California DMV's resources hub for all vehicle license plate and decal types: disabled person plates, special interest plates, clean air vehicle decals, and more. Appendix 1E - California License Plate Data (1914-1980).0105 Automobile License Plates, continued Year Plate Color Character Color Comments Plate Data Plate Material 1944 Black Mustard Yellow A paper sticker measuring attached inside the windshield was issued for use with 1941 or 1942 license plates. The sticker measured 3” by x 2 1/2”. In 1963, California issued new base license plates with a black background and yellow lettering. Passenger car plates have 3 letters and 3 numbers. Truck / commercial plates have 1 letter. California YOM Information for 1956 to 1962 California Vehicles / License Plates In 1956, California issued new base license plates with a yellow background and black lettering. Passenger car plates have 3 letters and 3 numbers. Truck / commercial plates have 1 letter and 5 numbers.
| California 1969/70 passenger issue. Gold-on-blue plates were introduced starting in 1969, and again vehicles of that era would still carry their original plates with proper stickers. Most of these plates were issued with 1970 as their first expiration, but a handful got out with 1969 stickers. In fact, some plates issued in late 1969 received their 1969 and 1970 stickers at the same time due to the late-year registration. This plate has the same narrower dies for the state name as the older 1963-era plates had. This series of plates started off with a 123-ABC format, later changed to 1ABC234 when the series was exhausted. Gold-on-blue plates were issued through the end of 1986 in California. |
| California 1977 passenger issue. Later period California blue plate. This plate features a wider die set for the state name and smaller sticker wells at the top corners. This series began in 1975 starting with plate number 501-LXU. This plate also has a month sticker, as California adopted staggered registration starting with 1976 expirations. |
| California 1978 passenger issue. Another variant on the blue base, plates starting in 1977 in the late 'S' series through approximately the 'WKZ' series carried these fatter serial dies. This variation was fairly short-lived, only lasting a year or so before the next set of dies was rolled out (see next.) |
| California 1981 passenger issue. In late 1977, at the beginning of the 'WLA' series of plates, California switched to narrower dies for the serial numbers on these plates. This was done at this time due to an exhaustion of available six-digit commercial plate combinations, making that the first series to switch to seven digits. Passenger plate would follow suit in 1980, see next. Similar dies are still in use today. |
| California 1982 passenger issue. In April 1980, the regular 123-ABC series was exhausted and California switched over to a 1ABC234 format. This numbering sequence is still in use today, with plates having passed the 7AAA000 mark in March, 2013. Some of these seven-digit blue plates have the letters 'CA' lightly etched in the upper left sticker well. I have one of these, in the '1MVR' series, but the etching wouldn't show up in a scan so it is not included on this page. |
| California 1984 passenger issue. The 'Golden State' baseplate was introduced in December 1982 and was an optional baseplate issued concurrently with the gold-on-blue seven-digit base until the end of 1986 for an additional $5 fee. This plate then became the general issue from January through October of 1987. Plates were issued starting with 2AAA000 and ending up around 2GPZ999, making this a rather rare (by California standards) variety. These plates are also still in use today on cars originally registered with them, and are considered to be something of a status symbol. This plate was awarded ALPCA's Plate of the Year award for 1983. |
| California 1986 passenger issue. Another of the Golden State plates issued during the period where the plate was still an optional issue. This plate has a lightly debossed 'CA' in the lefthand sticker box. This does not appear very easily in the scan, but is more readily seen by looking at the back of the plate. This feature was added to stem concerns that these new screened plates could still be identified as California plates in cases such as a fire when the screened background was somehow obliterated. |
| California 1987 passenger issue. Blue seven-digit plates were issued concurrently with 'Golden State' bases through the end of 1986, confirmed into the '1SWC' series. These blue plates were then discontinued. Plate numbers in the '1' series after this point were not used and are now being issued on some special-issue California bases. This plate also uses the redesigned blue-on-white month sticker, introduced with exp. 1986 plates and still in use today. |
| California 1988 passenger issue. As mentioned before, starting in January, 1987, this plate became the general issue for the state for a whopping ten months. Some Golden State plates manufactured near the beginning of this stretch were made on old blue blanks to use them up. If you look closely at this plate, you can see blue sticking out along the edges of the plate. If California's DMV had any sense of humor, they would have issued this entire '2DRY' series in the Death Valley area, but they probably didn't. |
| California 1988 passenger issue. Red and blue-on-white reflective plates were introduced in California in October 1987. This series started at the '2GQA' series, picking up where the 'Golden State' graphic base had left off. California had passed a law requiring that all plates be made reflectorized, and the change to this more generic base from the 'Golden State' baseplate was supposedly made to curb plate production costs. The result was one of the more boring periods of California plate history, I must say. |
| California 1993 passenger issue. Continuation of the plate series above, when the end of the '2' series of plates was reached in 1992, the plate series changed over to 3AAA000. Plates of this type were observed through the '3FMG' series, when the baseplate was changed. |
