Since the existing system is expected to run out of possible combinations, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has announced plans to implement a new license plate format in 2026.
According to the DMV, “The current 9-series configuration, which will end with 9ZZZ999, is projected to end sometime in 2026 due to the dwindling number of available combinations.”
The “Numeral Numeral Numeral Alpha Alpha Alpha Numeral” pattern will be used in the new format (e.g. 000AAA0).
California’s license plate history has seen numerous changes over the years, and this revision represents yet another development.
Andy Calles, who works at the Ocean Beach location of Hodad’s restaurant, has personally observed these developments.
“I am 50 years old… So I have seen some changes through the years,” Calles stated.
He is in charge of displaying donated license plates on the walls of Hodad’s two sites; approximately 2,000 plates have been gathered, according to his estimation.
Read Also: June’s $5,108 Social Security Schedule is Out – Are You on the List?
“We prefer personalized plates because they tell more of a story, and some of these are actually some really dirty plates and some are really good, positive stories, so we’ve mixed them around to tell different stories,” Calles stated.
Because he, like many others, could not recall the allocated plate combination, Jon Dean, who was eating a burger at Hodad’s next to license plates from other nations, proposed permitting personalized artwork designs.
The new format seeks to offer a new set of options to meet the state’s expanding car population as California gets ready for this shift. It ought to endure for over ten years.
