My Nova Scotia Licence Plate Collection & Guide
Bill White, Lower Sackville, NS       

 THE MODERN or "BLUE ON WHITE" ERA: 1972 TO THE PRESENT

PART 2:  NON-PASSENGER PLATES
 
Last updated Oct 15, 2024
Click here for Part 1: Plates most commonly used on automobiles and light trucks.

Click here for my separate page for samples, individual specimens and concept plates.
Click here for my page showing the official 2023 specimen set that includes ALL NS plate types.

Back to Licence Plate Opening Page  for my other licence plate pages.           Back to overall Marscan Opening Page

This page is best seen on your computer, not your phone.
The division of NS plates into eras is entirely my own device in order to aid in presentation.  
I have chosen to start the modern era with the introduction of "Blue on White"
for standard passenger plates and for many other plate types.  
In this overall modern era there have for some types been several varieties as
dies and slogans change.  I have tried to point out some of these but
 for more detail you should join ALPCA and access the archives curated by David Fraser.

 Some detailed information is also available at All About License Plates , open to the general public.

COMMERCIAL

This plate type had been issued since 1920.
It was discontinued at the end of 1979 when
all light commercial vehicles began to be
grouped with passenger vehicles, and
all received the same new alphanumeric
plates.  Heavier commercial vehicles, not
in the interprovincial prorate program began
to receive the new Heavy Commercial plates (see section farther down this page)


First Batch 1972
Serials C3-00-00 to C-9-99-99.

Second batch 1974
C 1.00.00 to C 1.99.99,
Duller blue than the original, but still non-reflective.
This group (or at least some plates in it) had backs of varying colours.
Previously the back was the same colour as the front. 


1975 Type. Reflectorized, with serials extending from
C 2.00.00 to C 2.99.99

1976   Red on white base plate.
 Serials are reported to range from C 10.00 upwards.
There were no variations in paint, font or construction during the life of this series.

This is a very high number for this series. 
C9-99-25 is known in a local collection.

 

 

COMMERCIAL HALF YEAR

 

From the outset in 1972 these plates were red on white, i.e. there was no blue on white issue of CX plates.
Stickers indicated expiries in either July or December. 
I do not have a list of July sticker colours,
but the December ones are thought to be the standard colours used for other plate types.
This was the last issue of Commercial Half-Year plates, as the
category was merged into the new Heavy Commercial type.
 



1972 Type.  Only known type in the modern era
FARM TRACTOR CLASS 1 (F)

In 1979 the annual F and FX issues were replaced by a no expiry FT prefix issue (See next section)



1972 Type  four digit


1972 Type five digit


1975 Type

 

FARM TRACTOR CLASS 2 (FX)

In 1979 the annual F and FX issues were replaced by a no expiry FT prefix issue (See next section)



1972 Type

This is the only known type in the blue on white era
 

FARM & FISHER VEHICLE (FM)
 
Farm truck plates were introduced in 1957, with the work Farm on the plate.  
  In 1960 they were replaced by Farm or Fisherman plates, with an FM prefix.
This series continues on very much unchanged from the previous era.
While most of these appear on trucks of varying sizes, they
can also be seen on the SUV's and similar passenger vehicles.

1972 FM PLATE WANTED


1975 Type

1979 FM TYPE WITH VERTICAL FM 

 

General Tractor (GT)
This type originated in the late 20's, and until 1959 used the prefix T.
For 1960 this was changed to GT.

The term General Tractor is ambiguous, but refers to all industrial wheeled and tracked
equipment that might be on the public roads other than cars, trucks, trailers and farm equipment.
 

 


1972 Type
serials 1000 - 8899

1975  First variety with Horizontal GT
Serials 8900 to 9999


1975 Second variety with Vertical GT
Five digit serials


Steel with squared corners


Aluminum with squared corners. Revised dies for province and slogan

Aluminum Borderless with debossed edge since approximately2012
 

 

TRAILER

This long-standing type
has continued on to the present


Note that semi-trailers pulled by power units (tractors) generally use PT plates rather than trailer plates.

 


Serials from T10-01 on the 1972 non reflective base


SERIALS FROM T 6-10-00 on the 1979
reflective base


REPLACED IN 1982 BY BLACK ON YELLOW TYPE
 



 

 

HEAVY TRAILER (TX )

Annual and Half-Year stickers

This type was replaced in 1979 by the
new Permanent Trailer (PT) type
 


I need TX plates from this era and the previous era

 

Camper Plates
First issued in November 1977
and therefore this type did not exist
 in previous eras.


This type has varied in construction, font, bordering
over the years, but has remained basically the same.

The serials on Camper plates clash  with those used on Motorcycle plates.

The term "camper" is a very poor descriptor, as these can be on any type of self-propelled recreational vehicle intended for temporary accommodation, including those that are in other respects large buses!

