CA DMV Restriction Code List: Class C, CDL, and DUI

The California DMV license restriction codes printed on the front of your card spell out the conditions you must follow every time you drive. Some are as ordinary as needing glasses. Others limit what kind of commercial vehicle you can operate, or require an ignition interlock after a DUI. Driving in violation of any printed restriction is a misdemeanor under Vehicle Code 14603, and the penalty ranges from a fine to mandatory jail time depending on why the restriction is there.¹

Class C (Non-Commercial) Restriction Codes

Most California drivers hold a Class C license, and the restrictions on these licenses almost always relate to vision, physical ability, or vehicle equipment. The DMV imposes them to keep you driving within your demonstrated ability, usually after a vision screening or a Driver Safety evaluation.² The common ones you’ll see printed on a Class C license:

Corrective lenses. The most common restriction by far. California’s vision standard is 20/40 with both eyes together, plus 20/40 in one eye and at least 20/70 in the other. If you can’t meet it unaided, the code goes on. Driving without your glasses or contacts when this code is printed on your license violates CVC 14603.³
Outside mirrors. Required for drivers with limited peripheral vision or hearing impairments. You must drive a vehicle with outside mirrors on both sides.²
Daylight driving only. Applied to drivers with night blindness, advanced cataracts, or similar conditions. You cannot drive after dark.
Prosthetic device required. Added after an individual Driver Safety evaluation when a prosthetic is needed for vehicle control.
Mechanical turn signals. For drivers who can’t give standard hand signals due to a limb limitation. You’re limited to vehicles with working mechanical signals.

Each of these carries a specific numeric code printed in the restrictions field on the front of your license. The exact code depends on what triggered it. If a code on your card isn’t familiar, any DMV field office can tell you what it means.

Provisional License Restrictions for Drivers Under 18

Teen drivers hold a provisional license that comes with its own automatic restrictions for the first 12 months. These aren’t tied to ability. They’re imposed by law under Vehicle Code 12814.6. During that first year, unless a licensed parent, guardian, or driver age 25 or older is in the vehicle, a provisional licensee cannot:⁴

Drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Carry passengers under age 20

Exceptions exist for medical necessity, school activities, employment, and family transportation, but the driver must carry a signed statement explaining the reason. Emancipated minors are exempt. These rules drop off automatically at the 12-month mark.

CDL Restriction Codes

Commercial driver license codes use a standardized federal letter system, and each one directly limits the type of commercial vehicle you’re allowed to operate. California’s Commercial Driver Handbook lists them as follows:⁵

E — No manual transmission. You took your skills test in a vehicle with an automatic transmission. You cannot operate any commercial vehicle with a manual gearbox.
K — Intrastate only. You self-certified as an intrastate driver. You can’t operate in interstate commerce. On some CDL records this appears as numeric Restriction 40.
L — No air brakes. You didn’t take or failed the air brake knowledge test, or you tested in a vehicle without air brakes. No commercial vehicle with air brakes of any type.⁶
M — No Class A passenger vehicle. Earned your passenger endorsement in a Class B passenger vehicle. You can’t drive passenger vehicles that require a Class A CDL.
N — No Class A or B passenger vehicle. Earned your passenger endorsement in a Class C passenger vehicle. You’re limited to Class C passenger vehicles.
O — No tractor-trailer. Your Class A skills test used a combination connected by a pintle hook or other non-fifth-wheel coupling. You can’t operate fifth-wheel tractor-trailer combinations.
P — No passengers in CMV bus. For commercial learner’s permit holders with a passenger endorsement. Only examiners, inspectors, and trainees may ride along.
V — Medical variance. Indicates the FMCSA has granted you a medical exemption from standard physical qualification standards. This code shows on both your CDL card and your CDLIS record.
X — No cargo in tank vehicle. For commercial learner’s permit holders with a tank endorsement. You can’t haul cargo in a tank vehicle.

The handbook also lists Restriction 88, which limits a driver to combination vehicles with a gross combination weight rating under 26,001 pounds where the towed unit is over 10,000 pounds.⁵ Under the 2026 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, roadside inspectors can place you out of service immediately for operating a commercial vehicle in violation of any of these codes.

