CHICAGO — In 2025, Illinois saw a surge in creativity with more than 55,000 applications for vanity and personalized license plates.

The office of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias reported that out of these, 550 applications were turned down. The rejections were based on the combinations being considered inflammatory, profane, offensive, or overly complex to decipher, all of which are valid reasons for denial under Illinois state law.

Giannoulias expressed his admiration for the originality displayed by applicants but emphasized that there are clear boundaries. “Illinois residents consistently impress us with their creative flair on license plates, but anything hitting the roads must adhere to standards of good taste and decency,” Giannoulias stated. “Our team is well-versed in spotting lewd language and clever attempts at swearing. If a plate crosses the line, it’s immediately added to our permanent rejection list.”

This announcement was made by the secretary of state via YouTube on Monday, where he also revealed some of the plates that have been banned. WATCH HERE

The secretary of state made the announcement on YouTube Monday, where he named a few of the banned plates. WATCH HERE

The rejected plate requests this year include:

• BBL
• BLUBALN
• BRICKED
• TYPESHT
• IBPOOPN
• ICUP
• PRIUSSY
• SNDNUDZ
• BDASMOM
• SYBAU

The office continues to maintain an ever-growing rejection list, which now contains more than 8,558 combinations.

For more information, go to: www.ilsos.gov