DOT tinkering: subtle changes to Iowa's license plate

Do not ask me why, but I have always been interested in license plates. I think they are cool and have always reveled in their state-to-state differences and ever-changing designs. 15q.net is porn for license plate enthusiasts, and sometimes when I am curious (and extremely bored every third blue moon) I search through the galleries and indices for fun. (I am sure there are other, similar sites, but am not that serious of a license plate nerd to seek them. 15q is enough for me.) Needless to say, I am very interested in the upcoming, and subtle, changes being made to Iowa’s license plate.

In the fall of 2010, the Iowa Department of Transportation considered a complete license plate redesign. The current blue and white, “rural meets urban” plates were first issued in 1996. However, to avoid the excessive costs of a complete reissue (where everyone would be sent new plates) they decided to tinker with the design and initiate a rolling replacement of the oldest plates still in service. There are probably a number of 1996 original plates hanging around and the DOT will replace them at a certain date. (I have no clue when that will be, but my parents have a couple 1996-issued plates and I will make sure to keep an eye out for replacements.)

So: the tinkering. Starting late last year, the dark blue color used for the numbers and letters were changed to black. According to the DOT, the black numbers will be easier to read for law enforcement (i.e., red-light cameras and whatnot). I have seen a number of them around Iowa City already. Also, standard Iowa license plate numbers previously conformed to a “123 ABC” format. Starting January 1, the DOT switched the numbers and letters so newly issued plates will be “ABC 123” (see above pic). I have yet to see one of those, though.

Beginning November 1, Iowa Prison Industries (which apparently make the plates) started manufacturing new plates with another subtle, yet very odd and noticeable, difference. According to the DOT news release, “[a]ll license plates containing the numeric zero will appear as a circle slash zero (AAAØØØ).” Huh?!

This change is being implemented to make the alpha-numerics on license plates more easily identifiable for law enforcement and for license plate readers. Plates with the circle slash zero will not actually appear on vehicles until county treasurers have exhausted their existing plate inventories.

Okay… The slash zero was previously used only for the amateur radio call letter plates. I think the change is kind of strange, but whatever. (Back when I was working at Goodwill of Santa Cruz County, one of the donation center attendants used “Ø” on his donation reports. It was obviously a zero, but I had no clue why he/she used it.)