South Dakota



Light blue embossed lettering variety of the 1976 South Dakota license plate. The one on the left was issued for Brown County. The one on the right is from Lawrence County

Light blue or dark blue embossed lettering? This plate from Minnehaha County appears to be a shade darker those shown above, and a shade lighter than those shown below. It may be that it suffered from the weathering that lightened the color a little on a dark blue variety.


Dark blue embossed lettering variety of the South Dakota license plate. The plate on the left is from Brown County and is made of aluminum, as can be seen from the back. The plate on the right is most likely from Minnehaha County, but the archives are not clear on the MG prefix. It is made of steel, rather than aluminum.


1975 South Dakota license plates were still allowed for use through March of 1976.


1976 South Dakota sample plates with dark and lighter blue letters. Both are on aluminum.


1976 South Dakota farm truck plate from Sanborn County. Truck plates have the letter part of the serial to the right as a suffix.


1976 South Dakota Commercial Fertilizer Truck license plates as noted by the CF prefix.

1976 South Dakota Combination license plate as noted by CL prefix.


1976 South Dakota county owned trailer plate.


1976 South Dakota City Use Truck license plate as noted by the CUT prefix


1976 South Dakota highway maintenance license plate


These 1976 South Dakota implement license plates (IM prefix) could be used on vehicles not ordinarily on the highway and privately owned such as cranes, drilling rigs, corn sheller, feed grinder etc.


1976 South Dakota Mine or Sawmill Truck or Trailer license plate, as noted by the MST prefix


1976 South Dakota license plates for U.S. House of Representatives. Those on the left are on the aluminum base. The two on the right are on the steel base.


1976 South Dakota license plate for U.S, Senator. The 1 would indicate it was for the Senior Senator from the state, who was George McGovern, Democrat, at that time.


1976 South Dakota trailer plate.


1976 South Dakota bus license plate on the left. On the right is what I believe to be a commercial bus license plate.


1976 South Dakota National Guard plate.


1976 South Dakota construction vehicle sample plate on left with regular issue on right.


1976 South Dakota apportioned pro rated license plate


1976 South Dakota ham radio operator plate.


1976 South Dakota radio station and television license plates.


Type of South Dakota license plate which would have been used during 1976 on vehicles over 30 years of age that applied for historical status.


1976 South Dakota vanity license plate

1976 South Dakota handicapped/disabled person vanity license plate.


1976 South Dakota motorcycle plate.

Click on sticker for larger image

1976 South Dakota snowmobile sticker license.
Plates I am looking for from South Dakota: You can contact me at mikesells@aol.com
For more on South Dakota license plates, you can follow these links:

South Dakota Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division

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