PENNSYLVANIA

There were two periods in which cities were involved with motor vehicle registration and/or licensing.  The first was the era prior to 1903, when the state's first motor vehicle law was passed, and the second ("tween") era was the 1906-09 period when drivers were licensed but the vehicles themselves were not registered by the state.  As if that weren't confusing enough, Philadelphia's city issues fell precisely between the two eras!

The earliest known automobile regulations were established by the Fairmount Park Commission in Philadelphia, which issued plates in 1900.  The entire city of Philadelphia followed suit in 1903, and because the city's license ordinance was passed in late 1902, before the first state law, it was grandfathered in, allowing the city to continue issuing license plates until a major court challenge in 1906.  Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was already collecting a license tax on automobiles and issuing small metal plates as early as February 1, 1901.

The first state motor vehicle law, passed on April 23, 1903, required vehicle owners to register with the prothonotary of any one of the 67 counties in the state, pay a $2 fee, and exhibit an owner-provided rear plate with 3-inch-square numbers.  Although assigned by counties, the authority providing for these plates was a state law, so discussion of them belongs under the state section and further details can be found on the Pennsylvania Prestate State page.

The 1903 law also required all motor vehicle drivers to obtain an operator's license from any city or county treasurer in the state for a $3 fee.  However, this law stipulated that it would not supercede a city ordinance providing for same if one were already on the books at the time of passage.  Thus, Philadelphia continued its series of annual porcelain plates.

A new state law which took effect in 1906 licensed drivers but did not provide for vehicle registration or taxation.  While the law did not forbid cities from taking over the latter, it did specify that "not more than one State license number shall be carried."  This effectively killed off the 1903-05 county-assigned state plates, but left open the possibility of cities to issue plates.  Scranton and Pittsburgh thus entered the "tween" period in 1907 and 1908, respectively, by issuing city plates, and there may well have been many others, such as Sewickley's 1909 issue.  All city registration was invalidated by the new state registration law which began on January 1, 1910, putting a final end to the city plate era.

Allegheny (132,283)

The city of Allegheny, the third largest in the state, was located on the west bank of the Allegheny River just across from Pittsburgh and is now called the North Side.  It was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh on December 9, 1907, when the state supreme court upheld the vote count which, with great controversy, included the majority of both cities even though two-thirds of Allegheny residents voted against it.  Due to several ensuing court challenges that extended until 1911, the 1910 census was still taken separately just in case, although the above population figure is included in Pittsburgh's total for 1910.

Ordinance #619 was passed on March 20, 1907, and published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on April 8, 1907.  It appears to be primarily a copy of the Pittsburgh 1905 then in effect, right down to the automobile license and tag requirement.  However, no Allegheny license plates have ever been found, and it is not certain any were issued.

Bradford (14,544)

The Horseless Age reported on March 22, 1905, that the Mayor signed an automobile ordinance on March 14, 1905.  Operators were to be licensed at $3 per year.

Erie (66,525)

A July 8, 1903, article in The Horseless Age mentions that the city is now enforcing the automobile ordinance.  The registration fee is $2 and the yearly tax is $3.  The identical fees and timing leave the possibility open that this refers to the new state law, not a city ordinance, but we include it here for the benefit of the doubt.

Philadelphia (City & County 1,549,008)

The earliest instance of automobile regulation within the city was on October 13, 1899, when the Fairmount Park Commission established rules allowing the use of automobiles for the first time on specified roads in the park.  The Park Commission took things a step further by requiring automobiles to be registered effective October 15, 1900.  According to an October 11, 1900, article in The Motor Age, no fee was charged for the park-issued undated white-on-black leather license plates, over 50 of which had already been issued by the Secretary of Commissions by October 8, 1900.  Plate #13 was not issued, but "was unceremoniously cut to bits and consigned to the waste paper basket."  This was the very first official license plate issued in the United States.  By April 5, 1902, 653 automobiles were registered.  The program met with such success that city officials were already contemplating a similar system to regulate automobile use city-wide, realizing that motorists could speed on city streets just as well as on park avenues.  The Fairmount Park license tags continued to be issued until discontinued in June 1910, almost a ten-year stretch.  The highest known plate is #1108.

According to a New York Times article on June 22, 1902, a city ordinance was introduced which was to require numbering of automobiles.  A December 11, 1902, Chicago Tribune article mentions Philadelphia's license requirement and the display of a license number on automobiles.  Since the ordinance was still under consideration in November 1902, we believe that these references are to the December 26 ordinance and not to an earlier one that, if it existed, could only have been in effect briefly during 1902.

