Vehicle registration plates of California
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. 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.
Passenger baseplates
Pre-state plates
1914 to 1962
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 at in height by in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1955 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 | Replaced all 1905–13 plates. | |
| 1915 | black on yellow porcelain | 123456 | 1 to 163557 | ||
| 1916 | blue on white porcelain | 123456 | 1 to 234317 | Validation tabs: 1916 Bear 1916 Bear | |
| 1917 | blue on white porcelain | 123456 | 234318 to 357299 | Registered owners of plate numbers 1 to 234317 only received the Poppy tabs to place on their 1916 plates. Validation tab: Poppy | |
| 1918 | blue on white porcelain | 123456 | 357300 to 485000 | Registered owners of plate numbers 1 to 357299 only received the Bell tabs to place on their 1916 plates. Validation tab: Bell | |
| 1919 | blue on white porcelain | 123456 | 485001 to 599705 | 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 | ||
| 1922 | blue on white | 123456 | 1 to 2000; 70001 to 881909 | 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. | |
| 1925 | black on yellow | A-12 345 | A 1 to | Serials 30 01 through 250 000 reserved for non-passenger vehicles. | |
| 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. | |
| 1926 | white on blue | A-12 345 | A-1 to | Serials 40 01 through 320 000 reserved for non-passenger vehicles. | |
| 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 | 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 L were used in Northern California, and M 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 A/A 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 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1942: | ||
| yellow on black | 1A 23 45 12 A 345 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1943: | ||
| yellow on black | 1A 23 45 12 A 345 | ? to ? | Validation sticker for 1944: | ||
| white on black | 1A 23 45 12 A 345 | ? to ? | Only rear plates issued. Validation tab for 1946: | ||
| black on yellow | 1A 23 456 12A 3 456 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1948: | ||
| black on yellow | 1A 23 456 12A 3 456 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1949: | ||
| black on yellow | 1A 23 456 12A 3 456 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1950: | ||
| 1951–55 | yellow on black | 1A 23 456 12 A 3 456 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1952: | |
| 1951–55 | yellow on black | 1A 23 456 12 A 3 456 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1953: | |
| 1951–55 | yellow on black | 1A 23 456 12 A 3 456 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1954: | |
| 1951–55 | yellow on black | 1A 23 456 12 A 3 456 | ? to ? | Validation tab for 1955: | |
| 1956–62 | black on yellow | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to approximately YRT 999 | Validation sticker for 1957: | |
| 1956–62 | black on yellow | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to approximately YRT 999 | Validation sticker for 1958: | |
| 1956–62 | black on yellow | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to approximately YRT 999 | Validation sticker for 1959: | |
| 1956–62 | black on yellow | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to approximately YRT 999 | Validation sticker for 1960: | |
| 1956–62 | black on yellow | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to approximately YRT 999 | Validation sticker for 1961: | |
| 1956–62 | black on yellow | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to approximately YRT 999 | 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. 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 used only as the second letter. 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 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 | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| gold on black, embossed state name | none | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to ZZZ 999 | |||
| 1969–80 | gold on blue, embossed state name | 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. | |
| 1980–86 | gold on blue, embossed state name | none | 1ABC123 | 1AAA000 to 1SWC999 | 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. | |
| 1982 –late 1987 | blue on reflective white with graphic Art Deco state name | The 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 | none | 1ABC123 | 2GQA000 to 3FMG999 | ||
| early 1994 – early 1998 | blue on reflective white with graphic red state name | none | 1ABC123 | 3GAA000 to 3XZZ999 | The state name was modified twice to increase its size. | |
| early 1998 – late 2000 | blue on reflective white with graphic red state name | Sesquicentennial - 150 Years | 1ABC123 | 4AAA000 to 4NOZ999 | The state name was modified twice to increase its size. | |
| late 2000 – late 2011 | blue on reflective white with graphic red state name | none | 1ABC123 | 4NPA000 to 6TPV999 | The state name was modified twice to increase its size. | |
| late 2011 – present | blue on reflective white with graphic red state name | dmv.ca.gov | 1ABC123 | 6TPW000 to 8SRZ600 | The state name was modified twice to increase its size. |
Non-passenger plates
Occupational plates
On each occupational plate type, the full-size number is constant for each distributing entity, while the small suffix varies. Only rear plates are required for each type.| Image | Type | First issued | Serial format | Notes |
| Dealer | D/L/R 1234 1/2/A | |||
| Dismantler | D/S/M 1234 1/2/A | |||
| Manufacturer | M/F/G 1234 1/2/A | |||
| New Vehicle Distributor | D/S/T 1234 1/2/A | |||
| Remanufacturer | R/M/F 1234 1/2/A | |||
| Special Equipment Dealer/Manufacturer | 1A MFG 1234 | Motorcycle-sized. | ||
| Transporter | T/R/N 1234 1/2/A |
Legislative plates
Stickers
Optional types (specialty plates)
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
The use of year-of-manufacture plates is authorized by 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.In July 2009, California extended its YOM program to include passenger vehicles from 1963 to 1969, and commercial vehicles 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. 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.
In August 2016, California extended the year-of-manufacture license plate program to include vehicles through the 1980 model year.
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 plate reached the required 7,500 minimum orders before January 1, 2015. The 1950s and 1970s plates did not achieve the required 7,500 minimum orders. 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.Temporary registration plates
California did not issue temporary license plates for new vehicle purchases until 2019. Prior to 2019, California was unusual among the U.S. states in not requiring any form of temporary license plate. Vehicle dealers were still required to electronically report sales of new vehicles to the DMV, but they were only required to print out a DMV report-of-sale form at the time of sale. Newly purchased vehicles typically drove around for a month or more with nothing but a dealer's advertisement or logo on a paper plate insert where the license plate would go, and the DMV report-of-sale form was instead taped to the windshield. This made the new vehicle essentially "untraceable" both by plain visual observation by persons, and by automated means such as license-plate reading systems, red light cameras, and automatic number plate recognition. This led to an epidemic of drivers of newly purchased vehicles cheating tolls on bridges and toll roads where a transponder system is used instead of toll booths, causing the state to lose $15–19 million per year. Because of this, new state legislation was adopted in 2016 requiring temporary license plates in California beginning in 2019. The DMV's reporting system was modified so that dealers could print out the temporary license plates on special paper.The law was inspired by the hit-and-run death of a pedestrian who was struck by a car with dealer paper inserts, and because it had no temporary plates it was impossible to trace the suspect. California's previous lack of a temporary plate requirement was jokingly known as the "Steve Jobs loophole" due to the one-time Apple CEO's habit of keeping rolling six-month leases on a series of Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMGs specifically to avoid having to put license plates on the cars. California's previous lack of temporary plates was also taken advantage of by criminals, who knew that a car driving with a dealer ad paper insert was both untraceable and did not raise suspicion.