Rear of a black Acura TL with a Georgia vanity plate reading RAP. — Georgia’s personalized plates allow drivers to make a seven-character statement — as long as it clears state review.

A personalized license plate gives a driver seven characters to say something about themselves. Georgia gets a say in the message, too.

Before that combination reaches a driveway in Cumming, Johns Creek or Suwanee, it passes through county and state review. Some requests go before a review board. Drivers whose choices are rejected can appeal and explain what they meant.

Figures provided to North Atlanta Star by the Georgia Department of Revenue show 27,857 personalized-plate applications approved statewide through October 13 this year, with 224 rejected.

And despite the possibilities for jokes, declarations and elaborate abbreviations, the most common inspiration appears to be something simpler: the driver’s own name.

Who reads your plate before everyone else?

The review begins at the county level, where officials can deny a request, according to Joe Snowden, the department’s director of external affairs and communications.

Requests then move to the state’s Motor Vehicle Division. If concerns arise, a review board takes another look.

“Applicants do have the right to appeal and can provide evidence behind their reasoning for the request,” Snowden told North Atlanta Star.

That gives drivers a chance to explain a combination whose intended meaning may not be obvious to someone reading it for the first time.

Most rejections involve lettering that can be viewed as obscene or threatening, Snowden said. The state’s published restrictions also prohibit combinations that disparage religious beliefs, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

Thousands of requests, relatively few rejections

The department supplied these statewide application figures:

Year	Approved	Rejected
2023	31,713	789
2024	31,420	633
2025	34,084	658
2026, through Oct. 13	27,857	224

The figures describe applications, not the total number of personalized plates on Georgia roads. The department could not provide a county breakdown, so they do not show whether drivers in Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett or Cherokee are especially fond of custom combinations.

Asked whether electric vehicles, pets, sports or pop culture were influencing requests, Snowden said the department had identified no quantifiable changes in themes.

“Variations of the driver’s name appear to be most common,” he said.

What your seven characters cost

Georgia officially calls these “prestige” plates. The listed charges total $90 initially: a one-time $35 manufacturing fee, a $35 special tag fee and the regular $20 registration fee.

Annual renewal includes the $35 special tag fee and $20 registration fee, totaling $55, before any other applicable vehicle charges.

Drivers can check a combination’s availability through the state’s online service and apply through their county tag office. The Department of Revenue’s personalized-plate ordering page includes the availability lookup, application information and restrictions.

There is also a design limitation: personalized combinations are issued only on the standard peach background.

The letters and numbers can be yours. The peach stays.