| Slogan Label: | Slogan |
| Slogan: | dmv.ca.gov |
| Size: | 12x |
| Material: | Aluminum |
| Serial Format: | 1ABC123 |
| Current Start Date: | (current version, with website, introduced 2011[1]) |
| Issuer: | California Department of Motor Vehicles |
| Start Date: | (pre-state plates and seals from 1905 to December 31, 1913) |
The U.S. state of California first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1905. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1914, when the state began to issue plates.[2] Plates are currently issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Front and rear plates are required on most types of vehicle in California, including all passenger vehicles. On motorcycles and some other non-passenger types, only rear plates are required. On all vehicle types, registration validation stickers are also required, to be displayed on the rear plate.[3] [4]
Since 1947, California license plates have been manufactured by inmates at Folsom State Prison.[5]
The current serial format of the license plate, 1ABC123, has been in use since 1980.
In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at 6inches in height by 12inches in width, with standardized mounting holes.[8] The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first California license plate that complied with these standards.
| Image | Dates issued | Design | Serial format | Serials issued | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | white on red porcelain | 123456 | 1 to 122375[9] | Replaced all 1905–13 plates. | |
| 1915 | black on yellow porcelain | 123456 | 1 to 163557[10] | Brass Seal: Hexagon | |
| 1916 | blue on white porcelain | 123456 | 1 to 234317[11] | Validation tab: 1916 Bear (Front) 1916 Bear (Rear) | |
| 1917 | 234318[12] to 357299[13] | Registered owners of plate numbers 1 to 234317 only received the Poppy tabs to place on their 1916 plates. Validation tab: Poppy | |||
| 1918 | 357300[14] to 485000[15] | Registered owners of plate numbers 1 to 357299 only received the Bell tabs to place on their 1916 plates. Validation tab: Bell | |||
| 1919 | 485001[16] to 599705[17] | Registered owners of plate numbers 1 to 485000 only received the Star tabs to place on their 1916 plates. Validation tab: Star | |||
| 1920 | white on black | 123-456 | 1 to 527-583 | ||
| 1921 | black on yellow | 123-456 | 1 to 651-640[18] | ||
| 1922 | blue on white | 123456 | 1 to 2000; 70001 to 881909[19] | Serials 2001 through 70000 reserved for non-passenger vehicles. | |
| 1923 | white on black | 123 456 | 1 to ? | ||
| 1924 | white on green | 123-456 | 1 to ? | ||
| 1925 | black on yellow | 123 456 | 1 to 30 00, 250 001 to 999 999 | Serials 30 01 through 250 000 reserved for non-passenger vehicles. | |
| A-12 345 | A 1 to | ||||
| 1926 | white on blue | 123 456 | 1 to 40 00, 320 001 to 999 999 | Serials 40 01 through 320 000 reserved for non-passenger vehicles. | |
| A-12 345 | A-1 to | ||||
| 1927 | white on maroon | 1-234-567 | 1 to 50-00; 400-001 to approximately 1-860-000 | First use of the full state name. Serials 50-01 through 400-000 reserved for non-passenger vehicles. | |
| 1928 | yellow on blue | 1-234-567 | 1 to 3-000; 450-001 to approximately 2-080-000[20] | Serials 3-001 through 450-000 reserved for non-passenger vehicles. | |
| 1929 | orange on black | 1A-12-34 | Coded by branch office | Letters A through M were used in Northern California, and N through Z in Southern California. | |
| 1930 | black on orange | 1A-12-34 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1931 | orange on black | 1A 12 34 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1932 | black on orange | 1A 12 34 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1933 | orange on black | 1A 12 34 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1934 | black on orange | 1A 12 34 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1935 | orange on black | 1A 12 34 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1936 | black on orange | 1A 12 34 10 A 123 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1937 | orange on black | 1A 12 34 12 34 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1938 | black on yellow | 1A 12 34 10 A 123 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1939 | yellow on blue | 1A 12 34 10 A 123 | Coded by branch office | ||
| 1940 | black on orange | 1A 12 34 10 A 123 | Coded by branch office | ||
| yellow on black | 1A 23 45 12 A 345 | 1A 1 to ? | Citizens that got the 1941 base plate in 1941 got this tab for revalidation. Validation tab for 1942: | ||
| Validation tab for 1943: It was issued due to metal conservation for World War II. | |||||
| Validation sticker for 1944: It was issued due to metal conservation for World War II. | |||||
| white on black | 1A 23 45 12 A 345 | 1A 1 to ? | Only rear plates issued. Validation tab for 1946: | ||
| black on yellow | 1A 23 456 12A 3 456 | 1A 1 to ? | Validation tab for 1948: | ||
| Validation tab for 1949: | |||||
| Validation tab for 1950: | |||||
| 1951–55 | yellow on black | 1A 23 456 12 A 3 456 | 1A 1 to ? | Validation tab for 1952: | |
| Validation tab for 1953: | |||||
| Validation tab for 1954: | |||||
| Validation tab for 1955: | |||||
| 1956–62 | black on yellow | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to approximately YRT 999 | Validation sticker for 1957: | |
| Validation sticker for 1958: | |||||
| Validation sticker for 1959: | |||||
| Validation sticker for 1960: | |||||
| Validation sticker for 1961: | |||||
| Validation sticker for 1962: |
All plates from 1963 until present are still valid, provided they are displayed on the vehicle to which they were originally issued and the vehicle has been continuously registered. Along with the pre-1963 plates above, these plates can be used for the year-of-manufacture program, with appropriate year sticker.
