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Current Colors

These are all of the colors currently used on Wisconsin plate stickers. Regular stickers are used on most vehicles, like cars, trucks, and so on, while quarterly stickers are used on heavy truck and trailer types. 2026 stickers are used on farm, motorcycle, and moped plates, while 2028 stickers are currently only used on school bus, special-x, and driver education plates. 2030 stickers are being issued to long-term light trailer plates, such as those used on U-Hauls. Also shown in this table are disabled placard stickers (which commonly get mistakenly put on plates) and DNR stickers used on boats, snowmobiles, and ATVs. Expired stickers (such as March 2024) aren't shown.

Years with an asterisk (*) are estimates based on previous year stickers and known sticker color patterns. If you have information/images of unconfirmed stickers, please feel free to contact me.

Recently Used Sticker Colors

These are the sticker colors used in the last 5 years or so. Currently valid stickers aren't shown on this table and are shown in the current colors table.

Historical Colors

This section shows color cycles for all plates, from 1905 to present. This section is divided up into multiple tables, grouped by major vehicle type classification; this means that all light truck types are in one table, heavy truck/trailer types in another, and so on. Types where there is at least one change from another color cycle (such as special-Z plates being issued "76" dated stickers) are shown as separate color cycles, while plates that used another plate type's color cycles for the entirety of the type's existence (such as disabled) aren't shown.

Key of all the codes I use on this section:
Years with a white border are years that are guesses based on previous year sticker colors.
Years with a dash (-) before 1960 are tabs, years with a dash after 1959 are plates. For example, a "59-" would indicate a tab for 1959, while a "60-" would indicate a base plate for 1960. Note that this indication is only used on general "color cycle" tables, and specific plate-only and sticker/tab-only tables don't use this notation.
Years with an asterisk (*) have notes on them. Click on the asterisk to see more.
Years with no border are years known to exist, though the colors are unknown.
Table cells that are just a dash are years where stickers/tabs weren't issued, so there is no color cycle for them.

These are the sections on this page:

• Passenger-Related Types
• Light Trucks
• Heavy Trucks
• Trailers
• Motorcycles and DNR-Issued Plates
• Buses and School Vehicles
• Collector Vehicles
• Official Vehicles
• Semi Trucks and Trailers
• Supplemental Plates

Not shown on this page is bicycle plates, since there are hundreds of towns with their own unique color cycles.

Passenger-Related Types

Key of the type abbreviations used here:

• Aut: Automobile (Passenger)
• MV: Dealer (for their "MV" prefix)
• Trans: Transporter/In Transit
• Vet: Disabled Veteran
• MH: Motor Home
• Temp: Temporary
• Dis: Disabled Placard

Note that these other tables are still in development. "Dis" stands for "Discontinued," while the initial year notes denote the first year of issue for plates/stickers (and "c." indicating that the shown year is the first year known for these plates/stickers, rather than a documented plate type beginning.

Light Trucks

Heavy Trucks

Trailers

Notes

Passsenger 1947: When the "46" base was put out, plates were originally dated between June 1946 and May 1947. These "47" tabs were only issued to plates that were originally dated 1946, and "47" base plates used no tabs until 1948.

Disabled Veteran 1950: This was an undated base issued beginning in 1950, rather than a "50" dated baseplate. Regular tabs were probably issued for 1950, 1951, and 1952.

Motor Home 1978 - 1979: The first plates issued were originally unstickered plates dated "79," however a very small number of plates are registered quarterly, so "78" dated insert stickers were very rarely issued to these plates; additionally, a small number of plates were also issued quarterly stickers for 1979.

Passenger 1987: A new base issued to new registrants, being dark blue on white, was issued beginning in August 1986, being issued "87" stickers.

Passenger, Disabled Veteran, and Motor Home 1988: In 1988, new red-on-white plate bases were issued, being issued "88" dated stickers as normal.

Dealer and Transporter 1991: black-on-green "JUN 91" dated stickers were issued to the previous "89" base, and in 1991 a new green-on-yellow plate base was issued.

Disabled Veteran 1992: A new base was issued, replacing older plates. "92" dated stickers were issued on the previous base.

Dealer and Transporter 1997: In 1995, a new base was issued, usually set to expire in 1997. Previous "91" base plates were replaced between 1995 and 1996.

Passenger 2000: A new black-on-white base was issued to new registrants beginning in July 2000. Older plates issued between 1988 and 1993 were replaced gradually between 2000 and 2003.

Motor Home 2004: In 2004, a new base with the new design was issued, but with red text as opposed to the usual black text of passenger plates. Older plates continued to be used.

Motor Home 2008: In 2008, motor homes were finally issued plates similar to passenger plates, using black text. Older red lettered plates were used until 2015.

Disabled Veteran 2009: A new base was issued beginning in 2009, replacing all older plates. "09" dated stickers were used on the previous base, while the new base began using "10" stickers.

Dealer 2011 - 2013: In 2011, a new base was issued that didn't use stickers. Older plates were gradually replaced between 2011 and 2013.

Transporter 2011: A new base was presumably issued beginning in 2011. "11" dated stickers should still have been used on the previous "97" base.

Created October 27, 2018. Updated June 25, 2024.