On June 23, 1923, the first Nevada State Highway Patrolman was hired by the Nevada Highway Department under the supervision of the Inspector of the Nevada State Police. This officer and the Inspector of the State Police would travel throughout the State collecting automobile registration fees and enforcing the laws of the highway.

Nevada was one of the first western states to have an organized highway patrol function. By 1934, the highway patrol force had grown to three officers still supervised by the Inspector of the State Police. They were given silver patrol cars with gold stars on the door; red lights and sirens, and told to patrol the roads. One officer was assigned to Reno, one to Carson City and one to Las Vegas.

The 1949 Nevada Legislature created the Nevada Highway Patrol by consolidating the Nevada State Police, Inspectors from the Nevada Public Service Commission and several Inspectors from the Nevada Department of Taxation. On July 1, 1949, the Nevada Highway Patrol Division was created within the Nevada Public Service Commission. These officers were directed to act as field agents and inspectors in the enforcement of the State laws as they pertained to Nevada highways.

In 1957, the Legislature created the Department of Motor Vehicles and transferred the Nevada Highway Patrol to this new department as a division. In 1985, the name of the Department was changed to the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety (DMV&PS) to reflect the many new law enforcement agencies that had been added.

In 2001, DMV&PS was split into separate departments and the Nevada Highway Patrol is now a division of the Nevada Department of Public Safety. Today the Nevada Highway Patrol serves the citizens and visitors of the Silver State with 356 commissioned officers and 177 civilians. The duties of the Patrol range from enforcing the laws on the highways to operating the State's criminal history repository. The headquarters office is located in Carson City with regional offices in Las Vegas, Reno and Elko.

The Nevada Highway Patrol is dedicated to ensuring safe, economical, and enjoyable use of the highways: protecting peaceful citizens against violence and disorder and assisting law enforcement agencies throughout our State and the nation.

License Plates of the Nevada Highway Patrol

1908 saw the formation of the Nevada State Police. Most of the patrol work in the early days was conducted on horseback, but gradually the automobile and motorcycle began to become the preferred method of duty travel for the NSP by the late teens into the 1920's. It is believed that license plates used by the NSP were Exempt plates that required no annual fee to the state. Exempt plates were introduced back in 1921 and were made of steel. They were painted flat in white over medium green with the word EXEMPT at the top of the plate over the word NEVADA in much larger font with a serial number running vertically along the right margin of the plate.

The word "EXEMPT" in full remained on Nevada exempt plates until 1925 when the EX prefix was introduced to preserve space on the plate. On June 23, 1923, the first Nevada State Highway Patrolman was hired by the Nevada Highway Department under the supervision of the Inspector of the Nevada State Police. This officer and the Inspector of the State Police would travel throughout the State collecting automobile registration fees and enforcing the laws of the highway. Nevada was one of the first western states to have an organized highway patrol function.

In 1930, Nevada began issuing Highway Department Exempt license plates for vehicles assigned specifically to the Highway Department. As there is a likelihood of cross-usage between use of EX license plates for these officers and HD EX license plates as well, I have decided to feature both types from the earliest years until the NHP began to use agency-specific license plates in 1965.

In 1965, the Nevada Highway Patrol introduced their first "agency specific" license plate. The plate followed the same formatting as the regular passenger license plates that year with 65 embossed in the top left corner and NEVADA embossed in the top center in dark blue. What set these plates apart from the rest was that passenger license plates at the time had a bare aluminum background and the NHP plates utilized a reflective white background. The prefix NHP was used ahead of the numbers, and it appears as though no dash was used to separate the prefix from the numbers.
These license plates were used by all marked NHP vehilces until they were replaced in 1969.

In 1969 when the state of Nevada re-plated all motor vehicles, the plates used by the Nevada Highway Patrol followed suit. The plates were debossed aluminum with reflective white charaters over a reflective blue background. 69 was debossed in the top left corner with NEVADA debossed in the top center. The prefix NHP was used again and some spacing was used between the prefix and the numerals of single digit assignment numbers.
This type was used until 1972.

