The U.S. state of Arizona first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1912. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1914, when the state began to issue plates.
Plates are issued by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) through its Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). Only rear plates have been required since 1989.
In Arizona, the license plate belongs to the vehicle owner. This allows for the transfer of a plate from one vehicle to another.
The existing style was introduced in 1996 and was designed by Walter Punzmann.
In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association, and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at in height by in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Arizona license plate that complied with these standards.
Note: La Paz County was not formed until 1983, by which time the county-coding policy had ended.
Arizona offers its motorists a number of optional issue designs that are available upon the payment of an additional fee. Below is a partial list.