AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 2, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 6, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 19, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

96

Introduced by Assembly Member Hart

February 20, 2026

An act to amend Section 5067 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, in consultation with the California Coastal Commission, to design and make available for issuance special environmental design license plates that bear a graphic design depicting a California coastal motif. The department is required to impose certain fees for the issuance, renewal, substitution, and transfer of the plates, in addition to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal of registration. Existing law requires that certain additional fees be allocated to the California Environmental License Plate Fund. The department, after deducting its administrative costs, is required to deposit any additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of the special environmental design license plates, in the amount of ½ in the California Beach and Coastal Enhancement Account in the California Environmental License Plate Fund and ½ in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.

Existing law requires the Controller to allocate the funds in the California Beach and Coastal Enhancement Account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, first to the California Coastal Commission for expenditure for the specified public beach and coastal maintenance programs and second, from funds remaining after the first allocation, to the State Coastal Conservancy for coastal natural resource restoration and enhancement projects and for other coastal projects.

This bill would, for fees collected on or after January 1, 2027, allocate ½ of all additional revenue to the California Beach and Coastal Enhancement Account and would require the Controller, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, to allocate the moneys to the California Coastal Commission for beach and coastal maintenance programs and ½ to the Coastal Access Account for the support of grant programs administered by the State Coastal Conservancy, as specified.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 5067 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

5067.

(a) The department, in consultation with the California Coastal Commission, shall design and make available for issuance pursuant to this article special environmental design license plates. Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 5060, the special environmental design license plates shall bear a graphic design depicting a California coastal motif and may be issued in a combination of numbers or letters, or both, as requested by the applicant for the plates. Any person described in Section 5101 may, upon payment of the additional fees set forth in subdivision (b), apply for and be issued a set of special environmental design license plates.

(b) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, retention, or transfer of the special environmental design license plates authorized pursuant to this section:

(1) For the original issuance of the plates, fifty dollars ($50).

(2) For a renewal of registration of the plates or retention of the plates, if renewal is not required, forty dollars ($40).

(3) For transfer of the plates to another vehicle, fifteen dollars ($15).

(4) For each substitute replacement plate, thirty-five dollars ($35).

(5) In addition, for the issuance of an environmental license plate, as defined in Section 5103, the additional fees prescribed in Section Sections 5106 and 5108. Prior to January 1, 2027, the additional fees prescribed in Sections 5106 and 5108 shall be deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.

(c) After deducting its administrative costs under this section, the department, except as provided in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b), shall deposit the additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of special environmental design license plates prior to January 1, 2027, as follows:

(1) One-half in the California Beach and Coastal Enhancement Account, which is hereby established in the California Environmental License Plate Fund. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the moneys in the account shall be allocated by the Controller as follows:

(A) First to the California Coastal Commission for expenditure for the Adopt-A-Beach program, the Beach Cleanup Day program, coastal public education programs, and grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations for the costs of operating and maintaining public beaches related to these programs.

(B) Second, from funds remaining after the allocation required under subparagraph (A), to the State Coastal Conservancy for coastal natural resource restoration and enhancement projects and for other projects consistent with the provisions of Division 21 (commencing with Section 31000) of the Public Resources Code.

(2) One-half in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.

(d) After deducting its administrative costs under this section, the department shall deposit the additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of special environmental design license plates on or after January 1, 2027, including the revenue from the fees prescribed in Section 5105 Sections 5106 and 5108, as follows:

(1) One-half in the California Beach and Coastal Enhancement Account within the California Environmental License Plate Fund. Upon an appropriation by the Legislature, the moneys in the account shall be allocated by the Controller to the California Coastal Commission for expenditure for the Whale Tail Grants Program, the Adopt-A-Beach program, the Coastal Cleanup Day program, and other coastal public education programs.

(2) One-half in the Coastal Access Account within the State Coastal Conservancy Fund for support of the State Coastal Conservancy’s Explore the Coast grants.