Your words. On a plate. Legally possible.
Give the Idea Finder a few things that matter — a name, a hobby, a year — and it turns them into Massachusetts plate ideas that already fit the state's real format rules, previewed on a realistic plate.
Free finds the ideas. Pro cross-references each one against our plate records and tells you what we know — taken, likely open, or unknown, with dates.
One idea in, real options out
Say you give it “Ben”, “hockey”, and 87. You'll get ideas like BENHOC, HCKY87, and BH87 — each shown on a plate, each already valid for a specific series, never an idea the RMV's format rules would reject on sight.
Tell it what matters
Up to five words, plus your favorite letters and numbers — the letters and numbers are what reach the short Reserved and Specialty plates, where a word never fits.
Get format-valid ideas
Every suggestion passes the actual plate number format of a real series — Vanity, Specialty, or Reserved — and shows which series it fits.
Check what we know Pro
Pro labels each idea taken, likely open, or unknown from our plate records — with the observation date, never a guarantee.
Free
Everything you need to find an idea you love.
- Full multi-concept Idea Finder
- Realistic plate previews
- Format-checked against real series rules
- Save favorites with a free account
Pro data-backed
The same ideas, cross-referenced against our plate records.
- Taken / likely open / unknown on every idea
- Observation dates & confidence notes
- Likely-open ideas ranked first
- More results, unlimited favorites
Built on sourced data, labeled honestly
The series catalog comes from the current RMV Passenger Plates Manual — dated, versioned, and never promoted past what the source says. Availability labels always carry their observation date, and we never claim a plate is guaranteed available to register. Read the methodology
Browse every plate series
84 series across Vanity, Specialty, and Reserved plates — formats, prefixes, and who can request each one.
Browse the series catalogThe Low Plate Board
126 real reserved low plates — what's parked under them and when they were last reviewed.
See the boardFrom the Low Plate Board
A taste of what's on file. See the full board
Before you ask
Is this run by the RMV?
No. maplates.com is an independent reference site, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Always confirm plate availability directly with the RMV before applying for one.
Can I request a specific Lottery number?
No — Passenger Lottery entries are drawn at random from everyone who applied for that plate type that year. You can't pick your number going in. Lottery examples shown here are for browsing the format, not a request you can place.
What plate types does the Idea Finder cover?
Launching with Passenger Reserved & Lottery, Vanity, and the Passenger Special catalog — 81 specialty programs, from Cape and Island to the Red Sox plate. More plate types get added as their format rules are documented.
Does a match here mean the plate is available?
No. Results reflect the latest snapshot in our records, and every result is dated. This site never checks live RMV availability — it's a reference, not a real-time lookup.