‘CA SUKS’: Vanity plates are popular in Idaho, but not all are allowed. Here are the rules

Driving around downtown Boise, you’ll most likely see most cars with license plates starting with 1A or occasionally 2C. Or, if you’re driving around Twin Falls, you’ll likely see the majority of license plates starting with 2T.

These are license plate designators, and you’ll only find this sequence in Idaho. Nearly every state in the United States has a way to determine which county a license plate was issued in, but some states make it more apparent than others.

For example, in Kansas, the county designation is placed on a small sticker in the corner of the license plate. In Wyoming, every license plate starts with a one or two-digit number that indicates which county the license was issued in.

Idaho is the only state that uses a combination of a letter and a number to designate the county of issuance — 1A is Ada County and 2C is Canyon County, while 2T is Twin Falls County.

While it doesn’t seem significant, some Idaho residents feel that the highly-visible plate results in an “invasion of privacy” and can result in biases depending on where you are and where you live.

“Being a 1A plate in the middle of nowhere draws attention,” a user on the Boise subreddit wrote. “Being a 2C plate in 1A draws attention and vice versa. It’s a real thing. There’s real bias, especially against 1A.”

Several Reddit users even recall reciting a song in elementary school that listed all of Idaho’s counties, which helps them know where each license plate is from.

But there is one way around Idaho’s license plate designation: vanity plates.

Vanity plates in Idaho

A vanity plate is a unique plate administered and approved by the state transportation department that does not require the county designation code. The Idaho Transportation Department oversees personalized license plates, and outlines some common-sense rules:

“Personalized plates, in any language, may not carry a sexual term that is vulgar, obscene, or in poor taste,” the transportation department states on its website. “(It) may not consist of a term that is considered to be one of obscenity, contempt, prejudice, hostility, insult, racial degradation, ethnic degradation, profanity, or vulgarity.”

If you’re not sure what constitutes “vulgar, obscene, or in poor taste,” here’s a small sample of some of the PG-13 license plates requested — and rejected — in 2021:

J4CKA55

CA SUKS

BADBICH

USL0WAF

F B0MB

Applying for an Idaho vanity plate

Applying for a vanity plate in Idaho is relatively straightforward: your car registration and title must be current, and the vehicle must be under 26,000 pounds. For reference, a mid-size sedan weighs, on average, about 3,300 pounds.

You can print off or download a personalized license plate form on the transportation department’s website. The form can then be emailed to specialplates@itd.idaho.gov or mailed to Idaho Transportation Department Vehicle Services - Special Plates at PO Box 7129, Boise, ID 83707.

In addition to regular registration fees ranging from $45 to $69, a vanity plate will cost $25 to $35, depending on the design, and some unique plates have an additional $25 fee.