The license plates California won't issue - from the state's own lookup and the records it has released.
California's DMV sends questionable requests to a review committee. These are real decisions from 2015-2016, released under a public records request - what the applicant said the plate meant, and what the reviewer saw. (We only show plates that read clean; rude words in the notes are masked.)
Applicant: No quickweb
DMV reviewer: Strike her?
Applicant: Intails n my coast guard surfman number
DMV reviewer: Is this a look a like to sequential legacy?
Applicant: Cannabis
DMV reviewer: Marijuana reference
Applicant: I turned 50 and i'm loving it
DMV reviewer: 5o, police reference
Applicant: Inside jokes among friends
DMV reviewer: Anti state, some could find it offensive or hostile
Applicant: Vin number
DMV reviewer: All digits
Applicant: Unfaithful
DMV reviewer: Bad taste
Applicant: Water polo
DMV reviewer: Water or wet, balling
Applicant: Harley owner group dead on arrival
DMV reviewer: Doa can stand for dead on arrival, hostile
Applicant: Favorite numbers
DMV reviewer: Look a like
Applicant: Area of vehicle personal plates
DMV reviewer: 559 fresno area code
Applicant: I was a door gunner in the u.s. army
DMV reviewer: Door gunner, weapon reference
Applicant: My silverado plate number
DMV reviewer: Looks like a commercial
Applicant: Type of corvette
DMV reviewer: Look alike
Applicant: Bruno out
DMV reviewer: Burnout; stoner
Applicant: Awesome super bee
DMV reviewer: 187=homicide, dodge is a 2013
Applicant: I.m a usaf fighter pilot. we fly to fight bad guys.
DMV reviewer: Fight, hostile
Applicant: Danger619
DMV reviewer: Ca area code
Applicant: Snack racket
DMV reviewer: Snot rocket
Applicant: Roi olympic on brazil
DMV reviewer: Look alike
Applicant: Old saying
DMV reviewer: Who hit you? hostile
Applicant: Uber chap
DMV reviewer: Chp california highway patrol
Applicant: Tail number of small airplane i used to fly
DMV reviewer: 747 area code
Applicant: The meaning is elk grove and the area code of elk grove is 916.
DMV reviewer: Area code
Applicant: Kylie hunter
DMV reviewer: Hunter, weapon reference
Applicant: Military mos
DMV reviewer: Not sure if this is a look a like
Applicant: Retired florist
DMV reviewer: Marijuana
Applicant: House number and model number
DMV reviewer: 925 area code
Applicant: His last love
DMV reviewer: 45 as in gun heckler and koch is a gun brand
Applicant: Assassin
DMV reviewer: Assasin
Applicant: Knock them out
DMV reviewer: Looks similar to knock him out, hostile
Applicant: My mustang has a 5.0 liter engine and i'm making fun of it saying its too slow. its a thing that chevy camaro guys say to mustang drivers.
DMV reviewer: Police reference
Applicant: Star wars speeder number.
DMV reviewer: Looks like 0101010
Applicant: Not available on quickweb yet
DMV reviewer: Gun sage, pulled for gun
Applicant: Hey officer
DMV reviewer: Pulled for officer
Applicant: Hunting
DMV reviewer: Roll them
Applicant: Totontepec
DMV reviewer: Can not translate
Applicant: Snipe is a hockey term for nice goal. the number 21 is my hockey number
DMV reviewer: Snipe, weapon reference
Applicant: Rocking out to music
DMV reviewer: Funkin beef ready to fight
Applicant: Friving a 1940's chevy truck
DMV reviewer: Packing a 45 (gun)
Applicant: It stands for my tean sf 49ers and my local area code
DMV reviewer: 831 soledad area code
Applicant: Sobriety
DMV reviewer: 50 police
Applicant: Jesus galindo area code 408 ss
DMV reviewer: 408 san jose area code
Applicant: Balls to the walls like go fast, go hard etc
DMV reviewer: Balls to walls
Applicant: Silver bullet
DMV reviewer: Silver bullet
Applicant: I dare yu
DMV reviewer: Because of the 'you'.. taunting
Applicant: 916 meaning area code, mix with sic meaning nice car.
DMV reviewer: 916 area code(customer lives in sacramento)
Applicant: Boss
DMV reviewer: Area code
Applicant: Show (a belief or theory) to be false or unfounded.
DMV reviewer: Could be considered hostile
Applicant: 1966 327 el camino
DMV reviewer: Look alike
Applicant: N/a
DMV reviewer: Daddy dz as in these nuts
Applicant: It means gun maker. i am a gun smith in the marine corps.
DMV reviewer: Gun maker
Applicant: Daughters birthdays
DMV reviewer: Look alike?
Applicant: Hunting fool
DMV reviewer: Hatin fool
Applicant: The san diegan
DMV reviewer: Area code
Applicant: Off roading reference to climbing rocky trails. also, we named our property kickin rocks ranch.
DMV reviewer: Kick rocks, some may find offensive
Applicant: For my sons car to match
DMV reviewer: Looks like all digits
Applicant: Horse power and torque of motor in car
DMV reviewer: Ca area code
Applicant: It means courage
DMV reviewer: This looks like the spanish work cojones
Applicant: Dads number
DMV reviewer: 612 = area code?
