The California Vehicle Code runs about 18,000 sections, but a short list of them accounts for almost every ticket written in the state. This California Vehicle Code list covers the sections drivers actually encounter — speed, stop signs, red lights, phones, DUI, licensing, seatbelts, equipment, and insurance — with what each statute requires, the base fines where the code sets them, and the point consequences that follow a conviction. One thing to understand before reading any dollar figure below: the “base fine” in a statute is not what you pay.
Why the Base Fine Isn’t the Real Fine
California stacks penalty assessments, surcharges, and flat fees on top of every base fine, and the multiplier is steep. A $25 base fine picks up $81 in penalty assessments, a $5 state surcharge, a $40 court security fee, a $35 conviction assessment, a $10 administrative fee, and a $4 emergency medical transport assessment, landing around $200 total.1Superior Court of California, County of Amador. Penalty Assessment
The penalty assessment alone adds $27 for every $10 of base fine. Add the 20% state surcharge and the flat fees, and a $100 base fine can clear $500 by the time you write the check. A useful rule of thumb: whatever base fine a statute lists, multiply by roughly five to eight to estimate what you will actually owe.
Speed Laws
CVC 22350 — Basic Speed Law
This is the catch-all. You cannot drive faster than is reasonable for the weather, visibility, road, and traffic conditions, no matter what the posted limit says.2California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 22350 An officer can cite you under 22350 while you are traveling below the limit if conditions made your speed unsafe, and going the posted limit in dense fog can still violate this section.
CVC 22349 and 22356 — Maximum Speed Limits
The default maximum on California highways is 65 mph, and 55 mph on undivided two-lane highways unless a higher limit is posted based on an engineering survey.3California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 22349 Caltrans can raise certain segments to 70 mph after a traffic study and consultation with the California Highway Patrol.4California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 22356 Base fines climb with each mph bracket over the limit, so once assessments hit, totals reach several hundred dollars fast.
Intersections and Right of Way
CVC 21453 — Red Lights
At a solid red signal, stop at the limit line, or before the crosswalk if there is no line, and wait for green.5California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 21453 Right on red is allowed after a full stop unless a sign says otherwise, and you have to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to any vehicle close enough to be a hazard. Red-light camera tickets carry the same penalties as officer-issued citations.
CVC 22450 — Stop Signs
Every driver at a stop sign has to come to a full stop at the limit line, before the crosswalk if there is no line, or at the entrance to the intersecting road if neither is marked.6California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 22450 The “California roll” is one of the most frequently cited infractions. The base fine is modest; with assessments, the total typically clears $200.
CVC 21800 — Right of Way
When two vehicles reach an uncontrolled intersection at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.7California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 21800 If one vehicle enters first, the other yields regardless of direction. The same rule governs all-way stops and intersections where the signals have gone dark. A right-of-way violation adds one point and usually raises insurance premiums.
Phones and Distracted Driving
CVC 23123 — Handheld Phone Use
Talking on a cell phone while driving is illegal unless the phone is configured for hands-free use and you use it that way. Base fines are $20 for a first offense and $50 for each after that.8California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23123 Small numbers on paper; meaningfully higher once assessments run.
CVC 23123.5 — Holding or Operating a Device
You cannot hold and operate a wireless phone or electronic device while driving at all.9California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23123.5 Base fines match 23123: $20, then $50. If you touch your phone while the car is moving, you can be cited.
DUI — CVC 23152
Section 23152 makes it unlawful to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher, and separately unlawful to drive while impaired by alcohol, any drug, or a combination of both, even below 0.08%.10California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23152 Commercial drivers face a 0.04% threshold, and drivers carrying passengers for hire, including rideshare drivers, are held to the same 0.04%.
A DUI conviction is a misdemeanor at minimum and adds two points. Penalties escalate with priors and can include mandatory jail time, license suspension, ignition interlock devices, and DUI school. Because a DUI arrest triggers both a criminal case and a separate DMV administrative hearing, the consequences run well past the fine.
