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Vehicle registration plates of Alberta

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Alberta
Current series
SloganWild Rose Country
Size12 in × 6 in
30 cm × 15 cm
MaterialAluminum
Serial formatABC-1234
Front plateOptional for Vanity plates
Rear plateRequired
Introduced2021 (2021)
Availability
Issued byService Alberta
Manufactured byWaldale Manufacturing
History
First issued1906 (1906)

The Canadian province of Alberta first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1906.[1] Registrants provided their own licence plates for display until 1912, when the province began to issue plates. Only rear plates have been required since 1992.

List of plate issues

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1912 to 1915

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When the first plates were issued in Alberta, a number of materials were tried. 1912 and 1913 used porcelain enameled iron, and 1914 and 1915 used thin sheet metal with silkscreened number rolled over a wire frame. Serials issued started at 1 every year, and every year the registrant could request the same number as the previous year. The 1912 plate followed the design of other provinces, but 1913 to 1915 featured the Alberta shield and year on the left side. Registration expired December 31.

Image Issued Design Serials issued
1912 white on dark blue 1 to approximately 2400
1913 white on red 1 to approximately 3800
1914 black on white 1 to approximately 5000
1915 black on yellow 1 to approximately 5800

1916 to 1920

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Starting with the 1916 issue, a heavier gauge of metal was used, and the text moved to the right side, saying ALTA, and the year. The 1918 plates were the first embossed plates, and 1920 had the first painted border.

Image Issued Design Serials issued
1916 dark blue on white 1 to approximately 10000
1917 black on yellow 1 to approximately 22000
1918 white on black 1 to approximately 35000
1919 black on white 1 to approximately 36000
1920 white on green 1 to approximately 38000

1921 to 1924

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The 1921 to 1924 issues each used several plate sizes, depending on the length of the serial. Hyphens were also used in serials for the first time.

Image Issued Design Serials issued
1921 blue on gray 1 to approximately 40-000
1922 yellow on black 1 to approximately 43-000
1923 white on black 1 to approximately 41-000
1924 red on gray 1 to approximately 43-000

1925 to 1936

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The 1925 base was the first to feature the full province name. Six-digit serials were used for the first time in 1929.

Image Issued Design Serials issued
1925 yellow on black 1 to approximately 52-000
1926 black on yellow 1 to approximately 65-000
1927 black on light green 1 to approximately 69-000
1928 white on blue 1 to approximately 84-000
1929 black on orange 1 to approximately 101-000
1930 white on green 1 to approximately 93-000
1931 white on blue 1 to approximately 88-000
1932 black on white 1 to approximately 82-000
1933 blue on yellow 1 to approximately 76-000
1934 red on white 1 to approximately 75-000
1935 white on red 1 to approximately 75-000
1936 orange on black 1 to approximately 77-000

1937 to 1951

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In 1937, the licence year was changed to April 1 to March 31, and continued as such until 1984. The 1940 (expiring March 31, 1941) base was the first to feature a slogan, namely "Drive Safely". This slogan was used again on the 1941 (expiring March 31, 1942) base, before the 1942 (expiring March 31, 1943) base featured "Canada", the first and thus far only Alberta base to feature the country name. Due to metal conservation for World War II, the 1943 (expiring March 31, 1944) base was revalidated until March 31, 1945, with windshield stickers. Six-digit serials were issued on each base from 1947 through 1951.

Image Issued Design Serials issued
1937 black on yellow 1 to approximately 85-000
1938 red on white 1 to approximately 85-000
1939 black on white 1 to approximately 90-000
1940 black on yellow 1 to approximately 94-000
1941 white on black 1 to approximately 93-000
1942 white on dark blue 1 to approximately 87-000
1943–44 black on yellow 1 to approximately 96-000
1945 orange on black 1 to approximately 95-000
1946 green on white 1 to approximately 98-000
1947 white on blue 1 to approximately 101-000
1948 black on white 1 to approximately 115-000
1949 red on white 1 to approximately 130-000
1950 white on blue 1 to approximately 153-000
1951 blue on yellow 1 to approximately 163-000

1952 to 1953

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In 1956, Canada, the United States, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for licence plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at 6 inches (15 cm) in height by 12 inches (30 cm) in width, with standardized mounting holes.[2] The first Alberta licence plate that complied with these standards was issued four years beforehand, in 1952.

