Andrew Turnbull
Wisconsin has issued various license plates for different types of recreational vehicles dating back to 1940, while other types of recreational vehicle plates have been issued since 1978.
This page includes the following license plate types:
Cabin plates were issued from 1940 to 1954, and were a precursor to mobile home plates. Many variations in serial position and metal composition have been noted in the early 1950s.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
| 40 41 | 321 997 |
|
| 41 42 | 418 1880 |
|
| 42-43 | 154 1968 |
|
| 45 46 | 507 2398 |
|
| 1948 | 36 8361 |
|
| 1951 | Centered Steel |
553 |
|---|---|---|
| Offset Right Aluminum |
1332 | |
| Centered Aluminum |
1868 | |
| Offset Right Aluminum |
3844 | |
| Offset Right Steel |
5854 5880 6935 |
|
| 52 | Steel | 818 5023 |
| 54 | Steel | 342 4760 |
| Aluminum | 6119 6888 |
Mobile home plates were issued to camping trailers from 1955 to 2008. From 1958 to 1962 mobile home plates used an MH prefix, and from 1963 onward stacked M/H prefixes were used.
In the early 1960s, when plates exhaused the MH1234 format, a MH012A format was used. 1963 baseplates introduced capacity for a 5th digit so no overflow formats were used after that.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
| 55 | 1370 6359 |
|
| 57 | 10 6927 |
|
| 58 | ||
| 59 | MH1389 MH4414 |
|
| 60 | Line | MH1661 MH5682 |
|---|---|---|
| No Line | MH6304 | |
| 61 | ||
| 62 | MH 2682 MH 5043 |
|
| 63 | MH 8044 | |
| 64 | MH 2104 MH 6024 |
|
| 65 | MH 7499 MH13967 |
|
| 67 | MH 868 MH13190 |
|
| 70 | MH 4236 MH42161 |
|
| 74 | MH 1331 MH59504 |
From 1978 to 1992, mobile home plates used unique plate bases and issuance cycles. Mobile home plates used motorcycle stickers for the most part, with the exception of years which motorcycle plates didn't receive stickers where mobile home plates received unique stickers that a few other baseplates used.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
| 80 | MH10034 MH68906 |
|
| 86 | Border | MH13311 MH49380 |
|---|---|---|
| No Border | MH55330 MH78867 |
The last base of mobile home plates was issued between 1992 and 2008, with them being revalidated to 2015. Like heavy truck plates of the time, there were three major variations, one using a wide font, one using a narrow font and small prefix, and one using a narrow font and a larger prefix. Later plates were reflective and spacing variations have been noted starting around 1999.
Numbering started at MH10001, and once MH99999 was reached, the numbering went to MHA1001 and ran to about MHJ9999.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
| 93 | Wide Font | MH12086 MH62286 |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow Prefix | MH 73896 | |
| Wide Prefix | MH 75902 MH 98832 |
|
| Reflective 3M Sheeting |
MHA3603 MHA8253 |
|
| Reflective Avery Sheeting |
MH B2087 MH E8336 |
|
| Reflective 3M Sheeting |
MH G3476 MH J3065 |
In 2008 a new "RV Trailer" type was issued, replacing mobile home plates. Initially RV Trailer plates were only issued to new registrants, however in 2015 all older mobile home plates were replaced with RV Trailer plates.
Numbering started at around 1001 RV and went to 99999RV, then reversed the format and started at RV10001. Once RV99999 was reached, in a peculiar move Wisconsin tacked on another number and continued starting at RV100001, and the 6 number format has been issued since. Earlier plates didn't have an embossed "APR" in the bottom corner and used month stickers, while plates from about 10001RV onward had an embossed "APR." The font for the embossed "APR" changed around the time the format was reversed, and the "RV TRAILER" caption font was changed around 20001RV to 30001RV.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
| 08 | Large Prefix No Month |
4291RV 5650RV |
|---|---|---|
| Large Prefix | 14333RV 47254RV |
|
| Small Prefix | RV 10037 RV125010 |
Camping trailer plates were issued to heavy camping trailers from 1978 to 1997.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
| 79 | 30102 30485 |
|
| 81 | 30318 | |
| 83 | 30261 30392 |
|
| 85 | ||
| 87 | 30017 | |
| 89 | ||
| 91 | 30380 30441 |
|
| 95 | Wide Font |
1034CT |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow Font |
3062CT 3069CT |
Motor home plates have been issued since 1978, set to expire in 1979. The first motor home plates used a debossed date for validation, and it's suspected they were originally going to use passenger stickers but quickly changed to heavy truck stickers and quarterly expirations. Personalized motor home plates, however, have always used passenger stickers.
