BlackletterCalifornia law

CHAPTER 1. The Department of Motor Vehicles [1500. - 1825.]

Chapter 1 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.

§§ 1500–1825 · 115 sections

  1. ARTICLE 1. Organization of Department §§ 1500–1507 · 7 sections
    • § 1500 (a) There is in the Transportation Agency the Department of Motor Vehicles. (b) Whenever the term “Business, Transportation and Housing Agency” appears within…
    • § 1501 The department is the successor to and is hereby vested with all of the powers, duties, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction now or hereafter vested by…
    • § 1502 The department has possession and control of all records, books, papers, offices, equipment, moneys, funds, appropriations, and all other property, real or…
    • § 1503 Except as in this division otherwise provided, the provisions of Chapter 2 (commencing at Section 11150) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government…
    • § 1504 The department is under the control of a civil executive officer known as the Director of Motor Vehicles. The director shall be appointed by, and hold office…
    • § 1505 The director, with the approval of the Governor and the Secretary of Transportation, shall organize the department in a manner that he or she may deem…
    • § 1507 The director may appoint and, in accordance with law fix the salaries of: (a) A deputy director. (b) Such other officers, deputies, technical experts, and…
  2. ARTICLE 2. Powers and Duties §§ 1650–1685.1 · 53 sections
    • § 1650 The director shall administer and enforce the provisions of this code relating to the department.
    • § 1651 (a) The director may adopt and enforce rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this code relating to the department. (b) Rules…
    • § 1651.2 Whenever in the judgment of the department, any person has engaged, or is about to engage, in any acts or practices that constitute, or will constitute, an…
    • § 1651.3 It is the policy of this state to recognize the training and experience that individuals gain while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. In…
    • § 1651.5 (a) The director may assign or reassign dates for the expiration of registration for a vehicle registered pursuant to this code. The director may establish a…
    • § 1652 (a) The department shall prescribe and provide suitable forms of applications, certificates of ownership, registration cards, drivers’ licenses, and all other…
    • § 1653 The department shall examine and determine the genuineness and regularity of every application or document filed with it under this code and may require…
    • § 1653.5 (a) Each form prescribed by the department for use by an applicant for the issuance or renewal by the department of a driver’s license or identification card… see note
    • § 1654 The director may purchase or lease such real estate and erect such buildings as the department or any of its divisions require, subject to the approval of the…
    • § 1655 (a) The director and deputy director of the department, the Deputy Director, Investigations Division, the Chief, Field Investigations Branch, and the…
    • § 1656 The department shall publish on its internet website a synopsis or summary of the laws regulating the operation of vehicles and the use of the highways.
    • § 1656.1 The Department of Justice shall, in conjunction with the department and the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, develop and create a video…
    • § 1656.2 (a) The department shall prepare and publish a printed summary describing the penalties for noncompliance with Sections 16000 and 16028, which shall be…
    • § 1656.3 (a) The department shall include within the California Driver’s Handbook, as specified in Section 1656, information regarding each of the following: (1) Rail…
    • § 1656.4 (a) The department, in consultation with the Department of Consumer Affairs, shall make available on its Internet web site, on or before July 1, 1997,…
    • § 1656.5 (a) The Legislature finds that the department, by virtue of its interaction with millions of California drivers and vehicle owners each year, represents a…
    • § 1657 The director may assign qualified employees of the department to advise with the State Board of Education and with the governing boards of districts…
    • § 1658 The department may pay membership fees, join, and participate in affairs of associations having for their purpose the interchange of information relating to…
    • § 1659 The department may develop criteria, establish standards for, and coordinate a program of motor vehicle driver education and motor vehicle driver training for…
    • § 1660 (a) Any institution or organization described in subdivision (o) of Section 286 shall keep the following records for not less than three years: (1) The name…
    • § 1661 (a) Except for vehicles registered pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 9700) of Chapter 6 of Division 3, the department shall notify the registered…
    • § 1663 (a) The department shall, in the synopsis or summary of laws regulating the operation of vehicles and the use of the highways published under Section 1656,…
    • § 1664 The department shall publicize the Safe Streets Act of 1994 when mailing vehicle registrations, driver’s licenses, and driver’s license suspension and…
    • § 1665 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department by rule or regulation may provide for the issuance and renewal on a two-year basis of licenses or…
    • § 1666 The department shall do all of the following: (a) Include at least one question in each test of an applicant’s knowledge and understanding of the provisions of…
