Photo by afagen

People with personalized license plates really want to express themselves, but there’s a limit to how far that expression can go.

The Baltimore Sun reports today that Maryland will happily let you have a personalized license plate for $50, but there are simply certain things that it won’t let you put on that vanity tag:

State law allows the MVA to deny tags that have a scatological or sexual meaning; use curse words, epithets or obscenities; carry a “fraudulent or deceptive purpose” (FBI and CIA are banned); refer to illegal acts (sorry, no HEROIN or KILLALL) or convey messages about a group’s race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or disability.

Just being offensive to someone isn’t enough, Dacey says. That’s why SUX2BU joined the ranks of Maryland’s 88,000 approved vanity tags. “It seems like it’s more of a statement, just a personal view of the world,” he says, adding that employees use judgment in “gray areas.”

All told, Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration has compiled a list of 4,000 things that can’t go on personalized license plates.

D.C. applies similar standards for the 4,300 personalized license plates it issues. Back in 2005, WTOP’s Mark Segraves dug up some of the rejects in D.C., which included “PACKN1,” “NASTYB,” “GOPOSTL,” and “JACKASS.” In Virginia, rejected vanity plates included “REDRUM,” “VET KILLER,” “5-0 KILLER,” “4NA-KATE,” and “WAFFNSS.”

Maryland officials note that while some words and phrases are automatic no-go’s, others are left to the interpretation of state officials or the number of complaints received. For example, “MIERDA” was first granted, but the state pulled it after it received a number of complaints. The driver who requested the tag is appealing.