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California Vanity Plate Checker

California has more registered vehicles than any other state, making its vanity plate scene incredibly competitive. From Hollywood stars to Silicon Valley tech moguls, everyone wants a unique plate in the Golden State. California's strict content guidelines and high fees ($103 initial + $83 annual) don't deter the millions who apply each year for that perfect combination.

5/7 characters

Popular California Plate Ideas

Click any idea above to check availability, or enter your own custom plate.

California Vanity Plate Rules

  • 2-7 characters maximum
  • Letters, numbers, spaces, and half spaces allowed
  • Cannot substitute numbers for letters inappropriately
  • $103 initial fee for standard plates
  • $83 annual renewal fee
  • Environmental plates cost $50 extra initially
  • California DMV has strict content validation
  • No login required to check availability
  • Personalized plates issued for 5-year periods

Tips for Getting Your California Plate

  • 1Check availability online at dmv.ca.gov without creating an account
  • 2Popular combinations go fast - check early morning when expired plates release
  • 3The Environmental (whale tail) plate offers more availability
  • 4Avoid number-for-letter substitutions - CA DMV specifically checks these
  • 5Legacy black and yellow plates make your car look vintage
  • 6Tech-related terms are highly competitive in Silicon Valley
  • 7Regional terms (SOCAL, NORCAL) are extremely popular

California Plate Info

Initial Fee$103
Annual Renewal$83/year
Max Characters7
AllowedLetters, numbers, and spaces
Processing Time4-6 weeks
Visit California DMV

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Did You Know?

  • •California has the most registered vehicles of any US state
  • •The Legacy License Plate Program offers vintage black and yellow designs
  • •Environmental plates fund clean air programs and cost $50 extra
  • •California processes over 200,000 vanity plate requests annually
  • •The CA DMV website allows instant availability checking without login
  • •California's strict review process rejects about 15% of applications
  • •Celebrity vanity plates are often sold at charity auctions for thousands
  • •The state has been issuing vanity plates since 1970

Popular Specialty Plates

  • ✓Environmental (Whale Tail)
  • ✓Legacy Black & Yellow
  • ✓UCLA Bruins
  • ✓USC Trojans
  • ✓Cal Bears
  • ✓Stanford Cardinal

+ 6 more specialty designs

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