    • § 1666.1 Upon updating the California Driver’s Handbook, the department shall include at least one question in any of the noncommercial driver’s license examinations,…
    • § 1666.5 The department shall include, on a rotating basis, at least one question in at least 20 percent of the tests of an applicant’s knowledge and understanding of…
    • § 1666.7 The department shall include, on a rotating basis, at least one question in at least 20 percent of the tests of an applicant’s knowledge and understanding of…
    • § 1667 (a) As part of its motor vehicle registration and registration renewal process, other than upon the initial registration of a new motor vehicle, the department…
    • § 1668 (a) The department may provide fingerprint service to the general public. When that service is provided, the department shall charge a fee of not less than…
    • § 1669 It is the intent of the Legislature that the department implement procedures to ensure, to the fullest extent permitted by the resources made available to it,…
    • § 1670 A licensee issued an occupational license by the department and conducting more than one type of business from an established place of business shall provide a…
    • § 1671 (a) The established place of business of a dealer, remanufacturer, remanufacturer branch, manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor, distributor branch,…
    • § 1672 (a) The department shall make available, in the public area of each office of the department where applications for driver’s licenses or identification cards…
    • § 1672.3 (a) The director shall determine the date when the department’s inventory of driver’s license and identification card forms, as that inventory exists in…
    • § 1672.5 For purposes of providing a means of identifying persons who have elected to make an anatomical gift under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (Chapter 3.5…
    • § 1673 For the purposes of refunding the smog impact fee, as prescribed in Sections 1673.2 and 1673.4, “registered owner or lessee” means the person or persons to…
    • § 1673.2 (a) The department, in coordination with the Department of Finance, shall do all of the following: (1) Search its records to identify the registered owner or…
    • § 1673.4 (a) Any claim submitted by a person other than a registered owner or lessee shall be filed within 30 days from the effective date of this section. (b) If a…
    • § 1673.5 The department shall attempt to recover any refund of the smog impact fee, or part thereof, that is erroneously made. Collection shall be initiated if the…
    • § 1673.6 It is unlawful to use a false or fictitious name, to knowingly make any false statement, or conceal any material fact on a refund claim for the smog impact fee…
    • § 1673.7 (a) The department shall include the following notice with each check issued as a refund of the smog impact fee: “The enclosed check is a refund of the $300…
    • § 1674 The department shall develop a program to foster a positive atmosphere that is conducive to encouraging drivers to succeed in passing any visual tests or…
    • § 1674.4 In order to address any conscious or unconscious bias against a driver by persons administering the department’s visual tests or written or behind-the-wheel…
    • § 1674.6 (a) The Legislature finds and declares that persons should be provided with transportation alternatives when their privilege to drive is lost because of…
    • § 1675 (a) The director shall establish standards and develop criteria for the approval of initial and renewal driver improvement courses specifically designed for…
    • § 1676 (a) A course provider conducting a mature driver improvement course pursuant to Section 1675 may charge a tuition not to exceed thirty dollars ($30). (b) A…
    • § 1677 (a) The department may collect a fee, to be determined by the department, from each course provider who shall be responsible for the development and operation…
    • § 1678 (a) Between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2004, inclusive, the fee amounts set forth in Section 488.385 of the Code of Civil Procedure, Section 10902 of…
    • § 1679 On and after July 1, 2006, in any document mailed by the department that offers a person the opportunity to register to vote pursuant to the National Voter…
    • § 1680 (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, or offer for sale, an appointment with the department. (b) For purposes of this section, “appointment” means…
    • § 1685 (a) In order to continue improving the quality of products and services it provides to its customers, the department, in conformance with Article 4 (commencing…
    • § 1685.1 (a) In order to provide electronic vehicle registration services, the department may enter into an interstate carrier partnership, established under this…
  3. ARTICLE 3. Records of Department §§ 1800–1825 · 55 sections
    • § 1800 (a) The department shall file each application received for the registration of a vehicle and shall keep a record of each as follows: (1) Under a distinctive…
    • § 1801 (a) Whenever any notice, report, statement, court abstract, or record is required to be submitted to the department by this code, the document may be submitted…
    • § 1801.1 (a) Notwithstanding any other law, the department may allow a person to submit a document required to be submitted to the department by using electronic media…
    • § 1801.2 (a) For a provision of this code or of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations that requires the department to mail, notify, deliver via certified or…
    • § 1802 Every judge of a court not of record shall keep a full record of every case in which a person is charged with any violation of this code.
