
The number in the serial corresponds to the district represented by the Senator.Ī small S by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the Senator.Ī small R indicates a retired Senator, and a small 1 after the small R indicates a second vehicle owned by the retired Senator.Īir Force Cross - Air Force Medal of Honor - Army Medal of Honor. The number in the serial corresponds to the district represented by the Assembly member.Ī small A by the number indicates a second vehicle owned by the Assembly member.Ī 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. Issued to limos and fleet vehicles until program eliminated by Senate Bill 611 on September 30, 2014.Ĭalifornias stickers are placed in the third well from the top on the left side. Plate numbers and letters represent the call letters assigned by the FCC.Ĭalifornia was either in red block or red script font. I, O and Q not used as first letters in the 123 ABC serial format.Īwarded 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.

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. California Plate Sticker Colors By Year Series Have Not 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.Īll letters are used, although I, O and Q are used only as the second letter. Serials 50-01 through 400-000 reserved for non-passenger vehicles.Īlong with the pre-1963 plates above, these plates can be used for the year-of-manufacture program, with appropriate year sticker. 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 plates were valid from the date of issuance until no longer needed for that car. On all vehicle types, registration validation stickers are also required, to be displayed on the rear plate. On motorcycles and some other non-passenger types, only rear plates are required.


Plates are currently issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
