Automobile license plates in the United States are very different from state to state. Some plates depict symbols such as landmarks or historical figures. They also have very diverse colors. In this article, I’ll discuss orange license plates – which state and how to get them.
There are only two states that issue orange plates in the United States. They are Florida and New York. Florida is famous for its orange production. It makes sense that this state uses the orange color for its license plate. The other state is New York. They call the orange color of the license plate “Empire Gold.”
The Department of Agriculture of Florida and the Florida Citrus Association designed the license plates. Meanwhile, New York started issuing its orange license plates from 1979 to 1980.
Read on to learn more about which states have orange license plates and how you can get them if the license plate in your state is not orange.
Orange License Plate – Which States?
In the United States, there are only two states where the license plate is officially orange. They are the “Orange State,” Florida, and the “Empire State” New York.
The state of Florida is famous for its oranges. So, it makes sense that they will use this citrus fruit to carry the color of their license plates. An orange Florida license plate displays oranges set against its state outline.
New York, on the other hand, has two-toned license plates. The dominating color is orange, which they call “Empire Gold.” New York started using these orange license plates from 1979 to 1980.
Those responsible for the license plate design in Florida thought of using the orange blossom. This is the official flower of Florida. They wanted to combine it with an orange cluster to improve the appearance of their license plate.
The Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with Florida Citrus Association, designed the license plate.
What Is an Orange License Plate in Florida?
Official Color of the Florida License Plates
Previously, the official color of the license plates in Florida was peach. That license plate depicted one large orange with a color that is more like peach than orange. Their new license plates issued in January 2004 have an orange blossom and two oranges.
Many People Mistook the Color of the Previous License Plate as Peach
Robert Sanchez, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles of Tallahassee, Florida, revealed the reason behind the change. They got some feedback from their citizens that many people mistook the color of the previous license plate with just one large orange as peach, not orange.
So, a new design would depict not just one but two oranges, along with orange blossom. In Florida, they redesign the license tag every five or six years. Around this time, they adopted the change, as gleaned from the comments by Sanchez.
New Design by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Florida Citrus Association
The Florida Department of Agriculture created the design of the new license plate with the help of the Florida Citrus Association. They presented the design to then-Governor Jeb Bush and his cabinet, who promptly approved it.
The new license plate has a new vivid orange color compared to the previous plate’s pale orange. It also shows “MYFLORIDA.COM,” Florida’s website address. The former license plate only has “FLORIDA” written across it.
Some people who have this tag were happy about it. They said its design was better than the former plate. They said this new license plate portrayed the orange color better than the previous one.
Are New York License Plates Yellow or Orange?
The current license plate used in New York was issued in June 2020 by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
1901
Brief research on the history of New York’s license plates revealed that it was in 1901 when the New York State first required its motorists to register their automobiles.
Since this was a first, owners of motorized vehicles devised and designed their license plates. There was no standard design for license plates in those days. Some of the plates bear the initials of the vehicle owner.
1910
It was only in 1910 that the New York State started issuing license plates. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is the only one authorized to issue license plates to motorized vehicle owners in this state.
1973
The design of the license plate underwent many changes from then on. In 1973, the State of New York started the number series. The color of the plates then was already orange. Then in 1980, the DMV of New York began to issue the current form of license plates with seven characters.
2010
DMV issues the seven-character license plates without regard to the meaning of any specific character combination. Then in April 2010, the DMV of New York State started giving the “Empire Gold” license plates.
2020
Recently, there was a move to change New York license plates. Initially, the DMV planned to roll out the new license plates in 2020. New York residents were supposed to choose one of five designs through an online survey.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who served as governor of the state from 2011 to 2021, released the designs.
The winning choice was supposed to be announced on Sept. 6. However, some New York residents questioned this plan of phasing out the previous license plates with the new winning plate design.
Around 325,000 voted for their choices. The winner was a license plate that features the State of Liberty, Niagara Falls, a lighthouse, and the skyline of New York City. According to the New York DMV, it gathered about 50% of the total votes.
However, this Gov. Cuomo’s plan elicited some back blow from some New York residents. The governor intended to replace license plates ten years old and older.
It was estimated that around 3 million New York State vehicles were carrying license plates this old. This new license plate is the one that should supposedly replace them.
60% of the Respondents Did Not Want New License Plates
The governor backed off the proposal because of the resistance it gathered from the public and the politicians. A survey conducted by the Sienna Research Institute revealed that almost 60% of the respondents did not like the order to replace their old license plates.
Gov. Cuomo and his administration wanted to replace old license plates because those at least ten years old are already peeling, damaged, and oxidized, rendering their characters very difficult to read by law enforcers on the road.
Scrapped License Plate Replacement Mandate
Another ‘fly in the ointment’ of the license plate replacement mandate is the cost of producing the new plates. They estimated the license plate replacement cost is about $25 per plate. There’s also an additional fee of $20 if the holder of the license number wants to retain their original plate number.
The administration of Gov. Cuomo expected to generate a minimum of $75 million for this license plate replacement mandate. In 2009, a New York State law prescribed that license plate fees should never exceed $25.
The State of NY scrapped the proposal as events unfolded. The inmates of the Auburn Correctional Facility, located in upstate New York, produce the license plates.
Again, what state has orange license plates? The states with orange license plates are New York and Florida. The two-toned New York license plate fits the state’s identity as the Empire State. The color is now famous as Empire Gold.
How to Get an Orange License Plate
If you think orange is an excellent color for a license plate, you can have one custom-made for your vehicle. That is if you don’t reside in Florida or New York. An online company caters to those who wish to have customized license plates in their vehicles.
The company’s name is Etsy. You can look at what kinds of products they make at https://www.etsy.com/. This company claims that it is a global marketplace for unique and creative merchandise.
Amid automation, Etsy says its mission is to maintain a human connection in the conduct of its business. That’s why they have created a place where creativity is prioritized. They say it is not automation but people who make it possible.
Etsy claims it is already producing products that make millions of customers happy. If you search for orange license plates in this online seller, you will be able to see the kinds of orange license plates they can produce.
Just be sure to connect first with your local state’s DMV. You need to clear up with the corresponding authorities in your state before ordering your orange plate. This is your way of ensuring that the license plate that will adorn your car has an orange plate that your state’s DMV authorizes.
Only two states in the United States use orange license plates. They are the “Sunshine State,” Florida, and the “Empire State” New York. They are the only states which have authorized orange license plates.
The orange license plates used in Florida State have two oranges and orange blossoms. This makes sense because Florida is famous for producing oranges; its national flower is the orange blossom.
The state’s Department of Agriculture designed Florida’s license plate with assistance from the Citrus Association of Florida.
The orange license plate in the State of New York is two-toned. Orange is the dominant color of the two. They call this orange color “Empire Gold.” They started using these orange-colored license plates from 1979 to 1980.
In Closing
In the United States, there are only two authorized license plates with orange color. Officially, they are in Florida and New York.
Since Florida is well known for its orange production, it makes sense that they use orange as its license plate color.
New York is the other state where orange is used as the color of their license plates. They call the orange color “Empire Gold.”
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