Applicant: Vogue 1 fashion designer 357
DMV reviewer: 357 (gun)
Applicant: Not on quickweb yet
DMV reviewer: Ex police
Applicant: This is binary for 42, a reference to douglas adam's "hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy"
DMV reviewer: Look a like
Applicant: Product of my evironment
DMV reviewer: 626 area code
Applicant: Raider till death
DMV reviewer: Pulled for death
Applicant: You gots to go
DMV reviewer: Could be considered hostile
Applicant: Farmer
DMV reviewer: Pig, police reference
Applicant: Phooo boom
DMV reviewer: Boom, explosion
Applicant: Flex fuel
DMV reviewer: Fool, directed at others…
Applicant: Favorite number spelled out
DMV reviewer: Urban dictionary says 147 is code for an undercover cop
Applicant: Nasty vdub - car type
DMV reviewer: Nasty dub
Applicant: Mean e46 body style of bmw i won also and me hence the way mean is spealled (m3an).
DMV reviewer: No bmw m3 and "mean346" is out there n current?
Applicant: Home origin city state and area code
DMV reviewer: Ca area code
Applicant: It is cali (for california) and 619, which is my area code. cali 619, combined.
DMV reviewer: Area code 619 is san diego county
Applicant: Dragon gunner
DMV reviewer: Gunner is a weapon reference
Applicant: Grandson's favorite saying.
DMV reviewer: You are a liar
Applicant: City and area code
DMV reviewer: 559 area code for parlier (fresno county)
Applicant: Music
DMV reviewer: Bass head
Applicant: Runner meaning slipping through
DMV reviewer: You, hostile
Applicant: Redneck truck
DMV reviewer: Red neck truck
Applicant: A device for removing stones from fruit
DMV reviewer: What they call a person who smokes marijuana
Applicant: My subaru is hungry
DMV reviewer: My roo are you
Applicant: Nothing
DMV reviewer: Backwards commercial
Applicant: I am a will and trust lawyer. so i work with families of people who have died.
DMV reviewer: Die for me
Applicant: Italian for my favorite number!
DMV reviewer: Thirteen
Applicant: 626 area code
DMV reviewer: Area code, pasadena 626
Applicant: California 8o's
DMV reviewer: Ca area code
Applicant: Crazy suv
DMV reviewer: Pulled for psycho
Applicant: Oo7 license to die
DMV reviewer: License to die
Applicant: Not on quickweb yet
DMV reviewer: Purple haze is a strain of marijuana
Not every flagged plate is refused. The committee approved these after a closer look.
Applicant: Painting contractor
DMV reviewer: Pig punter
Applicant: Honda xr650l 8
DMV reviewer: 650 area code
Applicant: Savage
DMV reviewer: All digits
Applicant: I love to hunt
DMV reviewer: Hunt could be considered hostile
Applicant: Its the sound my car makes on startup
DMV reviewer: Look alike
Applicant: I'm nasty too. it's going on a rat rod.
DMV reviewer: Im naughty to
Applicant: Code alias
DMV reviewer: Look alike
Applicant: Hunter's truck
DMV reviewer: Hunt, hostile
Applicant: Star wars tie fighter
DMV reviewer: Fighter, could be considered hostile
Applicant: Quick car in a hurry
DMV reviewer: Pulled for 911 (has 69 porsche)
Applicant: 510 is car sr20 is engine
DMV reviewer: 510 area code
Applicant: Work to hunt
DMV reviewer: Hunt, could be seen as hostile
Applicant: My favorite numbers
DMV reviewer: All digits
Applicant: Play on "legalize it"
DMV reviewer: Legalize what marijuana?
Applicant: Its for a built up 4x4 jeep so "slow your roll" refers to the slow speed crawling done on the trails
DMV reviewer: Slow ya roll
Applicant: Nba basketball - shot in game.
DMV reviewer: Shot, gun reference
Applicant: Bucking horses and 4x4
DMV reviewer: Gun sound
Applicant: Its a nice car
DMV reviewer: 442 area code - oldsmobile 442 on ani
Applicant: A fictional source of life energy. from a novel.
DMV reviewer: Can not translate
Applicant: Equestrian hunt rider
DMV reviewer: Hunter, could be considered hostile
Applicant: Terrible t
DMV reviewer: Hostile
Applicant: Red hot rod
DMV reviewer: Red hotrod… red hatred?
Applicant: My zip code
DMV reviewer: All digits
Applicant: United states marine corps air wing hydraulic mechanic
DMV reviewer: All digits
Applicant: Rocket guy is me who designs rockets.
DMV reviewer: Rocket, weapon reference
Applicant: Uknown soldiers wrath
DMV reviewer: Pulled for wrath
Applicant: Slum lord
DMV reviewer: Slum lord
Applicant: Dee savage
DMV reviewer: Savage, hostile
Applicant: 50 acres of land
DMV reviewer: 5o, police reference
Applicant: Get fly
DMV reviewer: Get fly is another way to say get high
California is one of the states we check live. Check a California plate before you order.
Like every state, California refuses plates it considers offensive, profane, sexual, hateful, drug or violence related, or that look official (like police plates). Reviewers also read plates backwards, with numbers as letters, and in other languages.
Most states let you ask for a review or appeal in writing. Check California's DMV for how - and explain what your plate means, since reviewers often refuse plates they misread.
Use the rejection risk check in the VanityPlate dashboard. It looks for the things reviewers look for - hidden words, words read backwards or with numbers as letters, official-looking wording - and tells you if any state's own lookup has flagged the plate.