Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024
(a)
A registered owner or lessee of a vehicle may request a Special Interest or
Environmental License Plate. An application for a special interest or
environmental license plates, as defined in section
206.00 of this Article and
Sections
5060 and
5103 of the
Vehicle Code, shall be submitted in person or by mail to the department on a
completed Special Interest or Environmental License Plate Application, form REG
17 (Rev. 11/2023), which is hereby incorporated by reference, and available on
the Internet at www.dmv.ca.gov, or
completed and submitted through the department's online ordering system.
(1) If the application is submitted in
person, it shall be submitted to any department field office.
(2) If the application is submitted by mail,
it shall be mailed to the Department of Motor Vehicles, SPU, MS D238, P.O. Box
932345, Sacramento, CA 94232-3450.
(3) If the application is submitted online,
it shall be completed through the department's online ordering system at
www.dmv.ca.gov.
(b) The application shall be accompanied by
the applicable fees specified in Sections
4850,
5106 and
5108 of the
Vehicle Code; the fees may be found by searching for "special plate fees" on
the department website at www.dmv.ca.gov.
(c) Environmental license plate
configuration.
(1) The configuration shall
comply with the specifications of Section
5105 of the
Vehicle Code.
(2) When a requested
configuration is not available, a letter shall not be substituted for a number,
nor shall a number be substituted for a letter, to create another configuration
of a similar appearance.
(3) The
number zero shall not be used in the configuration.
(4) The department shall refuse any
configuration that would be misleading, or the following:
(A) The configuration has a sexual or
scatological meaning.
(B) The
configuration is an expletive or term considered profane or obscene.
(C) The configuration has conveys any kind of
message related to the following characteristics of a group of people: race,
ethnic or national origin, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or
gender identity.
(D) The
configuration contains fighting words, or refers to illegal or violent acts,
including, but not limited to criminal gang affiliation or activity, weapons,
genocide, or creates a risk of inciting violence.
(E) The configuration misrepresents an
association with government or a law enforcement through any combination of
letters or numbers which indicate an affiliation to an agency or to an office
or position, including, but not limited to an elected office, employment as a
police officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic or first
responder.
(F) The configuration is
a non-English or slang word or term or is a phonetic spelling or mirror image
of a word or term falling into the categories described in subsections (A)
through (E) above.
(d) The department shall not honor a request
for a change of license plate selection or letter/number configuration, or a
request for a refund, after the application is submitted, unless the request is
due to department error.
(1) If the department
erred when making the special interest or environmental license plate, and the
license plate owner requests a change, the license plate owner shall be
permitted to submit a new application without payment of additional
fees.
(2) If the department did not
err when making the special interest or environmental license plate, a new
application and application fees shall be submitted for any change
requested.
Note: Authority cited: Sections
1651,
1652 and
5110, Vehicle
Code. Reference: Sections
4850,
5004.3,
5024,
5060,
5064,
5066,
5067,
5068,
5072,
5074,
5075,
5101,
5102,
5103,
5105,
5106,
5108,
5109,
5156,
5156.7,
5157 and
5158, Vehicle
Code; and Ogilvie v. Gordon, No. 4:20-cv-01707-JST (N.D.Cal. 11/24/20)/(EFC
Nos.40,47).
Note: Authority cited: Sections
1651 and
5110, Vehicle
Code. Reference: Sections
5101,
5104 and
5105, Vehicle
Code.
