Cody James Corbett
Wisconsin issues two different types of "special" license plates: one used for special vehicles, and one is simply specialty passenger plate types.
Jump to:
Special vehicle license plates have been issued since the mid-1950s, and initially encompassed many special-use vehicle classes, ranging from excavating vehicles to carnival vehicles to organizational vehicles. However, around the mid-2000s most of these special vehicle plates were discontinued and replaced with "restricted use" stickers on other plate types, though organizational vehicles still receive "special-X" plates to this day.
This section will include the following plate types:
Special-UX plates have been issued since at least 1956. Special-UX plates are used for trucks and trailers with permanently mounted special equipment, qualifying for reduced-fee registrations.
Initially, from 1957 to 1959, at least some plates were issued in pairs; 1 pair is known for 1957 (UX 3744), 2 pairs are known for 1958, and one pair is known for 1959 (UX 3339). In 1960, pairs were discontinued and all plates were issued singly from that point onward. It currently isn't known if 1956 plates were also issued in pairs or not, since there is no documentation of these plates before 1957.
Interestingly, the only 1956 plate known has a "JUL" date as opposed to the normal "JUN" date that other plates in the state used.
Like other "insert" type plates that didn't receive insert tabs, a "DEC 62" sticker was issued on the 1962 base to extend the base from a fiscal year cycle to a calendar year cycle. Additionally, unlike almost all other types in the state, 74 base plates received "76" dated stickers when all other plate types were staggered between varying months of the year; trucks jumped from December 1975 to January 1977, while farm plates jumped from 1975 to February 1977, for example. Semi trailer plates issued a new base for 1976, however special-UX plates continued using the 74 base through 1977, and since they retained their December expiration cycle, they were issued "DEC 76" stickers. Interestingly enough, the 76 stickers are the same color as "77" dated stickers that were issued to every other non-passenger type at the time; this pattern continued through 1981.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | UX 1133 | |
| 57 | UX 353 UX 3744 |
|
| 58 | UX 4 UX 3948 |
|
| 59 | UX 6 UX 4447 |
|
| 60 | UX 663 UX 2177 |
|
| 61 | UX 652 UX 3236 |
|
| 62 | UX 1372 | |
| 63 | UX 601 UX 4704 |
|
| 64 | UX 131 UX 947 |
|
| 65 | UX 1184 UX 5326 |
|
| 67 | UX 1104 UX 4698 |
|
| 70 | UX 5476 UX 9856 |
|
| 74 | UX 1127 UX 8921 |
|
| 78 | 5579 UX |
In 1980, special-UX plates gained weight class codes in their numbers like many other types at the time. It appears that weight classes for these plates used the same weight classes as heavy truck plates at the time, however DOT plate guides during the 1980s listed all vehicle weights below 20,000lbs. as receiving "EX" code special-UX plates. Guides from the 1990s show weights down to the "XX" code of 10,000lbs., so it's likely they used heavy truck weights and the earlier guides were inaccurate.
| Base Weight |
Variation | D 12,000 |
E 16,000 |
F 20,000 |
G 26,000 |
H 32,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J 38,000 |
K 44,000 |
L 50,000 |
N 56,000 |
P 62,000 |
||
| Q 68,000 |
R 73,000 |
S 76,000 |
T 80,000 |
|||
| 80 | EX 46 EX 508 |
GX 22 | ||||
| KX 26 KX 55 |
NX 20 | |||||
| TX 13 TX 16 |
||||||
| 82 | DX 30 | EX 403 EX 1025 |
FX 41 FX 319 |
|||
| LX 262 | ||||||
| RX 81 | SX 59 | TX 133 TX 136 |
||||
| 84 | EX 120 EX 220 |
GX 133 GX 633 |
||||
| JX 161 | LX 103 | NX 138 | ||||
| RX 36 | SX 22 | TX 159 TX 313 |
||||
| 86 | EX 306 EX 818 |
GX 785 | ||||
| RX 2 RX 25 |
||||||
| 88 | EX 38 | |||||
| 90 | DX 200 DX 230 |
EX 398 | FX 588 | HX 385 | ||
| LX 71 | NX 38 | |||||
The M weight class was added in 1992. The X weight class has been seen in DMV plate guides in 2002, though it is unknown if these plates actually exist or not.
