Overview
- The DMV confirmed on Friday, September 11, 2026 that production of the seven-character sequence used since 1980 has ended and that it has started producing the new mirrored series.
- The new format places three numerals, three letters and a final numeral (for example 000AAA1 through 999ZZZ9) and the agency says both the old and new layouts each provide more than 100 million unique combinations.
- Rollout will be gradual because the DMV and auto club offices still hold roughly 110,000 old-format plates that will be issued first, so drivers will receive mirrored plates mainly when local stock runs out or when they get new or replacement standard plates.
- Plates are manufactured at Folsom State Prison at a high daily rate, and motorists across the state have posted early sightings of mirrored plates on social media, confirming an incremental, location-by-location deployment rather than an immediate statewide swap.
- The change ends a continuous 46-year sequence that began with 1AAA000, and the DMV projects the new mirrored configuration will supply plate combinations for about four decades based on historical issuance rates.