We bought our 2005 Prius from a lady who lived in California. The Prius has the CA HOV Stickers. Now that the car is registered in Arizona, are the CA stickers still valid? We called the CA DMV and they could not answer the question (Go Figure). However, they did refer us to the CHP. The person who answered the phone told us that he would not pull us over. I do not want to take a chance that he will be the cop behind us in the near future. We were lucky enough to receive the AZ plates before they ran out, but can anyone help with this question? Thank you in advance.
It sounds like you have AZ HOV license plates, but you also would like to "double dip" when you visit California by using the carpool lanes there solo. Is that right? See the following CA DMV website: Clean Air Stickers - High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Usage Note the two references to CA Vehicle Code sections at the beginning of that webpage. 21655.9 says "(b) A person shall not drive a vehicle described in subdivision (a) of Section 5205.5 with a single occupant upon a high-occupancy vehicle lane pursuant to this section unless the decal, label, or other identifier issued pursuant to Section 5205.5 is properly displayed on the vehicle, and the vehicle registration described in Section 5205.5 is with the vehicle." 5205.5 says "(f) For purposes of subdivision (a), the Department of the California Highway Patrol and the department, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall design and specify the placement of the decal, label, or other identifier on the vehicle. Each decal, label, or other identifier issued for a vehicle shall display a unique number, which number shall be printed on, or affixed to, the vehicle registration." Given the above, I would say that if the prior owner gave you the CA hybrid carpool sticker registration form that came with the stickers, and you keep this form in the car, then you can make a reasonable claim that the CA stickers are still valid under Section 21655.9. Contrary to 5205.5, the carpool serial number is not printed on the vehicle registration form that is issued annually when you pay your license fees.
Yes this is correct. Thank you for the info and site. We will continue to use the stickers and hope for the best!
So: you're living in CA but the car is registered in AZ? or do you just visit CA frequently? In any case, as things stand now, you need to be aware that in CA, the privilege goes away Jan 1, 2011.