| Base Weight |
Variation | X 10,000 |
D 12,000 |
E 16,000 |
F 20,000 |
G 26,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H 32,000 |
J 38,000 |
K 44,000 |
L 50,000 |
M 54,000 |
||
| N 56,000 |
P 62,000 |
Q 68,000 |
R 73,000 |
S 76,000 |
||
| T 80,000 |
||||||
| 92 | DX 309 | EX 547 | FX 290 | GX 749 | ||
| HX 43 | ||||||
| 94 | Wide Font | EX 1215 | FX 1010 | |||
| HX 1225 | MX 1015 | |||||
| QX 1017 | ||||||
| TX 1198 TX 1199 |
||||||
| Narrow Font Narrow Prefix |
||||||
| Narrow Font Wide Prefix |
GX 2043 | |||||
Special-X plates were allegedly started in 1956, but 1954 and 1955 plates have been confirmed. Special-X plates are issued to "special use" vehicles, like some buses, red cross vehicles, special vehicles in parades, and fire department vehicles.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | 129 X | |
| 55 | 69 X 142 X |
|
| 56 | 100 X 198 X |
|
| 57 | 204 X 448 X |
|
| 58 | 105 X 419 X |
|
| 59 | 170 X 594 X |
|
| 60 | 445 X | |
| 61 | ||
| 62 | 491 X | |
| 63 | 503 X | |
| 64 | 340 X 2330 X |
|
| 67 | 127 X 4960 X |
|
| 70 | 231 X 10852 X |
|
| 74 | 137 X 5218 X |
|
| 78 | 13 X 1707 X |
|
| 80 | 1338 X | |
| 82 | 1011 X | |
| 84 | 299 X 706 X |
|
| 86 | 56 X 761 X |
|
| 88 | 423 X 425 X |
Beginning in 1989, plates were issued and revalidated on a 5 year cycle.
| 93 | 1 X 923 X |
|
|---|---|---|
| 98 | 1026 X 1237 X |
|
| 03 | 4006 SP 6362 SP |
|
| 08 | 6401 SP 7845 SP |
Numbers started at 50001X apparently. The plates have been seen as early as 1979, and it is unknown when this series was discontinued.
Special-Z license plates were issued from at least 1960 to 2004. They were issued to certain seasonal equipment opearated empty, particularly excavating and carnival equipment in transit. Like special-UX plates, they received green "76" dated stickers while almost every other non-passenger plate type in the state either received "77" stickers, or was issued a new "76" base plate, therefore next to no plate types in the state other than regular passenger vehicles used a "76" dated sticker.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | Z 40 | |
| 61 | Z 219 | |
| 62 | ||
| 63 | Z 235 | |
| 64 | ||
| 65 | ||
| 67 | Z 1128 Z 2823 |
|
| 70 | Z 184 Z 4518 |
|
| 74 | Z 197 Z 4513 |
|
| 78 | 1794 Z 4408 Z |
Like special-UX plates, weight classes were added to the serial in 1980. Beginning in 1989, an increasing number of plates were issued insert stickers as opposed to the normal-sized stickers they were supposed to be issued.
