THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA allows cars and trucks of model year 1962 and earlier* to be registered, street-legal, with original license plates corresponding to the model year of the vehicle.  This is known as the "YOM" (Year of Manufacture) program.  Many states have special "Antique Auto" license plates, but wouldn't you much rather go driving with the antique license plates themselves??

WIDE WHITEWALLS, RECHROMED BUMPERS and a beautiful new paint job are all fine and dandy, but nothing dresses up an old car like original license plates!  Whether you own a 100-point show winner, or a nice driver, or a crummy old jalopy, or a ratrod ... there is just something magic about original license plates that sets it apart from everything else.  It is actually one of the few things that even average people notice.  They don't care if you spent $2000 to get the little rust holes in your rocker panels fixed.  They notice the license plates.  Trust me, comments and compliments on your car will increase by a factor of about ten.  After you have seen a few cars with YOM plates, you WILL NOT want anything else!

THE YEAR OF THE LICENSE PLATES MUST MATCH THE MODEL YEAR OF THE CAR.  For example, a pair of 1947 plates on your 1947 Chevrolet.  Or for your 1955 Ford, a pair of 1951 plates with a "55" metal tab.  Or for your 1959 Cadillac, a pair of 1956 plates with the 1959 sticker. 

"MY 1955 FORD WAS BUILT AND PURCHASED IN 1954, so I want the ’54 tab."  Or, "My 1955 Ford was in existence in 1956, and I like the 1956 plates better."  Doesn't matter, it is a 1955 model and says 1955 on the title, so for YOM it takes the 1955 setup (55 tag on 1951 plates).

ANTIQUE PLATES ON NEWER CARS?  If your vehicle is any model year later than the cutoff (presently 1962), you cannot register antique plates.  Vehicles newer than the cutoff cannot take antique plates, and older vehicles can only take the proper configuration for the year of the car.  That's the way the law is set up.  Sorry, there is absolutely no way to assign antique plates to your new Lexus.

DMV CLEAR.  The vintage plates you want to register must be "DMV Clear".  This means the DMV has no record of that number.  The DMV will check their database and if the plate number comes up, it is "in use" and can't be registered.  (The term "DMV Clear" was invented by license plate collectors and not used by the DMV.  Their terminology is "we have no record of that number in our system".)  Some sellers use the term "DMV Cleared" and this has to be clarified.  The DMV does not save or certify a plate number as being officially clear.  Even a DMV printout only indicates a plate number was not on file as of that particular date and time.  The clear status cannot be considered permanent. 

CONTACTING THE DMV.  The prevailing procedure is to phone the DMV (1-800-777-0133), to ask if a particular license plate number is currently in use.  This process is fraught with difficulties and there are no guarantees as we shall see.   Any DMV employee who answers will be able to enter a plate number on the computer and tell you whether it is on file.  If it is on file, that means it is NOT clear and you can't use it for YOM.  And as a matter of policy, if it is on file they won't tell you who it is registered to.  (It might be good for collectors if they did, but a major can o' worms for everyone else!)

PROBLEMS CONTACTING THE DMV.  Considering the many thousands of normal transactions the DMV conducts daily, the number of YOM registrations is not even a tiny blip on the radar screen.  Understandably, antique license plates on collector cars are simply not a priority there.  The average DMV employee, even in Sacramento headquarters, knows little or nothing about the YOM program.  They are not old car hobbyists, they are just regular people working a 9-5 job.  To them, an old car is something out of the mid-1990's.  Asking them detailed questions, with all respect, is an exercise in futility.  Few of them are trained on YOM, and fewer still can tell you what is correct for your 1948 Kaiser.  Know your configuration before you call.  And I must add, although any DMV employee can tell you whether plate numbers are on file, and it is "generally reliable" information, they are human and it is not 100% foolproof.  In other words, even on easy questions, you can get different answers from different people the same day.  It has happened to me at least several times. 

