Vehicle registration plates of California

California
Current series
Slogan dmv.ca.gov
Size 12 in × 6 in
30 cm × 15 cm
Serial format 1ABC123
Introduced 2011 (2011)
Availability
Issued by California Department of Motor Vehicles
History
First issued 1905 (1905)

The U.S. state of California first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1905. Registrants had to provide their own license plates for display until 1914, when the state began to supply plates.[1] 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.[2][3]

Passenger baseplates

1913 to 1962

In 1956, the U.S. states and Canadian provinces 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 6 inches (15 cm) in height by 12 inches (30 cm) in width, with standardized mounting holes.[4] The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first California license plate that complied with these standards.

Image Dates issued Design Serial format Serials issued Notes
1905–12 black on white (and varied) 12345 1 to 90660 A one-time $2.00 fee is paid to register the vehicle, and the motorist must have a license plate made to hang from the rear of the vehicle (front plate also required starting in 1911). These plates were valid from the date of issuance until no longer needed for that car. The seal (disc) that the motorist received from the state with the registration number, along with the license plate(s), was supposed to remain with the vehicle upon transfer to a new owner, but that did not always happen. These early plates were valid through December 31, 1913.[5][6]
1913 black on white 123456 90661[7] to 122444[8] Plates previously issued by the State of California from 1905 - 1912, serial numbers 1 - 90660, remained valid if they remained with the original vehicle. Cancelled registration numbers were available for reissue. Practices noted above for 1905 - 1912 continued with the exception that any new plates made during 1913 ended up being valid for only a single year since the state finally began issuing license plates in 1914. [5][6]
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]
1916 blue on white porcelain 123456 1 to 234317[11] Validation tabs:
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 527583 (?) The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA) shows a high of 527583 as of August 2017, but this seems too low considering the other data present.
1921 black on yellow 123-456 1 to 651640[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 F-99 999
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 G-99 999
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-23-45 ? to ?
1930 black on orange 1A-23-45 ? to ?
1931 orange on black 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1932 black on orange 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1933 orange on black 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1934 black on orange 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1935 orange on black 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1936 black on orange 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1937 orange on black 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1938 black on yellow 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1939 yellow on blue 1A 23 45 ? to ?
1940 black on orange 1A 23 45
12 A 345		 ? to ?

1941–44 yellow on black 1A 23 45
12 A 345		 ? to ? Validation tab for 1942:
Validation tab for 1943:
Validation sticker for 1944:
1945–46 white on black 1A 23 45
12 A 345		 ? to ? Validation tab for 1946:
1947–50 black on yellow 1A 23 456
12A 3 456		 ? 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		 ? 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:

1963 to present

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.

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 used only as the second letter.[20] Some series have not been issued, while others have been reserved for non-passenger and optional plates, such as 1ZZA through 1ZZZ and 3ZZA through 3ZZZ for Livery plates, and 1UAA through 1VZZ for Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Coastal Protection ("Whale Tail") plates.

It is expected that 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.

Image Dates issued Design Serial format Serials issued Notes
1963–69 gold on black, embossed state name ABC 123 AAA 000 to ZZZ 999 In addition to all plates in the section above these bases can be used for the year of manufacture program with appropriate year sticker. They can also be seen as regular registration with modern month/year stickers if the plates were originally registered to the vehicle.
1969–80 gold on blue, embossed state name 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.[20]
1980–86 1ABC123 1AAA000 to 1SWC999
1982 –late 1987 blue on reflective white with graphic Art Deco state name, Golden State 1ABC123 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.
late 1987 – early 1994 blue on reflective white with embossed red state name 1ABC123 2GQA000 to 3FMG999
early 1994 – early 1998 blue on reflective white with graphic red state name 1ABC123 3GAA000 to 3XZZ999 The state name was modified twice to increase its size (the third and largest version is shown).
early 1998 – late 2000 4AAA000 to 4NOZ999 ("Sesquicentennial - 150 Years")
late 2000 – late 2011 4NPA000 to 6TPV999
late 2011 – present 6TPW000 to 8GGY999 (as of September 28, 2018) ("dmv.ca.gov")

