The History Behind Colorado’s Black License Plates

I have been seeing a lot of animosity towards Colorado's black license plates on social media lately. Some people seem to think that the only reason why Colorado now has black license plates is to fit in better with all of the California and Texas license plates on the roadways.

This simply isn't true. While states like California and Texas do offer black license plates with high-contrast lettering, Colorado did not follow the craze for the sake of being like these other states.

History of the Black License Plate in California and Texas

There may be similarities with Texas, California, Colorado, and other states when it comes to black license plates, but there is a history behind our black license plates you may not have known.

Get our free mobile app

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the black license plate with chrome-yellow letters was the earliest license plate in California that is still valid to this day. The Lonestar State of Texas has a rich history of black license plates dating back to the 1920s through the 1970s. Well before the disdain of the Texas transplant in the state of Colorado. Texas did away with the variations of the black license plates in the 1980s in favor of the white plates. Texas didn't reissue the classic black license plate until 2016.

The History of the Black License Plates in Colorado

Many believe that the new black license plate for the state of Colorado is sleek, modern, and stylish. I am one of the many who feel this way and would love to transition over to one of these black plates someday. I feel that the colors would match my vehicle much better than the current green and white license plates that I currently have.

In 2023, the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles offered black license plates to Colorado residents for an additional small fee of $25. This fee benefits the Colorado Disability Funding Committee and you get a stylish black license plate. It's a win-win for all involved.

Colorado's black license plate is a historical plate. What does that mean? It means that Colorado used to have a plain black and white license plate decades ago. This historic black license plate was issued in Colorado during the World War II era in 1945. That's nearly 20 years before California offered black and yellow license plates. So you could say that the state of California copied our license plates to be more like Colorado.