The quarters for motor home plates run on a April to March cycle, as opposed to the normal January to December cycle of other quarterly validated plates. The first yearly stickers were set to expire in March 1980, and used unique sticker formats that were closely tied with heavy truck stickers. The first quarterly stickers, however, were stickers from 1978, with the first known quarter being 3rd quarter 1978, which would correspond with December 1978. 4th quarter 1978 stickers cut down to only show the "4" have also been found, which I'm suspecting was issued for quarterly motor home plates dated March 1979.
Several variations are known from the 1988 to 2004 base, with many serial spacing variations known. For the current base, only one serial position change has been observed, however there have been two reflective sheeting manufacturer changes, as per the usual for plates issued in the state of Wisconsin over the last 20 years.
In addition, in 2004 when the plates were being changed over to use the new revised plate graphics, a large batch of plates with black text were produced and evidently not used. Because of this, numbering jumped from B4000 to B8001. Red text continued to be used on motor home plates until the current base was issued beginning in 2008. The black text plates from 2004 were later issued around 2012-2013, though strangely plates from B4001 to B4050 were never issued.
According to the WisDOT, plates issued back to 1988 are still valid on the roads, however it appears that red text plates were replaced in 2015.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
|---|---|---|
| 79 | Slot Partial Groove Right Aligned |
12582 27563 |
| Slot Partial Groove Offset Right |
30235 42180 |
|
| 80 | No Slot Full Groove Centered |
43511 |
| No Slot Full Groove Offset Right |
45612 46603 |
|
| No Slot No Groove Offset Right |
47184 52729 |
|
| 88 | Wide Font Right Aligned |
14336 34873 |
| Wide Font Far Right Aligned |
38288 44401 |
|
| Wide Font Right Aligned |
50355 52651 |
|
| Wide Font Far Right Aligned |
54332 69873 |
|
| Narrow Font Right Aligned |
70030 82496 |
|
| Narrow Font Centered |
83228 86333 |
|
| Offset Right 3M Sheeting |
88676 95417 |
|
| Offset Right Avery Sheeting |
99344 99979 A1978 A4463 |
|
| Centered Avery Sheeting |
A5929 B1975 |
|
| Offset Right Avery Sheeting |
B2981 B3793 |
|
| 05 | Offset Right Avery Sheeting |
B8344 C5533 |
| Centered Avery Sheeting |
C8039 D2155 |
|
| Centered 3M Sheeting |
D5327 D9951 |
|
| 13 | Offset Right Avery Sheeting |
B4384 B7867 |
| 09 | Offset Right 3M Sheeting |
E1340 E9402 |
| Centered 3M Sheeting |
F1892 H2788 |
|
| Centered Avery Sheeting |
J3940 M3736 |
Disabled motor home plates were issued from around the early 1980s to around 1995. The earliest seen date on these plates is March 1984, though it was on a high numbered plate so they likely go further back than that. Very little is known about these plates, so I'm not sure exactly when they were first issued or when they were discontinued.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
|---|---|---|
| 79 | Full Groove | DIS200 |
| 88 | DIS108 DIS156 |
Disabled motor home plates were issued from around 1980 to around the early 1990s. Reportedly, approximately 30 plates were issued on the 79 base. No 1988 base plates have been found yet.
| Base | Variation | Ranges |
|---|---|---|
| 79 | Partial Groove | VET105 VET124 |
| 88 | VET134 |