The 1952 base was also the first reflective base, with beaded white characters on a black background. Letters were used in passenger serials for the first time: five-character serials were used, with a single letter in the third and later the second position. The letter Q was not used, while the letters I and O were at a smaller size to prevent confusion with the numbers 1 and 0.

Passenger and dealer plates on this base were revalidated for 1953 with black-on-aluminum "53" tabs. Other vehicle types, however, received new plates for 1953, with dark blue characters on a white background.

Image Issued Design Serial format Serials issued


1952–53 white on black 12A34 10A10 to 99Z99
1A234 1B100 to approximately 9F999

1954 to 1972

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Two-letter series were introduced in 1954, with each series initially followed by three digits. In 1960, the number of digits increased to four, with each series running from 0001 to 9000. From 1964 through 1972, only B, C, E, H, J, K, L, N, R, T, X and Z were used as the first letter, with four such letters allocated each year.[3] The 1967 base commemorated the centennial of Canadian Confederation.

Image Issued Design Serial format Serials issued
1954 black on orange AB 123 EE 101 to ZZ 950, with gaps
1955 yellow on blue AB-123 BB-101 to ZM-950, with gaps
1956 red on white AB 123 unknown
1957 blue on white unknown
1958 black on yellow unknown
1959 green on white unknown
1960 white on red AB 1234 BA 0001 to approximately DZ 1900
1961 blue on yellow FA 0001 to JZ 9000
1962 white on green KA 0001 to approximately RD 3600
1963 black on white TA 0001 to approximately ZH 8400
1964 white on blue AB-12-34 BA-00-01 to approximately HL-62-00
1965 red on white JA-00-01 to approximately NK-84-00
1966 blue on white RA-00-01 to approximately ZL-76-00
1967 green on white BA-00-01 to approximately HR-95-00
1968 white on green JA-00-01 to approximately NZ-36-00
1969 yellow on black RA-00-01 to approximately ZT-25-00
1970 white on blue BA-00-01 to approximately HZ-46-00
1971 white on green JA-00-01 to approximately NX-78-00
1972 white on blue RA-00-01 to ZZ-90-00

1973 to 1983

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The 1973–74 base used the AB-12-34 serial format, with B, C, E, H, K and L used as the first letter.[3] It was also the first base to feature the "Wild Rose Country" slogan, which remains in use today.

The 1975–84 base introduced the ABC-123 serial format, which provided many more combinations. However, only 15 letters were used at first (B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, N, P, R, T, V and X), while others were later used only as the first letter (with some exceptions), and the overall order of issuance was not strictly alphabetical.[3] Most plates on this base were manufactured in Alberta, but some were manufactured in Quebec and Nova Scotia using these provinces' serial dies.

Image Issued Design Serial format Serials issued

1973–74 orange on blue AB-12-34 BA-00-01 to LZ-90-00
1975–76 black on yellow ABC-123 JBB-000 to LRP-999
1977–80 unknown
1981 MGB-000 to MXX-999; XKK-000 to XXX-999; SBB-000 to SBC-999
1982 SBD-000 to SXX-999; QBB-000 to QXX-999
1983–84 EBB-000 to approximately ETP-999

1983 to present

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The current white, red and blue base was introduced in late 1983. Monthly staggered registration was introduced at the same time, with the month of expiration determined by the first letter of the registrant's surname, and the plate expiring on the last day of the assigned month. Plates were originally manufactured from steel and were reflective; non-reflective plates were introduced in 1993 as a cost-saving measure, while the material changed to aluminum in 1999 due to a steel shortage at the plant where the plates were manufactured. Front and rear plates were required until 1991; only rear plates have been required ever since.[4] Several serial dies have been used on this base, owing to different plate vendors.

The base originally used the ABC-123 serial format, starting at BBB-000. The letters I, O and Q were not used in this format, and A, E, U and Y were used only from 1997, beginning with the TGY series. After YZZ-999 was reached in 2003 (the 'Z' series were reserved for ATVs at the time), previously skipped series containing A, E, U and Y were issued, starting with the BAA series and ending with the TGU series in April 2009. These were followed by the 'Z' series that had not been issued on ATVs, including those containing A, E, U and Y. The 'A' and 'X' series were not issued due to their use on Handicapped and Motorcycle plates respectively.

