The standard California abbreviation is CA, the two capital letters the Postal Service uses for the state. Write it with no period after the city on any address: Fresno, CA 93721.
California also has a traditional abbreviation, Calif., used in news datelines and some print lists, and a shorter Cal. found in legal citations and older writing. Because the full name has ten letters, people shorten it more often than most states, so it helps to know which form fits where.
Quick facts
Postal code
CA (no period)Traditional
Calif.Also seen
Cal. in legal citations and older textsAP style
Calif. in datelines; full name in story textCapital city
SacramentoZIP codes start with
900 through 961Not to be confused with
CO (Colorado), CT (Connecticut), CA for Canada
Every California abbreviation in one table
| Form | Kind | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| CA | USPS postal code | Mail, shipping, online forms, IDs, spreadsheets |
| Calif. | Traditional abbreviation | Newspaper datelines, captions, lists |
| Cal. | Short traditional form | Court case citations, older books |
| Cali | Informal nickname | Speech, texts, social posts; not for formal writing |
For anything you mail or type into a form, CA is the only form you need.
CA on envelopes and forms
On the bottom line of an address, the two-letter code follows the city name. Use capitals, leave out periods, and keep it on one line.
A business letter address block:
Harbor Supply Co.
88 Wharf Rd., Ste. 4
Monterey, CA 93940
The letters CA, plus a ZIP code starting with 93, tell the sorting machine exactly where the letter belongs.
California ZIP codes begin with three digits from 900 through 961, so a code like 10001 on a California address is a sure sign of a typo. Driver's licenses, tax forms and job applications all use CA in the state field as well.
When to use Calif. instead of CA
Calif. comes from the older system of state abbreviations that writers used before postal codes. Today it lives on mostly in news writing.
- Dateline: "SANTA CRUZ, Calif." at the start of a story.
- Story text: spell out California, as in "The storm reached northern California overnight."
- School essays and reports: spell it out every time unless your teacher's style guide says otherwise.
Cal. is shorter but less clear, since it can also suggest calorie or calendar. Lawyers use it in case citations, where readers know the context.
Is Cali an abbreviation for California?
Cali is a nickname, not an official abbreviation. Many people use it casually, and others in the state dislike it, so it is best kept to texts and friendly chat. You may also hear SoCal for Southern California and NorCal for Northern California. These are regional nicknames, not postal forms, and they should never go on an address.
CA vs CO, CT and Canada
Mix-ups with C codes cause a lot of misdirected mail.
- CA: California
- CO: Colorado (see the Colorado abbreviation)
- CT: Connecticut
CA is also the two-letter country code for Canada in many international systems, such as web addresses and shipping forms. On a US address, CA after a city means California. On an international form with a country field, CA may mean Canada. The Canada abbreviation page covers that use.
Quick facts and tips
California's capital is Sacramento, not Los Angeles or San Francisco, which surprises many visitors. Its nickname is the Golden State, and it runs on Pacific Time.
- Use CA on mail and forms.
- Use Calif. in datelines and tight lists.
- Spell out California in sentences.
- Keep Cali for casual talk only.
See the state abbreviations hub for every code, and the Pacific Time abbreviation page for PT, PST and PDT.
Questions people ask
What is the abbreviation for California on mail?
It is CA, in capital letters with no period. The Postal Service uses it for all California addresses.
Is it Calif. or Cal.?
Calif. is the traditional form most news writers use. Cal. is shorter and appears mainly in legal citations and older texts.
Is CA California or Canada?
On a US address, CA means California. In international country codes, CA stands for Canada, so check whether the field asks for a state or a country.
Can I write Cali on an envelope?
No. Cali is only a nickname, and sorting machines expect the postal code CA. Use CA for anything you mail.
What is the capital of California?
The capital is Sacramento. Los Angeles is the largest city, but it is not the seat of state government.