• freeway image by Fabio Barni from Fotolia.com
  
  It is essential to comply with local traffic laws and ordinances to avoid a ticket and keep the roads safe. Part of compliance is to register your vehicle and properly display your license plates. California drivers are required to conform to a series of laws regarding vehicle license plates.
  
  

Registering a Vehicle

• All resident drivers who operate a vehicle in California must register their vehicle and obtain license plates. This includes cars, trucks and motorcycles designated for highway driving. New residents who bring a car from another state have 20 days to register their vehicle. Usually this involves scheduling a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles and submitting to an inspection. Before visiting the DMV, all owners of a car being registered in California must also get a smog check, which is available for a fee from a local auto shop.
  
  

Displaying Plates

• Cars must display a license plate in the front and on the rear of the vehicle. Motorcycles are required only to display a single plate at the rear. Plates must be visible and free from dirt. With the exception of government and some commercial vehicles, drivers must display a registration sticker on the rear license plate. The DMV issues these stickers annually after the driver has renewed the vehicle's registration and paid the applicable fee. Plates with an outdated sticker subject the vehicle owner to a fine, even if the car is properly registered.
  
  

Transferring Plates

• Drivers who move out of California are not required to turn in their license plates. All California vehicle registrations lapse after one year, making outdated plates invalid for driving in any state. If a vehicle is sold, the plates may transfer with the car. Drivers wishing to keep the plates from a vehicle they sell and transfer them to a new vehicle must file a Special License Plate Application with the California DMV.
  
  

Vanity & Custom Plates

• California car owners can choose from more than two dozen styles of vanity plates. These feature images of local sports teams, philanthropic causes, environmental causes and other special interests. Some of these plates, such as those for supporting the arts or protecting endangered species, produce proceeds that go to the cause they depict. Even plates that are simply an expression of style cost more than standard plates when they are issued and require a higher annual renewal fee. Otherwise, they function the same as standard license plates and owners must follow the same laws regarding their use. The same is true of custom plates, which allow the driver to choose the sequence of letters, numbers and special characters on the plate, for an additional fee.