HOV Sticker Lost In Mail

Hi - can anyone who recently obtained the HOV sticker chime in on how long did it take you to get the sticker? My application was processed 3 weeks ago on May 11, but I still haven't received my sticker. Called "DMV Special Processing Unit" twice, and I'm getting conflicting information - both agent told me my application was processed on May 11 (I can confirm the $8 check was cashed around the same time), but one agent told me that my sticker is probably lost since the sticker mailed out the same week, I haven't got it after more than 2 weeks, and should do another sticker application for a replacement sticker; the other agent said "You will regret it if you send in a replacement application now since the sticker is probably just got mailed out not too long ago" (she also said she received a lot of pointless phone call like this, I guess she's having a bad day).

Can someone who recently got the HOV sticker chime in on when did you submit the application, when the check was cashed/application was processed, and when did you receive the sticker after the check was cashed/application was processed? I feel like asking fellow forum members are better off than waiting on hold for 30 mins each time talking to a DMV agent who doesn't really care.

Thanks!

siucity said:

I just got my stickers. I mailed my application about 6 weeks ago. The $8 check got cashed 2 weeks ago. I got the stickers about 10 days after the check was cashed.

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miimura said:

In most of the cases I've heard about, people in Northern California receive the stickers several days after the check has cleared their bank. So Cal should be within a week. If yours has been two weeks something is definitely amiss.

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10 Days seems about right, it's over 21 days now and counting since my $8 check was cashed, doesn't look very promising...

I'll probably go ahead and send in the replacement application, worst case is if I got the sticker after the replacement application is mailed out, I put on the old sticker while waiting for the new sticker to come in, then send the old sticker back once I got the replacement.

ddimit said:

The Stickers are tied to the plate number. You need the plates to get them. Since Tesla is not participating in assigning plates when the car is purchased you need to wait until you have plates to apply

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While it's true that the stickers are tied to the plate, car dealers have been applying the stickers before the car was sold and have a plate. I believe it's applied under the VIN and when the car is sold, the stickers would come with the car already, the dealer just file a owner transfer application. That was what happened when I got my leaf last year. No delays, driving on HOV lane from day one.

While Tesla is not traditional dealer, I think they can do that if they chose to.

Some updates - mailed my replacement application in the beginning of June, and got the sticker one week later. But the stickers are not the replacement - it was the original stickers, and the postmark shows it's mailed out 1 month + 1 day after the check has been cashed. All in all, it took 2 months from application to stickers in hand.

Also, a couple weeks after I've received the sticker, my replacement application was sent back to me declined. It said the stickers were issued 1 month before the actual mailing date, no replacement will be issued. A side note on the replacement application response stating that I should wait 30 days after the stickers have been issued before filing for replacement, but what happened was the stickers didn't actually get mailed out until 30 days after the "issue date".

Either way, DMV always wins