✓California personalized (vanity) plates let you choose 2–7 characters on a standard or specialty design.
✓Specialty plates carry a cause-supporting design — Environmental (ELP), Arts, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Whale Tail, collegiate, and veterans — plus the popular black Legacy plate; you can personalize most of them.
✓Fees are an initial charge plus an annual renewal (paid with registration), plus an annual retention fee if the plate isn't on a registered vehicle; the DMV's FFVR 11 special-plate fee schedule has the current amounts.
✓The DMV rejects configurations that are offensive, reference gangs or drugs, or duplicate an existing plate.
✓Processing runs roughly 4 to 6 weeks for a sequential specialty plate, and longer for a personalized configuration that goes through review.
Characters2–7 (personalized)
CostVaries by program — see the DMV fee schedule
Popular designsLegacy (black), ELP, Yosemite, Whale Tail, collegiate, veterans
ProcessingAbout 4 to 6 weeks · longer if personalized
RenewsAnnual fee added to your registration
A California personalized plate — a vanity plate — lets you put your own characters on your car, while a specialty plate carries a design that funds a cause. The two overlap: most specialty designs can also be personalized. Either way, the plate is tied to your registration, and the DMV reviews every request before issuing it.
This guide covers the difference between the two, what the DMV will and won’t approve, how the fees work, and how long a plate takes.
Personalized (vanity) plates
A personalized plate lets you choose your own configuration — 2 to 7 characters (letters, numbers, and a few symbols, depending on the design). The DMV reviews every request and rejects any configuration that is offensive, that references gangs or drugs, or that duplicates an existing plate. If your first choice is taken or rejected, you pick another.
Specialty & special-interest plates
Specialty plates carry a design that directs part of the fee to a cause. California’s programs include the Environmental License Plate (ELP), Arts, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Whale Tail (coastal protection), collegiate, and veterans’ plates, among others. The black-and-yellow California Legacy plate — a reissue of the 1960s design — is the most popular. Most specialty designs can be personalized, so you can combine a cause design with your own characters.
Disabled drivers: a vehicle can’t carry both DP or DV (disabled-veteran) plates and special-interest plates. If you choose a special-interest design instead of DP plates, you must display a disabled person placard to get parking privileges.
What it costs
Personalized and specialty plates carry a layered fee, all collected by the DMV:
an initial fee when you order the plate;
an annual renewal fee, added to your registration renewal each year you keep the plate;
an Annual Retention Fee if the plate is not currently on a registered vehicle — and if that retention fee goes unpaid, the DMV cancels the plate (a personalized configuration is then released).
Personalized plates can also be exchanged to or from an Environmental License Plate (ELP) for a fee. The specialty-plate portion of what you pay may be tax-deductible as a contribution.
For the current dollar amounts, the authoritative schedule is the DMV’s Special License Plate Fees (FFVR 11), referenced by the REG 17 application. Third-party sites quote conflicting figures, so this guide points to that schedule rather than publish an unverified number. Processing takes roughly 4 to 6 weeks for a sequential specialty plate, and longer for a personalized configuration that goes through review.
Cost
Personalized & specialty plates
An initial fee, an annual renewal added to registration, and an annual retention fee if the plate isn't on a vehicle. Current amounts: the DMV's Special License Plate Fees (FFVR 11). The specialty portion may be tax-deductible.
Varies by program
Third-party sites quote conflicting figures, so this guide points to the DMV's own schedule — Special License Plate Fees (FFVR 11), referenced by the REG 17 application — for the current amounts.
How to apply — step by step
The path from choosing a plate to getting it on your car.
1
Choose your plate type
A personalized configuration, a specialty design that funds a cause, or both — most specialty designs can also be personalized.
2
Check that your configuration is available
Search whether your characters are free. The DMV rejects configurations that are offensive, reference gangs or drugs, or duplicate an existing plate.
3
Apply and pay
Complete the Special Interest License Plate Application (or apply online) and pay the initial fee plus the annual amount added to your registration.
4
Wait for the plates
Roughly 4 to 6 weeks for a sequential specialty plate; longer for a personalized configuration that goes through review.
How do I get a personalized license plate in California?
Choose your configuration, confirm it is available, then complete the Special Interest License Plate Application (or apply online) and pay the initial fee plus the annual renewal added to your registration. The DMV reviews every request before issuing the plate.
How many characters can a California personalized plate have?
Between 2 and 7 characters — letters, numbers, and a few symbols, depending on the plate design.
How much does a personalized or specialty plate cost?
A personalized or specialty plate has an initial fee, an annual renewal fee paid with your registration, and an annual retention fee if the plate isn't on a registered vehicle — leave that retention fee unpaid and the DMV cancels the plate. You can also exchange a personalized plate to or from an Environmental License Plate (ELP) for a fee. Third-party sites conflict on the dollar amounts, so the DMV's Special License Plate Fees (FFVR 11) schedule — referenced by the REG 17 application — is the authoritative source.
What is the black California license plate?
It is the California Legacy plate — a reissue of the 1960s black-and-yellow design, the most popular specialty plate. You can personalize it like other specialty plates.
How long does it take to get a custom plate?
About 4 to 6 weeks for a sequential specialty plate. A personalized configuration takes longer because it goes through review before the plate is made.