Vehicle registration plates of California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (April 2008) |
The U.S. state of California first issued license plates in 1913.
Contents |
[edit] Passenger baseplates
The state of California alternated issuing single year and multi-year plates.
[edit] Base plate colors 1914 to 1947
Some plates were revalidated for multiple years. For example, the 1947-dated plate was revalidated with metal tabs until 1950.
| Year of Expiry | Characters on background |
|---|---|
| 1914 | white on brick |
| 1915 | black on yellow |
| 1916 | blue on white |
| 1920 | white on black |
| 1921 | yellow on black |
| 1922 | blue on white |
| 1923 | white on black |
| 1924 | green on white |
| 1925 | yellow on black |
| 1926 | blue on white |
| 1927 | white on maroon |
| 1928 | yellow on blue |
| 1929 | orange on black |
| 1930 | black on orange |
| 1931 | orange on black |
| 1932 | black on orange |
| 1933 | orange on black |
| 1934 | black on orange |
| 1935 | orange on black |
| 1936 | black on orange |
| 1937 | orange on black |
| 1938 | black on yellow |
| 1939 | yellow on blue |
| 1940 | black on orange |
| 1941 | yellow on black |
| 1947 | black on yellow |
[edit] Baseplates 1950 to present
All base plates from 1963 to present are still valid for use, assuming that the plate never left the vehicle and the vehicle maintained concurrent registration.
| Image | First issued | Design | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | yellow on black, non-reflective, embossed state name dated 1951, revalidated with metal tabs |
1A23456 | |||
 |
1955 | black on yellow, non-reflective, embossed state name, first plate in the standard size of twelve inches by six inches | ABC 123 | AAA 000 to ? | |
 |
1962 | yellow on black, non-reflective, embossed state name | ABC 123 | ? to ZZZ 999 | |
 |
1969 | yellow on blue, non-reflective, embossed state name | 123 ABC | 000 AAA to 999 ZZZ | |
 |
1980 | yellow on blue, non-reflective, embossed state name | 1ABC234 | 1AAA000 to ? | |
 |
1982 |
blue on white with graphic state name, reflective Introduced as an optional plate in 1982, became standard issue in 1987. |
1ABC234 | 2AAA000 to 2GPZ999 | 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 and the first time an optional-issue plate was so recognized. |
 |
1987 | blue on white with embossed red state name, reflective | 1ABC234 | 2GQA000 to 3FZZ999 | |
| 1996 | blue on white with graphic red state name, reflective | 1ABC234 | 3GAA000 to 3ZZZ999 | The state name was modified twice to increase its size. (The third and largest version is shown.) | |
 |
1998 | blue on white with graphic red state name and "Sesquicentennial - 150 Years", reflective | 1ABC234 | 4AAA000 to 4NOA999 | |
| 2000 | blue on white with graphic red state name, reflective | 1ABC234 | 4NPA000 to present | Identical in design to later plates on the 1996 base. |
[edit] Non-passenger types
| Image | Type | First issued | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Disabled Person—Motorcycle | 1234D/P | |||
|
Distributor | D/S/T 1234 1/2/A | Full-size number is constant for each distributing entity; stacked prefix varies. | ||
|
Exempt | 1234567 | 1000001 to present | "CA EXEMPT" across top. | |
|
Foreign Organization | 123 | 001 to present. | "FOREIGN ORGANIZATION" printed to left of serial. | |
|
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. | ||
|
Motorcycle | 12A3456 | |||
|
Permanent Trailer | 4AB1235 | "California Perm Trailer" across top. | ||
|
Press Photographer | P/P 1234 | |||
|
Special Equipment | S/E123456 | Motorcycle-sized. | ||
|
Tournament of Roses | TOFR123 | TOFR1 to present | ||
|
Trailer | 1AB2345 | Indistinguishable from passenger plates aside from serial format. | ||
|
Truck | 1A23456 | Indistinguishable from passenger plates aside from serial format. |
[edit] Optional types
| Image | Type | First issued | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1984 Olympics | L/A12345 | L/A00000 to present | No longer issued but still revalidated. | |
|
Arts Council | ABC123 123ABC |
Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||
|
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. | |
|
Firefighter—Motorcycle | 12A34 | 00A01 to present. | ||
|
Firefighter—Passenger | ABC123 | Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||
|
Lake Tahoe | 1ABC234 | Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||
|
Protect Our Coast & Ocean | 1ABC234 | Using previously unused letter blocks. | Background image modified during series. | |
|
Purple Heart—Motorcycle | PH1234 | |||
|
Veteran | ABC123 | Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||
|
We Will Never Forget | 1234MA | |||
|
University of California, Los Angeles | ABC123 | Using previously unused letter blocks. | ||
|
Yosemite National Park | 1ABC234 | Using previously unused letter blocks. |
[edit] Year of Manufacture plates
The use of Year of Manufacture plates is authorized by Section 5004.1 [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.
[edit] References
California License Plate Data (1914-1962)
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
