It's Easy To See Why Washington State Rejected These License Plates

Personalized license plates can add a degree of fun to your vehicle. Americans use these plates, also known as vanity tags, in all sorts of ways, including self-expression, humor, to honor or commemorate someone or something, or simply as a conversation starter. Some great examples include sports cars with plates that read "FASTGRL" and "COOLHUH," a cautious driver with "NU2THIS," and a Harry Potter fan with "GRYFNDR." There have also been a few that have made it through the application process only to be deeply regretted later.

Customized license plates are available in most, if not all, states, but there is typically a cost associated with them and, of course, a few rules and regulations. You can check the policy where you live by visiting your state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website. The Washington State Department of Licensing, which issued 3,037 custom plates in the first eight months of 2025, also rejected more than 170 plates for a variety of reasons. Plates that didn't make the cut included "ILLEG4L" and "TIPSY." Some rules may be obvious — nothing related to drugs or alcohol, for example — but here's everything Washington drivers should know before applying for a custom license plate.

The Washington State Department of Licensing's online portal is a great place to start, allowing interested drivers to not only check that their desired customization is permitted, but also whether someone else has already snagged it. Once you clear those hurdles, you do have to fill out a physical application to mail in, along with the necessary payment.

In Washington, license plates can have letters, numbers, hyphens, and spaces, but special characters like hashtags and ampersands are not allowed. Applicants must also avoid any combination that is "vulgar, racial, ethnic, or indecent." Plates that are sexually suggestive, reference drugs and alcohol, contain a racial or gender slur, are a nod to illegal activity, or are otherwise in poor taste or offensive will likely be rejected. Even if you think you're being clever by leaving out a letter or spelling an inappropriate selection wrong intentionally, the state will cotton on and deny your application.

Applicants can select from the standard Washington plate, which is blue and features Mount Rainier, or from a large selection of special plates. A custom plate with the standard background costs $169.25 for a passenger vehicle, while the other plates cost a bit more, starting at $209.25. Don't forget, Washington requires plates both front and back, so that price is for two. Ultimately, have fun, but keep it clean.