The current 1ABC123 serial format was introduced in 1980. In this format, the ABC123 portion of the serial progresses from AAA000 to ZZZ999, before the leading digit advances by one and the progression begins again. All letters are used, although I, O and Q are only used as the second letter (third digit). Series 1SWD000 through 1TZZ999 and 1WAA000 through 1YZZ999 have not been issued, while others have been reserved for non-passenger and optional plates, such as 1ZZA through 1ZZZ and 3ZZA through 3ZZG for Livery plates, and 1UAA through 1VZZ for Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Coastal Protection ("Whale Tail") plates.
When 9ZZZ999 is reached, the next serial format will be 123ABC1, maintaining the DMV's practice since the 1960s of reversing serial formats at exhaustion. The current sequence used since 1980 is expected to run out in late 2025, earlier than previously projected.[21]
| Image | First issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| embossed gold on black, embossed state name and debossed "63" on top right sticker box | none | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to ZZZ 999 | The oldest still allowed on the road today, but some older license plates have been seen. | ||
| 1970 | embossed gold serial on blue, state name on top | none | 123 ABC | 000 AAA to 999 ZZZ | Monthly staggered registration introduced 1976. I, O and Q not used as first letters in the 123 ABC serial format. Narrower serial dies introduced at the beginning of the WLA series in late 1977, in preparation for the 1ABC123 format. | |
| 1980 | 1ABC123 | 1AAA000 to 1SWC999 | ||||
| 1982 | blue on reflective white with graphic Art Deco state name | The Golden State | 2ABC123 | 2AAA000 to 2GPZ999 | Extra-cost optional plate until 1987, when it briefly became the standard passenger base after the 1969 blue base was discontinued. Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1983 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time California has been so honored. This plate design was seen in the opening credits of the television drama L.A. Law, which aired on NBC from 1986-94. The validation sticker corresponded to the year of each episode's air date. | |
| 1987 | blue on reflective white with embossed red state name | none | 1ABC123 | 2GQA000 to 3FMG999 | No serials (3FMH000 to 3FZZ999) issued | |
| 1993 | blue on reflective white with graphic red state name | none | 3ABC123 | 3GAA000 to approximately 3JZZ999 | The state name changed from an embossed state name to a graphic state name | |
| 1995 | none | 3ABC123 | 3KAA000 to 3XZZ999 (Serials 3YAA000-3ZYZ999 unissued and 3ZZA-3ZZG livery only) | The state name was modified to increase its size | ||
| 1998 | Sesquicentennial - 150 Years | 4ABC123 | 4AAA000 to 4NOZ999 | |||
| 2001 | none | 1ABC123 | 4NPA000 to 6TPV999 | |||
| 2011 | dmv.ca.gov | 6TPW000 to 9NVM336 [22] |
| Image | Type | First issued | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur Radio | FCC call sign | Issued to holders of FCC amateur radio station licenses, upon request. | ||||
| Antique Motorcycle | 123 | Available upon request for any motorcycle manufactured in 1942 or before. | ||||
| Apportioned | 1982 | AP12345 | AP00001 to approximately BP10000 | |||
| 1987 | BP30001 to CP99999; SP00001 to approximately VP70000 | |||||
| 2011 | VP70001 to ZP13644 | |||||
| Citizens Band | ABC1234 | Were issued upon request for holders of FCC citizens band radio licenses until 1983. Plate numbers and letters represent the call letters assigned by the FCC. | ||||