An ordinance was passed on December 26, 1902, requiring all motor vehicle drivers to obtain an operator's license from the Bureau of Steam Engine and Boiler Inspection for a fee of $2 initially, and $1 annually thereafter for renewals.  The Bureau issued a single dated porcelain plate each year, beginning with 1903, and numbering began at #101.  We know this from a Motor Age article of January 12, 1905, which states that "When the office of the bureau of boiler inspection was opened January 3 the first man in line was Colonel James Elverson, Jr., of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who secured tag 101."  With no 1- or 2-digit numbers seen for any year, we assume that numbers started at #101 in all years, not just in 1905.

The registration year was January 1 to December 31, but due to the late passage of the ordinance and considering the time needed to set up a system of examination and issuance of licenses, including procuring a supply of plates, it is believed that issuance did not start until February of 1903.  License #104, likely the 4th ever issued, was assigned on February 4, 1903.  Non-residents were allowed 48 hours before having to comply.  Speed limits were established with a big distinction between 7 MPH "within built-up portions of the city" and 8 MPH "in other portions of the city."

Flat metal and embossed metal (#1610) 1903 plates have been reported in addition to the standard porcelain style.  1904 plates were made by the Ingram-Richardson Company of Beaver Falls, PA, while the 1906 issue was manufactured by the Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Co. of Baltimore, MD.  The initial order for 1904 was for 2,000 plates, which ran out in late June 1904.  After a two-month delay due to a boiler explosion at the Ing-Rich factory, the next consignment of 200 plates arrived on September 1, 1904.  In the meantime, many owners gave up waiting and purchased their registrations in other counties, since they were valid in all parts of the state.

The state's 1903 licensing law required all vehicle drivers to procure operator's licenses from their city or county treasurer, but if a city already had an ordinance providing for a similar regulation, the law would not supercede it.  Therefore, Philadelphia residents ended up saving money since the city fee was only $1 or $2 while the state's was $3.  This fact was likely not lost upon state residents living well outside of Philadelphia, so non-residents probably inflated the total number of plates being issued each year to some degree.  But the city plate was in addition to the state's registration plate assigned by counties, not in place of it.  For example, a 1905 photo of an automobile shows two plates on the rear:  An undated leather plate #1344 (a Philadelphia county vehicle registration) and a 1905 porcelain plate (a Philadelphia city operator's license).

1906 is the last Philadelphia city plate.  Shortly after it went on sale in December 1905, complaint was made that due to the upcoming new state license law taking effect on January 1, 1906, motorists were being subjected to double taxation.  A Colorado Springs (CO) Gazette news article on December 19, 1905, had the headline "AUTO TAG QUESTION IS TAKEN TO COURT".  Another article in the Saturday News (Frederick, MD) on December 30, 1905, announces that 1906 city plate issuance was stopped by order of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court until the case could be heard.  By this time, only 1,800 plates had been issued, less than half of the total issued in 1905.  The case, Brazier et al. vs. Philadelphia, was finally decided in favor of the city on May 14, 1906, with the Supreme Court affirming the finding of the lower court, that the city could charge a tax and issue plates despite the state law allowing only the state plate to be exhibited.  It was a bittersweet victory, however, because with the prohibition against display of city tags, there was no reason to issue them;  the 1902 ordinance was quickly repealed on May 24, 1906.

The 1906 annual report of the Bureau sums up the series of events succinctly:  "The temporary injunction from the Supreme Court which was served...December 29, 1905 was not heard in Court until...May, when the injunction was dismissed.  The injunction restrained the Bureau of Boiler Inspection from issuing automobile licenses up to that date and many of the operators neglected to take out their license for that year:  but since that time a new law has been passed, thereby eliminating the issuing of tags by the Bureau of Boiler Inspection.  The Bureau is now issuing licenses under the new ordinance and placing upon a card issued to the operators the license number which is granted by the State Highway Department, and in that way the State license and the license of the City of Philadelphia are one and the same number."  In 1907, only 2,260 automobile licenses were issued, and city officials attributed this low compliance rate to the city's inability to issue a license tag that could be displayed.

