The legal status of these plates varies by tribe, with some being recognized by the federal government and others not. Some nations issue plates for both tribal and personal vehicles, while others issue plates only for official tribal vehicles.
Some nations' plates indicate the U.S. state with which they are most closely associated, while others do not. This variation may even exist among the nations associated with one particular state.
All tribal plates in South Dakota are issued by the state. There are nine tribes recognized. All nine have non-graphic, tax exempt plates beginning with a tribe-specific prefix, for use on official vehicles. Seven of the nine tribes also have graphic plates available for private vehicles. The graphic plates are available to all South Dakota residents (no tribal affiliation is required.)
Cheyenne River Lakota: official vehicles only; South Dakota Exempt plates with "CRT" prefix.
Official, tribally owned vehicles bearing plates issued by tribes are allowed to use public roads under Washington state law.[5] The Yakama tribe began issuing plates to all members in 2011.[6]
Wisconsin Department of Transportation has reciprocal recognition of vehicle registration with the indicated Tribal organizations. It allows for unrestricted use and operations of vehicles registered with either the State of Wisconsin or the Tribal jurisdictions as per Wisconsin Statutes Section 341.409.[8]
Media related to License plates of federally recognized tribes at Wikimedia Commons