Non-passenger plates

Image Type First issued Serial format Serials issued Notes
Amateur Radio A1BCD Available upon request for holders of FCC amateur radio station licenses. Plate numbers and letters represent the call letters assigned by the FCC.
Antique Motorcycle ANTIQUE M/C 123 Available upon request for any motorcycle manufactured in 1942 or before.
Apportioned 1987 AP12345 See International Registration Plan.
1994
2015
Assemblyperson A 10A1 License plate issued to current assemblymembers. Number represents which district the assemblyperson represents. A small "A" by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the person and so on. A small "R" by the district number indicates that they are a retired assemblyperson. A small "1" by the small "R" indicates another vehicle owned by the retired assemblyperson and so on.
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.
Disabled Person 1995 12345D/P 00001D/P to 99999D/P Before 1995, California issued only placards which were displayed on the dashboard when parking
Late 1990s D/P12345 D/P00001 to D/P99999
Early 2000s D/PA1234 D/PA0001 to D/PZ9999
2006 1234AD/P 0001AD/P to 9999ZD/P

2011 D/P123AB D/P001AA to present

Disabled Veteran 12345D/V
Disabled Person—Motorcycle 1234D/P
Dealer D/L/R 1234 1/2/A Full-size number is constant for each distributing entity; stacked prefix varies. Only one plate is required on the vehicle.
Dismantler D/S/M 1234 1/2/A Full-size number is constant for each distributing entity; stacked prefix varies. Only one plate is required on the vehicle.
Distributor D/S/T 1234 1/2/A Full-size number is constant for each distributing entity; stacked prefix varies. Only one plate is required on the vehicle.
Exempt-Local 1963-1968 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
Exempt-State 1963-1968 E12345 E00000-E99999 Black plate with yellow numbering consisting of letter E in diamond and 5-digit number for state-owned vehicles
Exempt-Local 1969-1986 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
Exempt-State 1969-1986 E12345 E00000-E99999 Blue plate with yellow numbering consisting of letter E in diamond and 5-digit number for state-owned vehicles

 Exempt-Local 1987-1997 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 1987-1997 E123456 E000000-E999999 White plate with blue numbering consisting of letter E in diamond and 5-digit number for state-owned vehicles. "California" was either in red block or red script font.

 Exempt 1998 1234567 1000001 to present "CA EXEMPT" across top in block font. These were issued to all exempt vehicles, regardless of ownership.

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.

Foreign Organization 123 001 to present. "FOREIGN ORGANIZATION" printed to left of serial.
Historical Vehicle 1959 HISTORICAL VEHICLE 123A 1-9999 Available upon request for any vehicle manufactured after 1922 and are at least 25 years old.
Honorary Consul 1982-1987 HON CONSUL CORPS 1234 Issued to Honorary Consuls upon request.
1988 HON CONSUL CORPS 1234 Issued to Honorary Consuls upon request. Same look as the previous plate but the “HON CONSUL CORPS” part is not embossed and is in blue. Also there is no goldenrod design and “California” is in cursive.
Horseless Carriage 1984 HORSELESS CARRIAGE 1234 1-9999 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 approximately 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.
Manufacturer M/F/G 1 1/A
M/F/G 1 1/2/A
M/F/G 12 1/A
M/F/G 12 1/2/A		 Full-size number is constant for each manufacturing entity; stacked prefix varies. Only one plate is required on the vehicle.
Moped A123456 Required on all mopeds in California.
Motorcycle 12A1234
Off-Highway Motor Vehicle A12A34 Assigned to Off-Highway vehicles that are used off of public roads.
Permanent Trailer 4AB1234 "California Perm Trailer" across top.
Press Photographer P/P 1234 Old Press Photographer plates. New ones say "California" in cursive at the top.
Prorate Plate 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.
Remanufacturer R/M/F 1234 1/2/A Full-size number is constant for each distributing entity; stacked prefix varies. Only one plate is required on the vehicle.
Representative U.S. CONGRESS 1A License plate issued to current U.S. representatives. Number represents which district the representative represents. A small "A" by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the person and so on.
Senator (National Level) UNITED STATES SENATE A1 License plate issued to current U.S. senators. A small "A" by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the person and so on.
Senator (State Level) S 10A1 License plate issued to current state senators. Number represents which district the state senator represents. A small "A" by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the person and so on. A small "R" by the district number indicates that they are a retired state senator. A small "1" by the small "R" indicates another vehicle owned by the retired state senator and so on.

