No “BULL”

Colorado’s Department of Motor Vehicles loves to see creativity. No really, the senior director said so in a Monday news release. 

But sometimes, there are ideas for personalized license plates that just go too far. Whether lewd, crude or just rude, plates like “FKSAKE” and “LAYPIPE” cross the DMV’s line, despite how appropriate the former is to say while sitting in grid-locked Denver traffic. 

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“While most personalized plates are approved, there are a small percentage that do not meet DMV standards and are rejected,” Senior Director Electra Bustle said in a the release. “We love the creativity and personal pride Coloradoans take in picking their personalized plate.”

Some plates have obvious reasons for rejection, containing slurs or thinly veiled attempts at profanity. Several took shots at U.S. President Joe Biden.

“EGAD”? Gone.

“HAULNSS”? Forget about it.

“VOTE”? Pick again. 

Other plates are quite original and funny: “GAPPED” and “INVALID” come to mind. 

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All of these plates were rejected by the DMV’s automated system: The Colorado Driver License, Record, Identification and Vehicle Enterprise Solution, or DRIVES. The system scans submissions and compares them with national recommendations set by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. It also cross references other state databases and looks for known offensive words and terms. 

Here’s a complete list of the rejected plates shared by the DMV in the news release.

The DMV has fairly stringent regulations surrounding personalized plates. For example, they do not allow certain combinations of numbers and letters. At most, a personalized plate may have seven characters (six for a motorcycle) with a minimum of two. 

A full list of requirements may be found online. 

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The list of restricted terms are reviewed periodically by a committee of DMV employees. They can be removed from the list by a committee vote, or through a hearing. Customers may appeal the committee decision through the Department of Revenue’s Hearings Division. 

Coloradans can personalize many of the state’s 212 license plates at an additional cost of $60 on top of regular fees. Personalized license plate renewal can cost between $25 and $75 extra and can be completed online, in-office or at an MV Express Kiosk for Coloradans who live in participating counties.

“THEEND”