Custom license plates are an outlet for expression, giving vehicle owners a chance to show off and CEL-BR8 a topic or message that is near and dear to their hearts.
But, oh, what a M3SS these vanity plates can be for the Oregon DMV, which tries to prevent objectionable combinations of letters and numbers from making their way onto its PL8Z.
So far this year, the agency has D-NID nearly 300 requests — 288 as of early this week — because of configurations that violated DMV guidelines. Submissions can be rejected if they:
Refer to intimate body parts or to sexual or excretory functions;
Refer in an alarming or offensive manner to a person or class of persons on the basis of race, color, gender, ethnic heritage, national origin, or other characteristic;
Suggest that the vehicle to which the custom plate is issued is an official vehicle of a public agency when it is not;
Refer to illegal acts; or
Refer to alcoholic beverages or controlled substances or paraphernalia used in the consumption thereof.
Denials this year have included IM HUGE, P1MP, DA FU, 0H FART, FARTED, YURMUM, EM0 AF, ARCE and HEYWTF.
The stipulation about official vehicles knocked out USN, USAF, K9-UNT and a couple of others.
Some submissions that might have referenced sports teams or players also got tossed, including PENIX (Michael Penix Jr. was a Husky, after all), DUCKER, DUCK ME and DAM BVR.
The agency apparently found FSHY AF to be a little fishy, and likewise with WEIN3R and D2NUT5.
All of these shenanigans follow a 2024 in which the DMV denied 386 custom plate proposals, including such gems as FARTN, STRIPR and D0MBAS.
No, CHUG did not pass muster, and neither did W1NE, REDWNE, 1VIN0, W9L0VR, SYRAH1, MRS IPA, RUM or HNNSSY.
WTF0MG was axed, as were G3T BNT, SCR0T0, HARDR, EYE PEA and P00 P00.
Also failing to make the cut were KSMYA5, NCEAZZ, SMBECH, S0M BCH, JU6AL0 and PH0QUE.
Denied configurations get added to a list, and the DMV system then prevents customers from applying for those combinations again, a DMV spokesperson told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Vehicle owners should keep in mind all aspects of the DMV policy, lest their plate proposal get BANND. Applicants have just six characters to work with, plus one space or hyphen.
Follow the guidelines, HOWEVR, and a custom license plate can be ALL URS.