I'm really asking Mefi about license plate colors?

June 25, 2011 10:45 AM

I've seen several solid orange license plates with black or navy lettering on them in the Chicagoland area in the past couple of days. A couple have been dealer plates, but I think not all of them. The Secretary of State and similar websites won't acknowledge the existence of these plates at all, and the closest I can find on Google are plates from decades and decades ago that obviously wouldn't be street legal today. What do these mysterious orange plates signify?
posted by Rallon to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)

NY State's current plates are orange (and horrendous). Could it just be out of towners?
posted by CharlieSue at 11:01 AM on June 25, 2011

Some states do allow older plates to be used as long as they have current tabs. This varies from state to state. Are you sure these plates were Illinois plates? They do have a special event plate option. Might want to call the DMV on Monday?
posted by jessamyn at 11:03 AM on June 25, 2011

Response by poster: They were definitely Illinois plates and had the lettering style of modern plates, not the older style of 40s-60s plates. I grew up here and had neverseen this style before, but now have seen at least 3 or 4 since getting here Thursday for a visit.
posted by Rallon at 11:19 AM on June 25, 2011

Has to be some kind of specialty plate. Maryland has specialty orange plates which were issued for the purpose of supporting Maryland farmers and agriculture, but judging by the number I've seen on SUVs in the DC metro area, people are getting them just because they think the orange looks cool.
posted by citron at 12:40 PM on June 25, 2011

In Ohio, similarly styled yellow plates are required for those convicted of drunk driving charges. Could it be that?
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 2:59 PM on June 25, 2011

Was it a low speed vehicle plate?
posted by milkrate at 3:45 PM on June 25, 2011

I thought it was sex offenders. I live in Indiana and occasionally see one of those IL plates. A quick Google search of "Illinois sex offender license plate" doesn't provide anything conclusive but Ohio does have that law.
posted by IndigoRain at 9:15 PM on June 27, 2011