CHAPTER 1. Issuance of Licenses, Expiration, and Renewal [12500. - 13020.]

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

§§ 12500–13020 · 116 sections

1. ARTICLE 1. Persons Required to Be Licensed, Exemptions, and Age Limits §§ 12500–12527 · 34 sections

   • § 12500 (a) A person may not drive a motor vehicle upon a highway, unless the person then holds a valid driver’s license issued under this code, except those persons…
   • § 12501 The following persons are not required to obtain a driver’s license: (a) An officer or employee of the United States, while operating a motor vehicle owned or…
   • § 12502 (a) The following persons may operate a motor vehicle in this state without obtaining a driver’s license under this code: (1) A nonresident over the age of 18…
   • § 12503 A nonresident over the age of 18 years whose home state or country does not require the licensing of drivers may operate a foreign vehicle owned by him for not…
   • § 12504 (a) Sections 12502 and 12503 apply to any nonresident over the age of 16 years but under the age of 18 years. The maximum period during which that nonresident…
   • § 12505 (a) (1) For purposes of this division only and notwithstanding Section 516, residency shall be determined as a person’s state of domicile. “State of domicile”…
   • § 12506 The department may issue a temporary driver’s license to any person applying for a driver’s license, to any person applying for renewal of a driver’s license,…
   • § 12508 When in the opinion of the department it would be in the interest of safety, the department may issue, in individual cases, to any applicant for a driver’s…
   • § 12509 (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (f) of Section 12514, the department, for good cause, may issue an instruction permit to a physically and…
   • § 12509.5 (a) A person shall obtain an instruction permit issued pursuant to this section before operating, or being issued a class M1 or M2 driver’s license to operate,…
   • § 12511 No person shall have in his or her possession or otherwise under his or her control more than one driver’s license.
   • § 12512 Except as provided in Sections 12513, 12514, and 12814.6, no license to drive shall be issued to a person under the age of 18 years.
   • § 12513 (a) Upon application, successful completion of tests and compliance with Sections 17700 to 17705, inclusive, the department may issue a junior permit to any…
   • § 12514 (a) Junior permits issued pursuant to Section 12513 shall not be valid for a period exceeding that established on the original request as the approximate date…
   • § 12515 (a) No person under the age of 18 years shall be employed for compensation by another for the purpose of driving a motor vehicle on the highways. (b) No person…
   • § 12516 It is unlawful for any person under the age of 18 years to drive a school bus transporting pupils to or from school.
   • § 12517 (a) (1) A person may not operate a schoolbus while transporting pupils unless that person has in his or her immediate possession a valid driver’s license for…
   • § 12517.1 (a) A “schoolbus accident” means any of the following: (1) A motor vehicle accident resulting in property damage in excess of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or…
   • § 12517.2 (a) Applicants for an original or renewal certificate to drive a schoolbus, school pupil activity bus, youth bus, general public paratransit vehicle, or farm…
   • § 12517.3 (a) (1) An applicant for an original certificate to drive a schoolbus, school pupil activity bus, youth bus, or general public paratransit vehicle shall be…
   • § 12517.4 This section governs the issuance of a certificate to drive a schoolbus, school pupil activity bus, youth bus, general public paratransit vehicle, or farm…
   • § 12517.45 (a) A person shall not operate a motor vehicle described in subdivision (k) of Section 545 while transporting school pupils at or below the 12th-grade level to…
   • § 12517.5 A person who is employed as a driver of a paratransit vehicle shall not operate that vehicle unless the person meets both of the following requirements: (a)…
   • § 12518 The provisions of Section 12504 shall apply to any nonresident who is under the age of 18 years and who is a member of the armed forces of the United States on…
   • § 12519 (a) No person shall operate a farm labor vehicle unless the person has in his or her possession a driver’s license for the appropriate class of vehicle to be…
   • § 12520 (a) No person employed as a tow truck driver, as defined in Section 2430.1, shall operate a tow truck unless that person has, in his or her immediate…
   • § 12521 An operator of a tour bus shall, at all times when operating the tour bus, do all the following: (a) Use a safety belt. (b) Report any accidents involving the…
   • § 12522 (a) Every person who operates a schoolbus or youth bus in the transportation of school pupils shall, in addition to any other requirement for a schoolbus or…
   • § 12523 (a) No person shall operate a youth bus without having in possession a valid driver’s license of the appropriate class, endorsed for passenger transportation…
   • § 12523.5 (a) No person shall operate a general public paratransit vehicle unless he or she has in his or her possession a valid driver’s license of the appropriate…
   • § 12523.6 (a) (1) On and after March 1, 1998, no person who is employed primarily as a driver of a motor vehicle that is used for the transportation of persons with…
   • § 12524 A class A, class B, or class C driver’s licenseholder shall not operate a vehicle hauling highway route controlled quantities of radioactive materials, as…
   • § 12525 Mechanics or other maintenance personnel may operate vehicles requiring a schoolbus endorsement or certificates issued pursuant to Section 2512, 12517, 12519,…
   • § 12527 In addition to satisfying all requirements specified in this code and in regulations adopted pursuant to this code, an applicant for an ambulance driver…
2. ARTICLE 2. Student Licenses §§ 12650–12661 · 6 sections

