Search this site

 Florida  ~ North Carolina
Georgia  ~  South Carolina
South Carolina
types and history
 (colors, weight codes, etc)
LINKS
sister site: www.GeorgiaPlates.com

other Collector links

SCDMV (main site)

SCDMV specialty plates
(long loading time)



About Me

click here to visit ALPCA website
  • Meets (nationwide)
  • How to Join
  • Member Links

Year-of-Manufacture - Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina

What is YOM? Year-of-Manufacture laws in many states allow you to register an authentic license plate to a vehicle of the same year of manufacture. 
Georgia
    click here for the law
    click here for the application (.pdf format)
County codes and weight codes do not matter. You keep your regular "Hobby Antique" plate in the car with you, along with the Affidavit, and display your YOM plate.
YOM eligible through 1970.
Georgia YOM plates for sale

North Carolina
    click here for the law (see Paragraph d)
    no application necessary
Keep your regular plate in the vehicle with you and display your YOM plate.
Vehicle must be 35 years old (currently 1975)
North Carolina YOM plates for sale

Florida
The following section is from DMV Manual RS-25 Rev. 05/10/2010
http://www3.flhsmv.gov/dmv/Proc/RS/RS-25.pdf

IV. REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTHENTICATION OF A LICENSE PLATE:
  • Authenticated license plates may be issued to any vehicle manufactured in 1975 or earlier.
  • The license plate must be the same year as the model year of the car or truck.
  • The license plate will be approved for issuance by the department as an authenticated license plate if the license plate has not been refurbished in any way and is still legible for law enforcement purposes.
  • Authenticated license plates may only be issued to cars, motorcycles, and pickups weighing 5,000 pounds or less.
  • The documentation listed below must be submitted by the applicant to the following address for authentication:
Bureau of Issuance Oversight
2900 Apalachee Parkway, MS #72
Neil Kirkman Building
Tallahassee, FL 32399
A. A letter requesting the authentication of the license plate. The letter must include the following information:
1. Mailing address (printed). If an out-of-state address or a post office box is used, a Florida residence address must also be provided.
2. Driver License number or owner’s sex (using “F” for female or “M” for male) and date of birth (month, day, and year). If joint ownership, give the information for both owners.
3. A description of the license plate (the year and license plate number).
4. A description of vehicle (the year, make, VIN number, and title number).

You may want to check with DMV to see if they still want the physical plate mailed to Tallahassee, as was the case a few years ago. I previously used this car club's description of how to register, but it seems to be getting outdated:
http://www.thevillagesvintagecarclub.org/how_to_register_your_vintage_car.htm
South Carolina
    click here for the law (see Article 10)
    click here for the application (click on RG-505A)
  • YOM registration is only done at DMV headquarters in Blythewood, SC. Local offices know little, if anything, about YOM registration.
  • Year-of-Manufacture (YOM) plates are basically registered as vanity plates; therefore, the number must be "clear" in the DMV computer. Some prefixes are completely blocked, while others are restricted to blocks of numbers (see below for link to DMV prefix list).
  • You will be issued a regular registration and expiration stickers, which you keep in the car (not required to put stickers on the plate).
  • Vehicle must be 30 years old.
  • Only single plates are required, even if pairs were originally issued (pairs issued 1921 through 1974).
  • call 803-896-9638 (DMV) to see if a number is clear.
  • Something the form doesn't tell you: if you have a current registration and are within 3 months of renewal, you must pay your county tax before submitting the application (i.e. say you have a current August expiration: send your form in by at least May 15; after May 31, you must wait until you pay your August tax
  • Also, look at your current registration - if you are in the 2nd year of the two-year registration cycle, you must add 1/2 the registration fee ($12 for cars, $15 for light trucks)
  • If you are registering a vehicle for the first time, I recommend getting a regular plate at a local office first, then applying for YOM plates by mail. The form asks for a current plate number. If you wish to register a YOM plate without a current registration, you must send in all paperwork (form 400/title application, tax receipt, YOM form, etc... and sometimes it is hard to get all the fees right).
  • * The 'Bicentennial' design (1976-1980) can be used for any model 1976-1980, regardless of which year sticker is showing. Same for the 'State Outline' design (1981-1985).

* Certain letter combinations are 'blocked', while some are limited because they are used on current 'specialty' plates. Check the DMV prefix list for the most up-to-date list.
link: DMV prefix list (.pdf document)
Most common prefixes:
single letter prefix used 1921-1971
A (used for Benedict College), number must be > 6,000
B (used for The Citadel), number must be > 6,000
C (used for political/boards/commissions), single "C" completely blocked.
D (used for SC State University), number must be > 6,000
E (used on Wildflower specialty), number must be > 20,000
F (used for Francis Marion University), number must be > 6,000
G (used for Furman University), number must be > 6,000
two letter prefix used 1964-1971
AC (used for Anderson College specialty), number must be > 6,000
BC (used for Bus: common carrier/commercial), completely blocked
CA (used for Cattlemen's Assoc. specialty), number must be > 6,000
CB (used for Breast Cancer specialty), number must be > 6,000
GA (used for Univ. of Georgia specialty), number must be > 6,000
HA (used for Mason specialty), number must be > 6,000
many, many more on the list

For plates 1972+ in the 3-letter/3-number format, you are in competition with current "Sunrise" design plates. As of Summer, 2011, prefixes through HZZ are blocked for YOM use - this will be a 'moving' target.

*May, 2011: motorcycles are now YOM eligible. Z-prefix on a first-come/first-served basis.

South Carolina YOM plates for sale