Missouri · license plates
Missouri license plate format checker.
Choose a Missouri plate design and type a configuration to see whether it fits the maximum character counts the Department of Revenue lists.
Your plate
Result
Missouri's Missouri Department of Revenue publishes length and character rules for personalized plates. This checker applies exactly those rules to what you type and says which part is off. It does not check availability and it does not claim any combination will be approved.
What Missouri publishes
Missouri's Department of Revenue says personalized plates "allow you to select a configuration of up to 6 characters (depending on the type of plate and vehicle)". Under "Personalized Plate Configurations" it lists the maximum for each design:
| Plate design | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Regular design, no emblem or wheelchair symbol | Up to 6 characters, plus one space, dash or apostrophe if desired |
| Emblem or wheelchair symbol | Up to 6 characters, or 5 plus one space, dash or apostrophe |
| Emblem and wheelchair symbol | Up to 4 characters, or 3 plus one space, dash or apostrophe |
| Cycle, no emblem or wheelchair symbol | Up to 6 characters, or 5 plus one space, dash or apostrophe |
| Cycle with emblem or wheelchair symbol | Up to 5 characters, or 4 plus one space, dash or apostrophe |
| Cycle with emblem and wheelchair symbol | Up to 3 characters, or 2 plus one space, dash or apostrophe |
For disabled person plates the page notes the wheelchair symbol appears on the left of the plate, or immediately right of the emblem on an emblem plate.
How the checker reads what you type
It capitals the entry and counts letters and digits. On the regular design it allows six letters and digits plus one optional space, dash or apostrophe. On the other designs it counts the separator toward the maximum, matching the "5 plus one" wording. It flags anything else, such as a second separator or a symbol the page does not list.
What this page does not cover
The Department also says it "cannot guarantee that your selected configuration is available" and that nothing can be reserved without applying and paying the fees, and that it will not issue combinations it judges obscene, profane or offensive. This page checks length only. It does not state the standard-issue series pattern because the page quoted here does not.
Check availability and apply
Use the agency page itself: Missouri Department of Revenue, Personalized and Specialty License Plates. For other states' rules on the same topic, see the related tools below, and driver license validity by state for licenses rather than plates.
FAQ
How many characters can a Missouri personalized plate have?
Up to six on a regular design, with one extra space, dash or apostrophe allowed. Emblem, wheelchair and cycle designs have lower limits, listed in the table above.
Does the dash or space count as a character in Missouri?
On a regular design the Department lists it as "plus" the six characters. On emblem, wheelchair and cycle designs the limits are written as "or 5 characters plus one space, dash, or apostrophe", so the separator takes one of the slots.
Can I reserve a Missouri configuration without paying?
No. The Department says it is not possible to reserve a configuration without applying and paying the appropriate fees, and that it cannot guarantee availability.
Which punctuation does Missouri list?
A space, a dash or an apostrophe, one at most on the designs listed.
Does the Department approve every combination?
No. It says no personalized plate will be issued with letters or numbers it considers obscene, profane or patently offensive.
Sources
Retrieved 2026-11-02. Each source was opened and read against the claim next to it.
- Missouri Department of Revenue, Personalized and Specialty License Plates: maximum characters by plate design, optional space, dash or apostrophe, no availability guarantee, content restriction.
General information only
This page is general information, not legal, compliance or financial advice. Rules, formats and fees change, and your facts may differ. Confirm anything that matters with the issuing agency. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedA Missouri personalized plate can always hold six characters plus a dash.
What the source saysOnly the regular design is listed as 6 plus one separator. Emblem, wheelchair and cycle designs have lower totals, and the separator takes one of the slots. [1]
Checked against these sources on .