Why Does Colorado Have So Many Different Colored License Plates?

Without license plates, keeping track of all the vehicles on the road would be chaotic. One big problem would be that authorities wouldn't be able to issue fines for speeding and illegal parking. Further to that, there's also some very popular car models, and common colors of these vehicles. So, without a license plate it could make it incredibly difficult to tell which car is yours when you're parked next to eight versions of that model. There are 29 states that require cars to have a license plate on the front bumper, as well as the standard plate on the back bumper. It's simply an important part of your car's identification. 

In Colorado, though, license plates don't just tell other people what your registration number is. Sure, that's what the default green tag with white mountains does. However, if you've been driving on Colorado highways you've probably noticed there's more than one plate design being flaunted around. In fact, Colorado has more than 200 colored license plates, all serving different purposes.

Some of the Colorado colored license plates are designed for vehicle owners who want to show their support to certain causes and organizations. These typically require a donation before you can apply, so you'll also be financially helping your chosen cause.

You can easily spot a few of these plates on the road as they often come with the word "support" written on the tag. For one, there's the Support Education plate with a blue background and a "Public Schools" sign in the middle. The fees this plate collects funds student learning programs for Colorado public schools. You have the Support the Troops plate as well, showing the U.S. flag in the background and in the middle. Ninety-three percent of the donations for this license plate goes to active troops, veterans, and their families.

There are also less obvious "support" license plates available from the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). If you love dinosaurs and want to help in dinosaur fossil preservation and kids' education about dinosaurs in general, you can get the Protect Our Fossils plate. It has a pretty gradient orange background with a stegosaurus in the center. If you're a basketball fan instead, the Mile High Basketball license plate with the Denver Nuggets logo might be more your cup of tea. Donations made for this tag are then used by the non-profit Kroenke Sports Charities for supportive programs for Colorado residents.

A few other support license plates include Epilepsy Awareness, Protect Our Pollinators, and Share the Road — for making Colorado roads more bicycle-friendly.

To show your affiliation to a university or association, you'd normally just put its logo on your windshield. This can easily ruin your car's aesthetic, and might even distract you while driving. As an alternative, you can remove the sticker on your windshield and replace it with an alumni license plate instead.

The Colorado alumni license plates are special colored tags for non-commercial vehicles. Although they're meant to indicate that you were from that particular college or university, many alumni associations aren't super strict about who to sell them to. In fact, you can get the Colorado College, Colorado Mesa University, Fort Lewis College, and Colorado State University-Pueblo license plates straight from the DMV without any requirement at all.

Other alumni associations like the Colorado State University, University of Colorado – Boulder, and University of Northern Colorado, simply ask for donations in exchange for the authorized certificate that the DMV requires. However, some license plates, such as those from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and Regis University, are exclusive to graduates only.

The Colorado alumni plates share the same design with other special tags. They feature a solid or gradient colored background with the standard Colorado icy mountains. The only difference is that the alumni plates carry the college or university's name at the bottom, and its logo right in the center.

Besides colleges and universities, the Colorado DMV also offers special plates for professional firefighters, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members, and Rotary International members.

Colorado residents who served or are still actively serving in the U.S. armed forces can apply for a military license plate at the DMV. There are over 40 of these special plates available, each created to recognize specific groups. For instance, if you're a member (active, reserve, discharged, or retired) of the U.S. Army, you're eligible for the U.S. Army license plate. The same goes for the special plates for the other armed forces, including the Air Force, Marine Corps, 10th Mountain Division, and even the Colorado National Guard.

War veterans qualify for specific license plates too. Veteran of World War II tags can be used by those who served anytime from September 16, 1940 to July 25, 1947, while the Vietnam Veteran license plates require applicants to prove their service between August 7, 1964 to May 7, 1975. There are even veteran tags for specific circumstances like Prisoner of War and Pearl Harbor Survivor.

Service members who received military awards like the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Purple Heart can display these medals via their license plate. They're designed with an image of the medal in the middle for passenger cars, and on the left side for motorcycles.

For relatives of deceased service members who lost their life while serving, the DMV have "Fallen" tags, such as Fallen Soldier for Army members and Fallen Sailor for Navy members. Civilians can get special military license plates as well. This is to show support to certain groups, including the Civil Air Patrol, USS Colorado, and the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division, which is stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado.

Beyond highlighting support, affiliation, and military recognition, Colorado's colored license plates are for fun too. You can get one just to show the things you love. Under the Group Special License Plates, you can find the Ski Country USA plate for winter sports lovers, and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb plate for Pikes Peak race fans. If you have a greyhound or just adore them in general, there's a Greyhound Lovers tag available as well. Other special license plates you might be interested in include In God We Trust, Italian American Heritage, and Girl/Boy Scouts.

For the regular license plates, you still have multiple designs to choose from. They might not explicitly express interests or hobbies, but they're still a fun addition to your car. One of the latest regular tags established is the 150th Anniversary made in celebration of Colorado's 150th anniversary of statehood in 2026. This comes in two styles: one with the typical mountain background but with a solid blue color, the state logo in the corner, and the coat of arms in the center; and the other featuring a scenic landscape background.

You can also go with the Designer plate which shows the snowy mountains above grass. If you're not a fan of the current license plates and want the old-timey look of the previous ones, especially to fit your classic cars, you can actually apply for the Historical and Retired Plates. They have four styles, three of which are just plain black, blue, and red with white writing — the last one has a range of solid green mountains in the background.

In Colorado, cars manufactured in 1975 or earlier, or those at least 50 years old by the time of registration, qualify for one of three special license plates: Collector Vehicle, Collector Truck/Tractor, and Horseless Carriage. They're more expensive to get as this type of car is registered for five years. Design-wise, the tags follow the same standard layout with the solid background (blue for Collector Vehicle, black for Collector Truck/Tractor, and red for Horseless Carriage) and a middle logo, which is an image of a vintage vehicle.

Members of the Colorado General Assembly can also get special plates exclusive to State Senators or State Representatives. These tags feature the Colorado State Capitol in the background and the State flag on the right. To easily tell the Senators and Representatives apart, they have either an S or H to the left. Another government license plate you can readily identify from a distance is for the Colorado State Patrol. It's a simple black and white plate with the colored State Patrol logo in the middle.

The DMV has different license plates for tow trucks and taxis as well. Unlike the default tag, these plates are yellow, have a center logo, and are printed with the words "taxicab" or "tow truck" on the bottom.