AB 123 (in same style as 1959 plate) | Polarized version of 1959 plate, but without embossed registration year | |
|
1967-71 | Embossed black on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND centered below numbers | DISCOVER (embossed and centered above numbers) | AB-123 (all numbers same size and template; dash is a circle) | First use of a slogan on a Rhode Island license plate | |
|
1972-79 | Embossed black on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND centered below numbers | OCEAN STATE (embossed and centered above numbers) | AB-123 (Same as 1967, but with true dash between letters and numbers) | First year of OCEAN STATE moniker on modern plates | |
|
1980-96 | Embossed royal blue Royal blue Royal blue describes both a bright shade and a dark shade of azure blue. It is said to have been invented by millers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of which won a competition to make a dress for the British queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.... on white, with border and RHODE ISLAND centered below numbers |
OCEAN STATE (same as 1972, but with embossed anchor Anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent... to left of left screw hole) |
AB-123 | First year of blue plates; first year of anchor logo (styled after anchor in the Seal of Rhode Island Seal of Rhode Island The Seal of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations features a blue field with a golden maritime anchor as its central image below the phrase "HOPE." The anchor has been used as a symbol for Rhode Island since the colony's founding in 1636, well before the region claimed... ) |
|
| 1992 to present | Dark blue on white with grey sailboat Sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a... graphic; red RHODE ISLAND in serifed font screened above numbers, offset, with five stripes to left of Rhode and right of Island; blue bar with thirteen white stars along bottom of plate (approximately 1/4" high, 1/8" above bottom) |
Ocean State (screened in blue above star bar) | as requested by registrant: 12345 AB-12 and AB-123 |
Optional, extra-cost issue | ||
| 1996 to present | Navy blue on stylized grey and white wave graphic; navy blue serifed screened Rhode Island above numbers with anchor screened to left of left screw hole | Ocean State (same font and color as Rhode Island, screened) | 12345 (variable number of digits) AB-12 and AB-123 123-456 |
1 to 99999 AA-00 to ZZ-999 710-001 to present |
Colloquially referred to as "wave plates" | |