Does the number mean anything or is it just a chance thing? How do they come up with the number on your driver’s license? Why is your driver’s license the most significant element in your wallet? Read to know more about driver’s license numbers and how it’s different for each state in the USA.
What does a driver’s license number (DLN) mean?
A driver’s license number is a unique number that the government agency that gives out licenses gives to each driver. This number is usually required to be written on a person’s state-issued driver’s license.
When a driver’s license is given out, most states give each person a unique number that can be used to identify them. The state gives a person a driver’s license if they are allowed to drive on public roads. Most of the time, this license has the driver’s license number written on it.
Some states use a person’s social security number as his or her driver’s license number, while other states have their own rules for giving each driver a unique number. People who can’t or don’t want to get a driver’s license can still try to get a number for an ID card that can be used as official identification.
How is your driver’s license number made up?
In some states, your license number has your name, gender, and date of birth written in it. Florida, Wisconsin, and Illinois are among these states. The way these states code things is the same or very similar.
If you have a driver’s license number from one of these states, you can make good guesses about a person’s name and know for sure what gender they are and when they were born. You can guess some or all of someone’s driver’s license number if you know their name, date of birth, and gender.
For example, without the hyphens, it can be broken into the following parts: SSSSFFFYYDDDNN
Here’s a breakdown of what each segment represents:
- SSSS: Soundex code of your last name
- FFF: Encoded first name and middle initial
- YY: Year of birth
- DDD: Day and month of birth and gender
- NN: Overflow to differentiate those who could have the same license number
However, most states with encoded driver’s license numbers follow the same or a similar system so that a specific license number is assigned to each driver.
Specific keywords for each state
Data Identifier | Definition | Keyword |
Alabama | Alabama driver’s license numbers are seven numbers.
For example, 6996164. |
Alabama
AL |
Alaska | Alaska driver’s license numbers are seven numbers.
For example, 6244114. |
Alaska
AK |
Arizona | Arizona driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 113654424. Arizona driver’s license numbers may also consist of one letter and eight numbers. For example, B13654424. |
Arizona
AZ |
Arkansas | Arkansas driver’s license numbers are nine numbers that always begin with 9.
For example, 999000680. |
Arkansas
AR |
California | California driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and seven numbers.
For example, A0002144. |
California
calif CA |
Colorado | Colorado driver’s license numbers are nine numbers formatted as ##-###-####.
For example, 94-33-0101. |
Colorado
CO |
Connecticut | Connecticut driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 146825129. |
Connecticut
CT |
Delaware | Delaware driver’s license numbers are seven numbers.
For example, 1232805. |
Delaware
DE |
Florida | Florida driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and 12 numbers, unformatted.
For example, G544061739250. Florida driver’s license numbers may also consist of one letter and 12 numbers, using the format L##-###-##-###-#. For example, G544-061-73-925-0. |
Florida
FL fla |
Georgia | Georgia driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 09999999. |
Georgia
GA |
Hawaii | Hawaii driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and eight numbers.
For example, H00000002. |
Hawaii
HI |
Idaho | Idaho driver’s license numbers consist of two letters, six numbers, and one letter.
For example, AA123456Z. |
Idaho
ID |
Illinois | Illinois driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and 11 numbers formatted as L###-####-####.
For example, D400-7836-0001. |
Illinois
IL |
Indiana | Indiana driver’s license numbers consist of 10 numbers formatted as ####-##-####.
For example, 0299-11-6078. |
Indiana
IN |
Iowa | Iowa driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 123456789. Iowa driver’s license numbers may also consist of three numbers, two letters, and four letters. For example, 123AB9755. |
Iowa
IA |
Kansas | Kansas driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and eight numbers formatted as L##-##-####.
For example, K00-09-7443. |
Kansas
KS |
Kentucky | Kentucky driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and eight numbers formatted as L##-###-###.
For example, V12-345-678. |
Kentucky
KY |
Louisiana | Louisiana driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 007000100. |
Louisiana
LA |
Maine | Maine driver’s license numbers are seven numbers.
For example, 0015000. |
Maine
ME |
Maryland | Maryland driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and 12 numbers, unformatted.
