California License Plate Stickers: Which Year and Month Sticker Do You Need?

If you've landed here, you probably know your plate needs a sticker — you're just not sure which one. Year sticker, month sticker, both? It depends on your plate and what you're building. Here's how to figure it out.

 

California registration stickers — sometimes called validation stickers — come in two types: a year sticker that goes in the upper right corner of the plate, and a month sticker that goes in the upper left. A complete period plate setup uses both.

Year Stickers

Year stickers — also called year validation stickers — show a specific registration year. Which year depends on what you're building.

YOM plates: California's Year of Manufacture program requires a year sticker corresponding to the vehicle's model year. A 1967 car running a YOM plate needs a 1967 year sticker — that's a DMV requirement, not just an aesthetic choice.

Display and collector plates: There's no rule here. Pick the year that looks right for the plate or the build. Most collectors match the sticker to the era of the plate.

Active registration: The year sticker shows the year your registration expires — the number in the corner that tells you when it's due for renewal.

 

CalTags covers every year from 1957 to 2010, produced to the original spec for each registration period — sized and formatted to sit correctly on the plate it was made for.

Browse the year sticker collection — 1957 to 2010

Month Stickers

Month stickers show the registration expiry month — the other half of a complete plate setup. CalTags produces month stickers in eight styles, ranging from period-correct reproductions to California-inspired custom designs.

 

The eight styles currently available:

• Red — reproduction of the 1976–1985 era design
• Blue — reproduction of the 1985–2003 era design
• Modern — reproduction of the 2003–2019 era design
• Black — reproduction of the current era design
• Stealth — CalTags original, monochrome interpretation
• Courtside — CalTags original, inspired by classic LA basketball
• Ballpark — CalTags original, inspired by classic LA baseball
• Legacy — CalTags original, inspired by the California Legacy plate program

The reproduction styles (Modern, Red, Blue, Black) are matched to the original issued format for their era. The CalTags originals are clearly non-historical — designed for collectors and custom builds who want something a little different.

Browse the full month sticker collection

 

---

FAQ

Do I need both a year sticker and a month sticker?

For a complete period plate display, yes. California plates are designed with a corner for each — year top right, month top left. Most collectors and restorers want both. That said, if you're only missing one, you can order them separately.

Do pre-1976 YOM plates need a month sticker?

Not originally. California did not require month stickers until staggered registration was introduced in 1976. Vehicles registered before that point used year stickers only. If you are building a pre-1976 YOM plate to period-correct spec, a year sticker alone is accurate — a month sticker is optional and a matter of personal preference. For a full overview of how California's Year of Manufacture program works, see the CalTags YOM guide.

What years do CalTags year stickers cover?

1957 to 2010 — every year in that range. If your plate falls outside that window, get in touch and we'll let you know what's available.

CalTags is a California company making California stickers — focused exclusively on getting the plate details right. Browse the year sticker collection or the month sticker collection to find what your plate needs.