    • § 1803 (a) (1) The clerk of a court in which a person was convicted of a violation of this code, was convicted of a violation of subdivision (a), (b), (c), (d), (e),…
    • § 1803.3 (a) The clerk of any court that reverses a conviction for an offense described in subdivision (a) of Section 1803, which is not exempted under subdivision (b)…
    • § 1803.4 Any record regarding the providing of information pursuant to Section 13106, or record of persons personally given notice by the department or a court, by a…
    • § 1803.5 (a) In accordance with Section 41501 or 42005, the clerk of a court or hearing officer, when a person who receives a notice to appear at a court or board…
    • § 1804 (a) The abstract shall be made upon a form furnished or approved by the department and shall contain all necessary information to identify the defendant,…
    • § 1805 The failure, refusal, or neglect of any such judicial officer to comply with any of the requirements of Sections 1802, 1803, 1804 and 1816 is misconduct in…
    • § 1806 (a) The department shall file all accident reports and abstracts of court records of convictions received under this code, and in connection therewith, shall…
    • § 1806.1 If a person has entered into a stipulated vehicle release agreement pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 14607.6, the department shall…
    • § 1806.5 Notwithstanding Section 1808, the department shall not furnish information filed pursuant to Section 1806 to any person if the furnishing of that information…
    • § 1807 (a) The department is not required to maintain records relating to drivers of motor vehicles after the records are, in the opinion of the director, no longer…
    • § 1807.5 (a) Notwithstanding Section 1808, any record of the department of a conviction of Section 23103 as specified in Section 23103.5, or of a conviction of Section…
    • § 1808 (a) Except where a specific provision of law prohibits the disclosure of records or information or provides for confidentiality, all records of the department…
    • § 1808.1 (a) The prospective employer of a driver who drives a vehicle specified in subdivision (k) shall obtain a report showing the driver’s current public record as…
    • § 1808.2 In addition to those specified in Section 1808.4, the home address of any inspector or investigator regularly employed and paid as such in the office of a…
    • § 1808.21 (a) Any residence address in any record of the department is confidential and shall not be disclosed to any person, except a court, law enforcement agency, or…
    • § 1808.22 (a) Section 1808.21 does not apply to a financial institution licensed by the state or federal government to do business in the State of California, if the…
    • § 1808.23 (a) Section 1808.21 does not apply to any of the following: (1) A vehicle manufacturer licensed to do business in this state if the manufacturer, or its agent,…
    • § 1808.24 Information regarding any motor vehicle liability insurance policy or surety bond provided to the department pursuant to Section 4000.37 or provided…
    • § 1808.25 (a) The department shall implement a program to provide residence address information to an accredited degree-granting nonprofit independent institution of…
    • § 1808.3 (a) The department may participate in the State-to-State Verification Service, or any successor system, operated by the American Association of Motor Vehicle…
    • § 1808.4 (a) For all of the following persons, the person’s home address that appears in a record of the department is confidential if the person requests the…
    • § 1808.45 The willful, unauthorized disclosure of information from any department record to any person, or the use of any false representation to obtain information from…
    • § 1808.46 No person or agent shall directly or indirectly obtain information from the department files using false representations or distribute restricted or…
    • § 1808.47 Any person who has access to confidential or restricted information from the department shall establish procedures to protect the confidentiality of those…
    • § 1808.48 Notwithstanding any other law, no government agency or department, law enforcement agency, commercial entity, or other person shall obtain, access, use, or…
