LOS ANGELES – Pee Wee Herman is about to be a registered sex offender in California.But at least Paul Reubens, the former star of “Pee Wee’s Playhouse,” won’t visit the big house.

Reubens, 51, was sentenced to three years’ probation yesterday after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count of “possessing obscene materials of minors engaged in sexual conduct” after prosecutors agreed to drop a more serious “possession of child pornography” rap that carries up to a year in jail.

A November 2001 police raid on Reubens’ home netted “thousands of items of sexually oriented materials, including photos and magazines containing child pornography,” the city attorney said. Reubens admitted having 170 suspect images, but maintains they were part of his “art collection.”

Besides registering as a sex offender, Judge Carol Rehm’s sentence requires weekly counseling for a year, searches by cops, and no unsupervised contact with minors.

Reubens’ reps called the plea a win, saying, “Child pornography charges were finally dismissed against Paul Reubens today after a 2-1/2-year legal battle.”