# Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1917

Vehicle registration plates of the United States by year :
| Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1916 | Events of 1917 | Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1918 |
In 1917 South Carolina, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 47 states and 5 territories that were issuing license plates and 1 other state requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

## Passenger baseplates

In the table below, a light green background indicates that the owner of the vehicle was required to provide their own license plates. These plates are called "prestate" by most collectors. In the prestate era many states only provided the license plate number on a small disc or on paper, and the owner was required to have their license plate(s) made. These early license plates were created from kits that could be purchased at a hardware store, may have been available from automobile clubs or associations, they were forged by blacksmiths or other tradesmen, or the owner may have made their own plate with whatever materials they had on hand. Prestate plates were made from a variety of materials, but most often were made of leather, steel, or wood. This was the last year for prestate plates, but note that territories, like Alaska and Hawaii, etc., did not officially issue plates until several years later.
| Legend: | Regular state issue plate(s) | Prestate era plate(s) | No plates issued by state or territory |
| State | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| Alabama | | | | | |
| Alaska | | | | | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1921. |
| American Samoa | | | | | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1924. |
| Arizona | | | | | |
| Arkansas | | | | | |
| California | | | | | |
| Canal Zone | | | | | |
| Colorado | | | | | |
| Connecticut | | | | | |
| Delaware | | | | | |
| District of Columbia | | | | | |
| Florida | | | | | Last year for prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1918. |
| Georgia | | | | | |
| Guam | | | | | |
| Hawai'i | | | | | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1922. |
| Idaho | | | | | |
| Illinois | | | | | |
| Indiana | | | | | |
| Iowa | Embossed beige serial on dark olive green plate; "IA" and dash at right | none | 123456 | 1 to approximately 341000 | Used until 1918 due to metal conservation for World War I. |
| Kansas | | | | | |
| Kentucky | | | | | |
| Louisiana | | | | | |
| Maine | | | | | |
| Maryland | | | | | |
| Massachusetts | | | | | |
| Michigan | | | | | |
| Minnesota | | | | | |
| Mississippi | | | | | |
| Missouri | | | | | |
| Montana | | | | | |
| Nebraska | | | | | |
| Nevada | | | | | |
| New Hampshire | | | | | |
| New Jersey | | | | | |
| New Mexico | | | | | |
| New York | | | | | |
| North Carolina | | | | | |
| North Dakota | | | | | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | | | | | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1944. |
| Ohio | Black serial on yellow porcelain plate, vertical "OHIO" and "1917" on left and right, respectively. | | | | |
| Oklahoma | | | | | |
| Oregon | | | | | |
| Pennsylvania | | | | | |
| Puerto Rico | | | | | |
| Rhode Island | | | | | |
| South Carolina | | | | | First year for state issued plates. |
| South Dakota | | | | | |
| Tennessee | | | | | |
| Texas | | | | | First year for state issued plates. Validated with separate round seal. |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | | | | | First year for territory issued license plates. |
| Utah | | | | | |
| Vermont | | | | | |
| Virginia | | | | | |
| Washington | | | | | |
| West Virginia | | | | | |
| Wisconsin | Embossed white serial on dark green plate; vertical "WIS." and "'17." at right. | none | 123456 | 1 to approximately 165000 | |
| Wyoming | | | | | |