California Veteran License Plates: DV, Purple Heart, and POW

California veteran license plates fall into two tracks: recognition plates that any California motorist can buy and display, and fee-exempt plates reserved for veterans with a qualifying service history — a service-connected mobility disability, a Purple Heart, the Medal of Honor, or former prisoner-of-war status. The track you fit into decides both what you pay and what benefits come with the plate.

The Honoring Veterans Plate

The Honoring Veterans plate is the easiest to obtain because it carries no military service requirement. Anyone with a California-registered vehicle can order one, pick a military branch, unit, or veteran organization insignia to display, and pay the fee. More than 70 insignia options are available.¹

You order through the DMV’s personalized plate portal. A sequential plate (random number assigned) costs $50 upfront plus a $40 annual renewal on top of normal registration. A personalized plate with up to six characters of your choice costs $78 upfront, also with the $40 annual renewal.¹

This plate is recognition, not benefit. It does not exempt you from registration fees and does not confer parking privileges.

Who Qualifies for Disabled Veteran Plates

Disabled Veteran (DV) plates have strict eligibility. California law defines a disabled veteran, for this purpose, as someone whose injury or disease was suffered during active service with the U.S. armed forces and who meets at least one of these conditions:

A 100% VA disability rating from a diagnosed condition that substantially impairs or interferes with mobility.
Cannot move independently without an assistive device such as a wheelchair, walker, or cane.
Has lost, or lost the use of, one or more limbs.
Has permanent blindness as defined under California law.

The bar is higher than many veterans expect. A general VA disability rating alone does not qualify you: the rating must be 100% and it must affect mobility. Veterans with high ratings for conditions like PTSD or hearing loss that do not impair mobility would not qualify for DV plates, though they can still get the Honoring Veterans plate.

How to Apply for DV Plates

The application centers on one form: the Certification for Disabled Veterans License Plates (REG 256V). It has a personal information section and a medical certification section.

The medical certification must be signed by a licensed physician, surgeon, chiropractor, optometrist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife who has direct knowledge of your disability.² You don’t necessarily need a clinician’s signature, though. The DMV also accepts certification from a County Veterans Service Officer, an authorized CalVet representative, or an authorized representative of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If you already have a letter from a USDVA Regional Office confirming your service-connected disabilities, that can serve as your eligibility documentation.³

Along with the completed REG 256V, bring:

Your current vehicle registration card, or the documents needed to register the vehicle in your name.
The license plates currently on the vehicle. You must surrender them.
Proof of your full legal name and date of birth, such as a valid California driver license or ID card.

You can submit everything in person at any DMV field office or mail the complete package to the address printed on the REG 256V.² Processing and delivery can take several weeks.

The DV Fee Exemption

The financial benefit is substantial. A qualified disabled veteran is exempt from all registration and license fees on one vehicle: a passenger car, motorcycle, or commercial vehicle with an unladen weight under 8,001 pounds.⁴ The DV plates themselves are issued at no additional cost.⁵

The exemption does not cover duplicate plates, duplicate registration cards, or duplicate certificates. If your plates are lost, stolen, or damaged, you’ll pay the replacement fee.⁶ The vehicle also cannot be used for hire, compensation, or profit. A veteran driving for a rideshare company, for instance, could not claim the exemption on that vehicle.⁴

Parking Privileges

DV plates come with real parking benefits. A vehicle displaying DV plates can park for unlimited time in any zone otherwise restricted by time limits under a local ordinance, and can park at any metered space without paying the meter.⁷

The privileges have limits. They do not apply where state law or local ordinance absolutely prohibits stopping, standing, or parking of all vehicles, and they do not apply to spaces reserved for special vehicle types like loading zones or bus stops.⁷ A no-parking zone is still a no-parking zone.

Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, and POW Plates

California also issues three specialized plates for specific honors.

Purple Heart Plates

Purple Heart plates go to veterans who received the Purple Heart medal. If you are a disabled veteran who also received a Purple Heart, you can apply the DV fee exemption to Purple Heart plates instead of standard DV plates. There is a trade-off: Purple Heart plates do not carry automatic parking privileges, so you would need a separate Disabled Person parking placard to get them.²

Congressional Medal of Honor Plates

Medal of Honor recipients can get CMOH plates for one vehicle: a passenger car, motorcycle, or commercial vehicle under 8,001 pounds unladen weight. The recipient is exempt from all registration fees on that vehicle. CMOH plates cannot be personalized, and they must be returned to the DMV within 60 days of the plate holder’s death, or the surviving spouse’s death if the spouse retained them.⁸

Ex-Prisoner of War Plates

Former American POWs who are California residents can apply for POW plates. The fee exemption covers one vehicle. Applicants need written documentation of prisoner-of-war status, such as a verification letter from the National Personnel Records Center or discharge papers identifying them as a former POW. A surviving spouse may retain the plates and the associated fee exemptions.⁹

Key Limits and the 2027 Sunset

Three restrictions catch people out. First, the fee exemption under Vehicle Code section 9105 applies to one vehicle only. If you own several cars, you choose which one carries the exemption; the others pay normal registration.³ Second, you cannot hold two fee-exempt plate types at once. A veteran who qualifies for both DV and POW plates, for example, must pick one.²

Third, the fee exemption statute itself has a sunset clause. As currently written, Vehicle Code section 9105 is set to be repealed on January 1, 2027.⁴ The legislature has renewed the provision before and may do so again, but veterans relying on the exemption should watch for legislative updates as that date approaches.

1
California Department of Veterans Affairs. Veteran License Plates
2
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled Veteran License Plates
3
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Disabled Veteran License Plates and Fees Exemption
4
California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 9105 – Exemption From Fees
5
California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 5007 – Special Plates
6
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Replacement License Plates and Stickers
7
California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 22511.5 – Parking Privileges
8
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Congressional Medal of Honor License Plates
9
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Ex-Prisoner of War (POW) License Plates