For example, S514778616977. They may also consist of one letter and 12 numbers formatted as L-###-###-###-###. For example, S-514-778-616-977. |
Maryland
MD |
Massachusetts | Massachusetts driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and nine numbers.
For example, S999888801. |
Massachusetts
MA |
Michigan | Michigan driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and 12 numbers, unformatted.
For example, P800000224322. They may also be one letter and 12 numbers formatted as L ### ### ### ###. For example, P 800 000 224 312. |
Michigan
MI |
Minnesota | Minnesota driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and 12 numbers, unformatted.
For example, P800000224322. |
Minnesota
MN |
Mississippi | Mississippi driver’s license numbers are nine numbers formatted like a Social Security number as ###-##-####.
For example, 125-01-2050. |
Mississippi
MS |
Missouri | Missouri driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and nine numbers.
For example, F050256006. |
Missouri
MO |
Montana | Montana driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 626926253. They also may be 13 digits in length:
Prior licenses used either the licensee’s Social Security number or the Social Security number followed by four zeros. |
Montana
MT |
Nebraska | Nebraska driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and eight numbers.
For example, A20600249. |
Nebraska
NE |
Nevada | Nevada driver’s license numbers consist of 10 numbers.
For example, 0002102201. |
Nevada
NV |
New Hampshire | New Hampshire driver’s license numbers are 10 numbers.
|
New Hampshire
NH |
New Jersey | New Jersey driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and 14 numbers formatted as L####-#####-#####.
|
New Jersey
newjersey NJ |
New Mexico | New Mexico driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 013696424. |
New Mexico
NM
|
New York | New York driver’s license numbers are nine numbers formatted as ### ### ###.
For example, 123 456 789. |
New York
newyork NY |
North Carolina | North Carolina driver’s license numbers are 12 numbers.
For example, 8013303159. |
North Carolina
NC |
North Dakota | North Dakota driver’s license numbers are nine numbers:
|
North Dakota
ND |
Ohio | Ohio driver’s license numbers are two letters and six numbers.
For example, TL545796. |
Ohio
OH |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and nine numbers.
For example, B000062835 . |
Oklahoma
OK |
Oregon | Oregon driver’s license numbers are seven numbers.
For example, 6110033. |
Oregon
OR |
Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania driver’s license numbers are eight numbers formatted as ## ### ###.
For example, 99 900 104. |
Pennsylvania
PA |
Rhode Island | Rhode Island driver’s license numbers are seven numbers. The first two digits are the year the license was issued (2008 is indicated by “28”).
For example, 2858889. |
Rhode Island
RI |
South Carolina | South Carolina driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 100179226. |
South Carolina
SC |
South Dakota | South Dakota driver’s license numbers are eight numbers.
For example, 00616775. |
South Dakota
SD |
Tennessee | Tennessee driver’s license numbers can consist of eight or nine numbers.
For example, 101915638. |
Tennessee
TN |
Texas | Texas driver’s license numbers are eight numbers.
For example, 17600550. |
Texas
TX |
Utah | Utah driver’s license numbers are nine numbers.
For example, 400138831. |
Utah
UT |
Vermont | Vermont driver’s license numbers are eight numbers.
For example, 17600550. They may also consist of seven numbers and one letter. For example, 8205059A. |
Vermont
VT |
Virginia | Virginia driver’s license numbers consist of one letter and eight numbers.
For example, A20600249. Virginia driver’s license numbers may also consist of one letter and eight numbers formatted as L##-##-####. For example, T16-70-0185. |
Virginia
VA |
Washington | Washington driver’s license numbers use the format: three letters ** two letters, three numbers, one letter, and one number.
For example, DOE**MJ501P1. |
Washington
WA |
Washington, D.C. | Washington, D.C. driver’s license numbers are seven numbers.
For example, 9992616. |
DC
d.c. washington district of columbia |
West Virginia | West Virginia driver’s license numbers are seven numbers.
For example, 1899168. They may also consist of one letter and six numbers. For example, R899168. |
West Virginia
WV |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin driver’s license numbers are one letter and 13 numbers formatted as L###-####-####-##.
For example, J525-4209-0465-05. |
Wisconsin
WI |
Wyoming | Wyoming driver’s license numbers are nine numbers formatted as ######-###.
For example, 050070-003. |
Wyoming
WY |
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