| Commercial | 1963 | A 12 345 | A 10 000 to V 99 999 | |||
| 1967 | 12 345 A | 10 000 A to 99 999 J | ||||
| 1970 | 00 000 K to 99 999 Z | |||||
| 1976 | 1A12345 | 1A00000 to 2Y05999 (serials 2Y06000-2Z99999 unissued) | ||||
| 1982 | 3A00000 to 3P59999 | |||||
| 1987 | 3P60000 to 5A99999 | |||||
| 1993 | 5B00000 to 5S99999 | |||||
| 1998 | 5T00000 to 6J99999 | With "Sesquicentennial - 150 Years" slogan. | ||||
| 2001 | 6K00000 to 8Z99999 | Serials 9A00000 through 9Z99999 reserved for tractor trailer units. | ||||
| 2010 | 12345A1 | 00000A1 to 99999E1 | ||||
| 2011 | 00000F1 to 00116B4 | With "dmv.ca.gov" slogan. | ||||
| Tractor Trailer | 1987 | 9A12345 | 9A00000-? | |||
| 1993 | ?-9E99999 | |||||
| 2011 | 9F00000-9H01919 | With "dmv.ca.gov" slogan. | ||||
| Disabled Person | 1995 | 12345 | 00001 to 99999 | Before 1995, California issued only placards which were displayed on the dashboard when parking. | ||
| late 1990s | 12345 | 00001 to 99999 | ||||
| early 2000s | A1234 | A0001 to Z9999 | ||||
| 2006 | 1234A | 0001A to 9999Z | ||||
| 2011 | 123AB | 001AA to 999ZZ | ||||
| 2019 | AB123 | AA001 to PD082 | ||||
| Disabled Person – Motorcycle | 1234 1234 | |||||
| Disabled Veteran | 1987 | DV12345 | DV00000-DV1xxxx | |||
| 1994 | 12345 | 00001 to 99999 | ||||
| 2023 | 12345 | 1xxxx to 30224 | It is suspected that this issue began somewhere in the 1xxxx series to avoid conflicts with any remaining issues from the 1987 series. | |||
| Exempt – Local | 1963 | E123456 | E100000-E999999 | Black plate with yellow numbering consisting of letter E in octagon and 6-digit number for district-, city- and county-owned vehicles | ||
| 1970 | E123456 | E100000-E999999 | Blue plate with yellow numbering consisting of letter E in octagon and 6-digit number for district-, city- and county-owned vehicles | |||
| 1987 | E123456 | E100000-E999999 | White plate with Golden State design and blue numbering consisting of letter E in octagon and 6-digit number for district-, city- and county-owned vehicles | |||
| 1987 | E123456 | E100000-E999999 | White plate with blue numbering consisting of letter E in octagon and 6-digit number for district-, city- and county-owned vehicles. "California" was either in red block or red script font. For "E0....." plate, see below | |||
| Exempt – State | 1963 | E12345 | E00000-E99999 | Black plate with yellow numbering consisting of letter E in diamond and 5-digit number for state-owned vehicles | ||
| 1970 | E12345 | E00000-E99999 | Blue plate with yellow numbering consisting of letter E in diamond and 5-digit number for state-owned vehicles | |||
| 1987 | E123456 | E000000-E999999 | White plate with Golden State design and blue numbering consisting of letter E in diamond and 6-digit number for state-owned vehicles. | |||
| 1987 | E123456 | E000000-E999999 | White plate with blue numbering consisting of letter E in diamond and 6-digit number for state-owned vehicles. "California" was either in red block or red script font. | |||
| Exempt | 1998 | 1234567 | 1000001 to 1682009 | Issued to all exempt vehicles, regardless of ownership. "CA EXEMPT" screened at top.Some plates were issued as "E0....." due to a surplus of prestamped octagon "E" plates. On these plates the "E" was to be considered "1". They still had "California" in script font. | ||
| Exempt - Motorcycle | 1998 | 3123456 | 3000001 to 3013128 | |||
| Foreign Organization | 123 | |||||
| Historical Vehicle | 1959 | 123A | ? to 9999 001A to 999Z A001 to A034 | Available upon request for any vehicle manufactured after 1922 that is at least 25 years old. | ||