   • § 12650 (a) Any student over 15 years of age taking a course in automobile driver training, maintained pursuant to Article 12 (commencing with Section 41900) of…
   • § 12651 The principal or staff member assigned such duty may issue or reissue a student license without cost whenever in his opinion the applicant is qualified to take…
   • § 12652 A student license shall limit the operation of a motor vehicle to such times as the licensee is taking driver training in connection with the driver education…
   • § 12653 A student license may be canceled by the principal of the school or by the department whenever, in the opinion of either, the safety of the licensee or other…
   • § 12660 (a) The department may establish a program authorizing a driving school licensed under Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 11100) of Division 5 to issue a…
   • § 12661 The department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, shall adopt regulations for the issuance of student licenses pursuant to Section 12660.…
3. ARTICLE 3. Issuance and Renewal of Licenses §§ 12800–12819 · 54 sections

   • § 12800 Each application for an original or a renewal of a driver’s license shall contain all of the following information: (a) (1) The applicant’s true full name,… see note
   • § 12800.5 (a) (1) A license shall bear a fullface engraved picture or photograph of the licensee. (2) Notwithstanding any other law, the department shall not, unless… see note
   • § 12800.6 (a) An application for an original, renewal, or duplicate of a driver’s license shall inform the applicant of the Department of Justice’s video on proper…
   • § 12800.7 (a) Upon application for an original, renewal, or duplicate of a driver’s license the department may require the applicant to produce any identification that…
   • § 12801 (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c) and Section 12801.9, the department shall require an application for a driver’s license to contain the… see note
   • § 12801.2 (a) A person shall not receive financial compensation for the sole purpose of filling out an original driver’s license application for another person. (b) A…
   • § 12801.5 (a) Except as provided in Section 12801.9, the department shall require an applicant for an original driver’s license or identification card to submit…
   • § 12801.6 (a) Any federal document demonstrating favorable action by the federal government for acceptance of a person into the deferred action for childhood arrivals…
   • § 12801.7 (a) The department shall not issue an original driver’s license or identification card, or a renewal, duplicate, or replacement driver’s license or…
   • § 12801.8 (a) In the case of a legal, nonimmigrant driver’s license applicant, the department shall issue a temporary driver’s license, valid for 90 days, if the…
   • § 12801.9 (a) (1) Notwithstanding Section 12801.5, the department shall issue an original driver’s license to a person who is unable to submit satisfactory proof that…
   • § 12801.10 (a) Nothing in Section 1653.5, 12800, 12801, 12801.5, or 12801.9 authorizes an individual to apply for, or be issued, a commercial driver’s license without the…
   • § 12801.11 (a) If the director determines that the department is prepared to begin issuing driver’s licenses pursuant to Section 12801.9 on a date sooner than January 1,…
   • § 12802 Every original application shall be signed and verified by the applicant under penalty of perjury and the applicant shall submit such evidence of age as the…
   • § 12802.5 Before issuing a driver’s license or permit to any person under 21 years of age, both of the following shall occur: (a) The department shall inform the…
   • § 12803 Upon application for an original license, except student licenses, the department shall require an examination of the applicant and shall make provision…
   • § 12804.2 (a) Notwithstanding Section 15275, a person issued a driver’s license by the department is exempt from the endorsement requirements of Section 15275 if all of…
   • § 12804.5 The class of vehicles permitted to be operated as shown on a driver’s license held by a minor shall not be changed, unless the parents, guardians, or person…
   • § 12804.6 (a) A person shall not operate a transit bus transporting passengers unless that person has received from the department a certificate to operate a transit bus…
   • § 12804.7 Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 12804.9, class C also includes any two-axle motortruck or implement of husbandry weighing 4,000 pounds or more…
   • § 12804.8 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department may conduct studies to develop and identify examinations and tests, to more accurately identify…
   • § 12804.9 (a) (1) The examination shall include all of the following: (A) A test of the applicant’s knowledge and understanding of the provisions of this code governing…
   • § 12804.10 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person issued a class C license under paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 12804.9 may drive any house…
   • § 12804.11 (a) To operate firefighting equipment, a driver, including a tiller operator, is required to do either of the following: (1) Obtain and maintain a firefighter…
