California DMV - Plates & HOV Stickers

[jeremymc7]

You should have got to keep the old plates. You can’t put them on the new car until your registration reflects the legacy plates.

Hopefully you won’t get new plates and just get to switch from the paper plates to the legacy plates.

Unfortunately in my case they sent new metal plates but the legacy plates transferred.

 

[Monet3333]

You should have got to keep the old plates. You can’t put them on the new car until your registration reflects the legacy plates.

Hopefully you won’t get new plates and just get to switch from the paper plates to the legacy plates.

Unfortunately in my case they sent new metal plates but the legacy plates transferred.

Thank you fir the quick reply. I still have my legacy plates on my current car and temp on Y. I guess I just have to wait for plates to come and hopefully be able to swap. Did you wait til new plates before HOV sticker too?

 

[jeremymc7]

I had the old HOV from the prior car and used those even though not assigned to the new car.

The new HOV for the new car ended up getting messed up during pandemic. They got the check and paperwork. But they never put the check in and eventually they lost the check. They had the paperwork. Eventually they just agreed to next day air the new stickers and wrote off the check. Amazing right.

 

[Monet3333]

Nothing surprises me with dmv lol. Hopefully nothing goes wrong with mine.

 

[jeremymc7]

I was just amazed they next day aired at their expense. And didn’t ask me for another check so it cost me nothing, but time making the call.

 

[Monet3333]

in the end it’s probably your money anyways since it’s our tax dollars paying them

 

[4SUPER9]

Thank you fir the quick reply. I still have my legacy plates on my current car and temp on Y. I guess I just have to wait for plates to come and hopefully be able to swap. Did you wait til new plates before HOV sticker too?

You actually do not need the new plates themselves, just the plate numbers. There is a way to figure that out, though I do not know. AAA may be able to help you.

 

[mgs333]

Bought the car on 12/30/2022, mailed in the application on 1/3/2023 based on some feedback here that you don't need the plate number before applying.

1/19/2023: received a mail returning my application and $22 check saying the car is not registered in my name yet and to reapply once it's in my name. The form was dated 1/10/2023. I can wait until I receive my registration card or call 800-777-0133 to verify the ownership application is complete.

Seems like I was too eager or Tesla needs some time to submit the paperwork after the year end rush. I think I'll just mail it now again (assuming the registration should be done by the time they get the application again around end of January) rather than try to wait hours on the phone or wait for the registration to come.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Bought the car on 12/30/2022, mailed in the application on 1/3/2023 based on some feedback here that you don't need the plate number before applying.

1/19/2023: received a mail returning my application and $22 check saying the car is not registered in my name yet and to reapply once it's in my name. The form was dated 1/10/2023. I can wait until I receive my registration card or call 800-777-0133 to verify the ownership application is complete.

Seems like I was too eager or Tesla needs some time to submit the paperwork after the year end rush. I think I'll just mail it now again (assuming the registration should be done by the time they get the application again around end of January) rather than try to wait hours on the phone or wait for the registration to come.

The advice only really applied during the pandemic when the processing times were very long for the stickers. Now it's very quick as you found out, so you can even do it after you get your registration card and probably won't really miss out on much.

 

[iyordanov]

Any idea if they are currently mailing yellow or orange stickers? As I thought it should be yellow but I saw one person with an orange sticker expiring in 2026. DMV's website doesn't offer a clue for that.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Any idea if they are currently mailing yellow or orange stickers? As I thought it should be yellow but I saw one person with an orange sticker expiring in 2026. DMV's website doesn't offer a clue for that.

The orange sticker was issued in 2020 and expires in 2024. The original program expires on 9/2025, so the yellow sticker should be the last series. I see no announcements about there being an extension or a new series. Are you sure you recall correctly?

Clean Air Vehicle Decals - California DMV

If you drive a vehicle that meets certain emissions standards and other criteria, you may be able to get Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decals and a CAV decal identification (ID) card, which allow single occupancy use of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV, or carpool) lanes.

www.dmv.ca.gov

Current Clean Air Vehicle Decal | California Air Resources Board

Apply for a Decal Eligible Vehicle List The California DMV began the new Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal program on January 1, 2019 for qualifying vehicles that have never received a CAV decal.

ww2.arb.ca.gov

 

[iyordanov]

The orange sticker was issued in 2020 and expires in 2024. The original program expires on 9/2025, so the yellow sticker should be the last series. I see no announcements about there being an extension or a new series. Are you sure you recall correctly?

