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Plates By the Year, Michigan Historical Museum
 

Do you play license plate games while driving on a long trip? Is the plate from your first car hanging on your garage wall? Are you curious about what the plate looked like during the year you were born? Do you collect license plates? If so, "Plates By the Year" is for you!

There is something about license plates that fascinates people. Perhaps it is the color, or the message. In Michigan, license plates were first issued by individual cities beginning in 1903. Two years later, the Michigan Legislature passed Public Act 196, which required statewide vehicle registration by the Secretary of State. All license plates are issued under authority of the Michigan legislature.

Today the Secretary of State’s office registers more than 8 million vehicles. License plate fees are dedicated to the Michigan Transportation Fund for road construction and maintenance.

"Plates by the Year" will lead you through the fascinating history of automobile licensing in Michigan. See the plates and learn little-known facts about licensing and registration that will add to your knowledge about our love affair with the car. Click on the thumbnail images to see a larger picture of each plate.

Rainbow Line

Michigan Historical Center, Department of History, Arts and Libraries
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Please refer questions about current or past license plates to the Secretary of State.

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