   • § 12804.12 (a) The department may issue a restricted class A driver’s license for the operation of any two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen when towing…
   • § 12804.14 (a) The department may issue a restricted class A driver’s license for the operation of any two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen when towing…
   • § 12804.15 (a) Notwithstanding Section 362, for purposes of this section “house car” means a vehicle described in subdivision (b) of Section 12804.10. (b) (1) Except as…
   • § 12805 (a) The department shall not issue a driver’s license to, or renew a driver’s license of, any person: (1) Who is not of legal age to receive a driver’s…
   • § 12806 The department may refuse to issue to, or renew a driver’s license of, any person: (a) Who is rendered incapable of safely operating a motor vehicle because of…
   • § 12806.5 The department may adopt regulations specifying, in addition to any cause provided by statute, the circumstances which are grounds for the suspension or…
   • § 12807 The department shall not issue or renew a driver’s license to any person: (a) When a license previously issued to the person under this code has been suspended…
   • § 12808 (a) The department shall, before issuing or renewing any license, check the record of the applicant for conviction of traffic violations and traffic accidents.…
   • § 12809 The department may refuse to issue or renew a driver’s license to any person: (a) If the department is satisfied that the applicant is not entitled to the…
   • § 12810 In determining the violation point count, the following shall apply: (a) A conviction of failure to stop in the event of an accident in violation of Section…
   • § 12810.2 (a) Notwithstanding subdivision (f) of Section 12810, a violation point count shall not be given for a conviction of a violation of Section 27315, 27318, or…
   • § 12810.3 Notwithstanding subdivision (f) of Section 12810, a violation point shall be given only for a conviction of a violation of subdivision (a) of Section 23123,…
   • § 12810.4 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no violation point shall be given for a conviction of a violation of Section 22526.
   • § 12810.5 (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), a person whose driving record shows a violation point count of four or more points in 12 months, six or…
   • § 12811 (a) (1) (A) When the department determines that the applicant is lawfully entitled to a license, it shall issue to the person a driver’s license as applied…
   • § 12811.1 (a) Upon the applicant’s request, the department shall issue an adhesive backed medical information card which contains a format permitting the licensee to…
   • § 12811.3 (a) A written or electronic application for an original or renewal driver’s license or identification card shall contain a space for the applicant to enroll in…
   • § 12811.4 (a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as Charlie’s Law. (b) An electronic application for an original or renewal driver’s license or…
   • § 12812 If a driver with a class C or M license, who is not required to have a certificate under any provision of this code, is presumed to be a negligent operator…
   • § 12813 (a) The department may, upon issuing a driver’s license or after issuance whenever good cause appears, impose restrictions suitable to the licensee’s driving…
   • § 12814 (a) Application for renewal of a license shall be made at an office of the department by the person to whom the license was issued. The department may, in its…
   • § 12814.4 (a) The director may establish a program to evaluate the traffic safety and other effects of renewing driver’s licenses by virtual or other remote processes,…
   • § 12814.5 (a) The director may establish a program to evaluate the traffic safety and other effects of renewing driver’s licenses by mail. Pursuant to that program, the…
   • § 12814.6 (a) Except as provided in Section 12814.7, a driver’s license issued to a person at least 16 years of age but under 18 years of age shall be issued pursuant to…
   • § 12814.7 (a) Notwithstanding the provisional licensing requirements of subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, of Section 12814.6, the department shall issue to a person…
   • § 12815 (a) If a driver’s license issued under this code is lost, destroyed or mutilated, or a new true, full name is acquired, the person to whom it was issued shall…
   • § 12816 (a) Every original driver’s license expires on the fifth birthday of the applicant following the date of the application for the license. (b) Renewal of a…
   • § 12817 (a) A California driver’s license held by a person who enters or is in the United States Armed Forces shall continue in full force and effect, so long as the…
   • § 12818 (a) Upon receipt of a request for reexamination and presentation of a legible copy of a notice of reexamination by a person issued the notice pursuant to…
   • § 12819 Unless the person issued the notice of reexamination requests the reexamination pursuant to Section 12818 within five working days after the department…
4. ARTICLE 4. Signature and Display of Licenses §§ 12950–12953 · 5 sections