 

Issued in pairs

 



Type1  Steel with rounded corners


Types 2 & 3 Aluminum with square corners.  Type 3 has Bluenose
number dies.


Type 4 Updated dies for slogan and province name.

 

 
Type 5 Current debossed borderless type

 

 
 
   

 

 

HEAVY COMMERCIAL TYPE
commencing in 1978


 

In 1978 the Red on white commercial plates were replaced in two ways.
Most small commercial vehicles began to be issued passenger plates.
Larger commercial vehicles were issued this new type.
For 1982, the separate Interprovincial Reciprocity type was created,
removing these vehicles from the Heavy Commercial type.

These plates have consistently been black on bright yellow.
Older plates are prone to severe fading of the yellow.

Plates were at first issued in pairs, but from November 2005 only one has been issued.
For singles, the plate is mounted on the front except on some specialty vehicles such as ambulances.
Serial Format:  5 digits followed by a single letter, commencing with 10-000-A or 10-001-A.
Serial Progression: At first up to 99-999-A then 10-001-B etc.  Currently in 2023 the D series is nearing exhaustion.









 

 

 

Prorated Power Unit (PT)
This type originated in around 1982
Initially was prefix PRP followed by 4 digits

When the 7-character limit was reached this was replaced
by PR and 5 digits, with a slogan "PRP Commercial"

This in turn was replaced in turn in 1993 by the Open for Business variety,
and finally with the Apportioned type still being issued today.

Note that, in addition to changes noted here, that fonts also changed over time, not detailed here.

 



Type 1  1982.  Steel and rounded corners. Began with PRP 1000 or 1001.


Type 2, as Type 1, but with squared corners.  Serials start at 7000


Type 3. Prefix changed to PR to accommodate five digits. Provincial
slogan replaced by "PRP COMMERCIAL"  Serials start at 10000


Type 4 Aluminum, and slogan changed to "OPEN FOR BUSINESS"
Serials start at 12000.  Also a subtype starting at approximately
20000 with a new die for province name and slogan.


Type 5  2001. Slogan changed to "APPORTIONED"


Type 6 2012. Debossed edge and borderless.

 

Permanent Trailer PT

These plates (and the preceding TX) are typically found on semi-trailers that are always attached to power units ("tractors"),
but are also on pup trailers that are attached behind semitrailers. Commenced 1978, replacing other types, including the TX series.
These were originally Permanent but commencing in 1994 were replaced
by the red on yellow type which had a five year validation with stickers, so
they are not really permanent.  There are a number of variations in construction and font, not detailed here, but
available in the ALPCA archives.
 

 

 

 



Type 1. Began with PT1-00-00 or PT1-00-01. Steel and rounded corners


Type 2, as for Type 1, but with squared corners


Type 3, as fpr Type 2, but in aluminum


Type 4.  Changed to red on yellow.  Began at 3-20-00
 .


Type 5, as previous but with revised word dies.


Type 6 Debossed edge and borderless.

FARM TRACTOR AND OTHER WHEELED FARM EQUIPMENT (FT)
In 1979 the annual F and FX issues were replaced by a no expiry FT prefix issue.



Type 1.  Steel with rounded corners
Serials began with FT1-00-00 or 01. 



Type 2.   Steel with squared corners. Serials began with 3-20-00


Type 3.  As for Type 2 but made of aluminum 


Type 4, as above but with sticker boxes at top
left and top right, for unknown use, as these plates
have no expiry.  A mistake??


Type 5.  Borderless, embossed edges.  Sticker boxes removed.

  

Restricted

For use on provincially or municipally owned vehicles.  Note that federal government vehicles do not use these.  Formerly were issued with a one-time fee of $20 with no renewal required.  Since October 2002, have regular fees and renewals, therefore many eligible vehicles now use regular plates.   Two types:  flat, as produced by the government's sign shop, and embossed, produced by the Waldale facility.
The sign shop type is on heavy aluminum, and supposedly was produced for use on trucks involved in salt application on the highways.

It is possible that these plates are now being issued in the debossed borderless type.
Let me know if you see one!
 

 


Department of National Defence


These are actually not Nova Scotia licence plates.
They are internally issued by the Department.  At first glance it appears that these plates are black on white with the red maple leaves. but in reality only numbers are black, with border and "Canada" being in dark green.   These plates are used throughout Canada, and at this point I do not know the basis of the numbers used on them.   Apparently these plates are produced as blanks, without the serial, which is applied in the form of plastic stickers on a local basis.
Other federal government agencies and departments
currently use regular Nova Scotia plates. 

I have been told that DND pays a fee to the province in lieu of paying for provincial plates.
 

THIS ENDS THE CURRENT FULL-SIZE PLATES OF NOVA SCOTIA, OTHER THAN SAMPLES, CONCEPT PLATES AND SPECIAL EVENT PLATES,
ALL OF WHICH ARE SHOWN IN SEPARATE PAGES.