| Honorary Consul | 1982 | 1234 | Issued to Honorary Consuls upon request. | |||
| 1988 | ||||||
| Horseless Carriage | 1984 | 1234 | Available upon request for any vehicle manufactured in 1922 or before, or for motor vehicles with 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965. | |||
| Livery | 1ABC123 | 1ZZA000 to 1ZZZ999; 3ZZA000 to 3ZZG999 | "LIVERY" screened at bottom. Issued to limos and fleet vehicles until program eliminated by Senate Bill 611 on September 30, 2014. Plates remain valid but cannot be replaced or reassigned. | |||
| Moped | C123456 | C000001 to C080109 | ||||
| Motorcycle | 1970 | 1A1234 | 1A0000 to 9Z9999 | Letter progresses before prefix number (11A–11Z, 12A–12Z, etc.). I, O and Q not used.[23] 10A0000 - 10Z9999 were skipped. | ||
| 1983 | 12A1234 | 11A0000 to 26S0246 | ||||
| Permanent Trailer | 2001 | 4AB1234 | 4AA1000 to 4WJ6722 | "California Perm Trailer" across top. | ||
| Press Photographer | 1987 | 1234 | P/P ???? toP/P 4301 | The letters “PP” inside a triangle. | ||
| 2011 | ||||||
| Prorate Plate | Unknown | N/A | N/A | No longer in circulation. Used by interstate fleets to display apportioned stickers. California's stickers are placed in the third well from the top on the left side. | ||
| Special Equipment | 1970 | 123456 | ? to 740451 | Motorcycle-sized. Registration lasts for five years. | ||
| 1985 | ||||||
| Public Service (state representative) | Unknown | 12345 | ||||
| Temporary | 2019 | AB12C12 | AA00A00 to DH00S97 (as of May 25, 2024) | Issued to new vehicles purchased in California. Serials AU00A00 to AW99Z99, BC00A00 to BF99Z99, BM00A00 to BN99Z99, BV00A00 to BZ99Z99, CU00A00 to CX99Z99, and DE00A00 to DF99Z99 were skipped, although some serials were issued later on. Letters I, O, and Q are not used. | ||
| Tournament of Roses[24] | 1998 | TR | TR to TR (as of December 1, 2022) | Used on parade vehicles during the Tournament of Roses parade. | ||
| Trailer | 1963 | AB 1234 | AA 1000 to HV 9999 | No serials (HW 0000 to HW 9999) issued | ||
| 1971 | HX 1000 to TZ 9999 | The UA-YX series was reserved for commercial weight fee trailers. It was issued on the gold-on-blue base from 1971 to 1983. | ||||
| 1983 | 1AB1234 | 1AA1000 to approximately 1BJ9999 | ||||
| 1987 | 1BP1000 to approximately 1EU9999 | |||||
| 1993 | 1FC1000 to 1PF9574 | The 1UA-1YX series is reserved for commercial weight fee trailers. Its issue began on the Golden State base in 1983 and continued onto the red-on-white "lipstick" base in use today. The highest spotted serial in this series is 1XC5494 (as of June 1, 2024). The series is expected to reach 1YX8000. The 1ZA-1ZW series is assigned to certain specialty trailers (Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Protect our Ocean and our Coast, etc.) 1YY-1YZ and 1ZX-1ZZ will be of unknown use. These number formatted plates have also been issued to special exempted vehicles, such as full size, retitled school buses that have been converted to recreational vehicles. These vehicles are exempt from the California Air Resources Board 14001 GVWR rules. | ||||
| Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Plate | Assigned by the DMV or CHP when a number is removed, destroyed, or obliterated. |
On each occupational plate type, the full-size number is constant for each distributing entity, while the small suffix (or prefix on the Special Equipment Dealer/Manufacturer plate) varies. Only rear plates are required for each type.