Some three-letter series were skipped because they had offensive connotations. The BSE series was issued in 2004, but was largely recalled due to a mad cow disease crisis.[5]

As the ABC-123 format neared exhaustion in the late 2000s, the Alberta government launched an initiative to design a new base, with an expected launch date of 2009. This project was eventually put on hold in favour of introducing an ABC-1234 format on the 1984 base.[6][7] The new format started in June 2010 at BBB-0000, with the letters A, E, I, O, Q and U skipped.

In July 2019, the new Alberta logo was added to the base, with Wild Rose Country being kept. The issuance of the license plates with the new logo started with two out-of-order series: the last series with the old logo, CDT, was followed by CFT and then CFS. After that, regular sequence resumed: CDV through CFR, then (since CFS and CFT have already been issued) CFV and so forth.

As of 2021, month and year expiry stickers were no longer required, but can still be obtained and issued under certain circumstances.[8]

Beginning in October 2021, Alberta began issuing passenger (class 3) license plates with HD 6700 reflective sheeting from 3M. The reflective series began at CKT-1800. This sheeting had been used on several small batches of Antique Auto, Motorcycle, and Veteran plates before being introduced to general issue plates. This is the first time reflective passenger plates had been issued since 1993. The changes also occurred to trailer plates at 6JP0-00, Class 2 commercial plates at 44-P000, and Class 1 commercial plates at the beginning of a new format, 0-AA000; this format would take effect after the exhaustion of the A-00000 to A-99999 series. Dealer plates had the new sheeting introduced at M83000.

Image Issued Type Serial format Serials issued
1983-90 Passenger, reflective base ABC-123 BBB-000 to DZZ-999; FBB-000 to HZZ-999; JBB-000 to LWK-499 (without A, E, U and Y)
1990–91 Passenger; Manufactured by L&M Signs on a reflective baseplate. LWK-500 to MDR-499 (without A, E, U and Y)
1991–93 Passenger; Pairs were phased out during this time, mid M-series. MDR-500 to NZZ-999; PBB-000 to PFB-199 (without A, E, U and Y)
1993–94 Passenger; Beginning of Non-reflective series. PFB-200 to PZX-199 (without A, E, U and Y)
1994–95 Passenger; Initial batch of plates manufactured by L&M Signs. PZX-200 to RRF-199 (without A, E, U and Y)
1995–96 Passenger; Initial batch of plates manufactured by the Waldale company using New Brunswick dies. RRF-200 to SLM-199 (without A, E, U and Y)
1996 Passenger; Second batch made by L&M Signs, featuring round bolt holes. SLM-200 to SVL-599 (without A, E, U and Y)
1996-97 Passenger; Third batch made by L&M Signs, featuring dies used on Saskatchewan plates. SVL-600 to TGW-199 (without A, E, U and Y)
1997-98 Passenger; Manufactured by Hi-Signs Ltd. of Edmonton. TGW-200 to UVZ-999 (except some of UJ*)
1998-2000 Passenger; Hi-Signs batch, some made with Aluminum baseplate. some of UJ*
UWA-000 to VAE-999; VUR-000 to VVX-999
2000–03 Passenger; Waldale base with Manitoba dies. VAF-000 to VUP-999; VVY-000 to WZZ-999; YAA-000 to YZZ-999
2003–10 Passenger; Reissued portion of plates including previously skipped vowels series. Some were made using darker paint from New Brunswick plates. BAA-000 to TGU-999; ZAA-000 to ZGA-999 (only with A, E, U, and/or Y)
ZGH-000 to ZZZ-999
2010-19
 Passenger; 7-digit sequence using Waldale's PEI/Mississippi dies. BBC-1234 BBB-0000 to CDT-9999
2019–2021 Passenger; New logo variety CDV-0000 to CKT-1799
2021–present Passenger; New reflective baseplate introduced, the first of its type since 1993 CKT-1800 to CVB-0000 (as of Nov 5, 2024)

Personalized plates

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Alberta first issued personalized plates in 1985. As of 2018, over 80,000 such plates have been issued.[9]

Personalized plates for private passenger vehicles can feature between one and seven characters, including letters, numbers, and spaces, while plates for motorcycles and veterans' vehicles can feature between one and five characters. Special characters, such as hyphens and exclamation marks, are not permitted. As in other jurisdictions, combinations may be rejected or withdrawn by the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Services if they are deemed offensive or confusing.[10]

Personalized plates are issued in pairs, except for motorcycles. Only the rear plate is required to be displayed.

