Are You Seeing More Vanity License Plates in Colorado?

America is about being independent; everyone has the right to do what they want, as long as it's legal. It's illegal to not have a license plate, maybe that's a reason we seem to be seeing more personalized/vanity ones in Colorado.

In the grand scheme of things it's a very, very small amount of vehicle owners in Colorado that get personalized plates; or, will the new numbers show an increase, as we just seem to be seeing more?

It somedays feels, to me, like the DMV had a sale or something.

More Personalized License Plates Are on Colorado Roads

According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, they approved over 60,000 personalized license plates in 2023; that's about 1% of the entire population of Colorado. The thing is, 2023's numbers were double the amount issued in 2022.

Are Colorado's 'New/Old' License Plates Behind the Rise in 'Vanity' Plates?

It was in 2023 that Colorado began issuing the unretired black, red, blue, and "greenie" license plates, dating back to 1914. The black one definitely seems to be everyone's favorite; you see them all the time out on the roads.

Could it be, that as Coloradans rushed to get the [black] license plates, that they also decided to personalize those plates? "It's a new plate, I think I'll put something snazzy on it."

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Just recently, I saw two within a 15-minute drive - both were the black license plate; one said, "SMOOTY," the other, "SPYDER."

RELATED: The History Behind Colorado's Black License Plates

Maybe I'm just jealous that I don't have a vanity plate; I do like the "greenie" one, and the $25 to get one of the retired plates goes to the Disability Support Fund, so that's good. Getting an approved vanity plate is an extra $60.

Maybe I'll get "TRKNRD" next time I renew my tags.