| Image | Type | First issued | Serial format | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer | 1970 | 1234 | |||
| 1987 | 12345 | ||||
| 1987 | 12345 | ||||
| 1993 | 12345 | ||||
| 2011 | 12345 | ||||
| Dismantler | 1234 | ||||
| Manufacturer | 1234 | ||||
| New Vehicle Distributor | 1234 | ||||
| Remanufacturer | 1234 | ||||
| Special Equipment Dealer | 12345 | Motorcycle-sized. | |||
| Special Equipment Manufacturer | 1234 | Motorcycle-sized. | |||
| Transporter | 1234 |
| Image | Type | First issued | Serial format | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assembly Member | A 12 | Issued to current and retired members of the California State Assembly. The number in the serial corresponds to the district represented by the Assembly member. A small 'A' by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the Assembly member. A small 'R' indicates a retired Assembly member, and a small '1' after the small 'R' indicates a second vehicle owned by the retired Assembly member. | |||
| Representative | 1 | Issued to current U.S. representatives. A small 'A' by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the representative, a small 'B' indicates a third vehicle, and so on. | |||
| State Senator | S 12 | Issued to current and retired members of the California State Senate. The number in the serial corresponds to the district represented by the senator. A small 'S' by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the senator. A small 'R' indicates a retired senator, and a small '1' after the small 'R' indicates a second vehicle owned by the retired senator. | |||
| U.S. Senator | 1 | Issued to current U.S. senators. A small 'A' by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the U.S. Senator, a small 'B' indicates a third vehicle, and so on. |
| Image | Type | First issued | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions controlled OHV | Assigned to motor vehicles that are used on roads not publicly maintained (e.g. in State Parks and National Forests). The green sticker program existed as a means of generating revenue for the maintenance of state OHV areas. | |||
| Uncontrolled OHV | 1999 | Emissions controlled OHVs are granted Green Stickers while uncontrolled OHVs such as motocross and closed-course off-road racebikes are granted Red Stickers for seasonal use on public lands. |
| Image | Type | First issued | Design | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Olympics - Motorcycle | 1984 | 12345 12345 | 00000 to present | Issued until December 31, 1984. Duplicates were available until December 31, 1989. No longer issued, but still revalidated. | |||
| 1984 Olympics - Passenger | 1984 | 12345 12345 | 00000 to present | Issued until December 31, 1984. Duplicates were available until December 31, 1989. No longer issued, but still revalidated. | |||
| Agriculture | 2013 | An image on the left of the plate with the sun on the horizon of a field | 123ABC A123B0 | A000A0 to A144A1 (as of September 20, 2023)Using previously unused letter blocks. | White plate with artwork of the sun screened at left and "Agriculture" screened at bottom. | ||
| Arts Council | 1994 | The sun setting over the coast | ABC123 123ABC A123B0 | ? to A037V0 (as of December 20, 2023)Using previously unused letter blocks. | "Coastline" design by Wayne Thiebaud.[25] [26] | ||
| Bill of Rights | 1990 | Blue on white with red Liberty Bell graphic | 1234 US | 0001 US to 1024 US (as of Jan 1, 2024) | Commemorated the 200th anniversary of the Bill's ratification. | ||
| Breast Cancer Awareness | 2017 | A pink background with a pink bow on the left | B123A1 | B001A1 to B852E1 (as of February 12, 2024) | Pink plate with pink ribbon screened at left and "Early Detection Saves Lives" screened at bottom. | ||
| California Museums (Snoopy) | 2016 | An image of Snoopy | S123A0 | S001A0 to S632L0 (as of June 17, 2024) | White plate with Peanuts character Snoopy screened at left and "museums are for everyone" screened at bottom. | ||
| Children's Trust Fund | ABC123 A123B0 | Using previously unused letter blocks. | An embossed heart, hand, star, or plus sign appears to the left of the serial, or can be incorporated into "vanity" numbers. | ||||
| Congressional Medal of Honor 84 - Passenger | 1984 | 12 | ? | Given to Medal of Honor recipients. | |||
| Congressional Medal of Honor 93 - Passenger | 1993 | 12 | ? | Given to Medal of Honor recipients. | |||
| Firefighter - Motorcycle | 00A12 | 00A01 to ? | |||||
| Firefighter - Passenger | 1995 | ABC123 A123B0 | ? to A974H0 (as of September 12, 2023)Using previously unused letter blocks. | Only active or retired firefighter can apply for this type of plate. Logo of a firefighter on a blazing background. | |||