Clean Air Vehicle Decals - California DMV

If you drive a vehicle that meets certain emissions standards and other criteria, you may be able to get Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decals and a CAV decal identification (ID) card, which allow single occupancy use of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV, or carpool) lanes.

www.dmv.ca.gov

Current Clean Air Vehicle Decal | California Air Resources Board

Apply for a Decal Eligible Vehicle List The California DMV began the new Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal program on January 1, 2019 for qualifying vehicles that have never received a CAV decal.

ww2.arb.ca.gov

I know the same, then again since we sell PPF + Tint for yellow HOV stickers (2022 California HOV Stickers PPF + Tint), a customer reached out to let me know he got orange ones with expiry date 2026, and they were different shape than the yellow ones... still wondering what's happening. So far just one person.

 

[shurik74]

I had to wait for real CA license plate to come in first before sending my application to DMV with $22 check. Took about 3 weeks to get stickers mailed to me.

Received yellow stickers valid until 2025 in mid December 2022.

 

[3sr+buyer]

a customer reached out to let me know he got orange ones with expiry date 2026, and they were different shape than the yellow ones...

Could be that the customer bought a used car that previously had orange stickers (that expire 1/1/2024), so the DMV issued new orange ones (that expire 1/1/2024) for that car.

Note that the current yellow stickers are round on the right side, versus the previous colors that are round on the left side. That is because there was a previous series of yellow stickers (now long expired) offered for hybrid vehicles. (The image of the yellow sticker on Clean Air Vehicle Decals for Using Carpool and HOV Lanes - California DMV looks like the old one, not the current one. The descriptions of the current and recent stickers are incorrect also.)

 

[iyordanov]

Could be that the customer bought a used car that previously had orange stickers (that expire 1/1/2024), so the DMV issued new orange ones (that expire 1/1/2024) for that car.

Note that the current yellow stickers are round on the right side, versus the previous colors that are round on the left side. That is because there was a previous series of yellow stickers (now long expired) offered for hybrid vehicles. (The image of the yellow sticker on Clean Air Vehicle Decals for Using Carpool and HOV Lanes - California DMV looks like the old one, not the current one. The descriptions of the current and recent stickers are incorrect also.)

Ahh, good point! I didn't think of that, thank you!

 

[EVLR]

can a sticker be applied with a temporary license plate or we need to wait till we get the actual license plate from dmv?

 

[astrorob]

can a sticker be applied with a temporary license plate or we need to wait till we get the actual license plate from dmv?

you need to get the actual license plate before sending in the sticker form.

 

[jeremymc7]

you need to get the actual license plate before sending in the sticker form.

I was just going to post the same thing. I had to wait too.

Actually worse in my case since I was also transferring a custom plate. So even though I knew the plate (plus new and old VIN)
because I took it off another car I had to wait even longer.

 

[astrorob]

I was just going to post the same thing. I had to wait too.

Actually worse in my case since I was also transferring a custom plate. So even though I knew the plate (plus new and old VIN)
because I took it off another car I had to wait even longer.

i just got yet another EV and i think will be the 6th sticker that i've applied for. if i remember correctly, at some point, they were allowing you to send in the REG1000 with the license plate number blank and they would sit on it until they could look up the VIN and get the plate number. this was probably way back in the days of the yellow sticker for hybrids. but this did change at some point and i think they started bouncing forms that didn't have a license plate number entered by the submitter.

how did you find out you were clear to submit REG1000 since you already had the plates?

 

[jeremymc7]

i just got yet another EV and i think will be the 6th sticker that i've applied for. if i remember correctly, at some point, they were allowing you to send in the REG1000 with the license plate number blank and they would sit on it until they could look up the VIN and get the plate number. this was probably way back in the days of the yellow sticker for hybrids. but this did change at some point and i think they started bouncing forms that didn't have a license plate number entered by the submitter.

how did you find out you were clear to submit REG1000 since you already had the plates?

They don't me I had to wait until after the new plates automatically assign were processed again the new car vin, and after the existing plates were reassigned to the new car / vin.

Side note - oddly the plates automatically assigned to the new car are on all my Tesla paperwork. I just had mobile service come out and it shows the plates that were never even put on the car. I don't even know if I want to try and fix that with Tesla or not. Mobile service said it doesn't matter they go off VIN. Could be a problem if it ever went in to service and they couldn't find a plate on the lot that matched their paperwork.