The following table lists the 1903-06 plate colors, registration totals from the Annual Reports of the Bureau of Steam Engine and Boiler Inspection, and the highest known numbers for each year, keeping in mind that plate numbers began at #101:

             COLORS           TOTAL ISSUED   HIGHEST KNOWN NUMBERS

      1903   White on Blue       1,662          #1554   (1,454)

      1904   Black on White      2,336          #2382   (2,282)

      1905   White on Red        3,818          #3718   (3,618)

      1906   Blue on Gold        1,800          #2500   (2,400)

Pittsburgh (533,905)

From 1891 to 1911, the city was spelled Pittsburg.

Further research on the earliest ordinance is needed.  The earliest reference to automobile licenses found so far has been an announcement published in the Pittsburgh Daily Port on February 1, 1901, from the Office of the City Treasurer, stating:  NOTICE is hereby given that all owners (whether resident or non-resident of the city of Pittsburg) of drays, carts, carriages, buggies, etc. to pay their license at this office forthwith.  All licenses not paid on or before Saturday, March 2, 1901, will be placed in the hands of the vehicle officer for collection...The old metal plates of last year must be returned at the time licenses are taken out, or 25 cents additional will be charged on each license.  Rates of licenses:  ...each one-seated automobile, $6; each two-seated automobile, $10..."

A small brass 1900 tag #E 136 X is known, as well as a 1901 tag #1061 that was supposedly used on an automobile; however, there is no way of knowing whether these tags differed in any way from those issued to horse-drawn vehicles under the same vehicle ordinance.  Small metal tags continued to be issued to automobiles from 1901 through 1907.  The rates and classes of automobiles also did not change from 1901 through 1909.  The Pittsburgh Press reported on June 21, 1902, that "More than 200 owners of automobiles have paid the vehicle license of $10.50 due the city for owning these machines..."

Ordinance #496 was passed on March 30, 1905, and published in the Pittsburgh Daily Post on April 6, 1905, providing that "every vehicle...shall always display or cause to be displayed in a prominent and conspicuous part on the rear of said vehicle a license plate to be furnished by the said city treasurer bearing the license number."  The automobile tax was still $6 for runabouts, a kind of automobile with one front seat accomodating two people, and $10 for automobiles with a seating capacity of more than two persons, i.e. a second seat in back.  The fee was due July 1 in 1905 only.  Although this ordinance mentioned a "license plate", what was actually issued was a small metal tag.  A large undated flat metal plate #920 is known (an Allegheny County registration) with a small 1905 metal tag attached above the letters "PA.".  The tag is rectangular with a semi-circular bump-out at the top center for the number "2", probably representing the seating class.  The legends are "2/PITTS./442/1905".

The August 2, 1905, issue of The Horseless Age gave a lengthy report on the legal case of Pittsburgh vs. Hawkins.  Dr. John A. Hawkins was arrested and fined for violating the city vehicle ordinance by driving his 2-seat automobile without having obtained a city license.  On appeal, the judge decided in favor of the city "last week", basing his opinion on the broad definitions in two earlier state laws and an earlier city ordinance, as follows:

1. 1868 P.L. 567, passed April 1, 1868, in which Section 7 empowers the city to "regulate and license all cars, wagons, drays, coaches, omnibuses and every description of carriages, and all livery stables."

2. 1901 P.L. 42, passed March 7, 1901, in which Section 19, 22nd clause, provides that "every city of the second class shall have the power for general revenue purposes to levy and collect license taxes or fees to be fixed by ordinance upon all vehicles, bicycles, tricycles, automobiles and to regulate the collection of the same, and to provide penalties for default therein."

3. Pittsburgh ordinance passed September 28, 1882, requiring "each and every wagon, cart, car, dray, or private carriage drawn by one horse to pay a license fee of $6, and for vehicles drawn by two horses, $10 per annum."  This ordinance was updated by February 1, 1901, to include automobiles.

Small metal tags were also issued in 1906 and 1907. A 1906 with a number "2" at top, #768, is known, and a 1907 has "76" above "AUTO." above "PITTS." above "1907.".  Based on surviving license certificates for 1906 through 1909, the license year ended February 1st each year.  The certificates for 1906, 1907 and 1908 are numbered 782, 526 and 25, all for 2-seat automobiles.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette published a detailed article on February 25, 1908, describing the new city license plates, using the headline "TWO MOTOR TAGS ON PITTSBURGH VEHICLES."  It read, in part: "City Treasurer John F. Steele has caused a commotion among automobilists by putting into new effect an ordinance passed in March, 1905.  The new enforcement of the ordinance requires a vehicle license tag to be displayed on the rear of an automobile.  Heretofore the city only required a small nickel license plate to be placed on the vehicle anywhere and it was usually tacked on the dashboard or windshield...The city's fiscal year begins February 1, and that is the time when vehicle licenses are taken out.  Owners have until March 1 before the penalty of 50 cents is attached.  Already many of the motor cars seen are equipped with two license tags on the rear...For two-seated automobiles the city license tag is on a slate colored background with white letters...For the runabouts a blue background is used with white lettering."  The article included photographic illustrations of a Pittsburgh 1908 plate #744 and a Pennsylvania 1908 plate #5829.  The city interpreted the state law as prohibiting only tags of other states, not cities within the state, in the clause "not more than one state license number shall be carried upon the front and back of the said vehicle...and a license number obtained in any other place or state shall be removed from said vehicle while the vehicle is being used in this commonwealth."