ANYTHING THEY TELL YOU ON THE PHONE IS NOT BINDING.  It's like phoning the IRS for tax advice.  You take it at your own risk.  Plates are not absolutely proven "DMV clear" and available until you have paid the money and have the registration card in your hand.  (At which point, they are no longer available because they are YOURS!)

PLATES MAY BE CLEAR TODAY AND NOT CLEAR TOMORROW.  Even if the DMV never made any mistakes, plates cannot be assumed to be clear indefinitely.  There's a chance someone just registered 1935 plates that have your 1936 number.  Or, modern plates may have been manufactured and assigned your 1951 number, the one you were assured was clear last week.  Seven-character plates are especially vulnerable, since most modern plates are seven characters.  But it would be unwise to assume ANY plate numbers are totally safe and immune.  So if you have the plates and they're clear, don't sit on them ... get 'em registered.

IF THE PLATES ARE NOT CLEAR, DON'T DESPAIR.  Plenty of people still collect old license plates.  And, if you hang onto them, it's possible they will come up clear again (probably would take years however).

SOME SELLERS GUARANTEE USED PLATES AS DMV CLEAR.  That means they promise to refund your money if the plates come up as unavailable within a certain amount of time, usually 30 days.  Remember that Ebay sellers have no control over the DMV, and the guarantee is simply a business decision.  You can’t expect such a guarantee unless it is specifically mentioned in the listing.  

YOM APPLICATION FORM.  There is a form you fill out to register antique plates.  Unfortunately it is one of the few documents not available for download on the DMV website.  It is supposedly available at the local DMV offices, assuming they know what it is and can find it.  PLEASE NOTE THE FORM HAS RECENTLY CHANGED.  Contact me if you would like me to email you a free copy on a PDF file.  Please include your email address in the body of your request.  

DEALING WITH THE LOCAL DMV.  After you have called Sacramento to see if the plate number is clear, you fill out the YOM application form, grab the plates and head to your friendly neighborhood DMV branch office to register on your classic car.  There seem to be a few local offices that are at least somewhat familiar with the YOM process, but unfortunately they are the exception.  You will most likely get an employee who has never heard of the program.  They will call over a supervisor who may have heard of it, but never processed the paperwork.  And the supervisor can give you wrong information, and say you can’t register these plates, and there is no one else at the local level to appeal to.  Yes, it has happened to me.  They said although this plate number is available, the numbering format (by modern standards) applies to a truck and can't be registered on a car.  I politely replied that it was correct for a car in 1955, and that should be the criterion.  They said, no, sorry, you can't use it.  In such a case you have to call DMV Special Processing and they can finish it by phone (and yes, I do now have those plates registered on the '55 car).

THE HORROR STORIES I HAVE HEARD about dealing with local DMV offices in regards to YOM plates would make your blood curdle.  Stay tuned, I will see about putting together a compilation for lite comedy reading.  For starters, here are a few actual statements made by DMV employees:

• "There is no way you can do that.  The car will get impounded and towed away."  (Had to ask for her supervisor.)
• "For a 1959 car you need a 1956 plate with a 1959 metal tab, there were no stickers in 1959."  (False, California had stickers beginning in 1957.)
• "It's illegal to remove a sticker from a license plate."  (I think it's OK if the sticker is older than the DMV employee.)
• "Sacramento has every license plate record on microfilm going all the way back to the beginning."  (Fine, then why do you say, "We have no record of that number on our system"?)
• "This is a truck license plate number and can't be used on a car."  (YOM goes by original configuration, not current configuration.)
• "Repainted plates cannot be registered."  (Minority viewpoint of a few DMV branch managers.  Repainted plates are known to be illegal in some states, but not in California.  To my knowledge Sacramento has never disallowed repainted plates;  many people have them registered and I have never heard of anyone being cited for them.  I would ask them to show me the statute.)
• "That license plate number is not in our system, so yes, it's available."  (This in response to asking about my own plate number, as a test, which I know is currently registered!)
• "It's illegal to buy and sell license plates on Ebay."  (I guess we'll all soon be making license plates at Folsom Prison rather than just buying and selling them here!)

UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT QUITE SO AMUSING after you wait an hour in line and then get turned away by an employee who doesn't know anything.  It can and does happen.  All I can say is you should be as informed as possible in advance, don't go there to ask questions, be polite, do expect the runaround, and accept the fact you MAY have to go to a different DMV office altogether if this one fails!

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU NEED TO TAKE TO THE DMV?  The YOM plates, the year sticker or metal tab(s) if applicable, the YOM application form (best to have it filled out in advance), the car's current registration card, and your checkbook.  You don't need to take the car there, unless it is coming into the state and has no California registration, in which case they'll need to inspect it anyway (even for modern plates).  They don't usually ask you to turn in your existing plates, but if they do, and if the existing plates are collectible and you don't want to let them go, just politely say so.  You promised them to your 12-year-old son.  Or tell them the car has been in pieces for years and you don't have the plates, that's why you're getting this pair registered now.  My opinion:  you need not bother taking the existing plates in.  I have never heard of them pressing the issue. 

YOU WILL GET A TEMPORARY WINDOW STICKER to use until the new registration arrives in the mail.  You have to use the window sticker and you cannot use the YOM plates until the registration comes in the mail.  (And bear in mind, the YOM plates are not proven available UNTIL that time.)  But happy day when your registration arrives!  Slap on your antique plates, fire up the old heap and take the family out to John's Char-Burger in Livermore to celebrate!

YOU NEED TWO LICENSE PLATES.  For any car or truck in California, every year except 1945 and 1946, you need a matching pair of plates.  For trailers, or for any 1945 or 1946 model year vehicle, single plates only were issued. 

NUMBERING FORMAT for cars, trucks, and trailers are different for each of the license plate year types.  Here are the basics:

• Until 1955  

• Passenger cars -- up to seven characters (but with no special designation such as "COM", "BE", "PC", etc.)  

• Commercial -- "COM"  

• 1956 thru 1962  

• Passenger cars -- three letters followed by three numbers

• Commercial -- one letter followed by five numbers 

• Other configurations exist for various types of trailers, government vehicles etc., and not generally used for YOM.

WHAT ABOUT PICKUP TRUCKS?  Pickup trucks were considered commercial vehicles in the old days ... evidently there were no "urban cowboys."  Pickups were registered with commercial plates, along with taxis, delivery vans, Rancheros, El Caminos, etc.  Whether you want commercial plates on the old rig now is a matter of personal taste and opinion.  If it's a show truck where absolute authenticity is an issue, better stick with commercial plates.  But nowadays most truck owners are interested in hauling butt, not fertilizer.  The DMV doesn't seem to care, so I believe whether you use commercial plates or car plates is totally up to you. 

BASIC YEAR CONFIGURATION:

• Thru 1941:  New pair of plates per year.
• 1942:  New pair of 1942 plates, or 1941 plates with 1942 top strips, front and rear.
• 1943:  Either 1942 setup, with pair of "V for Victory" tabs front and rear.
• 1944:  1943 plate setup, with 1944 window sticker.
• 1945:  New single 1945 plate (white on black), rear only.
• 1946:  Single 1945 plate with 1946 tab (black on yellow), rear only.
• 1947:  New pair of 1947 plates (black on yellow).
• 1948:  Pair of 1947 plates with pair of 1948 tabs (red on aluminum).
• 1949:  Pair of 1947 plates with pair of 1949 tabs (black on aluminum).
• 1950:  Pair of 1947 plates with pair of 1950 tabs (red on aluminum).
• 1951:  New pair of 1951 plates (yellow on black).
• 1952:  Pair of 1951 plates with pair of 1952 tabs (black on yellow).
• 1953:  Pair of 1951 plates with pair of 1953 tabs (black on white).
• 1954:  Pair of 1951 plates with single 1954 tab (white on red).
• 1955:  Pair of 1951 plates with single 1955 tab (black on grey).  Last year of oversize plates in California.
• 1956:  New pair of 1956 plates (black on yellow).  First year of modern-size plates.
• 1957:  Pair of 1956 plates with single 1957 sticker (black on red).
• 1958:  Pair of 1956 plates with single 1958 sticker (white on green).
• 1959:  Pair of 1956 plates with single 1959 sticker (black on ivory).
• 1960:  Pair of 1956 plates with single 1960 sticker (silver on blue).
• 1961:  Pair of 1956 plates with single 1961 sticker (silver on red).
• 1962:  Pair of 1956 plates with single 1962 sticker (green on ivory).