For smalls of various types, as well as add-on plates past and present, see below.  These will be moved to a separate page in the future

 
MOTORCYCLE AND OTHER SMALLER VEHICLES
Note that at this point I am not actively collecting these smaller plates, other
than to, if possible, obtain one example of each type.
Motorcycle


These two plates are in the collection of Rogelio Roger Flores and shown here with his permission.   I am showing these here to confirm that in 1953 there were both types of MC plates:  52 with 53 tab, and actual 53 plates, just as with passenger plates.  This is truly a great pair of plates.




Note that Motorcycles and Campers are currently the only types
in Nova Scotia with "all digits", and in fact the same
number can conceivably be issued in both categories.



 
Motorcycle Dealer
Began approx 1920
  NOT IN MY COLLECTION. SPECIMEN IMAGE ONLY.
Motorcycle Vanity
Commenced June 2005
  These plates are the same as regular mc plates. They have the same restrictions on choice as their full size counterparts, except that they have a maximum of six characters and/or spaces. No image available
Motorcycle Antique
Commenced May 2013
 
Actual plates are all in the series A F001 to A F999
NOT IN MY COLLECTION. SPECIMEN IMAGE ONLY.
Motorcycle Accessible Parking
Commenced November 2014
   

 

This is a sample plate

Motorcycle Veteran
Commenced April 2017
  NOT IN MY COLLECTION. SPECIMEN IMAGE ONLY.
Motorcycle Restricted
Commenced 1974 
These plates are seen on municipal police motorcycles.  I estimate that at any given time there are only less than 20 of these active in the province. NOT IN MY COLLECTION. SPECIMEN IMAGE ONLY.
Moped,   This is for motorcycle or motor scooter type vehicles not capable of 70 km/h when loaded, and under 50 cc engine.

Commenced in 1975 but continues to be rare, as there really are not many vehicles that need to be registered at all that meet this criterion.

NOT IN MY COLLECTION. SPECIMEN IMAGE ONLY.
Off Highway Vehicle

 

Note that the two letter, three digit format is shared with the Antique Motorcycle Category;
however this latter type is allocated the AF001 to AF999 series only.


 
Off Highway Vehicle Dealer

 

  NOT IN MY COLLECTION. SPECIMEN IMAGE ONLY.



ADD-ON PLATES
These are supplemental plates issued by other provincial agencies, or by local authorities.
 They are not strictly speaking Nova Scotia licence plates, but do constitute an interesting sub-area of collecting.   I have a few examples to show here.  Note that bicycle plates could also be shown here, as there is no other convenient spot for them.


 
Supplemental Plates ("toppers") issued by Board of Public Utilities (now the Utilities Review Board) from about 1959 to 1981 and with at least a few types still being issued today.

These had prefix codes as follows, but
it seems that this list is incomplete:
F   Freight Carrier
G General Freight Hauler
P Public Passenger Carrier
GS General Specialty Freight
PU Public Utilities Local Freight
S Special Commodity Hauler
SB School Bus
SB-P Combined School and Public
T Trailer
X Operated Outside NS
For colours and other information check at
All About License Plates

The school bus variety of this plate type is still currently
in use in 2021.  School buses will be seen with a black on
yellow commercial plate, topped with the smaller URB
plate in the same colours.








FX does not appear in the list at left. It is either Freight operating outside NS, or Half-Year freight.  If you can comment, please do!


 
Note that this prefix is not on the list
at the left.  I am guessing that NP means
 Non-Public Passenger Carrier.

 

School Bus 1982
 

LOCAL JURISDICTION SMALL PLATES
Bicycle Many local jurisdictions registered bicycles, and issued small plates or stickers. I am not collecting these
Military Base Canadian Armed Forces bases across Canada commonly issued small plates to aid in recognition as vehicles approached the gates.  Generally speaking there were different colours and/or prefixes for different categories of personnel.  examples include Civilian employees, NCO's, Officers, Reservists, etc. In Nova Scotia there have been plates issued over the years for bases in Halifax, Shearwater, Mill Cove, Sydney, Greenwood, Debert. 
Most likely there would also have been plates issued for Barrington and Shelburne, and possibly also Newport Corner.  These plates are now scarce or rare.   While I do know they were in use in the 60's to 80's, I am not sure of the actual time span.  They are no longer in use.



 This CFB Halifax plate from 1982 is almost identical to the one
I had on my car in 1973.  As far as I recall, the green indicated a commissioned officer, and other colours were also in use.  
Furthermore, I do not know if plates were re-issued each year, and with
the same colours, or if the year indicated the year of issue and the plate was kept into subsequent years.
Taxi/Limousine Many towns and other local authorities have issued taxi plates.  More commonly in the modern era they are issued with stickers for the bumper or window.

Although I do not collect these taxi plates, I have this one in the collection,
as it is reminiscent of the era when I first arrived in Nova Scotia, and
settled in Halifax County.