The U.S. state of Oregon first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1905. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1911, when the state began to issue plates.

, plates are issued by the Oregon Department of Transportation through its Driver & Motor Vehicle Services branch. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

Passenger baseplates

1911 to 1949 No slogans were used on passenger plates during the period covered by this subsection. ImageDates issuedDesignSerial formatSerials issuedNotes1911Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; vertical "ORE" and "1911" at left and right respectively12341 to approximately 62001912Embossed black serial on light green plate with border line; vertical "ORE" and "1912" at left and right respectively12341 to approximately 99991913Black serial on silver plate; vertical "ORE" and "1913" at left and right respectively123451 to approximately 140001914Debossed white serial on blue plate; vertical "ORE" and "1914" at left and right respectively123451 to approximately 165001915Debossed black serial on yellow plate; vertical "ORE" and "1915" at left and right respectively123451 to approximately 225001916Embossed white serial on dark red plate; vertical "ORE" and "1916" at left and right respectively123451 to approximately 340001917Embossed white serial on green plate; vertical "ORE" and "1917" at left and right respectively123451 to approximately 490001918Embossed black serial on light blue plate; vertical "ORE" and "1918" at left and right respectively123451 to approximately 700001919Embossed black serial on orange plate; vertical "ORE" and "1919" at left and right respectively123451 to approximately 840001920Embossed white serial on red plate; "ORE 1920" at right1234561 to approximately 1040001921Embossed white serial on green plate; "ORE 1921" at right1234561 to approximately 1190001922Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; "ORE 1922" at right1234561 to approximately 1350001923Embossed white serial on dark blue plate; "ORE 1923" at right1234561 to approximately 1680001924Embossed white serial on red plate; "ORE 1924" at right1 to approximately 197-0001925Embossed black serial on yellow plate; "ORE 1925" at right123-4561 to approximately 220-0001926Embossed white serial on black plate; "ORE 1926" at right123-4561 to approximately 236-0001927Embossed white serial on black plate; "OREGON-1927" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 261-000First use of the full state name.1928Embossed black serial on white plate; "OREGON-1928" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 256-000January 1, 1929 –June 30, 1930Embossed white serial on black plate; "OREGON-1929" at top123-4561 to approximately 330-000Validated from January 1 through June 30, 1930, with windshield sticker.July 1, 1930 –June 30, 1931Embossed orange serial on black plate; "OREGON EXPIRES JUNE 30 1931" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 296-000July 1, 1931 –June 30, 1932Embossed white serial on black plate; "OREGON JUNE 30 1932" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 265-000July 1, 1932 –June 30, 1933Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "OREGON JUNE 30 1933" at top123-4561 to approximately 250-000July 1 – December 31, 1933Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate with border line; "OREGON DEC. 31 1933" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 218-0001934Embossed black serial on gray plate with border line; "OREGON-1934" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 249-0001935Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "OREGON-1935" at top123-4561 to approximately 272-0001936Embossed black serial on silver plate with border line; "OREGON-1936" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 276-0001937Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "OREGON-1937" at top123-4561 to approximately 293-0001938Embossed black serial on silver plate with border line; "OREGON-1938" at top123-4561 to approximately 327-0001939Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "OREGON-1939" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 344-0001940Embossed blue serial on white plate with border line; "OREGON-1940" at top123-4561 to approximately 359-0001941Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "19 OREGON 41" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 390-0001942–45Embossed white serial on blue plate with border line; "19 OREGON 42" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 495-000Revalidated for 1943, 1944 and 1945 with windshield stickers, due to metal conservation for World War II.1946Embossed black serial on gray plate with border line; "46 OREGON 46" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 480-000Only rear plates issued due to ongoing metal shortages. A windshield sticker was carried at the front of the vehicle.1947Embossed black serial on unpainted aluminum plate with border line; "47 OREGON 47" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 458-0001948Embossed red serial on unpainted aluminum plate with border line; "48 OREGON 48" at top123-4561 to approximately 511-0001949Embossed black serial on unpainted aluminum plate with border line; "19 OREGON 49" at bottom123-4561 to approximately 567-000

1950 to present

In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at in height by in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Oregon license plate that complied with these standards.

All plates from 1955 until present are still valid, provided they are displayed on the vehicle to which they were originally issued and the vehicle has been continuously registered.

ImageDates issuedDesignSloganSerial formatSerials issuedNotes1950Embossed black serial on unpainted aluminum plate with border line; month of expiration, "OREGON" and "50" or "51" at topnone123-4561 to 710-000Monthly staggered registration introduced. Dated plates were generally issued to existing registrants, while all undated plates were issued to new registrants. All were revalidated with tabs each year until 1955.1951–54As above, but without "50" or "51"710-001 to approximately 995-0001955Embossed golden yellow serial on blue plate with border line; month of expiration, "OREGON" and "56" at topnone1A-1234Letter corresponds to month of expiration (see right)Letters A through M (excluding I) were used for January through December respectively, followed by letters N through Z (excluding O). All 1955–59 plates were revalidated with tabs each year until 1960 and with stickers thereafter, while all "Pacific Wonderland" plates were revalidated with stickers.1956–59As above, but without "56"1960–63As above, but with shorter dies for the serial, state name and month of expiration"PACIFIC WONDERLAND" at bottom1964–73Embossed golden yellow serial on blue plate; border line around plate and around registration year sticker spot at bottom right; "OREGON" centered at bottom; month of expiration at bottom leftnoneABC 123First letter corresponds to month of expirationLetters A through M (excluding I) were used for January through December respectively.1973–85Embossed blue serial on golden yellow plate; border line around plate and around registration year sticker spot at bottom right; "OREGON" centered at bottom; month of expiration at bottom leftnoneABC 123First letter corresponds to month of expirationSerials for each month continued from where the 1964–73 plates left off.1985 –June1988As above, but without month of expiration and sticker spot border lineABC 123NAA 001 to PDM 999Month coding discontinued.July1988 – November 1989Embossed dark blue serial on mountain skyline with pale lavender mountains, light khaki sky and pale green Douglas Fir in the center; "Oregon" screened in pale blue centered at topnoneABC 123PDN 001 to QNL 999Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1988 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first time Oregon was so honored.November 1989 – February 2004Embossed dark blue serial on mountain skyline with lavender mountains, light blue sky and dark green Douglas Fir in the center; "Oregon" screened in dark blue centered at topnoneABC 123QNM 001 to ZZZ 999Same design as previous, but with the colors changed in response to public criticism of the original colors.Goetze, Janet (October 11, 1989). "Oregon plates are getting brighter: '89 Legislature agreed to alter color scheme". The Oregonian, p. B6.February 2004 – present123 ABC001 BAA to 999 REN No change to design or colors. Formatting changed to numbers first. 'A' series of serials skipped to avoid confusion with optional Oregon Trail plates, 'I' and O' series of serials skipped to avoid confusion with ones or zeroes respectively.

Optional plates