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Permits and Sample Plates

Several types of Washington, D.C. plates have been issued for purposes other than vehicle registration (as described below):

81st Congress sample perit

U.S. Congress Permit
First Issued c.late 1920s; still issued every two years.

Click here to reach the U.S. Congress Permit page.

1991 Base sample plate
Sample License Plate
Information about and additional images
of sample plates will be added soon.
1980 Annual Special Permit no. 65-0023

Annual Special Hauling Permit

Click here to reach the Annual Special Permit page.


1937 Coal Dealer permit no. 124
Other Permits
Click here to read about permits made for other purposes.

Referenced on this page are plates that have most or all characteristics of license plates described elsewhere on this site but that are not used to show evidence of a vehicle registration. Sample license plates are distributed to law enforcement agencies, license plate collectors, and others that wish to have an example of how issued plates appear.

Metal permits that often resemble license plates in their construction, size, colors, etc., are routinely issued to show compliance with municipal and state commercial licensing regulations. For example, beginning in the late 1930s many states issued separate metal plates for use on trucks and trailers to show that the operators had paid required interstate and/or intrastate business fees and road taxes. (These plates were routinely replaced by stickers during the 1960s and 1970s.) Municipalities often issue plates to show that taxi operators have complied with certain licensing regulations. And, of course, D.C. has its early coal dealer permits, as well as plate attachments for the press and members of Congress.

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This page last updated on December 31, 2008

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