1908 and 1909 plates were porcelain, 4" x 6", and all had white numbers on various colored backgrounds depending on the number of seats in the automobile.  The 1908 colors are confirmed from the above article, while those for 1909 are deduced from numbers of both kinds of vehicles as listed in the Pittsburgh Press most every Sunday in the second half of 1909.  Known numbers by category are as follows:

             1-SEAT AUTOMOBILES                2-SEAT AUTOMOBILES

      1908   White on Dark Blue   #43 - 148    White on Slate      #25 -  497

      1909   White on Light Green #91 - 655    White on Dark Brown #13 - 1160

According to the above-mentioned listings of each automobile owner by their plate number, we have recorded the following observations:  On February 7, 1909, the numbers issued in January were 420 in the 1-seat class and 940 and 941 in the 2-seat class, the highest recorded numbers for the 1908 plates.  It has been reported, but not verified, that owners had to turn in their old plates in order to receive the new ones, which if true, would explain the rarity of 1908 plates in particular.  However, with the tax not continued for 1910, one would think more 1909 plates should have survived.

On the 1909 plates, both series began at #1.  During the week of November 8-13, 1909, #432 was issued in the 1-seat class, while for the 2-seat category, numbers 1296 to 1300 were assigned and seemingly exhausted, after which numbers 501 to 507 were issued.  Since the 500 series had already been issued several months earlier, we can only conclude that these 500+ plates were light green tags which the city felt wouldn't be reached before the end of the year and would otherwise be left over.  On January 2, 1910, the highest numbers known in the 2-seat class, but issued light green tags, were listed as 533 and 534.  On January 30, 1910, the highest 1-seat number was listed as #435, the only tag of either class issued since January 7th.  Here is a summary of the known 1908 and 1909 listings:

             1-SEAT AUTOMOBILES                2-SEAT AUTOMOBILES

      1908   White on Dark Blue   #1 - 420     White on Slate         #1 -  941

      1909   White on Light Green #1 - 435     White on Dark Brown    #1 - 1300,

                                               White on Light Green #501 -  534

The Pittsburgh Press on February 6, 1910, reported that "Automobile owners in the city of Pittsburg will not be compelled to pay an extra local license tax for 1910.  This was determined upon at [sic] a conference between members of the executive committee of the Automobile Club of Pittsburg and Mayor William A. Magee, Treasurer Adolph Edlis and other city officials, last week.  The recent automobile act passed by the State Legislature specifically repealed the acts of 1903 and 1905...and the city after due discussion and deliberation decided to do away with the local automobile license tax...Auto licenses in the future will be filed only at Harrisburg."

Since the state law was passed on April 27, 1909, we can only surmise that Pittsburgh did not order any 1910 city tags, although it sounds from the above article as if the decision to discontinue the tax was rather last-minute.  It is also notable that 1909 licenses were still issued in January 1910 before the city's fiscal year ended on February 1, 1910, even though that would seem to go against the state law already effective January 1st.

One final complication with the issuance of Pittsburgh plates appears to be their period of validity.  The Pittsburgh Press of May 9, 1909, stated that "Graded license fees for automobiles owners will be provided in an ordinance that will soon be introduced in councils, amending the general ordinance fixing license fees...At present the license fee for a two-seated automobile, for example, is $10 and the license is good for one year from the date of its issuance.  It is claimed that this has sometimes produced confusion and embarrasment.  A man who takes out a license in September had the right to operate his machine under that license until September of the following year.  Consequently his machine will be carrying in the following summer a license plate of the previous year...Treasurer Edlis' ordinance will provide that no license shall be valid afer February 1 of the year following the year in which the license is issued...The schedule of license fees for a two-seated machine placed in the ordinance, based on the month in which the license is obtained, follows:  February, $10; March, $9.25; April, $8.50; May, $7.50; June, $6.75; July, $6; August, $5; September, $4.25; October, $3.50; November, $2.50; December, $1.75; January (of the following year), 85 cents."  It is not known whether this ordinance ever passed or not, and it may be a moot point since licenses ceased to be issued on February 1, 1910, anyway.  But it is interesting to learn that a 1908 plate issued in January of 1909 could still be valid in January 1910!