Specialty plates

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A specially-designed Support Our Troops plate was introduced on July 22, 2014, to honor current and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces.[11] The design features artwork in honour of the first four Alberta-based Canadian soldiers who died in Afghanistan in April 2002. The plate is available at registry agent locations in Alberta for a one-time $75 fee and a $9 registry agent service charge. For every plate purchased, $55 of the purchase price goes to the Support Our Troops Program managed by the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services.[12]

On November 19, 2018, two specially-designed Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers plates were introduced, with $55 of each $75 plate going to the Calgary Flames Foundation and the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation.[13][14] In the first two months of sales 4507 plates were sold (2750 Oilers plates and 1757 Flames plates), raising over $247,000 for the foundations.[14]

Image Type Dates issued Serial format Serials issued Notes
Support Our Troops July 22, 2014 –
present 		AB1234 AA0000 to AG3999 (as of September 3, 2024) Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new licence plate of 2014 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first time Alberta was so honored.
Calgary Flames November 19, 2018 –
present 		FB0234 FA0000 to FB0999 (as of October 2, 2024)[14]
Edmonton Oilers November 19, 2018 –
present 		DB1234 DA0000 to DB9499 (as of September 30, 2024)[14]
XV Winter Olympic Games 1988 Corresponds to the rear plate N/A A specialty plate issued to commemorate the 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary. This plate was unique in that it was offered only as a front plate; the rear remained the standard "Wild Rose Country" base. It was valid until the end of 1988.
Veteran
passenger
vehicles 		2005 to present VBC12 VAA00 to VSC99 (as of September 16, 2024)

Non-passenger plates

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Image Type Issued Design Serial format Serials issued
All-terrain vehicle 1984-1990 red on white ZBC-123 ZBB-000 to ZGG-999 (Z prefix with no vowels)
Class 2 Commercial

(Restricted)

1984–86 red on white 01-2345 00-0000 to 09-9999

1986–present 12-A345 00-A000 to 48-H999;

49-H000 to 59-L999; (made by Waldale, Manitoba dies) 60-L000 to 99-N999; (made by Waldale, PEI dies) 00-P000 to 43-P999; (New logo) 44-P000 to 80-P999 (Reflective series) (as of October 2, 2024)

Dealer 1984–present red on white D12345 D00000 to D99999,
M00000 to M82999,

M83000 to M86999 (reflective series) (as of August 30, 2024)

Handicapped 1984–present red on white, plates AAA through AAC were standard design, with a handicap sticker placed on the top right corner. AAD and AAE have the handicap logo printed on the top right corner of the plate. AAB-123 AAA-000 to AAE-999 (as of April 25, 2024)

it appears that nothing past the AAE series has been issued. Alberta may or may not continue this series after AAE-999. Handicap placards: ABA-000 to AZZ-999 (beginning of series needs to be verified) AAA-0000 to ABX-9999 (as of September 7, 2023)

Motorcycle 1984–86 red on white 123-MBC 000-MBB to 999-MGB (without A, E, U, I, O);

Optional plates in smaller sizes were made in the following ranges and issued out of sequence:
000-MXZ to 399-MXZ;
000-MZX to 999-MZX;
000-MZZ to 999-MZZ;

 1986–99 XBC-123 XBB-000 to XZY-999 (without A, E, U, I, O);
XAA-000 to XAC-699 (stock of plates never issued)

Optional plates in smaller sizes were made with the following prefixes and issued out of sequence:
XZW, XZX, XZZ

1999–2010 AB123 GS000–ZZ999 (1999 to 2007)

AA000–GR999 (2007 to 2009)
QA000–QZ999 (2009 to 2010)
AQ000-ZQ999 (2010)

2010–present ABC12 AAA00 to SCC99 (Non-reflective, apart from some specific test batches in the P series)

SCD00 to TXX99 (Reflective series) (as of October 5, 2024)

Veteran Motorcycle 2012–present red on white, Poppy and Maple Leaf symbol to the left of plate number VB12 VA00 to VZ99

ZA00 to ZS99 (as of September 28, 2024)

Class 1 Commercial (Livery vehicle) 1984–97 red on white 1-23456 1-00000 to 3-99999

1997–2023 A-12345 B-00000 to C-99999,(1997-2003)
F-00000 to H-99999, (2003-2011)
J-00000 to L-99999, (2011-2017)
E-00000- to E-99999 (2017- December 2018),
U-00000 to U-79999 (December 2018 – 2020)

