California License Plates

kornbwn

kornbwn

Junior Member
I was told if I found a set of matching # , original 1930 Ca license plates that were " DMV clear " , that I could use them on my 1930 Coupe . Does anyone know 'bout this ?
 
Yes, it is called the "Year of Manufacturer" program for plates. I have done this with two cars now. It requires a visit to the DMV office, which is typically painful. One important thing I learned is that if the car is new to California, get it titled and licensed with regular plates first. The people at the DMV are not smart enough to process both a title and YOM application at the same time. I was trying to eliminate having two visits to the DMV, but it backfired.
 
Same here, no problems. One think I hadn't expected was that they were on my tudor when I bought it. When transferring the title I found that the plates were registered to the owner, not to the car. The DMV had a special release form that I had to have signed by the previous owner.
 
OK . Thanks to all you guys & gals for the info . & I guess I had better register it first .Then worry bout the tags . It is brand new to Cali. One more thing , I have found some on e-bay . How can you be sure that the tags are DMV cleared before you buy them ?
 
There use to be a DMV website window that you could type in your personal license saying to know if it was already taken.

BUT once you register YOUR original "year of manufacture' plates, don't they then belong to the State of California ?????????
 
don't hand over your plates , they only need a copy of them. also it will take about 6 weeks before you can run them I just went through this about 2 mounts ago
 
I don't know the current law in California but many states will not accept plates after they have been restored so plan accordingly.

Charlie Stephens
 
I bought a set at a swap meet about 25 years ago. Turned out they were registered to a motorcycle. I held on to them and checked occasionally to see the status. One day they showed as clear so I took them to DMV where they were "inspected" and finally got them registered to my car. When I sold the car I had to release them to the buyer on a separate form. Technically, you can't restore them. I restored mine after the registration process.
 
a lady at Calif DMV told me the motorcycle numbers are the same configuration as the early plates, and often that is why they do not clear. She also said the average bike stays on the road 5 years, so just keep checking. I had 2 pairs of 29's that were not clear, which did clear a few years later.
 
I have found an easy way to check if the plates are clear. I am a member of AAA so I call the DMV line on the back of the card. Tell them that you are looking at a car with the license plate number you want to check. They can only tell you if the number is being used. If not, it is clear. I have used this many times for myself and friends. It works. Jay
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top