U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Reference Guide for U.S. Government License Plates
Guiding Documents
1. The statutory requirements for government vehicle
identification are contained in 40 U.S.C. 609, Identification of
vehicles.
2. The Federal Management Regulation for vehicle
identification, license plates, and exemptions can be found at
FMR 102-34.85 through FMR 102-34.195
3. A list of assigned agency license plate prefixes is found in Appendix A
of this Reference Guide.
4. The General Services Administration (GSA) Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with UNICOR for the license plate program.
Requests for copies of the MOU can be sent to
vehicle.poli[email protected].
License Plate Design
By statute, Federal vehicles are required to be conspicuously identified by
displaying “For Official Use Only,” “U.S. Government,” and the agency
owning the vehicle. The U.S. Government license plate is designed to
comply with this requirement and is the preferable way to identify and
display the required information on the vehicle.
U.S. Government license plates are issued in 2 sizes:
1. Regular sized plate for sedans, trucks, and most trailers
2. Smaller motorcycle sized plate for motorcycles, small trailers
U.S. Government License Plates are issued as:
1. 2-plate pair (an A plate and a B plate) for sedans and trucks
Single plate for trailers and motorcycles (the A-plate only).
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Regular Style License Plates:
All plates have an expiration date and expire in 8 Years 6 months.
Current A and B plate license plate design (Oct 2014)
U.S. Government license plates for agency-owned vehicles begin with
the agency prefix (see Appendix A) and contain an agency name or
logo in the lower left corner.
License plates not conforming with this design are obsolete and should be
replaced and sent to UNICOR for destruction as soon as possible.
All license plate designs must be approved by the GSA, Office of
Government-Wide Policy, and the agency fleet manager before UNICOR
adds them to the license plate store.
The license plate design approving official (GSA, Office of
Government-Wide Policy) shall ensure license plate font size is large
enough to be reasonably legible given the space available on the
plate.
Trailer License Plates:
Trailer license plates end with the letter “T”
Typical Trailer plate design ending in “T”
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Motorcycle-size License Plates:
Motorcycle plates end with the letter “M”
Motorcycle plate design ending in “M”
Motorcycle-size plates can be used on any small vehicle or trailer
operated on public roads where a license plate is required, and a full-sized
plate would be too large. (For example, small ATV, snowmobile, or boat
trailers). Where a license plate is not required, use “Off Road Identification
Plates.”
Off Road and Equipment License Plates:
These plates can be issued and used for off-road vehicles (such as ATVs),
construction, agricultural, and material handling equipment.
Note: Off Road plates and Equipment Identification plates are NOT
registered in the Federal Government Motor Vehicle Registration System.
The agency is responsible for keeping track of the plate assignment
independently.
.
License Plate Display
License plates are displayed in accordance with FMR 102-34.100 and FMR 102-
34.110 through150. Federal sedans and trucks must display 2 U.S. Government
license plates even if the State in which the vehicle is operating only requires
one plate. Note that trailers and motorcycles are only required to display one
license plate on the rear of the vehicle.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Purchasing License Plates
License Plates are purchased from UNICOR through an online store
using an account set up by your agency.
Each agency must enter into a MOU with UNICOR designating who can
purchase plates, how they will be paid, how they will be shipped, and who
(the agency or UNICOR) will number the plates. When an agency
numbers their own plates, they are responsible in case a plate is ordered
that duplicates an existing number. For that reason, most agencies agree
to have UNICOR enumeration.
To set up an account and gain access to the online license plate store,
please contact Jim Gill of UNCIOR at CUSGDLP@usdoj.gov.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Registration of License Plates
U.S. Government license plates must be registered in the Federal
Government Motor Vehicle Registration System (this is now accessed
through GSAFleet.gov) per FMR 102-34.120. Agencies are responsible
for the accuracy of the vehicle and license plate data in GSAFleet.gov
for the lifecycle of the vehicle and license plates. At a minimum, please
keep up to date with the status of each plate and the current point of
contact.
