The list illustrates both the breadth of what Michigan prohibits on personalized plates and an often-overlooked wrinkle: more than 600 combinations have been banned not because of the text alone, but because of what happens when a letter-number string is placed next to a sports team or university logo.
Michigan’s list of banned personalized license plates surpassed 30,000 entries for the first time last year, with the state adding roughly 2,000 new rejections in 2025, according to records obtained by Bridge Michigan through a public records request under the state Freedom of Information Act.
The disclosure shows how a quietly growing state screening operation — staffed by more than two dozen volunteers — has kept pace with drivers’ increasingly creative attempts to sneak profanity and other prohibited content past reviewers.
Bridge Michigan used artificial intelligence to identify the roughly 2,000 new additions by comparing the latest list with a prior version; a human reporter confirmed all findings, according to the outlet.
New rejections
New additions to the banned list include four variations of an obscene phrase built around “04FCSK” and other attempts at obscuring the f-word, including “0F0KS” and “0FUX4U.” Other newly banned combinations include “FEDS,” “ILEGAL,” “MAFIAA,” “B4DAZZ,” and “HA1LYA,” among others.
Previously banned plates include “2DAMH0T,” “WEEDMAN,” “0HDAMM,” “M0DEL0,” and “H3LLYEA.”
How the review process works
More than two dozen volunteers handle requests in three stages, according to the state. One group conducts an initial review, a second votes on approval or denial, and a third notifies applicants of rejections and offers alternative plate options.
Applicants can appeal a rejection and submit reasons why their chosen combination should be allowed.
The state rejects plates that contain profanity or obscene language, swear words, sexually explicit content, references to intimate body parts, mentions of alcohol or drugs, allusions to illegal activities, combinations that could interfere with law enforcement identification, or content promoting hate or violence.
Logo combinations add a separate layer of scrutiny
More than 600 plates have been banned solely because of how a letter-number string interacts with a sports team or university logo, according to Bridge Michigan.
The plate “0GCRAP” was rejected because the “D” in the Detroit Tigers logo, placed alongside the combination, forms an offensive word. Similarly, “3RL0T” was denied for use with a University of Michigan plate because the combination, read together with the university logo, references alcohol.
Michigan residents can check the availability of personalized plates and preview how they would appear on the Secretary of State’s website.
Reporting originally published by Bridge Michigan and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.