WARNING: Several of the license plates the New York DMV denied in 2022 contain inappropriate and offensive language. They are listed below.
NEW YORK (PIX11) — They’re lewd, crude and rude.
New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles rejected more than 1,800 requests for personalized license plates in 2022. Each one was screened to see if they were in compliance with state regulations.
Some reference genitalia or going to the bathroom, such as POOPER OR POOPNP. Others, such as DUMPBIDN, refer to elected officials. Some plates may confuse pedestrians looking for rides or help, such as F8KETAX1 or 911HWY.
“The DMV has a rigorous screening protocol for personalized license plate requests, rejecting any that are not in compliance with our regulations,” a spokesperson said. “We reject approximately 1,500-2,000 of these requests per year.”
Some of those rejected, such as JPMORGAN, could “constitute copyright infringement, or infringement of a trademark, trade name, service mark, or patent.”
Vanity plates cannot represent “a word, phrase, expression, or that has a meaning, connotation or format that the commissioner deems objectionable,” per DMV guidelines. The commissioner can also deem a license plate unacceptable even after it’s been issued. Those plates are invalidated.
License plates can’t express violence, crime or unlawful conduct, according to the regulations. They also cannot feature language that’s “derogatory, contemptuous, degrading, disrespectful or inflammatory.”
Curious about what made the reject pile? See the full list from 2022 here.