Remember, once plates are shipped, the receipt of license plate
shipments must be acknowledged by the agency to demonstrate that the
shipment arrived and is complete. Acknowledgement is accomplished by
updating the status of license plates to “RC” - “Received by Agency” as
soon as possible after receipt. If the status is not changed to “RC” within
30 days of the shipment date, the status automatically changes to “MS -
Missing” status.
When a plate is physically attached to a vehicle, the GSAFleet.gov
license plate record and the vehicle record must be combined to create a
complete registration record. The GSAFleet.gov license plate status will
then show that the plate(s) has been “AT - Attached to Vehicle.”
GSAFleet.gov records are never deleted. Instead, ensure that the correct
status is used for excess plate records (such as PD - “Pending
Destruction” or RT - “Returned to UNICOR”).
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Note: Updating the status of GSAFleet.gov records are an agency
responsibility. GSA will only update records for extraordinary situations. If
you believe you have an extraordinary situation, your request for
assistance must come from your Agency/Bureau Fleet Manager. The
Agency Fleet Manager is required to validate the request prior to sending
the request to GSA.
Vehicle Identification Card
The U.S. Government Vehicle Identification card is NOT an actual
registration card. It is an identification card that states that the Federal
license plates and Motor Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) are
registered in GSAFleet.gov, and provides vehicle, license plate, and
insurance information that may be useful if stopped by law
enforcement.
The U.S. Government Vehicle Identification card may be downloaded
from GSAFleet.gov. To download the Vehicle Identification Card, a new
style license plate with a valid expiration date must be properly assigned
to a vehicle and registered in GSAFleet.gov.
Printing an Identification card is not mandatory. Your agency may print
and use motor vehicle identification cards as needed.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Returning License Plates
U.S. Government License plates (all types and sizes) - once “attached” to
a vehicle - cannot be reused and must be returned to UNICOR for
destruction when the vehicle is disposed of.
U.S. Government license plates that are expired, removed, replaced,
damaged or unneeded must be returned to UNICOR for destruction. There
is no charge for the return shipment of excess license plates. You may also
We do not send forms automatically. The form is provided upon request.
UNICOR will provide a certificate of destruction for returned plates.
Local destruction of U.S. Government license plates is not permitted.
All excess plates must be returned to UNICOR per SOP instructions found
on the main menu of GSAFleet.gov.
U.S. Government license plates that are locally destroyed will be listed as
“missing” in GSAFleet.gov permanently. Since the actual disposition of
the plate cannot be verified and the plate may be potentially used for
nefarious reasons.
Note: Only return U.S. Government license plates and SOP inventory
sheets to UNICOR. Plates must be in PD status in GSAFleet.gov before
they are returned.
DO NOT include fleet cards or fuel cards with the shipment.
DO NOT send State issued license plates to UNICOR for destruction.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Lost or Stolen License Plates
FMR 102.34-135 contains a list of actions that must be taken when a
license plate is lost or stolen. For U.S. Government license plates,
agencies should:
● Report to your local security office (or equivalent).
● Report to your local police department.
● Report to GSA Fleet when a GSA Fleet leased motor vehicle is involved; and
● Update the status of the license plates in the Federal
Government Motor Vehicle Registration System.
For District of Columbia or State license plates, agencies should:
● Report to your local security office (or equivalent); and
● Report to either the District of Columbia Department of
Transportation, or the State Department of Motor Vehicles, as
appropriate.
We also recommend that agencies report lost or stolen plates to the
Federal Protective Service via the Service’s National Toll-Free Number at
1-877-437-7411.
Note: Missing U.S. Government license plates pose a very serious
security concern. It is important that a missing license plate has its
GSAFleet.gov status changed to “missing” as soon as it was noticed. Do
not wait until after a search is made to locate the missing plate. Change
the status immediately. If the plate is used by unauthorized persons and
spotted by law enforcement, agents will receive a message through the
National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS) that the
plate is missing and to approach with caution.