| California 1995 passenger issue. This variation of California baseplate features the state name scripted across the top in red. This plate series started with the '3GAA' series, and was used through approximately the '3XZZ' series. Earlier versions of this plate (3GAA-3KOA) used a smaller script for the state name, while later ones (from the 3N-3P series or so) enlarged the script somewhat. This is a plate from the first series, with the smaller script. |
| California 1996 passenger issue. Variation number two of the Script plate, this plate features the 'medium' size for the script which was used from the 3KOB series through somewhere in the 3N/3P series. |
| California 1998 passenger issue. This is the third of the variations on the Script plate, with the largest size used for the script on the state name. Production varied between the previous (medium) sized script and this larger one through the 3N and early 3P series before this larger script came into consistent use early in the 3Ps. Apparently this time the state name was finally written large enough, as this size has been retained ever since. |
| California 1999 passenger issue. Starting in early 1998, the Script base was modified again to add the (rather redundant) slogan 'Sesquicentennial - 150 Years'. These plates were issued starting with plate number 4AAA000, skipping the 3YAA000-3ZZZ999 block entirely. This plate celebrates the 150th anniversary of California statehood in 2000. Plates with this slogan were issued through late 2000. |
| California 2002 passenger issue. Near the end of 2000, at the '4NPA' series of plates, the 'Sesquicentennial' slogan was removed from the plate, resulting in an issue identical to the series of plates immediately before the Sesquicentennial issue. This is once again the current design of California plate, now being issued in the 5 series. |
| California 2004 passenger issue. Continuation of the series, the state crossed over into the 5 series in January 2003. Issuance of this series has been steady, reaching into the 6 series by 2007. |
| California 2007 passenger issue. Minor variation alert - at some point in 2005, at least one of California's plate-stamping presses seems to have been re-tooled, replacing the traditional debossed border die with a flat, beveled edge instead. This variation began to appear sporadically in the late 5 series, only affecting the percentage of plates produced on the retooled equipment. Plates with each border type are still appearing into the 6 series. |
| California 2012 passenger issue. In late 2011, reportedly starting in the 6TPW series, the state added their DMV web address to the bottom of the standard passenger issue. The plates otherwise remain unchanged. |
| California 2014 passenger issue. California passed into the 7 series in mid-2013, which was nearly exhausted as of July, 2017. Conjecture has begun as to what the next series will be, although at current issuance rates, that probably won't be known for another 7-8 years. If the commercial series is any predictor, the likely successor is 123ABC4, with the last number remaining static for an entire series, pretty much the opposite of the current. |
| California 2019 passenger issue. The state rolled into the 8 series in the summer of 2017. The website base continues unchanged since its introduction in the late 6 series. |
Additional California information provided by: Jon Miller, Dave Hermanson, Scott Broady, Alan Erland
| Ahead to Colorado |
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Return to U.S. Plates Index
© Copyright 1998-2020 David Nicholson. All Rights Reserved.
Last Modified 1/20/2020 (added 2019 plate).
1976 was the year that California started staggered registrations
1975 stickers had been issued for the calendar year 1975, with no month stickers to go with them
In 1976, drivers received month stickers based on the center two characters of their plate
In January of 1976, a driver would get an expiration somewhere between July of 1976 and June of 1977
Therefore, only half of California's vehicles got 1976 stickers
The system was based on the B and 2 from a type ABC 123 or 123 ABC configuration
Thanks to Scott Broady of San Francisco, California for the information
California License Plate Sticker Colors By Year
1969 style plates were updated with 1976 expiration stickers in 1975
Two different widths on the embossed blue California plates are shown above with a close up below with the wider version first issued in 1975
The plate on the left is a later issue to a new registrant in 1975, and made of aluminum instead of steel like the one on the right
The aluminum plates started at 701 LXU and went through 999 WKZ according to the ALPCA Archive
January 1977 expiration on 69 style California plate
1976 sample tabs on 63 and 69 sample plates
Shown here with 76 and 77 expiration stickers, this style of plate was first issued in 1963
According to License Plate County Codes of the United States and Canada by Tom Boyd, Eric Tanner and William Davis,'For the initial allotments of base plates issued in 1963, specific blocks of letters were assigned for issue by individual counties.'
The KMX plate was issued in San Diego County, while the UPD plate was a later issue with no direct county correlation
The 1963 plates came with the upper right sticker well debossed with a 63 and without it, as shown above from a backside view
California Commercial For Hire Weight Fee Truck withtab issued in November of 1975 for expiration in November of 1976
1976 California quarterly commercial expiration tabsused on 1963 and 1969 commercial plates. Example shown below
1969 version of the California commercial license plates with December 1976 and August 1977 year long expirations
1975 version with longer California embossing at the top of California commercial plates
The one of the left has a January 1977 year long expiration meaning it was used through 1976, and the seven digit plate on the right was used from July 1. 1976 to July 30, 1977
The seven digit plates were later issues after they exhausted the 6 digit issues
Last Modified 1/20/2020 (added 2019 plate).
