Iowa DOT to begin replacing license plates April 2

[ISUCyclones2015]

South Dakota does it better IMO. Each county has a number and then has letters after it.

My SD tags will be 38X XXX when I establish residency.

Ohio does something similar. It has a sticker with the county's number on it in the lower left.

[Ry4Cy]

South Dakota does it better IMO. Each county has a number and then has letters after it.

My SD tags will be 38X XXX when I establish residency.

Do they not offer personalized plates then?

[IcSyU]

South Dakota does it better IMO. Each county has a number and then has letters after it.

My SD tags will be 38X XXX when I establish residency.

We're brilliant in Iowa. Instead of just giving one county all the AAA's or BBB's, we'll spread them all over the state so we have to do something stupid like put the county on them, which you can't read 99% of the time anyways. Am I going to remember what's in a 96 point font on the plate or the stuff that's a 24 point font?

[VeloClone]

South Dakota does it better IMO. Each county has a number and then has letters after it.

My SD tags will be 38X XXX when I establish residency.

EDIT: To post above: Ohio must not do it right because SD comes out with new plates every few years and pretty much everyone has them. Less people there though.

Iowa used to do that too. But when you get a larger population of vehicles it becomes more difficult.

Iowa License Plates (C) by Michael W. Scheel

[IcSyU]

Iowa used to do that too. But when you get a larger population of vehicles it becomes more difficult.

Iowa License Plates (C) by Michael W. Scheel

The 2 digit county identifier (all the counties are already numbered for tax purposes) with 4 letters would leave half a million permutations for each individual county to use. Throw in a 5th letter and you're at 11 million-plus permutations for each county.

[TykeClone]

The 2 digit county identifier (all the counties are already numbered for tax purposes) with 4 letters would leave half a million permutations for each individual county to use. Throw in a 5th letter and you're at 11 million-plus permutations for each county.

Now you're assuming that state government grasps math

It shouldn't be a huge issue anymore anyway - aren't new plates "printed" rather than stamped?

[IcSyU]

Now you're assuming that state government grasps math

It shouldn't be a huge issue anymore anyway - aren't new plates "printed" rather than stamped?

I deal with the Iowa Department of Revenue on a normal basis. I'm quite aware the state doesn't understand math, or really anything else for that matter. I had to send in some corrections ($5 each) for forms we did for clients a month or so back and got a call for them because I sent a $20 check for the 4 forms I sent. Got a call from the Secretary of State's office wondering where the return check should be sent.

[VeloClone]

The 2 digit county identifier (all the counties are already numbered for tax purposes) with 4 letters would leave half a million permutations for each individual county to use. Throw in a 5th letter and you're at 11 million-plus permutations for each county.

Well in 2005 there were over 365,000 households in Polk County. I don't know the average number of cars per household but they better be using the digits along with the letters or add that 7th character to the plates. The number of households doesn't take into account commercially owned vehicles either.

[TykeClone]

Well in 2005 there were over 365,000 households in Polk County. I don't know the average number of cars per household but they better be using the digits along with the letters or add that 7th character to the plates. The number of households doesn't take into account commercially owned vehicles either.

About the DOT - Iowa Department of Transportation

The total number of vehicles registered in Iowa (autos, buses, trucks, trailers, etc.) equaled 4,141,397 in 2010.

[alarson]

Well in 2005 there were over 365,000 households in Polk County. I don't know the average number of cars per household but they better be using the digits along with the letters or add that 7th character to the plates. The number of households doesn't take into account commercially owned vehicles either.

You could give some counties more than one identifier. You'd use up all the counties first identifier just from AA through DZ, It would only be a couple counties that would likely need more than one identifier anyways.

[IcSyU]

You could give some counties more than one identifier. You'd use up all the counties first identifier just from AA through DZ, It would only be a couple counties that would likely need more than one identifier anyways.

Use the # as an identifier.

http://www.iowaworkforce.org/centers...iesnumbers.pdf

# + 4 alpha-numeric would be more than 1.1 million combinations per county.

[VeloClone]

You could give some counties more than one identifier. You'd use up all the counties first identifier just from AA through DZ, It would only be a couple counties that would likely need more than one identifier anyways.

Hey, I'm not saying it can't be done. The SD example showed a two digit number followed by 4 letters. With that combination you start to run into problems in at least one high population and high commerce Iowa county. When adding up the permutations also remember that Iowa excludes a lot of letter combinations that may be deemed offensive.

Perhaps Iowa abandoned this technique in the 70's because it was simply "more modern" to replace a county number with the actual county name. I did notice that it didn't last long as soon as they had to expand past five numbers. I always liked the county number as well.

[goldmember]

The current license plate design is hideous, to bad they are not changing it.

[cyko42]

Want any more worthless Iowa county trivia? Iowa has 99 counties but 100 county seats.

Special thanks to Keokuk and Fort Madison I believe in Lee County for being to a-holes. Maybe I did pay attention in 6th grade Iowa history

Not our fault the Northern half of the county wants to stay as far from Keokuk as possible. It all goes back to to everyone thinks everyone south of them are dirty hillbillies. Though to be fair Keokuk is a bunch of dirty hillbillies.

[Bobber]

Does anybody know if there is an easy way to peel the old renewal stickers off? Mine are fine, but 10 yeas plus worth is starting to get pretty thick.