IML: California black license plates

["Geoff Fors" <wb6nvh@xxxxxxxx>]

Please forgive this topic if you are not in California...

The deal with the original black license plates is this--They are still
usable, valid and transferable so long as the car is kept currently
registered and/or exists in the California DMV computer system.  Once it
falls out of the system, and their computer returns a "record not on file,"
they will issue a brand new license plate and will refuse to re-register the
existing old black plate, which they are trying to get out of circulation.
It doesn't matter whether you have the title and most recent registration in
hand.  I had this battle with them when I wanted to start using my 63 Buick
again after long storage, back before they came up with the "Non-op" program
which forces you to pay an annual fee to keep a car in storage registered.

The previous series license plates, i.e. the 1956 plates, can be used on
1956-62 vintage cars if you have a set of them, and if that set doesn't use
a letter and number combination still in use by a black 1963-present series
plate.  However, those are part of the "YOM" program ("Year of Manufacture")
which is a type of vanity license plate and there is an extra charge for
those and you have to find the plates yourself, such as at a flea market or
eBay.  The black 1963 series plates are ineligible for the YOM program at
the present time because they are still a valid standard plate.

If a car has been in storage a long time and the registration has lapsed for
some years, then per the above, it will get a new license plate when the
registration is brought current.

Geoff
Monterey CA


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