PennDOT’s criteria for vanity plates + examples of denied submissions

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March 7th, 2024 | By Ryan Genova

The Philadelphia Inquirer recently took some time to sift through examples of rejected vanity license plate applications.

According to PennDOT’s website, there are 16 reasons why a personalized plate can be rejected:

  1. Potentially misleading to law enforcement;
  2. Previously issued or almost identical to another plate previously issued so as to create confusion;
  3. A combination giving the appearance that the vehicle is associated with law enforcement or other government entities;
  4. Profane, lewd, lascivious, obscene, or vulgar;
  5. Containing sexual innuendo or sexual connotations;
  6. A reference to excretory functions;
  7. A racial, ethnic, religious, lifestyle, or gender epithet;
  8. An expression of contempt for or ridicule or superiority of a class of persons, including a particular ethnic or other group;
  9. Related to alcohol abuse or illegal drugs or substances;
  10. Related to illegal activities, including organized crime associations and gang or gang terminology;
  11. Libelous or slanderous;
  12. Directed to and likely to incite imminent lawless action;
  13. Words which inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace;
  14. Contrary to PennDOT’s mission to promote motor vehicle and traffic safety;
  15. A combination that is currently reserved for other plate types pursuant to law, these guidelines, or as determined by the Director, Bureau of Motor Vehicles; or
  16. Likely to interfere with the primary purpose of registration marks.

PennDOT staff review each plate request against an internet acronym dictionary, a slang/euphemism dictionary, translations from foreign languages, and upside down and reverse readings of requested configurations to make sure offensive phrases don’t get through, according to The Inquirer.

Examples of denied submissions include “SINEP” (read it backwards), “AFFHOL” (an affluent not nice person), “2020SUX,” “WTF 2020,” and “20WTF20”, LFG PHLS (Let’s [expletive] go Phils); SB52WFC (Super Bowl LII world [expletive] champions), and F DA11AS ([expletive] Dallas).

Plates that contain “AF,” a slang abbreviation standing for “as [expletive]” are also denied. Examples include “GRITTYAF,” “JRZY AF,” and “DELCO AF.” The list of words paired with “AF” is long: AUDI, BACON, BASIC, BOUJE, BROKE, CHILL, CLEAN, COOL, CRE8V, DRUNK, EXTRA, FANCY, FAST, HAM, LOST, LOUD, L8, MAGIC, MJSTC, MOM, OLD, PETTY, PUNK, RALLY, SALTY, SEXY, SICK, SLICK, SLOW, SOBER, STOCK, and VEGAN, according to The Inquirer.


Other failed attempts include “AS SOUL,” “ACE HOLE,” and “ASSA9,” as well as “3RDFGER,” “RICKHED,” “ABCDEFU”, “CAT EATR,” “UNIBOOB,” “BAT SCAT,” and “H8 KIDS”.

Some motorists requested criminal-leaning phrases, such as “STOLEIT,” “BNK ROBR,” “DRUG DLR,” “ELCHAPO,” “MOB BOSS,” and “HGIH MI” (”I’m high,” backward).

To submit an application for a vanity plate in Pennsylvania, you can click here.

For the full story, you can click here. In 2017, Philadelphia Magazine ran a similar story with more examples.

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Photos: Lehigh Valley Live, Amazon.com