Deciphering Michigan Validation Stickers-Tabs
1998-Present
At some point in 1998, at least by September, possibly earlier, the Michigan Secretary of State began issuing validation stickers/tabs with the license plate number and a set of numbers and letters on the validation tab. In the case of the tab below, the numbers are: 194J082
At first I believed this to be simply an internal control number for the Secretary of State.
I now know that it is a code identifying the office where the validation sticker was issued, what year it was issued and what DAY it was issued:
194 = Flint Area Super Center - Fenton Road, Flint
J = Year of Issue: J = 1998
082 = Julian Date - Day Of Year - 23 March 1998
Click on Julian Date for a chart showing when the validation sticker/tab was issued.
Later, on this page. I will have a chart of the "Branch Office Numbers" that I have been able to ascertain, hopefully with assistance from other Michigan license plate collectors.
The letter following the first three (3) numbers is a YEAR code, and is the code for the YEAR that the validation WAS ISSUED.
Following are known letters for each year:
| 1998 |
J |
| 1999 | K |
| 2000 | L |
| 2001 | M |
| 2002 | N |
| 2003 | P |
| 2004 | R |
| 2005 | S |
| 2006 | T |
| 2007 | V |
| 2008 | W |
| 2009 | X |
| 2010 | Y |
| 2011 | Z |
The earliest letter code I've seen is the letter "J" for 1998.
SOS BRANCH OFFICE NUMBERS
1998 to PRESENT
#100 to #199 - Region #1 - Southern Michigan
#200 - #299 - Region #2 - Central Michigan
#300 tp #399 - Region #3 - Northern Michigan and the UP
#600's & #800's - SOS internal codes, i.e.,
Out of State Services, Vehicle Updates, etc
(Click on underlined numbers to see image of validation sticker) Coming Soon
|
100
Adrian |
101
Inkster |
102 ? |
103 ? |
104 ? |
105 ? |
|
106 Wyandotte |
107 ? |
108 ? |
109 Washtenaw CP Ann Arbor |
110 Trenton |
111 SW Wayne CP Belleville |
|
112 Chelsea |
113
Ypsilanti |
114 Existed in 2006 Not Open in 2008 |
115
Monroe |
116 Temperence |
117 NE Wayne CP Redford |
|
118 Central Wayne CP Westland |
119 ? |
120 Livonia Area SC Livonia |
121 SW Oakland CP NOVI (#6) |
122 Wayne (1998) Unknown Now |
123 ? |
| 124 |
125 Brownstown |
126 ? |
127 ? |
128 West Wayne CP Canton |
129 Milford |
|
130 Farmington Hills |
131 West Bloomfield |
132 Ferndale |
133 Detroit Livernois |
134 ? |
135 NW Detroit Plus - 7 Mile Road |
|
136 ? |
137 ? |
138 Detroit Vernor |
139 Detroit Downtown |
140 Highland Park |
141 SE Wayne CP Taylor |
|
142 SE Oakland CP Oak Park |
143 Southfield |
144 Dearborn |
145 ? |
146 ? |
147 ? |
|
148 ? |
149 ? |
150 ? |
151 Hamtramck |
152 ? |
153
Detroit East-8 Mile |
|
154 Detroit East Plus - Mack Avenue |
155 Harper Woods |
156 ? |
157 Detroit New Center SC - West Grand Blvd |
158 Warren Dequinder |
159 Warren 12 Mile |
|
160
? |
161 |
162 SE Macomb CP - St Clair Shores |
163 Port Huron |
164 Schoenherr Rd Shelby Twp Macomb Co |
165 Richmond (CLOSED) |
|
166
Clinton Twp SC Macomb Co Gratiot Ave |
167
Downtown Mount Clemens Macomb Co |
168 Rochester Hills |
169
Sterling Heights Macomb Co |
170
Romeo |
171
North Macomb CP Chesterfield |
|
172 Royal Oak |
173 Marine City |
174 ? |
175 Troy |
176 Lapeer CP Lapeer |
177 ? |
|
178 ? |
179 ? |
180 ? |
181 Oakland County SC Pontiac |
182 Waterford |
183 ? |
|
184 ? |
185 Davison |
186 Fenton |
187 Mount Morris |
188 Flint Miller Road |
189 Clarkston |
|
190 ? |
191 ? |
192 ? |
193 ? |
194 Flint Area SC Fenton Road Flint |
195 Flint Downtown |
|
196 ? |
197 ? |
198 ? |
199 Dearborn Police Department |
200 ? |
201 Kalamazoo CP |
|
202 S Kalamazoo CP - Portage |
203 Van Buren CP - PawPaw |
204 ? |
205 St Joseph CP Sturgis |
206 Dowagiac |
207 SE Berrian CP - Niles |
|
208 NW Berrian CO Plus Benton Harbor |
209 ? |
210 ? |
211 ? |
212 ? |
213 ? |
|
214 ? |
215 ? |
216 Battle Creek |
217 ? |
218 Marshall |
|
|
219 Albion |
220 Jackson CP |
221 Downtown Jackson |
222 ? |
223 Coldwater |
224 Hillsdale |
|
225 Downtown Lansing Ingham County |
226 Lansing Area PLUS Eaton County |
227 ? |
228 East Lansing Ingham County |
223 Mason |
230 Howell |
|
231 ? |
232 ? |
233 ? |
234 ? |
235 ? |
236 Brighton |
|
237 Alma |
238 ? |
239 Montcalm CP |
