These Are the Funniest, Darkest, and Strangest Vanity Plates Oregon Rejected in 2021
SUCHA B didn’t pass muster, and neither did T0ASTD, FUBAR8, or SLO-AF.
Some drivers like to express themselves with bumper stickers, others with vibrant wraps or paint, and a number of people put their personalities on display with vanity plates. Somewhere in Dallas, for instance, a cheeky license plate reading “2.7 GPA” adorns a Ferrari. A New Jersey resident sports the tag “N BYOND” right under the automaker’s name, Infiniti, delighting Toy Story and Buzz Lightyear fans. In Maine, a Harlequin VW Golf
proclaims “CLR BLND” smack in the middle of a riot of colors. If you want a clever, funny, or punny vanity plate and you’re willing to shell out a little extra cash for it, the possibilities are nearly endless.
However, in Oregon (as well as in other states across the country), not every requested label gets past the sharp-eyed department of motor vehicles. Portland's KOIN 6 News published a list of denied vanity license plates for your enjoyment, and there are some interesting ideas in the set; “SLO-AF” amused me, as did “MER LO” and “BEEEER.”
A DMV is not going to rubber-stamp any old license plate, especially if it’s considered vulgar or offensive in any way, even if that’s not what you meant. For instance, if you own a convertible and you want the license plate to read “TOPLESS” or even "T0PLSS" that’s a no. As the Texas DMV says in its guidelines for vanity plates, “TxDMV does not consider your meaning or intent because the public will not know this information.”
Don’t make “your mom” jokes with the Oregon DMV: a vanity plate reading URMOM will be rejected as "alarming, threatening, offending, or misleading." And your mom objects, too. VIN0 is not going to fly, and neither is FARTS. You can’t get away with anything that includes 420 – they’re too savvy for that. If your birthday is in 1969 and you try to include just the last two digits, that’s not happening, either, unless its used in combination with a vehicle make (69MUSTANG, for instance).
In Texas, anything considered “objectionable or misleading or could be viewed directly or indirectly as indecent, including a reference to a sexual act; sexual body parts; excretory or bodily fluids or functions” is not permitted. Curse words, forget it. Derogatory words, even directed at yourself, are not allowed. Acts of violence or gang threats won’t be approved. References to drugs and alcohol are also a hard no. If you're looking for some G-rated inspiration, Michigan named each of its 330 snowplow trucks something clever like Scoop Dogg and The Big LePlowski.
Rest assured, the creativity of humanity will carry on even without these denied vanity plates. What does yours say?
Got a tip? Leave a comment or send a message to kristin.shaw@thedrive.com.
