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Denied by the DMV: Thousands of personalized license plates rejected in NC

"Now's your chance to join thousands of North Carolinians and show the world what you think, who you are or almost anything else," NCDMV said.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles encourages motorists to be original and apply for a personalized license plate. However, there's a chance an applicant might be denied.

WCNC requested a list of rejected license plates. As of Jan. 1, 2022, over 9,400 combinations of letters and numbers are on NCDMV's "Bad plate text list."

About 10 combinations referring to "covid" have been rejected as personalized license plates. 

Other variations that have been denied include, "G0TBEER," with the number "zero" substituted for the letter "O." You will also not see, "FARTACUS," "NUMNUT," and "SPASTC," on a North Carolina license plate. 

WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to the Defenders team by emailing money@wcnc.com.

Credit: Willie Smart

A brewing company in Cornelius is able to personalize its van after its namesake using dollar signs instead of the letter "S."

The reasons why a plate might be rejected are:

  • if it's offensive
  • indecent
  • or copies another plate already issued

NCDMV said it has internal policies on offensive language or hate speech.

"Now's your chance to join thousands of North Carolinians and show the world what you think, who you are or almost anything else," NCDMV said.

SCDMV said they don't keep records of rejected submissions of personalized plates. Instead, the agency says if the request is unavailable, they will notify the customer. SCDMV also charges $30 for a personalized plate.

Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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