This story contains swearing and may be offensive to some readers.
With $15 and a short statement, Missourians can personalize their car tags. But not every application for a vanity license plate is approved.
This is because the state has strict rules about what must be on license plates.
Of the 1.1 million new passenger vehicle registrations processed in Missouri in 2023, more than 8,000 were personalized license plates, said Anne Marie Moy, spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Any license plate issued in Missouri must comply with the state’s obscenity laws, which state that personalized license plates must not be dangerous or “obscene, profane, grossly offensive, or contemptuous of any race or ethnic group, or offensive to good taste or decency.”
For this story, The Star reviewed license plate applications that were denied between June 2023 and May 2024 and that were obtained through a request under the Missouri Sunshine Law.
Which license plates were rejected in Missouri?
The Star looked through 475 unique license plate configurations that were rejected because they were “not allowed by law.” Here is a selection of those plates:
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5L0WAF
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FB1CAR
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1ETAS5
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G0LF69
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PFAAF0
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FCRDF0
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UFAUF0
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BEAUTY
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CAN
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KCM0AF
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B1SJHH
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TO FAIL
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PNSCAR
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M0F0H
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DAHMER
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PHAQU
The Department of Revenue caught and rejected profanity in both Spanish and Korean. In addition, the state rejected a number of license plate applications that denigrated President Biden or referenced drugs or violence.
How are personalized license plates assessed?
License plates are checked by multiple state officials before they are approved or rejected, Moy wrote in an email. The Department of Revenue does its work without the help of a database, Moy said.
Before the department rejects a license plate application, the Legal Affairs Department of the Ministry of Finance legally checks the application.
Have more questions about strange things in Missouri? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
