Bicycle Awareness License Plate: Frequently Asked Questions
When will the plate be ready?
The DMV will start printing plates once we have collected 7,500 pre-orders. The sooner we reach that threshold, the sooner you’ll be able to sport the specialty bicycle license plate. Our goal is to meet that number by January 2019, so that plates can be printed and mailed later that year. Help us meet that goal by spreading the word. In fact, if we don’t meet that threshold within twelve months (with the possibility of a single twelve-month extension), the DMV will cancel the program and return the funds to everyone who pre-ordered a plate.
How much would a pre-order cost? What are the ongoing costs?
To start a specialty plate program like a bicycle themed one, the initial fee to order the plate cost $50 (for 6 sequential characters) or $98 (for 6 personalized characters) and annual renewal costs are $35 (sequential) or $73 (personalized).
How do I order one?
Fill out our form to get on the waitlist and we’ll let you know as soon as they go on sale.
What will the specialty bike awareness plate look like?
Can we have a big landscape in the background of the plate like the ‘whale tail’ plate?
No. The image on the left does legally have to be the size of the blue square shown above, and on the left like the Firefighters’ plate. Specialty license plates with background images, like the whale plate, have been outlawed by the CHP so machines can more easily read the six letters.
Yes, six letters. Specialty license plates have six letters instead of seven, and yes, you can still order personalized characters.
How many pre-orders are needed for launch?
To implement the program, 7,500 plates must be pre-ordered within 12 months of the DMV giving the design and program the go-ahead. If the pre-order quota is not fulfilled, all dollars will be returned. In order to sustain the program, we must maintain a minimum of 7,500 plates as well.
Can the specialty plates be purchased on behalf or for another person so that they can be given as gifts?
Yes.
Do you have other questions about the specialty plate program? Contact CalBike at info@calbike.org.