What are the most popular license plate designs in the Birmingham area?

There are more than 190 license plate designs to choose from in Alabama, and many drivers have their own taste and story for why they chose theirs.

In Alabama, just 18.8% of tag registrants for passenger vehicles elected to get a non-standard tag (the standard designs are the Alabama Travel state plate, the Alabama Bicentennial and the white God Bless America tag), according to the annual registration statistics report from the Alabama Department of Revenue.

That figure jumps up just a bit to 19.4% in Jefferson and Shelby counties, so the Birmingham area likes a little more flair on their tags. Of the approximately 900,000 tags registered in the Birmingham area between October 2024 and September 2025, only 8.2% opted to get a personalized vanity tag with their own license plate number.

Here are the top 10 most popular plates designs in Jefferson and Shelby counties, excluding the standard designs, membership-only designations (like army and firefighter) and collegiate tags. A separate list of college and university tags is below the following list.

1. Barber Vintage Motorsports

Coming in at number one is probably not a surprise to the car lovers of Birmingham, given the iconic checker pattern associated with racing. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum had a total of 13,157 registrations, with about 9,000 in Jefferson County and 4,000 in Shelby County.

2. Alabama Wildlife Federation

The Alabama Wildlife Federation’s picturesque tag is sure to capture the hearts of nature enthusiasts. Coming in at 4,893 registrations, it trails far behind Barber’s numbers. About 3,000 were in Jefferson, and nearly 2,000 were in Shelby.

3. Helping Schools

This classic tag supports a school district designated by the applicant (if they do not choose a district, it is directed to the school district in which the tag was purchased) to purchase classroom supplies and equipment for kindergarten through 12th grade classes.

A total of 4,809 were issued in the Birmingham area, with around 3,000 in Jefferson and 2,000 in Shelby.

4. Pink Joy to Life + Breast Cancer Research

These breast cancer support tags were neck-and-neck with one another, the choice likely coming down to a color preference. The predominantly pink tag supports Joy of Life, which provides free mammograms and other breast cancer screenings to medically underserved women in Alabama. The gray tag funds breast cancer research.

3,467 registrants got the pink tag and 3,433 chose grey in the Birmingham area. In Jefferson County, those figures are about 2,700 and 2,500 for pink and grey respectively, and in Shelby County, they were about 800 and 900.

5. Cahaba River Society

This eye-catching plate depicts the Cahaba lily and funds support the Cahaba River Society. 2,944 Birmingham registrants claimed this tag, with about 2,000 in Jefferson and 1,000 in Shelby.

6. State Parks Supporter

For the state park enthusiasts of Alabama, this unique tag depicts a hiker overlooking dawn. The proceeds are directed to the Department of Conservation to benefit the state park system.

In Birmingham, 2,790 registrants have this tag, with about 1,900 in Jefferson County and 1,200 in Shelby.

7. Alabama Nurses Foundation

Show your support of some of the hardest workers out there with the Alabama Nurses Foundation tag. Funds go to the Alabama State Nurses Association. 2,724 were distributed in the Birmingham area, with about 1,900 in Jefferson County and 800 in Shelby County.

8. Curing Childhood Cancer

Many may not realize it, but this tag hits close to home for Birmingham. Proceeds are directed to the UAB Department of Pediatrics/Children’s Alabama to be used for medical research expenses, including equipment, supplies and other research expenses.

1,990 folks in Birmingham have this tag. In Jefferson County, there are about 1,400, and there are about 600 in Shelby County.

9. Don’t Tread On Me

This bold tag with a classic flag emblem supports the Montgomery-based Foundation for Moral Law, which works to defend the Constitution of the State of Alabama and the U.S. Constitution.

In Birmingham, there are 1,908 cars with this tag. About 1,400 are in Jefferson, and 600 are in Shelby.

10. Legacy Environmental

Last but certainly not least of this top 10 is the environmental tag supporting Legacy Inc. to be used to enhance and provide environmental education to Alabama citizens. 1,587 of these tags are in Birmingham, with about 1,100 in Jefferson County and nearly 500 in Shelby County.

Showing collegiate pride

Of course, we can’t count out the college and university tags. The top 10 tags’ registration numbers for Jefferson and Shelby counties combined are:

1. University of Alabama — 21,161
2. Auburn University — 16,262
3. UAB — 3,079
4. Alabama A&M — 1,263
5. Samford University — 1,132
6. Mississippi State University — 1,131
7. Alabama State University — 940
8. University of Georgia — 822
9. Troy University — 808
10. Miles College — 713

Which tag do you have right now? Do you have your eye on a new one for 2026? Let us know by tagging us on Facebook and Instagram @bhamnow!