# California license plate: Standard 1ABC123

> The California standard 1ABC123 license plate (dmv.ca.gov base): format 9LLL999, for example 5BRK901, 1980 to 2026, car and van.

Page: https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/standard-1abc123 · 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, Standard 1ABC123 (1980 to 2026)](https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-standard-1abc123/california-license-plate-standard-1abc123.svg)

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | `9LLL999` (L is any letter, 9 any digit) |
| Years | 1980–2026 |
| Class | standard |
| Issued for | car, van |
| Plate size | 12 × 6 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-standard-1abc123` (https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/standard-1abc123) |

The leading digit is a clock, not a code: issue began at 1AAA000 in 1980 and crept to 9ZZZ999 by 2026, so the first digit roughly dates the car — 1 is early eighties, 9 is the 2020s. I, O and Q sit out the outer letter slots.

Sources:

- [VIRPM Appendix 1E (PDF), California License Plate Data 1914-1980: 'In 1980, seven characters were introduced in regular series license plates. Acceptable auto license plate series for 1980 only: 1AAA000 to 1SZZ999.' Also the year-by-year colour/series table this file's historic claims rest on.](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/vr-manual-appendix-1e/)
- [the VIRPM page that serves the appendix](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/appendix-1e-california-license-plate-data-1914-1980/)
- [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_California)

## Designs

| Design | Years | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| dmv.ca.gov base | 2011 to 2026 | Red script, the dmv.ca.gov bottom legend; month and year decals as on a registered plate. | https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-standard-1abc123.svg |
| Script base, no legend | 1993 to 1998, 2001 to 2011 | Red script and the printed MO / YR sticker wells, no bottom legend (the DMV 1992 and 2000-2011 sample plates). | https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-standard-1abc123.svg?design=no-legend |
| Script base, SESQUICENTENNIAL legend | 1998 to 2001 | The 1993 script base with the red bottom legend SESQUICENTENNIAL - 150 YEARS for the state's 150th anniversary. | https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-standard-1abc123.svg?design=sesquicentennial |
| Blue base, yellow characters (specimen) | 1980 to 1982 | The 1980 DMV sample plate 1SAM123: yellow embossed characters and CALIFORNIA on blue. | https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-standard-1abc123.svg?design=blue-1980 |
| White base, embossed red CALIFORNIA (specimen) | 1987 to 1993 | The 1990 DMV sample plate 2SAM123: blue embossed characters, red embossed CALIFORNIA on white. | https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-standard-1abc123.svg?design=embossed-1987 |
| Script base (specimen) | 1993 to 1998 | The DMV sample plate 3SAM123: red script California, printed MO / YR wells, blue embossed characters. | https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-standard-1abc123.svg?design=script-1993 |

## About this plate

THE FORMAT CALIFORNIA RAN FOR FORTY-SIX YEARS.

## How numbers are issued

VIRPM Appendix 1E, verbatim: "In 1980, seven characters were introduced in regular series license plates. Acceptable auto license plate series for 1980 only: 1AAA000 to 1SZZ999."

## Before and after

| Relation | Series | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Replaced by | [Standard 123ABC1](https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/standard-123abc1) | documented since 2026 |

## Other standard plates here

- [Commercial](https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/commercial) (documented since 2026)
- [Standard 123ABC1](https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/united-states--california/standard-123abc1) (documented since 2026)

## Use it

- Plate image (SVG): https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/us-ca/us-ca-standard-1abc123.svg
- Make it with your own text: https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plate-generator/california?series=us-ca-standard-1abc123
- API: `GET https://vehiclesdb.com/api/v1/plates/us-ca` returns this series as the entry with `"id": "us-ca-standard-1abc123"` (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