 Special Equipment S/E123456 Motorcycle-sized.
Special Equipment Dealers and Manufacturers M/F/G 1234 1/A Full-size number is constant for each distributing entity; stacked prefix varies.

 Public Service (state representative) P/S12345
Tournament of Roses[21] 1998 TOFR123 TOFR1 to present Used on parade vehicles during the Tournament of Roses parade.
Trailer 1963 AB 1234 AA 1000 to HV 9999
1971 HX 1000 to TZ 9999
1983 1AB1234 1AA1000 to approximately 1BJ9999
1987 1BP1000 to approximately 1EU9999
1994 1FC1000 to 1MY9999 (as of September 29, 2018)
Transporter T/R/N 1234 1/2/A Full-size number is constant for each distributing entity; stacked prefix varies. Only one plate is required on the vehicle.
Truck 1963 A 12 345 A 10 000 to V 99 999
1967 12 345 A 10 000 A to 99 999 J
1969 00 000 K to 99 999 Z
1975 1A12345 1A00000 to 2Y05999
1987 3A00000 to 3P99999? (golden), 3R00000? to 5A99999? (block red)
1994 5T00000? to 6J99999? (sesquicentennial), 5B00000? to 5S99999? and 6K00000? to 8Z99999 (normal script) Serials with 9 as the first digit issued to tractor trailers.
2011 12345A1 00000A1 to 99999E1 (normal script), 00000F1 to 09999N2 (as of September 16, 2018)
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Plate Assigned by the DMV or CHP when a number is removed, destroyed, or obliterated.

Optional types (specialty plates)

Image Type First issued Design Serial format Serials issued Notes
1984 Olympics 1984 L/A12345
U/S12345		 L/A00000 to present No longer issued, but still currently revalidated.
Arts Council 1994 ABC123
123ABC		 Using previously unused letter blocks. "Coastline" design by Wayne Thiebaud.[22][23]
Bill of Rights 1990 1234 US
Children's Trust Fund ABC123 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 present.
Firefighter—Passenger 1995 ABC123 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 Using previously unused letter blocks. Given to family of fallen soldiers while in the line of duty.
Lake Tahoe Version 1 1996 1ABC123 No longer issued but still revalidated.
Lake Tahoe Version 2 2011 1ABC123 Using previously unused letter blocks.

Legacy Plates 2015 B000A0 Gold on black reflective plates in the style of the 1963 to 1969 plates. The series started at B000A0
Legion of Valor—Passenger 123 A sticker is placed to the right of the license plate number denoting the decoration held by the recipient. Air Force Cross -Air Force Medal of Honor -Army Medal of Honor -

