Vehicle registration plates of Alberta

List of plate issues

All serials (except a few in 1952 and 1953) exclude the letters I and O. Some three letter combinations were skipped because they spelled words. The BSE combination was issued in 2004, but was quickly followed by an optional recall.

1912 to 1915

When the first plates were issued in Alberta, a number of materials were tried. 1912 and 1913 used porcelain enameled iron, and 1914 and 1915 used thin sheet metal with silkscreened number rolled over a wire frame. Serials issued started at 1 every year, and every year the registrant could request the same number as the previous year. About 2,240 vehicles were registered in 1912. The 1912 plate followed the design of other provinces, but 1913 to 1915 featured the Alberta shield and year on the left side. Registration expired December 31.

1916 to 1920

Starting with the 1916 issue, a heavier gauge of metal was used, and the text moved to the right side, saying ALTA, and the year. The 1918 plates were the first embossed plates, and 1920 had the first painted border.

1921 to 1924

The 1921 to 1924 issues, used different plate sizes, 1921 and 1922 used three sizes for three, four, and five digit plates, and 1923 and 1924 used two sizes, abandoning the smaller one. These were also the start of the hyphen use, using the 12-345 format.

1925 to 1936

The 1925 to 1936 series moved the text to the bottom, expanding the name Alberta, but shortening the year. Starting in 1931, the text alternated between top and bottom. All of these plates used the 12-345 format. 1929 was the only year before 1947 that six digits were required.

1937 to 1951

In 1937 the expiry date was changed to March 31, the design was changed in 1937, by placing Alberta on the top, and the expiry date on the bottom. In 1940 the text began alternating, and the first slogan appeared, "Drive Safely", this was done by abbreviating the expiry date to dmy format. In 1942 the slogan was replaced with "Canada", but was removed after that. In 1943 and 1944, plates with an expiry of March 31, 1944 were issued, but this was extended to March 31 1945 with a window sticker. This series used the 12-345 serial format.

1952 to 1953

For the 1952 to 1953 series, reflective plates were tried, as well as an annual revalidation. The expiry date was moved back to December 31, but a tab was affixed to the plate to extend it to December 31, 1953. A letter was inserted in the third spot, however when these combinations ran up, it was moved to the second position. 1952 is the only year that the letters I and O were used, but at a smaller size.

1954 to 1972

In 1954 it was decided to use two letters instead of one, and beginning in 1955, instead of starting at 1 every year, which had been used up to 1952, the series was continued from the previous year. In 1960 the numbers were upped to four. 1954 and 1955 continued the style of the previous years, with Alberta and the two-digit year on the bottom. In 1956 this was changed to a four-digit year, which alternated top/bottom with Alberta. Until 1964, where Alberta alternated with the two-digit year left/right, on the bottom, except for 1968, when a few had Alberta on the right. 1967, Canada's centennial year, was the only year in this series to use a slogan, with the centennial logo of a stylized maple leaf.

In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces came to an agreement with the Automobile Manufacturers Association that fixed the size for licence plates for vehicles, except those for motorcycles, at six inches in height by twelve inches in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the province's first licence plate that complied with these standards.

1973 to 1983

From 1973 to 1983 two series of annual revalidation plates were used, with year stickers. The 1973 to 1974 series continued the serial format from the past, but when the letters ran up, had to move to all numbers, with a 74 and an X showing that it was already validated. The 1973-1974 series also used reflective plates, and were the debut of the stylized Alberta, and the slogan Wild Rose Country. The ABC-123 serial used from 1975 on, provided much more combinations, and serials were not repeated, but the series did not always follow alphabetically. 1975 is the only year in Alberta history that plates were issued without an expiry date. It, however, was December 31, each year, until 1977, when it was extended to March 31 of the following year. The new tricolour plates were not ready for issue before March 31, 1984, so those who paid their registration were given stickers for June 30, 1984. Five variations of the serial dies existed between 1975 and 1984, owing to different plate vendors.

1984 to present

The same tricolour plate has been issued since 1984, and are still valid today with yearly revalidation. The plates' expiry are staggered, on the last day of the month, based on the owner's last name. Reflective plates were used from 1984 to 1993. The series continued the ABC-123 format, starting at the beginning of the alphabet, but skipping vowels (A, E, U and Y were considered skipped vowels; I, O and Q were never used). This ended in 1998 at TGY, though, when it was realized that all the combinations could actually be used up. In 1999, the material used for making the plates changed from steel to aluminum due to a steel shortage at the plant where the license plates were made; all plates issued by the province since then have been made from aluminum. After skipping plates starting with X and Z (X was used for motorcycles and early Z series for ATVs) , the end of the alphabet was reached in 2003 (at YZZ-999), and restarted with vowels (BAA-000, filling in with vowels until TGU-999, then ZAA-ZAZ, then ZGA-000 to ZZZ-999) and work was started on creating a new design. A new design had not been completed as of 2010, when the ABC-123 format ran up, so for the first time, seven character plates have been issued (beginning with BBB-0000, skipping vowels but including Y), still with the old Government of Alberta logo, that had been changed in 2008. Several variations of the serial dies exist, owing to different plate vendors.

Support Our Troops Plate

A specially designed plate was introduced on July 22, 2014 to honour current and former members of the Canadian armed forces. The design features artwork in honour of the first four Alberta-based Canadian soldiers whose lives were lost in Afghanistan in April 2002. The plate is available at registry agent locations in Alberta for a one-time $75 fee and a $9 registry agent service charge. For every plate purchased, $55 of the purchase price goes to the Support Our Troops Program managed by the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services.