Why these custom license plates were rejected by Wisconsin's DMV

Ever thought about getting a custom license plate that says something funny or crude? Well, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation may ask you to think again.

Personalized license plates are huge among Wisconsinites. As of 2021, the most recent year for which data are available, almost a quarter of a million drivers in Wisconsin use a personalized license plate .

But eagle-eyed staff at the Wisconsin DOT's Division of Motor Vehicles reject hundreds of license plate applications per year for reasons ranging from vulgar language to gang references. Last year, they denied 349 applications.

The Journal Sentinel spoke to Wisconsin DMV Special Plate Unit supervisor Monica Worzala to learn more about this process.

Meet Wisconsin's Special Plate Unit (SPU)

Despite the lightheartedness of submitting a funny custom license plate application, the process of reviewing them is rather meticulous.

The Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles Special Plate Unit reviews the applications to see if they fall under one of the 13 categories that make a license plate objectionable. Most often, a processor will review the plates first. If they think a plate is questionable, they forward it to a panel of seven to nine people for further review. Only then can a custom license plate be rejected.

What's more, the reviewers need to be quite sharp, too. According to Worzala, processors look carefully at each requested phrase and whether it is spelled backwards, upside down or phonetically.

They also look up phrases on resources like Urban Dictionary to see what they might mean in slang.

"(An) entertaining aspect is when customers try to explain what something means," Worzala said in an email. "But it's pretty obvious it means something else."

More: These are the most popular specialty license plates in Wisconsin

The main reasons why custom license plates are denied in Wisconsin

Of the 13 reasons the DMV might deny a personalized license plate, derogatory language is the most frequently cited. Over half of all license plates denied in 2023 were denied under this reason.

Unfortunately, the Journal Sentinel can't include many examples of those licenses for the same reasons they were denied by the DMV. Ope! But here some milder ones for our lovely readers:

• FLY/AF
• BYTEME1
• FKCNCER
• DA EX FIB
• RDRRAGE

But maybe fly would have worked on its own? That's a question for the SPU.

The guidelines also don't allow references to law enforcement or criminal activity. No license plate can identify as law enforcement, include language affiliated with gangs or "subversive organizations," or reference drugs or alcohol. Examples of license plates rejected in 2023 under these rules include:

• N0TAC0P
• DIMEBAG
• M4F1A
• FBI400
• WEED

Not that we get what any of these references mean, of course.

Putting similar letters in a row might also get your license plate denied. If you wanted to have a license plate like "MWMWMWM," you're out of luck.

The guidelines also don't allow white supremacist or Nazi references.

What it's like to work on the license plate review committee

When asked how the review committee manages to spot so many inappropriate phrases, Worzala said the team is made up of members of different ages and life experiences, from "all walks of life."

"With such varied backgrounds, we're pretty good at catching most inappropriate plate messages," she said.

"There have been so many (plates) that were memorable," Worzala added. "We continually need to keep our staff educated on current lingo."

Eva Wen is a data reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at qwen@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why these custom license plates were rejected by Wisconsin's DMV