California is quickly approaching the end of its current license plate numbering system. Introduced in 1980, the format — one number, three letters, and three numbers — is expected to run dry by late 2025. No need for panic, though. State officials have already laid out plans for a new sequence, ensuring a smooth transition before the last of the old plates rolls off DMV printers.
Pinpointing the exact moment the last old-style plate gets issued isn’t easy, but estimates offer a decent guess. Back in June 2024, The Sacramento Bee reported the DMV still had about 18 months’ worth of combinations left, setting up a likely end around December. Instead of starting from scratch, officials will reverse the format: three numbers, three letters, then a single number — examples might look like 000AAA1 or 100AAA1.
Soon enough, someone will unknowingly cruise around with a plate reading 9ZZZ999, a likely collector’s dream. Plate collectors have always prized these sorts of milestones, and the early examples from the new series could become just as desirable. While some drivers won’t give it a second thought, others will eagerly hunt for plates from both the final and first batches of the old and new systems.
California’s familiar plate format has appeared across several designs over the decades. In 1980, the DMV issued blue backgrounds with gold lettering, followed by the iconic “Golden State” branding in 1982. Since 1993, the current style has been standard, though it’s been tweaked here and there. Whether the plate design changes along with the numbering system remains to be seen — and it won’t be long before we find out.
