# California license plate: Motorcycle

> The California motorcycle license plate: format 99L9999, for example 85Q4819, documented since 2026, motorcycle.

Page: https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/motorcycle · Markdown version of the HTML page, which is canonical. Site map: https://vehiclesdb.com/llms.txt · Terms of use: https://vehiclesdb.com/legal/terms

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

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

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | `99L9999` (L is any letter, 9 any digit) |
| Years | ~2026 → today (documented from 2026; the format is likely older) |
| Class | motorcycle |
| Issued for | motorcycle |
| Plate size | 7 × 4 in |
| Colours | background #FFFFFF; characters #003DA5 |
| Rear plate differs from the front | no |
| 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-motorcycle` (https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/motorcycle) |

Sources:

- [DMV: motorcycle plate 7x4 in, pre-1970 8x5 in](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/license-plates-decals-and-placards/license-plates/)
- [VIRPM Appendix 1E .0115: the 1970-1980 motorcycle series 0A0000-9Z9999 and the 5x8 plate size](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/vr-manual-appendix-1e/)
- [§ 4850(a): one plate for a motorcycle](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&sectionNum=4850)
- [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_California)

## About this plate

MOTORCYCLE. Its own series because the format, the plate size and the one-plate rule all differ from the standard passenger series.

## Use it

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