California allowed a grace period to obtain a license plate for a newly-purchased car, and taking into account the allowed time to file for a plate, and time to

California allowed a grace period to obtain a license plate for a newly-purchased car, and taking into account the allowed time to file for a plate, and time to issue and mail it to the car's owner, this could stretch out to a few months. However, California's laws are changing due to a case in which someone was hit and killed by a car that couldn't be identified for lack of plates. Beginning January 1, 2019, all cars sold in California will be required to have a license plate attached at time of sale (for new cars which don't yet have a permanent plate, dealers will be able to produce a temporary plate).