U-80000 to U-99999, (New logo) (2020)
A-00000 to A-99999 (December 2020-May 2023)

2023–present red on white; reflective sheeting 0-AB123 0-AA000 to 0-DG999 (as of October 10, 2024)

Trailer 1984-unknown red on white, always featured a white "PERMANENT TRAILER" sticker until stickers were discontinued in 2021. 1234-5A 0000-1A to 9999-9D

unknown–1997 4567-89 4000-00 to 9999-99

1997-2010 N123-45 N000-00 to N189-99 (Made by Hi-Signs)

N190-00 to N199-99 (Made by L&M Signs with Saskatchewan dies) N200-00 to N999-99 (Made by Hi-Signs)
P000-00 to P499-99, (Made by Hi-Signs)

P500-00 to P999-99, (Made by Waldale with Manitoba dies from here on after)
R000-00 to T999-99,
V000-00 to Z799-99;
Z800-00 to Z999-99 (Made with Waldale 7-digit dies, same as on PEI plates)

2010–present red on white 4AB5-67 4AA0-00 to 4ZZ9-99;

5AA0-00 to 5YZ9-99;

5ZA0-00 to 5ZZ9-99 (New logo);
6AA0-00 to 6JN9-99;
6JP0-00 to 6TW9-99 (Reflective series) (as of September 6, 2024)

Antique Auto 1984–1999 red on white, "ANTIQUE AUTO" printed on top right corner 2-567 2–500 to 9-999 (1-000 to 2-499 was used for the 1970s yellow Base and initially skipped. These numbers were reissued around 2019 - see below)
1999–2019 A-123 A-000 to Z-999;
Changed to 7-digit dies at L-999/M-000

0–000 to 2-499 (reissued the portion of plate numbers initially skipped from the yellow Base)

2019–present 12345 00000 to 02999 (Old logo, Non-reflective)

03000 to 14699 (New logo, Reflective) (as of August 10, 2024)

Antique Motorcycle unknown–present red on white, "ANTIQUE" printed on bottom right corner Blocks from the Antique Auto series G-100 to G-199 (needs verification)

K-900 to K-999 (needs verification)

10400 to 10499 (needs verification)




Consular Corps 1984–present red on white, "CONSULAR CORPS" printed on top right corner CC-1234 CC-1000 to CC-1899 (as of August 22, 2024)

Beginning at CC-1800 the plates are manufactured with reflective sheeting but still feature the old Alberta logo for the time being.

Previous plates

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Image Type Issued Design Serial format Serials issued
Exempt 1974 yellow on blue 12-34-56 Unknown
Farm 1953 blue on white F12345 Unknown
Wikimedia Commons has media related to License plates of Alberta.

References

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  1. ^ "An Act to regulate the speed and operation of Motor Vehicles on highways, SA 1906, c 26". CanLII. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  2. ^ Garrish, Christopher (October 2016). "Reconsidering the Standard Plate Size". Plates. Vol. 62, no. 5. Automobile License Plate Collectors Association.
  3. ^ a b c Tanner, Eric N. "Alberta License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "Province considers bringing back front licence plates". CBC News. January 2, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  5. ^ "A licence to change: Alberta plates to get facelift". Calgary Herald. November 9, 2007. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  6. ^ "Announcement of Alberta's new licence plate design postponed". Ponoka News. February 24, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  7. ^ Landry, Frank (June 9, 2010). "7-digit licence plates hitting Alberta roads". Edmonton Sun. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  8. ^ "Renew your vehicle registration". www.alberta.ca. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  9. ^ "Personalized Plates Program Information Sheet" (PDF). Government of Alberta. Service Alberta. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  10. ^ Snowdon, Wallis; Keeler, Nola (27 August 2018). "Too rude for the road: Here are the licence plates Alberta won't allow". CBC News. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Service Alberta: Support Our Troops Plate". Government of Alberta. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  12. ^ "Support Our Troops licence plate raised more than $220,000". Government of Alberta. November 7, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  13. ^ Dormer, Dave (November 17, 2018). "Licence plates have now joined the Battle of Alberta between Flames and Oilers". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d Mertz, Emily (25 January 2019). "When it comes to specialty licence plates, Edmonton Oilers winning Battle of Alberta". Global News. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
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