CHP 279, formally the Request for Owner’s Responsibility, is a one-page California Highway Patrol form that lets a vehicle owner or company take on certain Vehicle Code citations in place of the driver. You fill it out, sign it, and keep copies in every vehicle you want covered. When a CHP officer stops one of your drivers for a qualifying violation — bad equipment, an overweight load, expired registration, a missing emissions requirement — the driver hands over a copy, and the citation is written against the company instead.1California Highway Patrol. Request for Owner’s Responsibility CHP 279
What the Form Covers
California Vehicle Code Section 40001 makes it illegal for an owner to permit operation of a vehicle that isn’t properly registered, isn’t equipped as required, exceeds size, weight, or load limits, or fails emissions standards under the Health and Safety Code. When a violation is chargeable to the owner, the driver generally shouldn’t be cited unless the vehicle is registered out of state or the violation clearly falls within the driver’s own control.2California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Section 40001
CHP 279 is how that gets sorted out on the shoulder of a highway. The form lists five violation categories you can accept: Weight, Loading, Mechanical, Registration, and Other Special Condition. You mark “Yes” next to each one the company agrees to cover.1California Highway Patrol. Request for Owner’s Responsibility CHP 279
Choose carefully. If you check only Mechanical and Registration and a driver gets pulled over for an overweight load, the form won’t help — the driver takes the citation. Most fleet operators check every category that could reasonably apply to their operations.
Two boundaries worth knowing. Moving violations stay with the driver. A red light, a speed, an unsafe lane change — those are the driver’s regardless of what CHP 279 says. And the form does not shield an employer from the separate penalties for violating a federal out-of-service order or for knowingly allowing a driver to violate a railroad-highway grade crossing rule, which can bring fines up to $10,000.2California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Section 40001
How To Fill It Out
The form asks for:
- The five violation categories, with “Yes” marked next to each one the company accepts.
- Company name — the full legal name of the business.
- Company mailing address, including city, state, and ZIP. Court notices go here.
- Name of the person accepting responsibility on the company’s behalf.
- That person’s title or job position (owner, fleet manager, safety director, and so on).
- Business phone with area code.
- Signature and date from the responsible person.1California Highway Patrol. Request for Owner’s Responsibility CHP 279
That’s the whole form. One page, one signature, no notary.
Getting Copies Into Your Vehicles
There is no central filing step. The CHP does not keep an owner’s responsibility database and there is no electronic submission. You complete the form, make copies, and physically place them in each vehicle you want covered.1California Highway Patrol. Request for Owner’s Responsibility CHP 279
Put several copies in each cab or glove box. An officer who issues a citation may keep a copy and attach it to the ticket, so one copy per vehicle isn’t enough to last. Tell drivers plainly: during any CHP stop, hand the officer a copy. If the driver doesn’t produce it, the officer has no way of knowing the company has accepted responsibility, and the citation defaults to the driver.
What Happens at the Stop
When the officer finds a covered violation and the driver hands over the CHP 279, the officer can write the citation to the company instead of the driver and keep the copy for the court file.1California Highway Patrol. Request for Owner’s Responsibility CHP 279 The company name and address on the form are what the citation and any later court notice will use, which is why the mailing address on the form needs to be one you actually monitor.
Renewing the Form
Renew CHP 279 at the start of each calendar year. Complete a new form immediately if the person listed as responsible leaves the company or changes positions.1California Highway Patrol. Request for Owner’s Responsibility CHP 279 A form naming someone who no longer works there creates problems at the roadside and in court.
When you renew, pull the old copies out of every vehicle and replace them. Stale forms from prior years scattered through the fleet undermine the whole arrangement. Fleets of any real size tend to put the January swap on the same compliance checklist as registration renewals and inspections.
Where To Get CHP 279
The PDF is on the California Highway Patrol forms page and the Commercial Vehicle Section page at chp.ca.gov.3California Highway Patrol. Forms You can also pick up copies at any local CHP Area office. Most operators print the PDF, fill in the company information, have the responsible person sign each copy, and photocopy enough to stock the whole fleet with extras.