What REG 17 Covers
REG 17 is California’s Special Interest License Plate Application. You use it to order a specialty plate design, like Breast Cancer Awareness, California Arts Council, Pet Lovers, or an Environmental License Plate (ELP), and to personalize the letters and numbers on it.
One form handles four different transactions, and you only fill in the sections that match yours:
- Original. Ordering a specialty plate for the first time.
- Replacement. Your current special interest plate was lost, stolen, or damaged.
- Reassign, Retain, or Release. You’re moving a plate to a different vehicle, holding onto it for later, or giving it up.
- Exchange. Swapping an existing plate for an Environmental License Plate.
Picking Your Plate Design
Section 1 lists the designs you can choose from, and they fall into two groups based on how many characters they allow.
2 to 6 characters (2 to 5 on a motorcycle): Breast Cancer Awareness, California Arts Council, California Agricultural, California Memorial, California Museums, Veterans’ Organization, Collegiate (UCLA only), Kids plates, and Pet Lovers.
2 to 7 characters (2 to 5 on a motorcycle, except for ELP and California 1960s Legacy): the Environmental License Plate, California Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail, Lake Tahoe Conservancy, Yosemite Foundation, and California 1960s Legacy.
If you want a plate honoring a specific profession or cause, like firefighters or a particular branch of the military, that’s a special recognition plate instead, covered by a different form, REG 17A, not this one.
Sequential vs. Personalized Configuration
Section 2 asks which kind of plate number you want.
A sequential plate is issued in the next available number, not a design you pick. You can’t request your existing regular plate number back on it, and you’ll need to attach a copy of your current registration card.
A personalized plate lets you choose the letters and numbers yourself, within the character limit for that design. DMV checks your choice against California’s configuration rules and will reject anything that doesn’t comply, so an available search result online isn’t a guarantee your exact choice gets approved.
Spacing Your Letters and Numbers Correctly
This is where a lot of applications go wrong. The form’s boxes don’t map one-to-one to your plate; spacing is marked separately using a slash for a half space and an asterisk for a full space.
For example, a 5-character choice gets a full space on each side, written as an asterisk, then your letters, then another asterisk. A 7-character choice needs no extra spacing at all. The eighth box printed on the form exists only so the spacing marks have somewhere to go, it isn’t an eighth character slot, and it won’t appear on your actual plate.
Don’t substitute a letter for a number or a number for a letter to spell something out. DMV reads the form exactly as filled in, so a mismatched substitution is one of the more common reasons an otherwise-approved configuration gets kicked back.
What Happens to Your Plate When You Sell the Car
Special interest and environmental plates belong to you, not the vehicle, which is different from a standard plate. When you sell the car, Section 4 gives you three options:
- Reassign it immediately to another vehicle you own.
- Retain it for future use if you don’t have a new vehicle ready yet.
- Release or surrender it to DMV, or release your interest to the new owner if they want to keep it.
If you retain a plate without placing it on another vehicle right away, DMV can charge an annual retention fee for holding it. That fee keeps adding up for as long as the plate sits unused, so reassigning it to a vehicle you already own, if you have one, avoids it entirely.
REG 17 DMV Fees and How Long It Takes
Costs vary by plate type. A basic personalized or environmental plate generally runs in the $50s to order and roughly $40 a year after that, while some specialty causes plates cost more both to order and to renew. Check DMV’s current special interest license plate fee page before you pay, since exact amounts change from year to year.
Processing typically takes around four months, longer if your configuration needs extra review. Once your plates are ready, you’ll bring your current plates and registration card to a DMV office or a participating AAA location to make the swap, not the other way around.
Filing Online or by Mail
You can apply and pay online through DMV’s special interest and personalized license plate ordering system, which is the faster route and lets you check whether your configuration is available before you commit. Or mail the completed form with a check or money order (never cash) to DMV’s special plates unit in Sacramento.
Whichever way you file, read it over before sending. Once the application is submitted, DMV won’t change your plate selection, your configuration, or refund your payment.
Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected
A few mistakes come up again and again on the REG 17 Form:
- Counting the eighth spacing box as a real character slot
- Substituting a letter for a number, or the reverse, to spell out a word
- Choosing a sequential plate but forgetting to attach your current registration card
- Assuming an available search result means automatic approval
- Ordering a new plate right after an address change, DMV generally needs about 72 hours to update your address first
- Using REG 17 for a special recognition plate that actually needs REG 17A
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to my personalized plate if I sell my car?
You can reassign it to another vehicle you own right away, retain it for a future vehicle, or release it to DMV or the new owner. If you retain it without placing it on another vehicle, DMV can charge an annual fee for holding onto it.
What’s the difference between REG 17 and REG 17A?
REG 17 covers special interest and environmental plates, like Pet Lovers or an ELP. REG 17A is for special recognition plates tied to specific causes or service groups. Check which category your design falls under before filing.
Can I keep my custom plate and put it on a different car?
Yes. Special interest and environmental plates belong to you, not the vehicle, so you can reassign one to another vehicle you own using Section 4 of REG 17.
Why was my personalized plate configuration rejected even though it showed as available?
Availability only means no one else currently has that exact configuration. DMV still checks every request against California’s configuration rules and can refuse one that doesn’t comply, even if it showed up as available in a search.
How long does it take to get a special interest license plate?
Plan on roughly four months for most orders, whether you apply online or by mail. Configurations that need extra review can take longer.