Scranton (129,867)

According to articles in the Scranton Republican and Scranton Truth, an automobile ordinance requiring a license fee and plate passed both councils during 1906.  On April 27, 1906, it was reported that during the previous night's meeting, "Chairman Partridge introduced an ordinance requiring owners of automobiles to procure licenses and be registered in the city treasurer's office, where the machines will be tagged...This will cost each $12 per year, which must be paid on or about January 1..."  On July 27, 1906, the update was given that "The Partridge automobile ordinance was passed on two readings, but it was amended so that the license required by the city would be six dollars instead of twelve dollars."  The fee was prorated monthly at 50 cents per month.  On December 27, 1906, at its meeting, the select (upper) council passed the ordinance.

The Scranton Truth stated on April 2, 1907, that "The city automobile tag ordinance which passed councils on January 1, went into effect yesterday.  Rex Moon, chauffeur for Mayor J. Ben. Dimmick, was the first to take out the tag, which is No. 1.  The tag has a white background set in with black letters..."

The ordinance was amended on March 19, 1908, to reduce the annual fee to $3, but there would be no more monthly prorated reduction in fees.  As mentioned by the Scranton Truth on May 5, 1908, "The work of the department in following up the owners of machines will be much harder this year than last.  This is occasioned by the fact that last year city license tags were issued by the department.  This year only a receipt is given the owner when his license fee is paid, the state tag answering for the city as well as long as the owner has the proper receipt in his possession."

City plates were only issued for one year.  1907 porcelain plates #23 to #137 are known, and are 6 1/2" x 8 1/4", the same size as 4-digit 1907 state plates.

Sewickley (4,479)

A 1909 porcelain plate #100 is known with "SEWICKLEY PA. AUTO 1909" at top.  The plate is small in size; only 3" x 5".

(Titusville (8,533)

A Titusville Herald news article on December 21, 1904, states that the day before, the automobile ordinance was referred back to committee.  It would have required numbers; each figure to be 1 1/2 inches in diameter.)

West Chester (11,767)

The Horseless Age reports on November 9, 1904, that "At a recent meeting of Borough Council an ordinance was passed requiring all residents of the town operating automobiles to pay for an annual license."

Wilkinsburg (18,924)

An automobile ordinance dated May 25, 1905, required that a plate with raised numbers at least 5 inches tall "shall be placed or fastened on" the vehicle.  A very small brass 1907 tag is known with "WILKINSBURG/1907/AUTO LICENSE/35" stamped into it, the result of an amendment which did away with the larger plates required in 1905.

Williamsport (31,860)

A Daily Gazette and Bulletin news article on November 9, 1900, mentions an automobile ordinance being considered, and that the council is to meet "next week" on the subject.  A small rectangular 1910 tag #22 is known with the words "AUTO-LIVERY/LICENSE No. 22/1910/WILLIAMSPORT, PA.", but its use is uncertain since in 1910 cities were not allowed to require a permit or tax on motor vehicles.

York (44,750)

An ordinance was passed in mid-1904 regulating the speed of automobiles and providing for a license of $3 each.  It is not known if any kind of plate or tag was required.  Three articles in the York Daily describe a few details:  On January 7, 1905, it was reported that "The licenses of this year are the usual collections and do not include the automobile licenses, which law does not go into effect until January, 1905."  On July 7, 1905, it stated that "Since January 1 last, Mayor's Clerk Weiser has issued 94 automobile licenses.  Each license costs $3..."  Finally, on October 5, 1905, it mentioned that "Three more automobile licenses were issued yesterday.  This brings the total number issued since April 1 up to 100."  The Horseless Age on April 12, 1905, reported that a city ordinance was in effect which prescribed a license for automobiles, which further confirms the above.

A 1905 embossed plate #809 is known, but its use is uncertain, being such a high number. Also known is a 1910/11 embossed plate #3591 which has "YORK CITY" at top and "1910/11" at bottom.  The latter plate was issued after state law forbade cities from requiring any tax or permit on motor vehicles, so perhaps it is a wagon or other vehicle permit.