How long does it take to get the CA HOV sticker

Only if the car was already leased (Not purchase). For some leases (as I was told, Im not a dealer lol), the dealer basically gets to apply for both State and Fed rebates. The dealer I talked to said they have similar incentive on leases that basically lowers the car price by the Fed amount, but not the state (again vary by dealership).

So hopefully the cars you saw are either already leased, or used.

 

When asked, the dealer applied for the HOV stickers under the VIN.

The dealer did say that the $1500 Clean Air state rebate would be issued only if the new owner in under the income level: https://cleanvehiclerebate.org/eng/income-eligibility

 

Yes, the dealers can (and many do) get the stickers when they take delivery of the new cars from Honda. All the Claritys at the dealership where I got mine had the stickers on them already...EXCEPT FOR MINE which I didn't realize until I got home (I have a red car). Long story short, I finally got stickers, but it took a couple of months to get it straightened out.

 

I live in Palm Springs and drive to Los Angeles frequently for work. The HOV sticker is sometimes a real time saver. However, I do notice a huge amount of single drivers in the HOV lane. They weave in and out. I would guess about 25-30% or more of the cars are single drivers. It seems as though there's not enough police to enforce the law. But they are certainly around when they see me driving alone. I've been stopped TWICE for driving in the HOV lane even though I have bumper stickers. Can you believe? Each time I had to explain what the bumper stickers are for. They even asked to see where the plug-in is. Both times they were very polite but truly stupid.

 

Hello All,

After a series of research, I picked up my clarity plug-in on 1/11/2019 and I'm really happy with my decision. One of the reasons I want to pick up this car is the CA HOV lane decal (aka CAV Decal) and I found some instructions on DMV about how to apply for it.

However, I can't seem to find a thread here about "When" you can submit the form to DMV and request your HOV decal.

According to this page on DMV https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/decal#q4
Question 4, How can I apply for CAV decals and ensure that my application is complete?

In answer section, bullet point #4, it has the following information:
"The vehicle must be registered in the applicant’s name. If this is a recently acquired vehicle, the transfer of ownership (from dealership or private party) must be completed before the application can be submitted. You will receive a registration card from DMV once the transfer of ownership is complete."

Does that mean I will have to wait until the registration card/paper was mailed to me so I can mail out the form for CAV decal?
I do have a temp. license plate (new law since 1/1/2019) and was wondering if that can allow me to apply for the decal sooner than later since I really need it for my daily 100 miles commute.

Thank you all in advance.

 

You need your license plate number to apply. Not sure if your temp plate is your actual license plate. If it is, then apply with that. Some dealers can give you the registration before you get it in the mail. DMV is actually quite efficient with sending plates. It is said to take 4-6 weeks to receive the sticker. I applied on January 1st and still waiting. Good Luck.

 

Since the new law in CA went into effect 1/1/19 (AB516), we have joined the other states with temp plates being issued at the dealership.
You have also paid for this by the Doc fee going up from $80 to $85.

Since you now have temporary plates issued at the dealership. use the temporary plates as your license plate # which will be your permanent plates when they arrive.

I know this because my dealer on 1/1/19 when I picked up the car, had me fill out the DMV HOV sticker assignment paperwork and collected the $22 separately from the F&I deal.

I then used the temporary plate assignment as my DMV plate info to apply for the HOV stickers and then later went on line to apply for the CVRP rebate.

 

@MisterS
Thanks for the response, it's a bummer if we have to wait til DMV mailed us the license plate since I won't be able to use HOV lane for maybe close to 2 months.

@4sallypat Thanks for the response, the information you shared is very helpful although my temp license plate does not look like the existing CA plate format (eg: my temp plate is CC##C## instead of #CCC### while # represents number and C represents Characters)
If I read it correctly, your dealer submitted the form for HOV sticker at the time you picked up the car, is that right?
If so, I will just use my temp. plate number and mail it out to DMV
Thanks again.

 

Since the stickers in each series (color) all have the same expiration date, the sooner you apply, the longer you will have use of them.

 

Yes, the temp plates that look like a funky mix of letters and numbers (mine starts with "AC37...") when you picked up your Clarity is what you would use on the HOV application form to send to DMV w/ $22 check.

My dealer has a dedicated DMV person on staff who deals with all the pre-HOV sticker ordering, DMV plate change requests, etc...

That was a nice perk when I picked up the Clarity.

I think the temp plates will become permanent as they are not random numbers but the new format since the old format (#CCC###) is about exhausted.

 

Definitely report back when you get permanent plates and/or decals -- from the DMV FAQs they make it sound like the permanent license plate number will be different from the temp number. But if the temp number is accepted for the clean air vehicle decal, I think you'd submit another REG 1000 with the new plate number and "Information Correction/Update" checked to get a new ID card, just as you would for an address change. I don't think the stickers themselves have the plate # on them, so those wouldn't change.

 

No, the red HOV stickers expire in 2022.
The current issued purple HOV stickers expire in 2023.

That's why I had asked the dealer to re-do the car contract 2 days later (1/1/19) to get the new stickers (Purple) and for an increased local utility rebate ($450 to $1000).

 

Thanks guys for all the responses. I was amazed about the information received and decided to follow @4sallypat’s step to mail out the application with temp. license plate info.
Will definitely consider what @JCA suggested once I got the permanent plate and if they are different from the temporary plate number.

Will report back with status updates and hopefully this thread can help folks with similar questions.


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I think this depends on when you "apply" and not the contract date of the purchase. I purchased in December and applied in Jan and so far it indicates I will get the same benefits as if I purchased this year. My electric utility approved for the 2019 increased rebate.

I do think applying while registering is usually a quicker process for the stickers. Besides if it were a purchase, the federal tax credits will be returned early.

 

Like I said, all the stickers in EACH SERIES expire at the same time. All the red ones at the end of 2021 and the purple ones at the end of 2022.

 

Got my plate today, was hoping it will be same as my temp. plate number, too bad it's still the NCCCNNN format

 

Same here - was hoping for the new license plate scheme instead of the old one.
Still waiting on the HOV stickers, CVRP and Utility....

 

Dealer (Ocean Honda North Hollywood) did it for me and the price was included. Just got them (purple) on the mail yesterday after buying the car on 1/21. I tried to find if LADWP had a rebate for clean vehicles but couldn't find any information. Does anybody know? Thanks.

 

Wow, you’re really lucky to have the purple decals delivered so fast!
I mailed out my application sometime around 1/13 and haven’t seen any updates (check hasn’t been cashed)


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UPDATE on HOV Purple Stickers - I purchased my car in September but waited until Jan 1st to apply for the sticker. The check was cashed on Feb 1st and received the sticker today (Feb 7th). So the initial 4-6 weeks was correct. I have started to see more and more purple stickers in the Bay Area. I am assuming that people who applied in December received them before me, since most of these people have permanent plates. Hope this helps, good luck to everyone else...