# California license plate: Horseless carriage

> The California horseless carriage license plate: format 999, for example 42, documented since 2026, car. What each character means, its sizes and sources.

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Part of [California license plates](https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california) (14 registration series).

![California (United States) license plate, Horseless carriage (documented since 2026)](https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-horseless-carriage/california-license-plate-horseless-carriage.svg)

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | `999` (9 any digit) |
| Years | ~2026 → today (documented from 2026; the format is likely older) |
| Class | historic |
| Issued for | car |
| Plate size | 12 × 6 in |
| Checking a registration | The format above follows the issuing rules: a registration that fits it is one this series could have issued. |
| Series id | `us-ca-horseless-carriage` (https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/horseless-carriage) |

A single numbered series running since "Horseless Carriage No. 1", for engines of 16+ cylinders built before 1965 or any vehicle from 1922 or earlier.

Pure order of arrival: the statute starts the series at "Horseless Carriage No. 1" and counts upward, so a low number marks an early member of the pre-1923 club and nothing else.

Sources:

- [§ 5004: the 16-cylinder and 1922-or-earlier eligibility, the 'Horseless Carriage No. 1' series, 'different and distinguishing colors', the $25 initial fee](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&sectionNum=5004)
- [VIRPM 21.120: permanent assignment, no reassignment, no retention, the $2 fixed VLF, the exhibition-use restriction, and that these plates are NOT available personalized](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/special-plates/historical-vehicle-and-horseless-carriage-license-plates/)

## About this plate

HORSELESS CARRIAGE. California and Florida legislate this series in almost identical terms, a separate numerical run from "Horseless Carriage No. 1", a distinguishing but unnamed colour, permanence, which is worth recording as a genuine cross-state convergence rather than a coincidence, and as a hint that the two statutes share an ancestor. The eligibility rules differ: California's is a FIXED cutoff (1922, or 16+ cylinders pre-1965), Florida's Horseless Carriage is a fixed 1945 cutoff, and California's own Historical Vehicle series below is ROLLING.

## Who can have one

VC § 5004(a): a motor vehicle with an engine of 16 or more cylinders manufactured prior to 1965, OR any motor vehicle manufactured in 1922 or earlier. A FIXED-CUTOFF threshold, it never moves.

## How long it is valid

VIRPM 21.120: the plates are PERMANENTLY assigned to the vehicle and cannot be reassigned; no additional renewal fee; the plates cannot be retained by the owner; the vehicle is subject to a fixed annual vehicle licence fee of $2 (R&TC § 10753.5) and is limited to historical exhibition, parades and club activities.

## Fee

VC § 5004: '$25 shall be charged for the initial issuance', replacement per § 9265.

## Other historic plates here

- [Historical vehicle](https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/historical-vehicle) (documented since 2026)
- [Year of manufacture](https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/year-of-manufacture) (documented since 2026)

## Use it

- Plate image (SVG): https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-horseless-carriage.svg
- Make it with your own text: https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plate-generator/california?series=us-ca-horseless-carriage
- API: `GET https://vehiclesdb.com/api/v1/plates/us-ca` returns this series as the entry with `"id": "us-ca-horseless-carriage"` (https://vehiclesdb.com/api)

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Open data, CC BY 4.0: reuse it with a visible credit to VehiclesDB and a link (https://vehiclesdb.com/legal/attribution). Plate images show sample serials and are not open data (https://vehiclesdb.com/legal/image-license). Dataset commit db0ec0a: https://github.com/vehiclesdb/vehiclesdb