What a clean air vehicle sticker actually is

The old Clean Air Vehicle decal is still on the bumper. Can a solo driver use it in California’s carpool lane in October 2026? California DMV says the decal program ended at midnight on September 30, 2025. Starting October 1, 2025, the decals stopped providing solo HOV access.

The current DMV program FAQ says federal authority expired despite California’s proposed extension. Drivers now need to obey the posted occupancy requirement. The program’s reduced toll benefit also ended; the local toll authority supplies its current rates and lane rules.

The word white describes this decal, not the car. The photograph illustrates the old marking. A color, printed date or application receipt cannot extend the program beyond the termination announced by DMV.

There is no single occupancy count or operating-hours rule to infer from a photograph. The sign, lane type and local toll rules matter. Ending the decal exemption did not remove the underlying HOV lanes or create permission to cross their buffers.

DMV stopped accepting new and replacement applications on August 29, 2025, at 5 p.m. Old REG 1000 was the application for decals, not a registration renewal or an underhood emissions-certification label. It is now a historical program document, so this page links the termination FAQ instead of displaying the retired application as something to submit.

DMV says owners do not have to remove the decals. Keeping one is different from relying on it. This is a California program explanation, not a promise about HOV exemptions or toll discounts in another state.