Cal. Code Regs. tit. 13, § 205.10 – Surrender of Current License Plates.

(a) The current license plates shall be surrendered to the department at the time of application.
(b) If the current license plates are not available, the applicant shall complete a Statement of Facts, Form REG 256 (Rev. 8/2008), which is hereby incorporated by reference, stating that he or she understands the current license plates are no longer valid and the applicant will destroy the license plates if, at any time, they are discovered.
1. (1) The license plates shall be considered destroyed when they are mutilated in a manner which renders them useless.

Note: Authority cited: Section 1651, Vehicle Code. Reference: Section 5004.1, Vehicle Code.

1. New section filed 3-4-2010; operative 4-3-2010 (Register 2010, No. 10).