The Pictorial History of Indiana License Tags

After Indiana's first attempt to legislate automobiles failed in 1903, the General Assembly managed to enact the first law to bring the automobile under supervision of the state in 1905. The Automobile Department of the Secretary of State's Office was created to register vehicles.

Under the new system, automobile owners paid $1 to receive a seal that was good as long as the person owned the vehicle. The owner received a two-inch diameter brass circular seal with a number printed on it. The seal was hung from the dashboard and it was up to the owner to make an identifying card out of cardboard, wood, tin, or other material for display on the rear of the vehicle. Lafayette businessman Samuel T. Murdock was the first Hoosier to obtain a vehicle registration and his seal bore the number 1. A total of 4,253 seals were issued that first year.

The state issued these seals from 1905 through 1912 and Indiana issued its first real license plate in 1913. The original plates were made with a porcelain finish on a heavy metal base. The first plates measured 5.5 inches x 14.5 inches (by comparison current plates are 6 inches x 12 inches).

In 1943, a metal shortage caused by World War II, prompted Governor Henry Schricker to ask Indiana citizens to turn in their collections of old license plates along with their front 1942 plates. These old plates were sent to the prison to be reprocessed to make the 1944 plates. For 1943, Hoosier motorists had only one license plate (the plates had been issued in pairs since 1913) which was the 1942 plate with a 1943 renewal tab (a 2.5" x 8" that was used on the rear of the vehicle in combination with the 1942 plate).

In 1945, plates first became the standard 6" x 12" used by today plates and in 1946, Hoosiers again began getting pairs of plates each year. In 1952 and 1953, the state again issued renewal tabs (1.5" x 8") that were used in combination with the 1951 plate. The state used the final renewal tab in 1955 in combination with the 1954 plates. In 1956, the state no longer issued the plates in pairs and motorists were required to only display a license plate at the rear of their vehicles.

In 1966, Indiana began using a reflective sheet on license plates to give better visibility at night and the BMV began using a staggered renewal date in 1970. In 1981, Indiana introduced multi-year plates. Residents were not required to get a new plate each year and received a sticker upon renewal. The multi-year plates were good for three years until the state replaced the embossed steel with aluminum in 1993. The aluminum backing allows plates to last for five years.

In 1977, the General Assembly passed legislation allowing sale of personalized plates which could be reserved at any license branch. The fee was an additional $40 above the regular fee and excise tax and orders were screened by a committee. In 1992, the state allowed for specialized license plates for such entities as education, veterans and universities and colleges. That program proved to be a huge success with over 75 specialty plate designs in circulation by 2007.

In 2007, Indiana residents registered over 6 million vehicles. The BMV also introduced the state's first alternate-standard license plate, providing Hoosiers with two choices for a standard plate: the "Back Home Again" design chosen by voters in 2003 and the "In God We Trust" design, enacted by legislation.