PennDOT said 'no' to these Pennsylvania vanity plate requests in 2025

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation rejected dozens of proposed personalized license plates in 2025. Here's a gallery of some of them. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)

By USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

March 2, 2026

Pennsylvania’s 2025 list of rejected vanity plates includes old classics, like the Seinfeld-inspired “ASSMAN,” “OMFG,” and “EF CNCR” to variations of the newest words and phrases in the American lexicon, such as “GYATTT” and “HAWK2 UH.”

Some Pennsylvania motorists who applied for a personalized license plate in 2025 had “0 FOX” to give and decided they would “FAFO” if the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation would approve their risqué requests.

Pennsylvania’s 2025 list of rejected vanity plates includes old classics, like the Seinfeld-inspired “ASSMAN,” “OMFG,” and “EF CNCR” to variations of the newest words and phrases in the American lexicon, such as “GYATTT” and “HAWK2 UH.”

Others tried to make political statements, including whoever applied for “EF ELON” — we suspect a Tesla owner with buyer’s remorse. There was “8647 FDT,” “FDT 4547,” and “FDJT 666,” as well as “WOKE AF.”

For those who are typically “LATE AF,” while perhaps driving their “HOHAULR,” they simply wanted their fellow motorists to know why they were “HULNAZZ” on the morning commute.

Others tried to slip past PennDOT’s crack team of clever codebreakers by using foreign languages. See the Italian-American slang word “FONGOOL” or the Russian “ZAEBIS,” for example.

And of course, there were plenty of references to body parts, bodily functions, sex acts, illicit drugs and a long list of what we can do to ourselves if only PennDOT would have granted these motorists their requests.

PennDOT’s vanity license plate denial guidelines

According to the state, “PennDOT shall deny an application for a personalized license plate if it determines the plate configuration” to be one of the following:

potentially misleading to law enforcement;
previously issued or almost identical to another plate previously issued so as to create confusion;
gives the appearance that the vehicle is associated with law enforcement or other government entities;
profane, lewd, lascivious, obscene, or vulgar;
containing sexual innuendo or sexual connotations;
a reference to excretory functions;
a racial, ethnic, religious, lifestyle or gender epithet;
an expression of contempt for or ridicule or superiority of a class of persons, including a particular ethnic or other group;
related to alcohol abuse or illegal drugs or substances;
related to illegal activities, including organized crime associations and gang or gang terminology;
libelous or slanderous;
directed to and likely to incite imminent lawless action;
words which inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace;
contrary to PennDOT’s mission to promote motor vehicle and traffic safety;
a combination that is currently reserved for other plate types pursuant to law, these guidelines, or as determined by the Director, Bureau of Motor Vehicles; or
likely to interfere with the primary purpose of registration marks.