By Oge Nwaozuzu·Published August 10, 2026·Last updated August 25, 2026
New license plates in 2026: New Jersey's America 250 plate and a Florida mix-up
New license plates in 2026 arrived from four very different directions: a signed bill in New Jersey, an accidental joke plate in Florida, a new Purple Heart plate in Washington DC, and an unresolved rules question for Americans driving US-plated cars in Mexico. All four are worth knowing before you order a plate.
Last updated: 25 August 2026
New Jersey signed its Revolutionary War 250th anniversary plate into law
NJ.com reported in August 2026 that governor Mikie Sherrill signed legislation creating a plate marking the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. Proceeds from sales go toward preserving historic sites, including the state's Revolutionary War battlefields.
The plate misses the 4 July 2026 celebrations, which is why the bill's sponsors framed it as a lasting programme rather than an event souvenir. Assemblymen Alex Sauickie and Rob Clifton, two of five bipartisan sponsors, noted that New Jersey has more Revolutionary War sites than any other state and called the plate a symbol for drivers passing those landmarks.
New Jersey joins Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Georgia and South Carolina, which started offering 250th anniversary plates in 2025. Georgia and South Carolina began issuing theirs in January.
A specialty background does not change your character allowance. The New Jersey state page lists the current limit and the official application link.
A Florida driver got issued SQZ A55 without asking for it
The BBC reported on 15 July 2026 that Pompano Beach resident Nancy Dello Stritto, aged almost 77, received a replacement plate reading "SQZ A55". She told CBS News in Miami she "went ballistic" and asked how it passed inspection.
She kept it. "I can handle it if I get a few honks here and there. Actually, being over 70, I might like a few honks," she said. Broward County officials said plates considered offensive can be exchanged free of charge.
This is the gap most people miss. DMV review boards read personalised requests carefully, but randomly generated sequences are not screened the same way. If you want control over what your plate says, applying for a personalised combination is the only reliable route. Test combinations in the free 7 letter license plate generator first, and see how DMVs review plate applications for what gets flagged.
US-plated cars in Mexico still sit in a grey area for permanent residents
Mexperience explains that Mexico's 2012 immigration reform bars holders of Residente Permanente status from applying for a Temporary Import Permit, the document that legalises a foreign-plated vehicle. Only visitors and Temporary Residents can apply, plus Mexican nationals who can prove they live abroad.
Three vehicle Free Zones sit outside that requirement: the whole Baja California peninsula, a defined area of Sonora, and the state of Quintana Roo. Inside those zones, foreign-plated cars need no permit. Beyond them, and beyond the roughly 25km border buffer, a valid permit is required.
In late 2025, drivers reported checkpoint warnings and some vehicle seizures near La Paz in Baja California Sur involving permanent residents with foreign-plated cars. Mexperience notes those reports appear limited to that state, and that Mexico's tax authority SAT and Banjercito have published no official guidance since.
Practical takeaway for a US vanity plate owner: a personalised plate is registered to your home state, so the plate itself is fine to drive south. The paperwork attached to your immigration status is the part that gets you stopped.
Washington DC released Purple Heart plates
NBC4 Washington reported that the DC DMV has released Purple Heart license plates, a recognition plate for service members wounded or killed in action. Recognition plates like this carry their own design and eligibility proof, so they sit outside the standard personalised plate queue.
If a recognition plate matters more to you than a custom message, check eligibility with your own agency first. Every state page links to the official application source.
What connects these stories
Plate programmes change more often than plate rules do. A new commemorative design, a random-issue mistake and a cross-border permit question all leave the character limit untouched.
Compare limits across states with the state rules comparison tool, browse every state on the state pages, or read state plate redesigns for the wider design trend.