DUI Restrictions and the Ignition Interlock Device

A DUI arrest triggers both a court case and a separate DMV administrative action, and either can put a restriction on your license. For a first-offense DUI with no injuries, the DMV offers two restricted license paths during the administrative suspension:⁷

Work and treatment program restriction. After serving 30 days of the suspension, you can apply for a license that lets you drive only to, from, and during work and to and from your DUI program. It lasts up to five months. You need proof of DUI program enrollment, an SR-22, and a $125 administrative fee.
Ignition interlock device (IID) restriction. Available immediately with no suspension time served. You can drive anywhere at any time, but every vehicle you operate must have the IID installed. It lasts up to four months. Requirements include proof of IID installation (Form DL 920), proof of DUI program enrollment, an SR-22, and a $125 fee.

The IID is wired to the ignition and requires a breath sample before the engine will start.⁸ On the conviction side, courts can order an IID for up to six months on a first offense. Repeat offenses carry mandatory IID terms: 12 months for a second conviction, 24 months for a third, and 36 months for a fourth or later conviction. DUI with injury reaches 48 months for repeat offenders.⁹ If you held a CDL at the time of the DUI, you must downgrade to a non-commercial license to get any restricted license option.⁷

Penalties for Driving Against a Restriction

Vehicle Code 14603 makes it illegal to drive in violation of any restriction on your license, from forgetting your glasses to driving outside permitted hours on a daylight-only code. A violation means a citation and a fine, and repeat offenses can push the DMV to suspend the license outright.¹

The numbers climb sharply if the suspension or revocation stems from a DUI. Under Vehicle Code 14601.2, a first offense carries a mandatory minimum of 10 days in jail and a fine of $300 to $1,000. A second offense within five years brings at least 30 days in jail and a fine of $500 to $2,000.¹⁰ Courts must impose the minimum jail time even when granting probation.

For CDL holders, a roadside inspector finding a restriction violation can place you out of service on the spot under the 2026 out-of-service criteria. The truck stops where it is until the problem is corrected, and the violation goes on your record.

Removing a Restriction

A restriction isn’t permanent if the underlying condition changes.

Vision Restrictions

If surgery or a new prescription has improved your eyesight, have a vision specialist complete the Report of Vision Examination (Form DL 62). You fill out the top; an ophthalmologist or optometrist examines you and completes the rest.¹¹ They must confirm you meet the 20/40 standard with or without correction.³ Submit the form to the DMV, and if the results support it, the restriction comes off your next license.

CDL Medical Restrictions

Interstate commercial drivers must be examined by a medical examiner on the FMCSA’s National Registry.¹² If you qualify, the examiner issues a Medical Examiner’s Certificate on Form MCSA-5876.¹³ Check that every piece of personal information on the form matches your DMV record exactly, because mismatches are a common cause of processing delays. For a federal medical variance covering vision or hearing, FMCSA approval must come through its Driver Exemption Program before the V restriction on your CDL can be updated.¹⁴

Reinstatement Fees

If your license was suspended, getting it back costs money on top of meeting the underlying conditions. California charges a $55 reissue fee for standard reinstatements, a $125 fee for administrative per se (DUI-related) reinstatements, and a $15 administrative fee that applies to certain restriction changes. These can be paid through the DMV’s virtual office.¹⁵

1
California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 14603 – Violation of License Provisions
2
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Section 12: Driver Safety
3
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vision Conditions
4
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 12814.6
5
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver Handbook – Section 1: Introduction
6
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver Handbook – Section 5: Air Brakes
7
California Department of Motor Vehicles. DUI First Offenders Alcohol Involved – Non-Injury
8
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Statewide Ignition Interlock Device Pilot Program
9
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 23575.3
10
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 14601.2 – Driving When Privilege Suspended or Revoked for DUI
11
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Forms – Report of Vision Examination DL 62
12
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners
13
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical Examiners Certificate MCSA-5876
14
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Driver Exemptions
15
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Reissue Fees