California's Clean Air Vehicle decal program ending.

Sacramento — California Department of Motor Vehicles today announced that the federal regulations that allowed states to issue Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decals will expire on September 30, 2025. Putting the brakes on this program means that starting October 1, 2025, CAV decals will no longer be valid in California, or elsewhere in the United States. All vehicles will be required to meet posted vehicle occupancy to travel in carpool lanes and pay required tolls or risk receiving a citation.

While CAV decals were good for up to four years, the federal government’s decision not to extend the program makes ALL decals invalid as of October 1, regardless of the date they were issued.

With the end of this federal program, the DMV can no longer issue CAV decals that allow vehicles to travel in carpool lanes with only one occupant. DMV stopped processing new CAV decals after August 29, 2025.

“This is a great program for climate-conscious Californians,” said Director Steve Gordon. “We have issued over one million decals since this program was approved, which has helped to foster a change in how we drive. Californians are committed to lowering their carbon footprint and these decals helped drivers be good stewards of our highways and environment. By taking away this program, hundreds of thousands of California’s drivers will pay the price. It’s a lose-lose and we urge the federal government to retain this program.”

DMV offices are displaying information about the end of the federal CAV decal program and a notice has been posted on the DMV website. The DMV will directly notify customers who have an email address on file with the department. In addition, social media posts will remind customers of the program’s expiration.

To inform drivers of this change, Caltrans will post the following messaging on its electronic road signage:

CLEAN AIR DECALS

NOT VALID

STARTING OCT 1

Background

HOV lane access for single-occupant clean vehicles in California was first authorized in 1999, with the most recent reauthorization of the program coming in 2017. The California DMV began issuing Clean Air Vehicle decals to qualifying vehicles under the current program on January 1, 2019.CAV decals expired on January 1st of the fourth year after they were issued. This means they would have been valid for three full years, plus any additional months during the year they were issued. For example, if a CAV decal was issued at any time in 2021, it expired on January 1, 2025. Now, all CAV decals will be invalid as of October 1, 2025.

Before Going to an Office — Try Online First

Most DMV tasks do not require an office visit. The DMV encourages customers to use its online services and other service channels to complete transactions, such as eligible driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals. Customers can also use the Service Advisor on the DMV website to learn about options to complete DMV tasks.

Go Paperless — To sign up for paperless vehicle registration and driver’s license renewal notices, sign in or create a secure online account at dmv.ca.gov to opt in.

More traffic and more smog is on its way to California, thanks to Trump and the Republican-led Congress.

Starting September 30, California drivers with the Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal will no longer be able to use carpool laneswithout meeting vehicle occupancy requirements because the Trump administration and Congress decided to let the program sunset. California and other states’ ability to continue their decal programs relies on the federal government to extend the program, which has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the past. 

The decals represented an additional incentive for drivers to make the switch to cleaner cars because they offered access to carpool lanes. The misguided decision to let this program lapse eliminates the wildly successful program that has driven innovation in California and reduced air pollution at virtually no cost to taxpayers. 

Frequently asked questions →

A Trump traffic jam is on its way to California and other states – all because Republicans in Congress decided to let a wildly successful bipartisan program expire. That’s Trump’s America: more traffic, more smog and a government more committed to slashing proven programs than solving real problems.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The Trump administration is ending the CAV decal regulations at midnight on September 30, 2025. All CAV decals will be invalid starting October 1, 2025, and every vehicle, regardless of whether it is a hybrid or ZEV, must follow posted vehicle occupancy requirements. The DMV stopped processing CAV decal applications on August 29 and notified the public.

Last year, Governor Newsom signed a Republican-sponsored bill that extended California’s CAV decal program under state law, AB 2678 (Wallis, 2024). However, without action by Congress, California was stripped of its authority to keep the bipartisan CAV program alive – even though Congress extended the program in a Republican-sponsored bill with bipartisan support only a decade ago. 

Decades of cleaning our air 

This is just the latest move by the Trump administration and this Republican-controlled Congress to assault California’s ability to clean its air. The state sued the Trump administration in June after President Trump signed illegal resolutions targeting California’s clean vehicles program.

Although California standards have dramatically improved air quality, the state’s unique geography means air quality goals still require continued progress on vehicle emissions. Five of the ten citieswith the worst air pollution nationwide are in California. Ten million Californians in the San Joaquin Valley and Los Angeles air basins currently live under what is known as “severe nonattainment” conditions for ozone. People in these areas suffer unusually high rates of asthma and cardiopulmonary disease. Clean cars are a critical part of the plan to protect Californians.

Air pollution is a silent killer that causes heart and lung diseases, and cancer. Over the last 50 years, the state’s clean air efforts have saved $250 billion in health costs through reduced illness including reducing diesel-related cancer risk nearly 80%. 

California’s clean car record

• Around 1 in 4 new cars sold in California are ZEVs, according to the California Energy Commission – with the state hitting its goal of two million ZEVs ahead of schedule. 

• 56 ZEV and ZEV-related manufacturers are operating in California — leading the nation in ZEV manufacturing jobs. 

• 178,000 public or shared private electric vehicle chargers have been installed throughout California – nearly 50% more chargers than gas pumps.

  
  

Photo : Vladimir Gomez