Your quick action to change the missing plate’s status to “missing” in
GSAFleet.gov is critically important. If the license plate is later found
and reattached to the vehicle, the status can be changed back to
“attached.” There is no penalty for listing a plate as missing.
Note: Lost or Missing License Plates cannot be re-ordered.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Release of License Plate or
Registration Information to Outside Sources
GSAFleet.gov Registration information is ONLY released through NLETS.
Several precautions are built into GSA’s responses to NLETS inquiries
designed to protect Federal law enforcement agents and their mission.
These safeguards are lost if users provide GSAFleet.gov data outside of
NLETS. Agencies and their authorized users have full access to their own
data and may exam information as needed within the GSAFleet.gov
system.
In addition, Federal license plate numbers are never verified as “in use” or
even verified as a license plate not currently in use and photos of license
plate designs are never provided to outside inquiries (for example: movie
studios asking for “unused” numbers to place on license plate props).
Knowing which numbers are “valid” could aid lawbreakers in their
activities. Providing a license plate number or confirming a license plate
number could shift liability to the Government in the event the plate is
used in a crime.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Vehicle Transfers
Normally, once “attached” to a vehicle, the license plate stays with that
vehicle until the vehicle is disposed of by the owning agency. However,
sometimes, agencies elect to transfer vehicles to new agencies or transfer
vehicles between activities and/or locations within the same agency.
Vehicle Transfers to a New Agency
The GSAFleet.gov Users Guide explains how to transfer a vehicle from
one agency to a new agency within the GSAFleet.gov environment
(Chapter 3.1.4, Transferring a Vehicle). The original license plates
attached to the vehicle that is being transferred to a new agency must be
disassociated from that vehicle within the GSAFleet.gov, have their status
updated within the GSAFleet.gov as “Pending Destruction” (PD) or
returned to UNICOR for destruction (RT).
The actual license plates should be removed from the vehicle and
returned to UNICOR following the SOP (found on the GSAFleet.gov main
menu page). The new agency will be responsible for purchasing license
plates for the transferred vehicle and updating GSAFleet.gov to confirm
the new agency, the new POC, and the new license plate number.
Vehicle Transfers within the Same Agency
When a vehicle is transferred within the same agency (from one bureau to
another, or from one location to another), internal agency policy should
determine if the tags remain with the vehicle or should be replaced.
Some agencies use license plates with assigned number ranges or suffix
letters to designate specific bureaus or locations. Thus, agency fleet
managers within those agencies may require tag replacement to align the
transferred vehicle to its new bureau or location.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Off-Road Identification Plates
Off-road identification plates ARE NOT license plates. They are simply
identification plates intended to number equipment. They are designed to
be bright and obvious so they can never be confused with a U.S.
Government license plate. Typical items that display off-road plates are
forklifts, ATVs, construction equipment, and agricultural equipment.
Note: If the off-road equipment will occasionally be operated on a public
road where a license plate is required, obtain U.S. Government license
plates for the vehicle. Use “off-road identification plates” for identifying
vehicles and equipment that is NEVER operated on a public road.
While all U.S. Government license plates MUST be registered within
GSAFleet.gov, “Off-road identification plates” are not required to
be registered in GSAFleet.gov.
Sample Off-Road plate designs
Off-Road identification plate designs are approved by the GSA Office of
Government-wide policy (vehicle.pol[email protected]) and manufactured by
UNICOR. Off-Road identification plates should never begin with the
agency prefix or any letter. The agency prefix should ideally identify the
end (right side) of the plate number; however, this is not required.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
State and Foreign Plates
This document discusses U.S. Government license plates only. Off-road
identification plates are only discussed to differentiate from actual U.S.
Government license plates. State license plates, foreign country license
plates and plates manufactured for use on vehicles outside the U.S. in
accordance with foreign country agreements are not considered or
discussed in detail in this document. State plates are registered by the
respective issuing Department Motor Vehicle and must follow State
procedures. Likewise, locally issued plates in use in foreign countries
must follow in-country laws and regulations. Off-road identification plates,
State license plates, and locally issued plates (non-U.S. Government
plates) in foreign countries are not required to be registered in
GSAFleet.gov. Use of State issued plates should be in accordance with
FMR 102- 34.110.
