CougarCJ
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2006
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California Black License Plate Information
This is a cut and paste.
Basically, as I understand the rules - Treated as personalized plates ($45 extra per year), letter sequence must fall within the issuing year for your car, and you must have two plates to register.
Its about time! Calfornia State Assembly Bill # 462 was fully passed October 11, 2007 and will take effect July 1, 2009. It will allow year of manufacture license plates to be utilized on vehicles 1969 and older, or the owner of a commercial vehicle or pickup truck 1972 or older, and increase the fee to $45. The entire text of the amended DMV section law is below. Basically what the amended law does is allow YOM use of the 1963 series, California, steel, black and yellow license plates and the 1970 series, six and seven diget blue and yellow aluminum license plates for commercial vehicles and pickup trucks 1972 or older. This opens up two classic and important California series of license plates to include YOM for rare and important 1960's and early 1970 vehicles. This is absolutely fabulous because AB 462 provides YOM plate use for all the 60's muscle cars Cougar, Mustang, Camaro, and Corvette.
The 1963 series black, steel, plates, has "63" stamped in the upper right hand corner of these plates. This area of the plate was covered by a year sticker in 1964. 1963 series was the last of the California steel license plates. Some of the last, very late, 1969 issues of the 1963 series steel plates were made of aluminum. The 1970 series replacement plates were aluminum, six digit, medium blue and yellow digit configuration, increasing to seven digits in 1972 and was the first time Californians were able to get a personalized, seven digit license plate at extra cost. The most sought after plate at the time was PORSCHE.
The 1963 series six digit, steel plate was configured beginning with three letters followed by three numbers. The 1970 series, aluminum plate was configured beginning with three numbers followed by three letters.
The 1963-69 series plate began alphabetically, with three letters beginning with AAA and ending in 1969 with approximately ZZW. Consequently, you can reasonably estimate the approximate year the plate was issued by the beginning three letters. For example, a plate beginning with D,E, F, G or H would have been isued in 1964. T, U or V would have been issued in 1967. W and X, 1968, Y and Z, 1969 and so on. So now, an entire era of great classic cars can run registered, correct year, original California plates and stickers (if you can find them).
IMPORTANT: DMV is asking (requiring?) that your YOM Black plates be correct year/letter range for your year vehicle. So, make sure your 63-69 Black plates correspond with your year vehicle. My research has shown the 1963-69 year-by-year, letter allocation breakdown has some overlap, but generally plates BEGINNING with the following letters correspond to the year of issue: ABCD= 1963, EFGHI=1964, JKLMN=1965, OPQRS=1966, TUVW=1967, WXYZ=1968-69. .
YOM plate transfer and retention rules appear to remain the same, so you can take the plates with you if you plan to put them on the same year vehicle. I think this is a great change and about time. I am not an expert but tried to get it right as best I know. This needed amendment to the YOM section was cultivated and driven by several dedicated car club members who spent real time going after it in Sacramento.
BILL NUMBER: AB 462 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
CHAPTER 497
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE OCTOBER 11, 2007
APPROVED BY GOVERNOR OCTOBER 11, 2007
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 30, 2007
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 5, 2007
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 17, 2007
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 10, 2007
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 20, 2007
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2007
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 27, 2007
FEBRUARY 20, 2007
An act to amend Section 5004.1 of the Vehicle Code, relating to
vehicles.
This is a cut and paste.
Basically, as I understand the rules - Treated as personalized plates ($45 extra per year), letter sequence must fall within the issuing year for your car, and you must have two plates to register.
Its about time! Calfornia State Assembly Bill # 462 was fully passed October 11, 2007 and will take effect July 1, 2009. It will allow year of manufacture license plates to be utilized on vehicles 1969 and older, or the owner of a commercial vehicle or pickup truck 1972 or older, and increase the fee to $45. The entire text of the amended DMV section law is below. Basically what the amended law does is allow YOM use of the 1963 series, California, steel, black and yellow license plates and the 1970 series, six and seven diget blue and yellow aluminum license plates for commercial vehicles and pickup trucks 1972 or older. This opens up two classic and important California series of license plates to include YOM for rare and important 1960's and early 1970 vehicles. This is absolutely fabulous because AB 462 provides YOM plate use for all the 60's muscle cars Cougar, Mustang, Camaro, and Corvette.
The 1963 series black, steel, plates, has "63" stamped in the upper right hand corner of these plates. This area of the plate was covered by a year sticker in 1964. 1963 series was the last of the California steel license plates. Some of the last, very late, 1969 issues of the 1963 series steel plates were made of aluminum. The 1970 series replacement plates were aluminum, six digit, medium blue and yellow digit configuration, increasing to seven digits in 1972 and was the first time Californians were able to get a personalized, seven digit license plate at extra cost. The most sought after plate at the time was PORSCHE.
The 1963 series six digit, steel plate was configured beginning with three letters followed by three numbers. The 1970 series, aluminum plate was configured beginning with three numbers followed by three letters.
The 1963-69 series plate began alphabetically, with three letters beginning with AAA and ending in 1969 with approximately ZZW. Consequently, you can reasonably estimate the approximate year the plate was issued by the beginning three letters. For example, a plate beginning with D,E, F, G or H would have been isued in 1964. T, U or V would have been issued in 1967. W and X, 1968, Y and Z, 1969 and so on. So now, an entire era of great classic cars can run registered, correct year, original California plates and stickers (if you can find them).
IMPORTANT: DMV is asking (requiring?) that your YOM Black plates be correct year/letter range for your year vehicle. So, make sure your 63-69 Black plates correspond with your year vehicle. My research has shown the 1963-69 year-by-year, letter allocation breakdown has some overlap, but generally plates BEGINNING with the following letters correspond to the year of issue: ABCD= 1963, EFGHI=1964, JKLMN=1965, OPQRS=1966, TUVW=1967, WXYZ=1968-69. .
YOM plate transfer and retention rules appear to remain the same, so you can take the plates with you if you plan to put them on the same year vehicle. I think this is a great change and about time. I am not an expert but tried to get it right as best I know. This needed amendment to the YOM section was cultivated and driven by several dedicated car club members who spent real time going after it in Sacramento.
BILL NUMBER: AB 462 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
CHAPTER 497
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE OCTOBER 11, 2007
APPROVED BY GOVERNOR OCTOBER 11, 2007
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 30, 2007
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 5, 2007
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 17, 2007
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 10, 2007
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 20, 2007
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2007
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 27, 2007
FEBRUARY 20, 2007
An act to amend Section 5004.1 of the Vehicle Code, relating to
vehicles.