In 1970, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles decided that motor vehicle registrants would renew their annual license plate validation with larger rectangular validation decals. As a result, they created a new license plate designed to accommodate the new larger decals. The plates were were once again made of debossed aluminum and consisted of reflective white characters over a reflective blue background.
The top of the plate had the abbreviation of the state name NEV just to the right of the upper left mounting hole followed by a large recessed rectangular white "navel" to receive the new larger validation decals.
The Nevada Highway Patrol vehicles newly registered for 1970 and 1971 were issued these plates. No validation decals were used as NHP vehicles were tax exempt. The NHP prefix was used once again with a number up to 3 digits.
These license plates were used concurrent to the 1969 base plate until a statewide re-plating in 1972.

In 1972, the Silver State re-plated once again. This time, the Nevada Highway Patrol was issued their first agency-titled license plates.
The plates were once again made of debossed aluminum with reflective white characters over a reflective blue background. The state name NEVADA was situated at the top of the plate, offset just under the upper left mounting hole. The large rectangular white validation decal navel occupied the upper right corner. The title HIGHWAY over PATROL occupied the left field of the plate followed by a badge number up to 3 digits.
Lower numbered badge numbers commenced with lead zeroes.
These plates were used by the Patrol until they replated again in 1984.

It must also be stated that during the period of "agency specific" NHP license plates, some NHP marked and unmarked vehicles used State Exempt license plates where the vehicle was not assigned to a particular badge number. The earlier state exempt license plates were made on the same base plates as the NHP license plates but instead of the NHP prefix, used a "diamond E" motif prefix ahead of an assignment number. As seen in the photos below, many of these license plates were issued in the 2000 series. It's not known if this was a reserved bloc of numbers or just coincidence. These plates were also used by state Motor Carrier Officers which is showcased further down the page.
In the early 1980's Nevada dropped the different exempt designations between state, county and local and issued a generic exempt license plate for all jurisdictional authority with a stacked EX prefix followed by a number up to 5 digits.
This practice of issuing standard exempt license plates to NHP vehicles not otherwise assigned still continues to this day.

In 1984, the state of Nevada joined in the "graphic license plate movement" that was sweeping the continent over the past decade or so. The state unveiled an attractive graphic design known as the "Big Horn sheep" motif.
This plate was aluminum and had a reflective white background with a subdued grey layout of a big horn sheep on a hillside in the upper left segment of the plate. The hillside played into scenery featuring a mountain and a juniper tree among other elements of the theme. The state name was silkscreened in medium blue at the top center of the plate in a stylized font reminiscent of the old west. The state slogan "THE SILVER STATE" was also silskreened in the same medium blue font along the bottom center of the plate but in a smaller script.
A smaller recessed and much more subdued validation decal navel was debossed in the upper right corner of the plate.
The Nevada Highway Patrol did-away with their embossed monicker "HIGHWAY PATROL" and went back to an NHP prefix followed by a four digit number with no dash or other separation.
The four digit number was a coding system indicating the rank/assignment of the officer. The first number indicated the rank and the numbers that followed was the officer's ID number. The number allocations were as follows:
NHP2### Rank of Captain and higher.
NHP3### Rank of Lieutenant
NHP4### Rank of Master/Staff Sergeant (not confirmed)
NHP5### Rank of Sergeant
NHP6### Rank of Corporal
NHP7### Rank of Trooper
NHP8### Motor Carrier(CVE)Officers
NHP9### Cadets

This plate numbering system proved unpopular and was discontinued on September 1 1985 where the rank designation number was dropped. By the end of 1985, all NHP prefix license plates were returned to Carson City for disposal and a new version of the titled NHP license plate was issued in 1986.

In early 1986, a second version of the Big Horn Sheep design license plate was unveiled. The changes saw the big horn sheep moved higher up the plate into the top left corner among other shifts in the landscape. The state name became more centered and was done in a darker shade of blue as was the state slogan at the bottom of the plate.
Thankfully, the NHP went back to the HIGHWAY PATROL title monicker which this time was embossed on the left field of the plate. A 3 digit badge number for the officer was embossed to the center right of the field. Lower badge numbers had lead zeroes.
This issue was used until 2001 concurrent with the silkscreened HIGHWAY PATROL version that was introduced in 1987.