METAL TABS 1942 - 1955.  Until 1941, new license plates were issued yearly, and every vehicle got a new pair of plates every year.  Shortage of metal in World War II led to re-using license plates, and issuing only a year tab to renew.  (1943 used a V for Victory tab;  1944 used only a window decal.)  Most years need two metal tabs, front and rear (1946, 1954 and 1955 being the exceptions, they use only one tab in the rear).  The tabs have serial numbers, but the serial numbers do not correspond to the license plate number, and in fact the serial numbers do not even have to match each other.  (When issued new they usually did match, but it was not mandatory even then.)  In any case the DMV currently does not care about tab serial numbers, they do not record them or even look at them.  They only make sure the tabs are the correct year for your car.  (There is no need to worry if tabs or stickers are "DMV clear".)

VINYL STICKERS 1957-TODAY.  Year stickers replaced the metal tabs beginning in 1957.  Stickers go on the rear plate only.  Again, they have a serial number which does not relate to the plate number and is not recorded by the DMV.  They only care that the sticker is genuine, as they do not accept reproductions.  Virtually all stickers you see on Ebay 1957-1962 are reclaimed from used license plates.  Stickers are quite expensive as they are rare to begin with, and very difficult and time-consuming to remove without ruining them.  Untrimmed stickers are exactly 1 and 13/16ths by 1 and 7/16th inches.  Except for 1962, NOS stickers are extremely rare, almost non-existent. 

DO NOT ATTACH THE STICKER UNTIL AFTER THE PLATE IS REGISTERED.  As mentioned earlier, you never know for a certainty the plate is clear and available until it is actually registered in your name.  If you attach the sticker beforehand, the DMV may still come back and tell you the set can't be registered for whatever reason ... and the sticker is now stuck on for good.  You've just wasted an expensive antique sticker on useless plates, and good luck ever getting it off again!  (A few people have told me their DMV office said the sticker must be attached before the plate can be processed.  This has never been required of me, and I would respectfully fight it.)

DISPLAYING MODERN STICKERS WITH YOM PLATES.  You have to display modern registration stickers, month and year, with your YOM plates.  This can be rather a sticky situation (no pun intended) since you already have the 1957 sticker, and now you have to add two more!  And unfortunately, the old plates were not designed for additional stickers and there's no place to attach them that looks good.

THE DMV SENDS YOU TWO LITTLE TOPPERS to attach to the license plate and display the current registration tags.  I do not know whether these toppers are specifically required, but I do know many people don't use them.  And on many old cars, there is simply no place they CAN be used.  On some cars the rear bumper is recessed to fit the license plate exactly, leaving no room for anything else.  (The Federal government standardized license plate size for all states in 1957, and some automakers' designs since then don't even allow for a slightly oversized dealer frame, much less toppers.) 

SO, WHERE DOES ONE MOUNT THE MODERN STICKERS?  Most people improvise, mount the stickers wherever they will go on the plate, or fabricate their own little attachments.  (Unofficial opinion from a Fremont policeman:  "As long as the car is registered and the stickers are visible and we don't have to go hunting for them, hard to imagine anyone losing sleep over it ... we have better things to do.")  On the other hand, take too many liberties and you could get a ticket for improper configuration.  I have already heard from one gentleman who was ticketed for failing to show current stickers on YOM plates.  I hope that in ALL areas, classic car owners will follow the laws carefully and be safe, courteous drivers and set a good example on the road for everyone in this crazy State. 

