Vehicle Registration Plates Of Alabama
The U.S. state of Alabama has issued license plates for motorized vehicles operated on state highways since 1911. Some Alabama municipalities issued their own license plates for horse-drawn vehicles as well as motorcars prior to that date, with the earliest surviving example being a bronze plate, "No. 1", issued by the city of Bessemer for a two-horse dray.
The law establishing state-issued plates provided that they would be 4 and one half inches wide by no more than 12 inches long, with the letters "ALA" running vertically on the left and 3" tall numerals with 1/2" strokes. Plate #1 was issued to the Leak Funeral Home in Montgomery
In 1916 Alabama switched from porcelain to stamped tin plates. Beginning in 1917 the issue year was stamped onto the plate, and in 1919 the size of the plates was increased to 6" x 15". In 1922 a code for the vehicles weight class was added to the plates and Kilby Prison near Montgomery took charge of all manufacture in 1928.
In 1942 Alabama began using a code for each county, assigning numbers 1, 2, and 3 to the most populous Jefferson, Mobile and Montgomery counties, respectively and numbering the rest in alphabetical order. Due to metal shortages during World War II, the state issued window decals only in 1943. A 1951 law added a heart shape and the phrase "Heart of Dixie" to the state's license plates, adopting a slogan created by the Alabama Chamber of Commerce. The law has never been repealed, and the motif still appears (although usually very small) on all standard-issue plates.
Until 1952, vehicle license fees were calculated by weight, with the letters A, B, C, or D corresponding to different weight classifications.
Since 1980, Alabama has used a staggered registration system based on the first letter of the registrant's last name. Registrations expire January through November, with fleet, leased, and commercial vehicles expiring in November.
Read more about Vehicle Registration Plates Of Alabama: Passenger Plates 1911 To 1954, Passenger Plates 1955 To Present, Non-passenger and Specialty Plates, County Coding
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