Sample or Customized
U.S. Government License Plates
In this post-9/11 security environment in which we still operate,
sample or custom U.S. Government license plates are no longer
authorized and are no longer produced, even for Federal agencies
and personnel. As the display of a federal license plate is one of the
keys to gaining access to Federal facilities or conducting certain
activities, even the remote possibility that a sample plate may be
illegally used and mistaken for a valid plate is enough to no longer
allow them. The goal of this policy is to maximize as much as we can
the protection and safety of Federal personnel and the public.
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
Appendix A
Listing of U.S. Government License Plate Codes
License Plate
Prefix Code
Name of Federal Entity
A
Department of Agriculture
AF
Department of the Air Force
AFI
Armed Forces Italy
AFIS
American Forces Information Service
AFRH
Armed Forces Retirement Home
AOC
Architect of the Capitol
ARC
Appalachian Regional Commission
BBG
U.S. Agency for Global Media
C
Department of Commerce
CE
Corps of Engineers, Civil Works
CF
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
CP
U.S. Capitol Police
CPSC
Consumer Product Safety Commission
CS
Court Services & Offender Supervision Agency for the District of
Columbia
CT
U.S. District Court
D
Department of Defense
DA
Defense Contract Audit Agency
DECA
Defense Commissary Agency
DFC
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (formally Overseas
Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) as of 8/19/2019).
DHA
Defense Health Agency
DHS
Department of Homeland Security
DIA
Defense Intelligence Agency
DISA
Defense Information Systems Agency
DLA
Defense Logistics Agency
DRA
Delta Regional Authority
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
DOT
Department of Transportation
E
Department of Energy
EC
U.S. Enrichment Corporation
ED
Department of Education
EEOC
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
EIB
Export Import Bank
EO
Executive Office of the President
Council of Economic Advisors
National Security Council
Office of Management and Budget
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
ERC
Emergency Response & Continuity (House of Representatives)
FC
Federal Communications Commission
FCA
Farm Credit Administration
FD
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
FHFA
Federal Housing Finance Agency
FM
Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service
FRB
The Federal Reserve Board
FTC
Federal Trade Commission
G
GSA Fleet
GAO
Government Accountability Office
GP
Government Printing Office
GSA
General Services Administration
HHS
Department of Health and Human Services
HUD
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
I
Department of the Interior
IA
U.S. Information Agency
ITC
International Trade Commission
J
Department of Justice
JB
Judicial Branch
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
JFKC
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
L
Department of Labor
LA
District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency
LB
Legislative Branch
LC
The Library of Congress
MC
U.S. Marine Corps
MCC
Millennium Challenge Corporation
MSPB
U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board
N
Department of the Navy
NA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NEA
National Endowment for the Arts
NG
National Guard Bureau
NGA
National Gallery of Art
NG
National Guard Bureau
NL
National Labor Relations Board
NP
National Capital Planning Commission
NRC
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NS
National Science Foundation
OPIC
Overseas Private Investment Corporation. OPIC changed name to US
International Development Finance Corporation as of 8/19/2019. New
code is DFC.
OPM
Office of Personnel Management
P
United States Postal Service
PBG
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
PSA
Pretrial Services Agency
PT
Presidio Trust
RR
Railroad Retirement Board
S
Department of State
SAA
United States Senate Sergeant at Arms
U.S. General Services Administration
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1800 F Street, NW Washington DC 20405-0002 www.gsa.gov
SB
Small Business Administration
SC
Defense Security Cooperation Agency
SE
U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission
SH
U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home
SI
Smithsonian Institution
S-IBC
International Broadcasting Bureau
SS
Selective Service System
T
Department of the Treasury
TV
Tennessee Valley Authority
U
U.S. Agency for International Development
UPC
Peace Corps
VA
Department of Veterans Affairs
W
Army
X
Army & Air Force Exchange Service
