Booger And 27,400 Other Words Banned From Michigan Vanity Plates

The Michigan Secretary of State Office is going to extreme lengths to avoid double entendre and outright profanity — think Florida’s famous A55 RGY plate that slipped by censors — to make sure they’re G-rated. Officials maintain a list of about 27,400 word and letter combinations that will never make it on the back of your car.

In general, officials will nix any configuration of letters, numbers or letters and numbers that carry a connotation that is profane or obscene, spell out swear word or depict a swear word, or are seually explit or graphic, excretory-related or used to describe body parts or genitals.

Also taboo are license plates that condone hate and violence, promote alcohol use, the drug culture or other illegal activities or substances, according to the Michigan Secretary of State’s website.

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Also, if you’re a clever criminal and want to throw cops off the track in plate identification with your vanity plate, don’t think you’re going to slip it by the state licensing bureau.

The Lansing State Journal recently uploaded a list of of the 27,401 configurations you can’t put on license plates. It includes anything that evokes the f-word, including “FWORD”; plates that suggest the driver might exceed the speed limit, including “ISPEED,” “TAILME” and “SPEEDR”; various plates disrespecting the automobile industry; and even booger.

Photo by Joanna Poe via Flickr Commons