Simple tag number has appeal

Frank Henderson used to be No. 1, but a year ago, he decided to give someone else a turn.

For about 18 years – starting when he served as commissioner for Kootenai County’s first district – Henderson had the county’s lowest numbered license plate.

“People would joke, ‘You must have a hard time remembering your license plate number,’ ” Henderson said. “A lot of people noticed it.”

When it came time to renew last year, Henderson decided it was time to let someone else enjoy the K1. He was no longer serving on the commission and the novelty of having the plate had worn off.

“The reason for having it was gone,” said Henderson, a newly elected state representative.

Starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Kootenai County residents can line up at the county Vehicle License Office in Coeur d’Alene to reserve inactive, low-number plates for their car, truck, travel trailer or motor home. Plates will be issued at the time of annual registration renewal. There’s a $5 fee to reserve a special number and reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The coveted K1 plate has already been snatched, but hundreds of other low numbers are available. For the family ride, the lowest plate up for grabs is K113.

Plates for trucks, travel trailers and motor homes start lower. One lucky RVer could end up with the No. 1 motor home plate. The No. 10 truck plate is available and travel trailer plates start as low as No. 6.

Every seven years, county residents have been able to browse a list of inactive license plates and take their pick from the low numbers. Residents will be able to choose numbers from the current list through Feb. 4. In March, the system will change and new lists will be generated quarterly.

The state also has made it easier for people to retain the numbers they have. Before, people had to lay claim to their numbers during the open reservation period, or when it was time to renew they would lose their number. Now, people can keep their number by checking a box when their license renewal arrives in the mail and paying an extra $2.

Assessor Mike McDowell said people like having low numbers because they’re easy to remember. Some like to pick numbers they know well – like their street address or the last few digits of their phone number. Some like the number of a significant year. (K2004, by the way, is available.)

Someone might like K1964, McDowell said, if they had a 1964 Ford Mustang.

Others like low numbers because it shows they’ve been in the area for a while, he said.

The reservation list is only for the standard “Scenic Idaho” license plates, McDowell said. The numbers can’t be used on any of the special plates the state has available, like the bluebird or veterans’ plates.

People can check if the number they want is on the list by calling the office before they come stand in line, McDowell said. He said one time they had reservations outside and the line stretched down the street to the corner.

Henderson won’t be standing in line this year. He already has a new license plate number picked out and it’s not on the list: NOV549. That’s the date he married his wife, Lillian.