North Dakota license plate: Standard

Format, years and the law

Format

999 LLL, for example 917 AFA (L is any letter, 9 any digit)

The format above follows the issuing rules: a registration that fits it is one this series could have issued.

Years issued

2016 to today. Still issued.

Vehicle class

Standard: the default series issued to private road vehicles. Issued for car, van, truck, and bus.

About this plate

NORTH DAKOTA STANDARD ISSUE, THE 2016 BADLANDS BASE.

Replacement

note: NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATES NO REPLACEMENT CYCLE. Chapter 39-04 contains no counterpart to Florida's 10-year rule, South Dakota's seven-year redesign duty or Kansas's five-year reissue cycle. § 39-04-12(1) instead provides for an annual 'year plate, tab, or sticker'. The 2016 base has therefore run for a decade with no statutory expiry, against AAMVA §1.1's recommended 7-10 year ceiling.

Legal basis and sources

1. NDDOT, verbatim: 'Introduced in November 2016'; the Badlands/gradient-sky/bison/three-wheat-stalks design; the slogans 'Legendary' above the state name and 'Peace Garden State' at the bottom left; 'The serial format... https://www.dot.nd.gov/motor-vehicle/license-plates
2. NDCC § 39-04-12(1): state name, year number, the MANDATED slogan 'Peace Garden State', the distinctive number in figures or figures-and-letters, the 100-foot legibility rule, reflectorized material, annual year... https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c04.pdf
3. AAMVA Ed.3 §1.1, the 7-10 year replacement recommendation North Dakota has no counterpart to https://www.aamva.org/getmedia/646bcc8a-219b-47d8-b5cd-726240473163/License-Plate-Standard-Edition-3_September-2025-U...