In 1987, NHP license plates similar to the contemporary issue began being seen on new NHP vehicles. The only notable difference from the plates being run for the past year and a half was that these had the title HIGHWAY PATROL silkscreened in dark blue instead of embossed.
The other difference was that the dies being used to emboss the numerals were not the type used by the Nevada DMV, but rather had the distinct appearance of the dies used by the 3M Company of Minnesota. There is no confirmation, but it is a healthy guess that 3M approached the NHP to manufacture these new license plates for free use by the Patrol. 3M was well-known for this approach with certain SP-HP agencies to provide free license plates for an agency such as the NHP in exchange for the opportunity to assess the condition of the plates and the materials used to make them at certain time intervals. What better research lab for testing new paints and coatings than running in the extreme temperatures and road conditions that Nevada has to offer?

These plates were used until 2001 when the NHP replated.

2001 saw the introduction of the "Sierra Sunset" graphic license plate on the highways and bi-ways of the Silver State. The NHP continued with its use of agency-titled license plates for its fleet and returned to the embossed HIGHWAY PATROL monicker as last seen in the 1980's.
This attractively-designed plate was colored reflective light blue along the bottom of the plate fading to almost white in the middle before transitioning back to blue towards the top of the plate. It is here where the blue moves into white snow caps imposed over sunset colors of yellow and orange. NEVADA is silkscreened in dark blue at the top center of the plate and the embossed characters are painted in dark blue. The slogan "THE SILVER STATE" is silkscreened in small white letters in the center lower portion of the plate.

This plate is still in use as of this writing, however transitioning to an all-silkscreened version.

Around late 2011 to early 2012, new NHP vehicles began sporting an -all-flat silkscreened version of the "Sierra Sunset" license plate.

The graphics were the same as the regular issue, but the agency title HIGHWAY over PATROL was silkscreened in large dark blue letters and the identification number was also silkscreened in this fashion. There is also an anti-counterfeit subdued helix pattern running vertically down the center of the plate.

It is unknown if the NHP will only run these "all flat" plates from now on, or will also continue to run the embossed versions as well.

Sometime in 2016, the state of Nevada "re-plated" for every motor vehicle in the state. The new license plates were very bold in color and design, and the Nevada Highway Patrol obtained their new plates in short order in 2018. The plates were made of embossed aluminum, a "back to the future" trend during the "all-flat" silkscreen craze for the past decade. Nevada decided to go back to embossed numerals/characters on their license plates. These new NHP plates have a rich light blue background with NEVADA silkscreened in the familiar "old west" font in black centered between the upper two mounting holes. The words HIGHWAY over PATROL are silkscreened in large black letters followed by the three digit assignment numbers EMBOSSED in black to the right.
Along the bottom span of the license plate is an interesting blend of cubist shapes in in shades of green, yellow, orange, brown, grey and red to create a bold landscape of the colors of a sierra.
Between the lower two mounting holes is the slogan "Home Means Nevada" in black.
The plate has a vertical helix security mark in the background sheeting in the plate's center and a recessed decal navel in the upper right corner.
The plates are expected to have a 10 year lifespan.

Motorcycle License Plates of the Nevada Highway Patrol

The NHP used patrol motorcycles in the Las Vegas area by 1965 and into the early 1970's. Harley Davidsons were purchased in 1972, but then mothballed until 1974. One motor unit worked the state line with California throughout the Summer of 1974 until Labor Day before being stored-away until the Summer of 1975. This continued through 1977.

It is believed that these motorcycles used white over blue EX-prefixed motorcycle license plates with no reserved number.

On June 17, 1988, the NHP inaugurated a four-man motorcycle unit in Las Vegas Valley. The plates used were standard 4" x 7" embossed reflective aluminum motorcycle plates with a white background and dark blue characters. NEV was embossed in the upper right hand corner. The prefix NHP was silkscreened in dark blue followed by the trooper's identification number embossed to the right.
The plate also had an embossed blue border.
It is unknown if these types are still used.

Nevada Highway Patrol Motor Carrier

The Nevada Highway Patrol, Commercial Enforcement Section, is responsible for the enforcement of state and federal motor vehicle laws, vehicle size and weight laws and the registration and fuel tax laws.

Over the years, the "Motor Carrier Officers" of the NHP have in some cases operated distinctly different patrol vehicles than their regular counterparts.
Often, they bore distinct license plates using the monicker MOTOR over CARRIER followed by their identification number.

Prior to that, NHP Motor Carrier personnel sported "diamond E" state exempt license plates on their vehicles.
Today, the officers of the NHP enforcing motor carrier law do so while using regular NHP vehicles and identifiers.

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