1976 was the year that California started staggered registrations
1975 stickers had been issued for the calendar year 1975, with no month stickers to go with them
In 1976, drivers received month stickers based on the center two characters of their plate
In January of 1976, a driver would get an expiration somewhere between July of 1976 and June of 1977
Therefore, only half of California's vehicles got 1976 stickers
The system was based on the B and 2 from a type ABC 123 or 123 ABC configuration
Thanks to Scott Broady of San Francisco, California for the information
California License Plate Sticker Colors By Year
1969 style plates were updated with 1976 expiration stickers in 1975
Two different widths on the embossed blue California plates are shown above with a close up below with the wider version first issued in 1975
The plate on the left is a later issue to a new registrant in 1975, and made of aluminum instead of steel like the one on the right
The aluminum plates started at 701 LXU and went through 999 WKZ according to the ALPCA Archive
January 1977 expiration on 69 style California plate
1976 sample tabs on 63 and 69 sample plates
Shown here with 76 and 77 expiration stickers, this style of plate was first issued in 1963
According to License Plate County Codes of the United States and Canada by Tom Boyd, Eric Tanner and William Davis,'For the initial allotments of base plates issued in 1963, specific blocks of letters were assigned for issue by individual counties.'
The KMX plate was issued in San Diego County, while the UPD plate was a later issue with no direct county correlation
The 1963 plates came with the upper right sticker well debossed with a 63 and without it, as shown above from a backside view
California Commercial For Hire Weight Fee Truck withtab issued in November of 1975 for expiration in November of 1976
1976 California quarterly commercial expiration tabsused on 1963 and 1969 commercial plates. Example shown below
1969 version of the California commercial license plates with December 1976 and August 1977 year long expirations
1975 version with longer California embossing at the top of California commercial plates
The one of the left has a January 1977 year long expiration meaning it was used through 1976, and the seven digit plate on the right was used from July 1. 1976 to July 30, 1977
The seven digit plates were later issues after they exhausted the 6 digit issues
California vanity plates with February and September 1976 expirations utilizing the two different die types.
1963 style base used at car dealership in California with 1976 tab. 1969 dealer type utilized also during 1976
March 1977 expiration issued in 1976 on 69 California dealer license plate. Month stickers were probably not used until 1982 on dealer plates
Someone may have peeled off a stack of stickers on this one to get to the 1977 year sticker
California trailer plates used in 1976 and into 1977. There is a 1976 expiration sticker buried underneath the 1977 one
The plate on the left is a 1963 vintage trailer plate, while the one on the right is a 1975 issue with the wider California embossing at the top
The plate on the left is a 1963 vintage trailer plate, while the one on the right is a 1975 issue with the wider California embossing at the top
1976 California Historical Vehicle plate. This type of plate was issued from 1965 according to the ALPCA archives.
The tab was issued in September of 1975 for expiration in September of 1976.
The Horseless Carriage plate on the right was issued from 1970 through 1983, and stickered each year of use.
1976 California disabled person's license plate.
Plates for the disabled had serial numbers that ended in DP
1976 expiration on California Consul Corps plate
1963 and 1969 style County/City exempt plates, as noted by the E in the octagon
These were in use on local government and local law enforcement vehicles in 1976
1963 and 1969 style California state vehicle plates show a diamond E monogram to the left
These were used through 1976 on all state vehicles including California State Patrol cars
California amateur radio operator license plate with a September 1977 expirations
The 1976 expiration sticker is also underneath the 77 sticker
Two types of dark yellow on blue California motorcycle bases
The plate on the left has one large single sticker box for the November and 1976 expiration stickers
The plate on the right has two sticker boxes for the separate stickers
You can also see the difference in the dies with a more rounded C used on the CAL of the plate on the right
July 1977 expiration issued in 1976 California motorcycle license plate
1963 California motorcycle base with tab issued inAugust of 1975 for expiration in August of 1976
The 1977 Cotton-Farm trailer tab would have used on California cotton farm trailer plates in 1976. Registrations were renewed every three years
The previous expiration was 1974. The 1977 expiration covered 1975, 1976 and 1977
California special equipment plate of the style first issued in 1969
These permanent plates were unstickered and used through 1976
Prorated waffle style plates with 1976 California prorate tab
1976 California boat registration stickers
These 3'x 3' stickers were affixed one sticker to each side of the vessel, 3 inchesaft of and in line with the actual registration number
1976 Riverside, California Bicentennial booster attachment
June 1976 sticker placed on top of the California Off Highway (All Terrain vehicles) registration sticker for ATV's
Plate placed on city owned vehicles in Los Angeles,California in 1976
April 1976 expiring Pasadena, California commercial business license plate
This small shield like plate went on the vehicles ofindividuals living in the Del Monte Forest/Pebble Beach Resort area ofthe Monterey Peninsula in California
I am assuming these were used aspasses into a gated community
Update License Plate Year Sticker
July 10-11 Modesto Paso de Las Sierras car rally plate
1976 Dew Drop In, Redwood City, California, booster plate
California cardboard movie prop plate dated with 76 sticker
A couple California exempt movie prop plates used on movie police cars
Plates I am looking for from California:
- 15 California
- Various 76 non passenger California plates not shown on this page.
California License Plate Year Sticker
You can contact me at mikesells@aol.comLicense Plate Stickers By Year
For more on California license plates, you can follow these links:
California Departmentof Motor Vehicles
