Just received my red HOV decals

02/02/2018 - bought my Prime
02/18/2018 - received my plates (not personalized) & registration in the mail
02/22/2018 - mailed my HOV decal application & $22 fee to the DMV
03/31/2018 - received red HOV decals in mail (along with a new registration card & decal certificate)

I thought I'd post this information regarding processing time and the application process for the California red HOV decals for anyone who is wondering. I bought my 2017 Prime on about 02/02/2018 and received my California plates (not personalized, I presume personalized plates take longer) and registration (in the same envelope) on 02/18/2017. I had my Prime a couple of days earlier, but needed to make a modification to the loan application, so they did not send off for the registration until at least 02/02/2018.

I mailed the application along with the $22 for the HOV decals on 02/20/2018. You can get the form online, but you cannot complete the application online, it must be mailed in. Also, even if you are a AAA member, they cannot help you with this at the AAA in-office DMV desks (I tried).

I just received my decals today (03/31/2018), which means it took 39 calendar days from the date I mailed in my application or 28 business days. The DMV website says the decals will "usually" arrive within 30 business days, so they met that deadline (especially if you allow 2 or 3 days for my application to reach them). Along with the decals I received a new Registration Card (which quite apparently must replace the one I received with my plates) and a "CLEAN AIR VEHICLE DECAL CERTIFICATE" which has numbers matching those on my HOV decals and which must be carried in the car along with your registration.

Though mine arrived within the 30 business-day timeframe, I've read elsewhere that other people received their decals much more quickly. I was wondering where they were yesterday (I've been wondering for a while), so I called the DMV. The DMV representative I eventually spoke to (after about 30 minutes on hold, and don't try the "call you back" option because it failed me twice) checked and verified that my application had been processed and the decals had been mailed out.

The DMV rep was very confused about the amount of time it took to process my application. Perhaps it took longer because I mailed my application right when the switch-over to red decals was happening. The rep was also thought that the dealer would have necessarily applied for the decals itself, but I had already confirmed with the DMV person at my dealership that they had not.

Notes about filling out the application:

If you have two people on your registration (as do I), you have to list both owners in the form, but only one needs to sign and date the form (as shown below in the redacted photo of the application I sent in). I called and verified this with a DMV rep before I sent in my application. She said there only needed to be one signature, so that's what I did, and it worked.

I sent my application with a $22 postal money order. I like to do that so there can't be any problems with the check. But I realized afterward that if I had sent a check, the check clearing my bank would have provided verification that my application had been received and was being processed.

 

From the DMV website:

"The new red decal will be valid until January 1, 2019, and will be issued to vehicles that meet California's super ultra-low emission vehicle (SULEV) standard for exhaust emissions and the federal inherently low-emission vehicle (ILEV) evaporative emission standard, as well as vehicles that meet the state’s enhanced advanced technology partial zero-emission (enhanced AT PZEV) vehicles or transitional zero emission vehicle (TZEV) standard."

After that, they are supposed to be issuing new decals that you can apply for if you got your decals in 2018 (and I think 2017). There is more information on the CARB (California Air Resources Board) website. The new decals will be valid until 2022. But there are some gray areas. I know I will be be checking the CARB and DMV websites regularly to apply for the new decals whenever they become available (in case they might run out of them).

 

That is not what they are saying. The DMV website says, ""The new red decal will be valid until January 1, 2019...." When I spoke to the DMV and the CARB, the reps told me that new decals will be issued. Could they decide to keep the red decals and make them valid until 2022? I've wondered about that, too. Anything is possible, but they have stated clearly that they will be valid until January 1, 2019.

 

I'm not sure what you're basing that on. There were two colors before (green and white), and there were distinctions in some places, like the Golden Gate Bridge, between the two colors. So, if you are correct, it would seem they would be implementing a permanent end to that. I agree that the red stickers might remain valid, but that is pure supposition.

 

I think it's something like that, but I'm not sure the exact distinctions.

 

By their estimate, you should have them no later than next week. Maybe they got behind when they switched over to the red stickers.

 

Sorry, just saw this. I'm not sure what the difference was between white and green. But I know I see the green ones on all Primes, and the white ones on Teslas.

 

"Hobbled" gas engine component??

 

Yes, I think it was that easy. Go to the DMV page to verify that, but I think that's it.

 

Anyone can ride in the HOV lanes as long as there are two living people in the car (yes, the "living" requirement has been adjudicated). I've never heard anything about the lanes being restricted to cars with California license plates, so that shouldn't be any problem. If you have two people in the car, the model of car and how it is powered is irrelevant. These decals are only to allow single-occupant vehicles to drive in the HOV lanes.

 

How they phrase that is interesting. I guess it's meant to cover a situation where you might get the decals and then register your car in another state. The decals might still be on your car, but they wouldn't be good in California any more with the out-of-state plates.

One thing I've wondered about is whether these stickers are good for HOV lanes in other states. I would have thought the answer was no, but then, in reading about the decal program, I kept seeing mentions of federal authority figuring into the policies here and there. The interstate system is federal, and reciprocity among the states is well-established policy. However, California definitely exercises a great deal of authority over these programs. So, without having researched it at all, I just presume these California decals do not let you use HOV lanes in any other states.