240 ? |
241 ? |
242 ? |
|
243 Mt Pleasant |
244 Muskegon |
245 ? |
246 ? |
247 Sparta |
248 ? |
|
249 ? |
250 ? |
251 ? |
252 ? |
253 Whitehall |
254 Midland |
|
255 Hudsonville |
256 Holland |
257 Grand Haven |
258 Allegan |
259 Hastings |
260 South Haven |
|
261 Grand Rapids NE |
262 Grand Rapids Downtown |
263 Grand Rapids SC |
264 ? |
265 ? |
266 ? |
|
267 ? |
268 Ionia |
269 ? |
270 St Johns |
271 ? |
272 ? |
|
273 Wyoming |
274 ? |
275 Bad Axe |
276 ? |
277 ? |
278 ? |
|
279 Saginaw NW Bay Road |
280 ? |
281 ? |
282 ? |
283 ? |
284 ? |
|
285 ? |
286 St Charles |
287 ? |
288 Saginaw S Dixie Hwy |
289 ? |
290 Owosso |
|
291 Sanilac CP |
292 ? |
293 Tuscola CP |
294 ? |
295 Frankenmuth |
296 Bay City |
|
297 ? |
298 Out Of State Services - Lansing *1 |
299 Internal Porcessing - Lansing |
300 ? |
301 Mecosta CP |
302 Fremont |
|
303 ? |
304 ? |
305 ? |
306 ? |
307 ? |
308 ? |
|
309 ? |
310 Bellaire |
311 ? |
312 ? |
313 ? |
314 ? |
|
315 ? |
316 ? |
317 ? |
318 ? |
319 ? |
320 ? |
|
321 ? |
322 ? |
323 ? |
324 ? |
325 ? |
326 ? |
|
327 ? |
328 ? |
329 ? |
330 ? |
331 Clare |
332 Baldwin |
|
333 Beulah |
334 Cadillac |
335 Reed City |
336 Kalkaska |
337 Lake City |
338 Ludington |
|
339 Manistee |
340 Suttons Bay |
341 Grand Traverse CP |
342 Hart |
343 ? |
344 ? |
|
345 ? |
346 ? |
347 ? |
348 ? |
349 Gladwin |
350 Grayling |
|
351 Harrisville |
352 ? |
353 ? |
354 ? |
355 Standish |
356 East Tawas |
|
357 West Branch |
358 Roscommon CP |
359 ? |
360 ? |
361 ? |
362 ? |
|
363 Mio |
364 Alpena |
365 Atlanta |
366 ? |
367 Charlevoix |
368 Cheboygan |
|
369 Gaylord |
370 ? |
371 Petosley |
372 Rogers City |
373 St Ignace |
374 Sault Ste Marie |
|
375 ? |
376 ? |
377 ? |
378 ? |
379 Newberry |
380 Bessemer |
|
381 Delta CP |
382 Houghton |
383 Iron Mountain |
384 Iron River |
385 L'Anse |
386 Manistique |
|
387 Marquette CP |
388 Menominee |
389 Munising |
390 ? |
391 Ontonagon |
392 Mohawk |
|
393 ? |
394 ? |
395 ? |
396 ? |
397 ? |
398 ? |
|
399 Mobile Office |
|||||
| 603 | 884 | ||||
*1 - For out of State residents, i.e., Active Duty Military, etc
CP = "County Plus" Offices
SC = "Super Center" Offices
Those in YELLOW are confirmed as of May 2008
Those in RED are known to exist, but locations of the SOS Office that issued them are unknown - probably in Lansing, or former offices.
At present - May 2008, there are 148 SOS Branch Offices in Michigan, as well as a mobile branch office.
Have noted some strange numbering also, and in asking the owners, have found that they either mailed in their registration and received their license plate or validation sticker via U.S. Mail, or they called the Secretary of State and renewed their registration, paid via credit card, and the license plate or validation sticker was sent to them. Below are the ones I know of:
These could also include renewal registrations from the self-serve SOS Kiosks that are now popping up in SOS Branch Offices and in some other City and County Buildings
MAILED IN or CALLED IN STICKER NUMBERS
|
VALIDATION STICKER NUMBER |
HOW OBTAINED |
|
RBWØ49 |
Ordered via the web, sent out via U.S. Mail |
RBW = Renewal By Web
RBP = Renewal By Phone
RBM = Renewal By Mail followed by A, B or C or 1 or 2 or 3, to denote which of the machines the renewal was processed on.
Anyone who can assist me by filling in some of the holes above, it would be greatly appreciated. If you have license plates that you purchased yourself from a Secretary of State Office, check the first 3 numbers and let me know what SOS Branch Office they pertain to.
If you ordered them via telephone or through the U.S. Mail, would like to know that too, along with the validation sticker number.
And PLEASE report any others that don't fit this pattern, so that we can determine WHY.
| Thanks to: | |
| #110 - Trenton SOS | Tom Sadler, MLPCA #775 |
| #112 - Chelsea SOS | Tom Sadler, MLPCA #775 |
| #128 - Canton SOS | Lance Pierce, MLPCA #832 |
| #153 - Detroit - SOS | Spencer Strucienski, ALPCA #10521 |
| #188 - Flint SOS | Roy Kress, MLPCA #369 |
SPECIAL THANKS to Tom Sadler for the COMPLETE list as of May 2008
This page changed or updated:
Friday, February 05, 2010 10:14:37 PM