| Gold Star Family - Passenger | 2011 | 123ABC | 000HUY to 782HUY (as of Dec 20, 2014)Using previously unused letter blocks. | Given to family of fallen soldiers while in the line of duty. | |||
| Lake Tahoe Version 1 - Commercial | 1996 | 2Z12345 | 2Z35000 to 2Z37999 | No longer issued but still revalidated. | |||
| Lake Tahoe Version 1 - Passenger | 1996 | An image meant to depict Lake Tahoe as a background | 1UAB123 | 1UEA000 to 1UE???? | No longer issued but still revalidated. | ||
| Lake Tahoe Version 2 - Commercial | 2011 | A yellow sky over some mountains | 2Z12345 | 2Z38000 to 2Z40593 | Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||
| Lake Tahoe Version 2 - Passenger | 2011 | A yellow sky over some mountains | 1UAB123 | 1UE???? to 1UEZ578 | Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||
| Legacy | 2015 | Gold on reflective black | A123B4 | B001A0 to J510Y1 | In the style of the 1963–69 passenger plate. 'S123A0' series of plates are reserved for California Museums (Snoopy) plate, shown above. C001A1 came after X999Z0, meaning the 'Y123A0' and 'Z123A0' series of plates were skipped. 'B123A1' series of plates are reserved for Breast Cancer Awareness plate, shown above. The same series (A123B4) is used on both passenger and motorcycle plates. C123A0 is reserved for motorcycles. A123A0 is reserved for Agriculture and Arts Council. The cycle went B001A0, B002A0, B003A0, ..., B998A0, B999A0, B001B0, B002B0, …, D001A0, D002A0, …, C001A1, and on and on and on. Last will probably be X999Z9. | ||
| Legion of Valor - Passenger | Blue on white | 123 | 001 to LEGION OF VALOR 279 (as of Dec 24, 2023) | Sticker placed at right denoting the decoration held by the registrant: Medal of Honor (Army, Navy or Air Force), Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross. | |||
| Olympic Training Center Version 1 | 1990 | 12345 12345 | ? | No longer issued, but still revalidated. | |||
| Olympic Training Center Version 2 | 1999 | 12345 12345 | ? | No longer issued, but still revalidated. | |||
| Olympic Training Center Version 3 | 2000 | 12345 12345 | ? | ||||
| Pearl Harbor Survivor - Passenger | Blue on white; "PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR" in blue at left | 1234 | 0001 to 3637 (as of Sep 5, 2022) | Only issued to survivors of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. May be retained on a vehicle owned by a surviving spouse.[27] | |||
| Pet Lover | 2012 | 123ABC | 001END to 361END(as of December 25, 2023)Using previously unused letter blocks, including CAT, PUG, SAT, MUT, YES, WAG, and END | White plate with artwork from international actor, artist, and pet lover Pierce Brosnan screened at left and "Spay & Neuter Saves Lives" screened at bottom. | |||
| Protect Our Coast & Ocean Version 1 - Commercial | 1997 | 2Z12345 | 2Z50000 to 2Z5???? | No longer issued, but still revalidated. | |||
| Protect Our Coast & Ocean Version 1 - Passenger | 1997 | 1VAB123 | 1VAA000 to 1VAZ999; 1VDA000 to 1VDY999 | No longer issued, but still revalidated. | |||
| Protect Our Coast & Ocean Version 2 – Commercial | 2011 | 2Z12345 | 2Z5???? to 2Z59002 | ||||
| Protect Our Coast & Ocean Version 2 – Passenger | 2011 | 1VAB123 | 1VDZ000 to 1VEW294 | ||||
| Purple Heart | 1234PH | 0001PH to 9999PH | |||||
| PH1234 | PH0001 to PH9999 | ||||||
| 12PH34 | 00PH01 to 41PH65 | ||||||
| Purple Heart - Motorcycle | 1234PH PH1234 12PH34 | ||||||
| POW Ex-Prisoner of War - Motorcycle | POW1234 | ||||||
| POW Ex-Prisoner of War 93 - Passenger | 1993 | POW1234 | |||||
| POW Ex-Prisoner of War 00 - Passenger | 2000 | POW1234 | ? to POW7428 (as of Sep 5, 2022) | ||||
| Veteran Version 1 | 1994 | ABC123 123ABC | ? to F105IP (unverified, as of Nov 3, 2014) | No longer being issued. | |||
| Veteran Version 2 | 2012 | 123ABC A123B0 | ? to A653E0 (as of Jun 4, 2022)Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||||
| We Will Never Forget | 2002 | 1234MA | 0001MA to 3999MB | ||||
| University of California, Los Angeles | 1994 | ABC123 | ? to APA999 (as of December 29, 2022)Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||||
| Yosemite National Park - Commercial | 1993 | 2Z12345 | 2Z00001 to 2Z10536 | ||||
| Yosemite National Park - Passenger | 1993 | 1UAB123 | 1UAA000 to 1UBS397 |
The use of year-of-manufacture (YOM) plates is authorized by Section 5004.1 of the California Motor Vehicle Code. It is a law that allows vintage cars to be registered to use vintage license plates. Any officially manufactured California license plates which were produced prior to 1963 can be used on a currently registered vehicle or trailer of a corresponding model year. If used on the original plate, a sticker or metal tab that corresponds to the year of the vehicle is required.