    • § 1808.5 Except as provided in Section 22511.58, all records of the department relating to the physical or mental condition of any person, and convictions of any…
    • § 1808.51 Notwithstanding Sections 1808.5 and 12800.5, any of the following may obtain copies of fullface engraved pictures or photographs of individuals directly from…
    • § 1808.6 (a) In addition to those specified in Section 1808.4, the home address of any of the following persons, that appears in any record of the department, is…
    • § 1808.7 (a) The record of the department relating to the first proceeding and conviction under Section 1803.5 in any 18-month period for completion of a traffic…
    • § 1808.8 (a) Dismissal of any driver certified pursuant to Section 12517, 12523, or 12523.5, for a cause relating to pupil transportation safety, shall be reported by…
    • § 1808.9 (a) Except for retired peace officers whose home address is permanently withheld from public inspection under subdivision (c) of Section 1808.4 or subdivision…
    • § 1808.10 The record of the department relating to the first proceeding and conviction for a driver licensed with a class A license, class B license, or commercial class…
    • § 1809 The department may prepare and disseminate information relating to prevention of traffic accidents.
    • § 1810 (a) Except as provided in Sections 1806.5, 1808.2, 1808.4, 1808.5, 1808.6, 1808.7, 1808.8, and paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 12800.5, the…
    • § 1810.2 (a) The department may establish commercial requester accounts for individuals or organizations and issue requester codes for the purpose of obtaining…
    • § 1810.3 (a) Using the information made available in the accident reports provided to the department by law enforcement agencies under Section 20012, the department may…
    • § 1810.5 The Attorney General, district attorneys, law enforcement agencies, city attorneys and city prosecutors prosecuting misdemeanor actions under Section 41803.5…
    • § 1810.7 (a) Except as provided in Sections 1806.5, 1808.2, 1808.4, 1808.5, 1808.6, 1808.7, and 1808.21, the department may authorize, by special permit, any person to…
    • § 1811 The department may sell copies of all or any part of its records at a charge sufficient to pay at least the entire actual cost to the department of the copies,…
    • § 1812 The department shall not charge for copies of records or for information from its records given to any county, city, any transit operator as defined in Section…
    • § 1813 The director and such officers of the department as he may designate may, upon request, prepare under the seal of the department and deliver without charge a…
    • § 1814 Any person engaged in the business of examining the records of the department and supplying information relative thereto to the public for compensation shall…
    • § 1815 The bond shall be to the satisfaction of the director and shall obligate the principal and sureties to compensate the officers of the department and any other…
    • § 1816 Every judge of the juvenile court, juvenile hearing officer, duly constituted referee of a juvenile court, or other person responsible for the disposition of…
    • § 1817 Written allegations received by the department from members of the public identifying motor vehicles or other vehicles by license number from which any flaming…
    • § 1818 Any record of, or information from any record concerning, an abstract of conviction kept by the department shall contain an appropriate notation indicating the…
    • § 1819 All records of the department containing information as to the actual mileage of motor vehicles submitted as required by subdivision (b) of Section 4456 and…
    • § 1821 (a) The department shall establish and maintain a data and monitoring system to evaluate the efficacy of intervention programs for persons convicted of…
    • § 1822 The Legislature finds that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs continues to be a primary safety issue on the state’s highways, and the major cause…
    • § 1825 (a) The department shall conduct a quarterly random audit of applications submitted and processed pursuant to Section 5007 or 22511.55 or subdivision (b) or…