   • § 12950 (a) Every person licensed under this code shall write his or her usual signature with pen and ink in the space provided for that purpose on the license issued…
   • § 12950.5 (a) The department shall require digitized signatures on each driver’s license. A digitized signature is an electronic representation of a handwritten…
   • § 12951 (a) The licensee shall have the valid driver’s license issued to him or her in his or her immediate possession at all times when driving a motor vehicle upon a…
   • § 12952 A licensee shall display his driver’s license upon request of a magistrate or judge before whom he may be brought for violation of any traffic law.
   • § 12953 In any circumstances involving accidents or violations in which the engineer or any other crewmember of any train is detained by state or local police, the…
5. ARTICLE 5. Identification Cards §§ 13000–13008 · 16 sections

   • § 13000 (a) (1) The department may issue an identification card to any person attesting to the true full name, correct age, and other identifying data as certified by…
   • § 13000.1 (a) The department may refuse to issue or renew an identification card to any person for any of the following reasons: (1) The department determines that the…
   • § 13001 (a) Any federal document demonstrating favorable action by the federal government for acceptance of a person into the federal Deferred Action for Childhood…
   • § 13001.5 Commencing no later than July 1, 2027, the department shall issue an identification card pursuant to Section 12801.9 to an eligible applicant, other than a…
   • § 13002 (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), every identification card shall expire, unless canceled earlier, on the sixth birthday of the applicant…
   • § 13002.1 (a) The director shall establish a program that permits the renewal of identification cards by mail or through the department’s Internet Web site. (b) The…
   • § 13003 (a) If an identification card issued under this code is lost, destroyed, mutilated, or a new true full name is acquired, the person to whom it was issued shall…
   • § 13004 It is unlawful for any person: (a) To display or cause or permit to be displayed or have in his possession any canceled, fictitious, fraudulently altered, or…
   • § 13004.1 (a) A person shall not manufacture or sell an identification document of a size and form substantially similar to, or that purports to confer the same…
   • § 13005 (a) The identification card shall resemble in appearance, so far as is practicable, a driver’s license issued pursuant to this code. It shall adequately…
   • § 13005.3 In addition to the requirements of Section 13005, any identification card issued pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 13000 shall contain the words “Senior…
   • § 13005.5 (a) (1) An identification card issued to any person shall bear a fullface engraved picture or photograph of the person. (2) Notwithstanding any other law, the… see note
   • § 13006 No public entity or employee shall be liable for any loss or injury resulting directly or indirectly from false or inaccurate information contained in…
   • § 13007 Whenever any person after applying for or receiving an identification card acquires an address different from the address shown on the identification card…
   • § 13007.5 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this code or in the regulations adopted thereunder, including specifically the Driver’s License Manual of…
   • § 13008 When used in reference to an identification card, “cancellation” means that an identification card is terminated without prejudice and must be surrendered.…
6. ARTICLE 6. Digital Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards § 13020 · 1 section

   • § 13020 (a) The department may establish a pilot program to evaluate the use of optional mobile or digital alternatives to driver’s licenses and identification cards,…