As of July 2024, YOM program extends only to 1980 and older year model auto, commercial, motorcycle and trailer vehicles, as long as they are "clear" with the DMV (i.e., not used, reported stolen, or any records found, for the last 10 years). A valid sticker must be attached to the plate corresponding to the year of the vehicle that is to be registered.
, in very rare cases, California has extended custom license plates to allow more than seven digits, but not to exceed nine characters. However, most plates are limited to seven-and-a-half characters (the half-character is a half-space).
In August 2016, California extended the year-of-manufacture license plate program to include vehicles through the 1980 model year.[28]
The California Legacy License Plate program offers vehicle owners the opportunity to purchase replicas of California license plates similar to those issued in the 1960s. California proposed issuing plates similar to those of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The original plan was to restrict the plate colors to what would have been issued to the vehicle when purchased new. After a few months, the program was opened to all model years. Only the 1960s (gold on black) plate reached the required 7,500 minimum orders before January 1, 2015. The 1950s (black on gold) and 1970s (gold on blue) plates did not achieve the required 7,500 minimum orders.[29] The plates were issued from late spring through summer 2015 and, as of 2024, are still available for order from the DMV website. Additional time is required for personalized plates.[30] [31]
Prior to 2019, California was the last U.S. state to not require the display of any form of temporary license plate on new vehicles. New motor vehicle dealers were still required to electronically report sales of new vehicles to the DMV,[32] [33] but they were only required to print out a DMV report-of-sale form on regular paper at the time of sale. The dealer was then only required to attach the DMV report-of-sale form to the inside of the car windshield in the lower right corner (from the driver's perspective).[34] Before 2019, it was common for a newly purchased vehicle to be driven around for a month (or more) with nothing but a dealer's advertisement or logo on paper plate inserts in the mounting brackets where the owner was supposed to promptly install front and rear license plates when they arrived in the mail from the DMV.
California's lack of a temporary license plate requirement was mocked as the "Steve Jobs loophole," due to the Apple founder's habit of continuously signing a series of six-month leases of Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMGs on a rolling basis for the specific purpose of avoiding the state requirement of having to install permanent license plates on his cars.[35] The DMV report-of-sale forms were printed in regular type not intended to be read at a distance, meaning that it was legible only to persons leaning closely over the windshield when the car was standing still. This made the new vehicle untraceable through casual visual observation by passerby (especially for the common car models and colors), as well as automated means such as license-plate reading systems, red light cameras, and automatic number plate recognition. Thus, drivers of newly purchased vehicles who deliberately failed to carry a FasTrak electronic toll collection transponder could evade toll collection (on tolled Express Lanes, toll bridges, and toll roads where a transponder system was used instead of toll booths), causing the state to lose $15–19 million per year. Vehicle owners who failed to immediately attach permanent metal license plates upon receipt might eventually get cited one way or another for that infraction, but there was no way at that point to retroactively link such vehicle owners to unpaid tolls. This loophole was also deliberately exploited by criminals, who knew that a car with dealer paper inserts was untraceable and in and of itself would not raise suspicion.[36]
The hit-and-run death of a pedestrian who was struck by an unidentifiable car with dealer paper inserts sparked the enactment of new legislation in 2016 to require temporary license plates in California beginning in 2019.[37] [38] [39] The DMV's reporting system was modified to enable dealers to print out temporary license plates on special paper,[33] and dealers are now required to attach such temporary paper plates to a vehicle that does not already have license plates. The series that the temporary license plates use is AB12C34, and it will apply to all newly purchased vehicles in the state of California starting in 2019.[40] The current series has run from AA00A00 to DB38S58 (As of February 15, 2024).