Army Distinguished Service Cross -Navy Cross -Navy Medal of Honor -

Olympic Training Center Version 1 1990 C/A12345
U/S12345		 No longer issued, but still currently revalidated.
Olympic Training Center Version 2 1999 C/A12345
U/S12345		 No longer issued, but still currently revalidated.
Olympic Training Center Version 3 2000 C/A12345
U/S12345
Pearl Harbor Survivor —Passenger 1234 Pearl Harbor Survivor of World War II
Protect Our Coast & Ocean Version 1 1997 1ABC123 No longer issued but still revalidated.
Protect Our Coast & Ocean Version 2 2011 1ABC123 Using previously unused letter blocks.
Purple Heart 1234PH
Purple Heart—Motorcycle 1234PH
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
Veteran Version 1 1994 ABC123
123ABC		 No longer issued but still revalidated.
Veteran Version 2 2012 123ABC
A000A0		 Using previously unused letter blocks.
We Will Never Forget 2002 1234MA
University of California, Los Angeles 1994 ABC123 Using previously unused letter blocks.
Yosemite National Park 1996 1ABC123 Using previously unused letter blocks.

See the Passenger Baseplates section above for the 1982–87 "Golden State" plate, which was briefly issued as the standard passenger base.

Year-of-manufacture plates

A California car license plate saying ANRCHST (a vanity plate-speak form of anarchist) from 2006

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 and plates 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.

In July 2009, California extended its YOM program to include passenger vehicles from 1963-1969, and commercial vehicles (pick-ups, etc.) through 1972. Any black-and-gold plate from this era may be used on these 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.

As of January 2014, in very rare cases, California has extended custom license plates to exceed 7 digits, all the way up to, but not exceeding, 9 characters. However, most plates are limited to 7-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.[24]

California Legacy License Plate program

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.[25] The plates were issued from late spring through summer 2015 and are still available for order from the DMV website. Additional time is required for personalized plates.[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Archive: California Porcelain License Plates (Part 1 of 2)". PorcelainPlates.net. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  2. ↑ http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=4850&lawCode=VEH
  3. ↑ http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=5200&lawCode=VEH
  4. ↑ Garrish, Christopher (October 2016). "Reconsidering the Standard Plate Size". Plates. Vol. 62 no. 5. Automobile License Plate Collectors Association.
  5. 1 2 Minard, Jeff (February 2000). "California, License Plates of the Golden State". The ALPCA Register. Vol. 52 no. 3. Automobile License Plate Collectors Association. p. 7.
  6. 1 2 Minard, Jeff (June 2006). "We're All Ears! California's Automobile Club Pre-States". Plates. Vol. 62 no. 5. Automobile License Plate Collectors Association. pp. 24–30.
  7. ↑ Registered Motor Vehicles (January 1913 ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1913. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Automobile License Plate Collectors Association". ALPCA. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  9. ↑ Registered Automobiles (November 1914 ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1914.
  10. ↑ "Automobile License Plate Collectors Association". ALPCA. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  11. ↑ Registered Automobiles 1916 (December 1916 ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1916. p. 60.
  12. ↑ California Automobile Registration 1917 (Volume 1 ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1917.
  13. ↑ Registered Automobiles (December 1917 ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1917.
  14. ↑ Registered Automobiles (January-February 1918 ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1918.
  15. ↑ Registered Automobiles (December 1918 ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1918.
  16. ↑ Registered Automobiles (January, February and March 1919 ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1919.
  17. ↑ "Automobile License Plate Collectors Association". ALPCA. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ California Automobile Registration 1921 (Volume XVI ed.). Sacramento, California: State of California. 1922.
  19. ↑ "Automobile License Plate Collectors Association". ALPCA. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  20. 1 2 3 "California License Plates". allaboutlicenseplates.com. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  21. ↑ http://bp1.blogger.com/_A6xZ_nscqCM/R3R6F5BcH0I/AAAAAAAAA20/sgMCuY6Ho3c/s1600-h/IMG_0073+copy.jpg4
  22. ↑ Knight, Christopher (June 29, 2010). "Wayne Thiebaud's Pop art license plate design". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Arts Plate". California Arts Council. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  24. ↑ https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCompareClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1429
  25. ↑ http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/legacyplates/index
  26. ↑ http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/legacyplates/faqs
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