OPTING OUT OF THE YOM PROGRAM.  Say you are selling your classic car, you want to keep the antique plates but obviously need to deliver the vehicle with current tags.  Just take the registration down to local DMV and tell them you need replacement plates.  They will give you a form to fill out that asks if the plates were lost, stolen, or mutilated.  There is nothing to check that indicates "retaining antique plates", so under penalty of perjury you can't check anything.  Just tell them and let them decide.  They will give you a new pair of plates.  Normally it costs $18 to get replacement plates, but guess what?  For some reason in this case, there is no charge, they just give you a new pair free.  

TRANSFERRING YOM PLATES FROM ONE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER.  Say you have YOM plates registered on a car, and you want to transfer the plates to another car or sell them to someone else.  This has nothing to do with being "DMV Clear", because obviously, being recently assigned, they are not going to be clear.  Transferring is possible, but only to a vehicle of the same model year.  You can't simply put a different year sticker on them, even though that may have qualified them originally.  Once the plates are in the DMV system (the modern DMV system), they are entered permanently as that year registration only, and cannot be changed.  For example, say you have a '58 Chevy.  You search for and buy 1956 plates that are DMV clear, you attach a '58 sticker and get them registered on the car.  Everything is cool and smooth.  Now say a few years later you sell the '58 Chevy, keep the plates, and figure you can put them on your '61 Imperial because they are the correct style plates, and you have the 1961 sticker.  Sorry, the DMV will not do it.  In their records the plates now show as 1958 and can't be changed ... even though the registration is lapsed and the car sold!  The plates CAN be registered to another '58 vehicle of any make ... but not to the '61 or any other year.  And note:  even if you attach a 1961 sticker it won't make any difference, they will still deny your application.  And furthermore, you've just wasted the 1961 sticker, because they will make you display a 1958 sticker on the plate before they will re-register it to a 1958 car!

TO TRANSFER YOM PLATES THAT ARE ALREADY REGISTERED:  The registered owner needs to pickup or download DMV Form Reg-17, fill out sections 1, 4, and 6 ("Release Interest in Plates"), sign it and give it to you.  You turn it in with your regular YOM application.  (Remember this only applies to plates that are NOT "DMV Clear".)

FOLLOWING IS THE ACTUAL DMV CODE DEALING WITH YOM REGISTRATION:

5004.1.  (a) An owner of any vehicle that is a 1962 or older model year vehicle may, after the requirements for the registration of the vehicle have been complied with and with the approval of the department, utilize license plates of this state with the date of year corresponding to the model year date when the vehicle was manufactured, if the model year date license plate is legible and serviceable, as determined by the department, in lieu of the license plates otherwise required by this code.  The department may consult with an organization of old car hobbyists in determining whether the date of year of the license plate to be used corresponds to the model year date when the vehicle was manufactured.

(b) A fee of thirty-five dollars ($35) shall be charged for the application for use of the special plates.

(c) In addition to the regular renewal fee for the vehicle for which the plates are authorized, the applicant for a renewal of the plates shall be charged an additional fee of ten dollars ($10).  When payment of a regular vehicle renewal fee is not required by this code, the holder of any license plates with a date corresponding to the model year may retain the plates upon payment of an annual fee of twenty dollars ($20), which shall be due at the expiration of the registration year of the vehicle to which the plate was last assigned under this section.

(d) Whenever any person who has been authorized to utilize the special license plates applies to the department for transfer of the plates to another vehicle, a transfer fee of twelve dollars ($12) shall be charged in addition to all other appropriate fees.

Copyright 2006-2008, not to be copied or distributed without permission.

Nothing in this guide is to be construed as legal advice or statement of law or DMV policy.  It is all simply one individual's opinions, observations, experience, delusions, and inane ramblings.

*Soon to be 1969 for cars and 1972 for light trucks!  Assembly Bill AB 462 passed the State Legislature unanimously, and was approved by the Govinator on October 11, 2007.  It will be effective July 1, 2009.

If you write to me and would like a reply back, please be sure to include your EMAIL ADDRESS.