| Base Weight |
Variation | A 4,500 |
B 6,000 |
C 8,000 |
D 12,000 |
E 16,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F 20,000 |
G 26,000 |
H 32,000 |
J 38,000 |
K 44,000 |
||
| L 50,000 |
N 56,000 |
P 62,000 |
Q 68,000 |
R 73,000 |
||
| S 76,000 |
T 80,000 |
|||||
| 80 | AZ 25 | BZ 56 | CZ 326 | DZ 20 DZ 421 |
EZ 238 | |
| HZ 153 HZ 193 |
JZ 4 JZ 59 |
KZ 67 KZ 143 |
||||
| LZ 32 LZ 75 |
NZ 18 NZ 97 |
PZ 2 | ||||
| 82 | BZ 123 | DZ 16 DZ 533 |
EZ 45 EZ 330 |
|||
| HZ 92 HZ 222 |
JZ 2 JZ 174 |
KZ 139 | ||||
| LZ 4 | NZ 71 NZ 81 |
PZ 7 | QZ 5 | RZ 15 | ||
| TZ 33 | ||||||
| 84 | AZ 37 | BZ 150 | CZ 519 | DZ nn DZ nn |
||
| FZ 491 | HZ 62 | JZ 88 JZ 147 |
KZ 88 KZ 93 |
|||
| LZ 104 LZ 119 |
NZ 58 NZ 78 |
PZ 101 | QZ 83 | |||
| 86 | BZ 41 | CZ 142 | EZ 404 | |||
| FZ 333 | GZ 484 | HZ 264 | JZ 130 JZ 145 |
|||
| LZ 138 LZ 159 |
NZ 78 | PZ 82 | QZ 84 | |||
| 88 | AZ 38 | EZ 18 | ||||
| FZ 631 | HZ 258 | JZ 153 JZ 162 |
KZ 106 KZ 171 |
|||
| NZ 57 | RZ 113 | |||||
| 90 | AZ 29 | DZ 1 DZ 10 |
EZ 144 | |||
| FZ 94 FZ 348 |
GZ 170 | JZ 78 | KZ 4 KZ 52 |
|||
| LZ 236 | QZ 87 QZ 142 |
RZ 80 | ||||
In 1992, the X and M weight classes were added. Around 2005, special-Z plates were discontinued, though plates remained valid through 2008.
| Base Weight |
Variation | A 4,500 |
B 6,000 |
C 8,000 |
X 10,000 |
D 12,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E 16,000 |
F 20,000 |
G 26,000 |
H 32,000 |
J 38,000 |
||
| K 44,000 |
L 50,000 |
M 54,000 |
N 56,000 |
P 62,000 |
||
| Q 68,000 |
R 73,000 |
S 76,000 |
T 80,000 |
|||
| 92 | AZ 36 | CZ 356 CZ 381 |
DZ 48 DZ 611 |
|||
| EZ 386 | FZ 339 FZ 670 |
GZ 662 | ||||
| KZ 144 | LZ 201 | MZ 39 | NZ 85 NZ 92 |
PZ 1 PZ 101 |
||
| RZ 101 RZ 158 |
||||||
| 94 | Wide Font | CZ 1362 | XZ 1201 | DZ 1434 | ||
| EZ 1214 | FZ 1317 | JZ 1096 | ||||
| LZ 1145 LZ 1163 |
MZ 1038 | NZ 1013 NZ 1093 |
PZ 1005 PZ 1114 |
|||
| QZ 1086 QZ 1090 |
RZ 1010 RZ 1136 |
SZ 1098 | TZ 1436 | |||
| Narrow Font Narrow Prefix |
CZ 1531 | |||||
| Narrow Font Wide Prefix |
DZ 1822 DZ 2016 |
|||||
| FZ 2195 FZ 2403 |
JZ 1555 | |||||
| PZ 1141 | ||||||
| QZ 1152 QZ 1286 |
RZ 1177 RZ 1236 |
TZ 1743 TZ 2256 |
Many special passenger plate types have been issued over the years, starting with disabled veteran plates in 1950. Later on, disabled plates were issued. More special-issue passenger plate types were added throughout the 1980s for various military veterans and members, and beginning in the 1990s optional-issue passenger plates were added for causes such as university plates, endangered resources, and so on. From the 2000s onward, more and more special-issue plate types were issued, and there are currently around 50 specialty types on the roads.
This section includes the following plate types:
Other plates are often referred to as "special" plates, however they're shown in their own categories. Plates for vehicle collectors are shown on the collectors page, disabled plates are shown in the passenger page, while samples are currently not on this site.