License Violations
CVC 12500 — Driving Without a License
You cannot drive on any highway or public parking facility without a valid California license for the type of vehicle you are operating.11California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 12500 This covers drivers who never obtained one, let it expire, or are driving a class they are not licensed for. Officers can charge it as either a misdemeanor or an infraction.
CVC 14601 — Driving on a Suspended License
Driving after a suspension or revocation is treated much more seriously than never having a license. A first offense carries a mandatory minimum of five days in jail and a fine of $300 to $1,000.12California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 14601 A second offense within five years raises the jail minimum to ten days and the fine range to $500 through $2,000. Courts also commonly impose probation conditions requiring at least ten days of confinement for repeat violations.
Seatbelts — CVC 27315
Every driver and passenger 16 or older has to wear a properly fastened seatbelt whenever the vehicle is moving on a highway, with the lap portion across the hips and the shoulder portion across the chest. Base fines are $20 for a first offense and $50 for each after.13California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 27315 Seatbelt violations do not add points, but enforcement is primary: an officer can pull you over solely for an observed seatbelt violation.
Equipment, Plates, and Insurance
CVC 5200 — License Plates
When the DMV issues two plates, one goes on the front and one on the rear. When only one is issued, such as for certain truck tractors, it goes on the rear.14California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 5200 Missing or obscured plates are a common reason for a stop, and they usually generate a fix-it ticket unless you ignore it.
CVC 24250 — Headlamps
Your vehicle must have working headlamps lit during darkness.15California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 24250 “Darkness” in the CVC runs from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, plus any period visibility drops below 1,000 feet. Many officers write a correctable citation instead of a standard fine if you fix it quickly.
CVC 26708 — Windshield and Window Obstructions
You cannot place any material on the windshield or on the side and rear windows that obstructs the driver’s view.16California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 26708 For tinting, this means aftermarket film on the front side windows is only allowed with a medical exemption backed by a signed letter from a physician or optometrist. Rear and back-side windows have more flexibility. Tinting violations start as fix-it tickets; ignoring the correction converts the citation into a standard fine with assessments.
CVC 16029 — Driving Without Insurance
Failing to show proof of financial responsibility on request carries a base fine of $100 to $200 for a first offense, or $200 to $500 with a prior conviction within three years.17California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 16029 Assessments push the total considerably higher, and the court has to impose more than the minimum base fine unless you appear with valid proof of coverage. This is one of the few violations that can trigger a license suspension on its own, independent of any point count.
How Points Work
Most standard moving violations, such as a stop-sign ticket or an unsafe lane change, add one point to your DMV record. More serious offenses — DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run, and driving on a suspended license — add two.18California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 12810 At-fault accidents also add one point, even without a citation.
The DMV’s negligent operator thresholds are four points in 12 months, six in 24 months, or eight in 36 months.19California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 12810.5 Hit any of those and the DMV presumes you are a negligent operator and can suspend your license after a hearing. Commercial drivers face steeper thresholds because each point from a commercial vehicle violation counts at one and a half times its normal value. Most points stay for three years; DUI points stay for ten.
Failure to Appear — CVC 40508
The most expensive mistake after getting a ticket is ignoring it. CVC 40508 makes it a misdemeanor to willfully fail to appear in court on a traffic citation or to miss a deadline for paying bail or a fine.20California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 40508 A $20 seatbelt infraction can escalate into a criminal charge with a warrant attached if you blow past the court date, and the misdemeanor stands even if you eventually pay. If you cannot make a date, request a continuance ahead of time.
Looking Up the Current Text
The authoritative source is the California Legislative Information site at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, searchable by section number or browsable by division; it reflects amendments as they take effect. Justia Law hosts a searchable mirror that is regularly updated and easier for quick lookups. If you have a ticket in hand, the section number on the citation is your starting point for finding the statute that applies to your case.