If you are scanning a California Vehicle Code list to figure out what a ticket means or what the law actually requires, the sections below are the ones drivers run into most: speed, intersections, phones, DUI, licensing, seatbelts, equipment, insurance, and the point system that ties them together. Before any of that, the single fact that catches almost everyone off guard: the “base fine” printed in a statute is not what you pay. California stacks penalty assessments, surcharges, and flat fees on top, and the total usually lands at five to eight times the base.
Why the Real Fine Is Several Times the Base Fine
A base fine of just $25 generates an additional $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, bringing the total to around $200.1Superior Court of California, County of Amador. Penalty Assessment The penalty assessment alone adds $27 for every $10 of base fine, and the 20% state surcharge piles on from there. A $100 base fine can easily land above $500 once everything is added. When a section below mentions a $20 or $35 base fine, read it with that multiplier in mind.
Speed Laws
CVC 22350: The Basic Speed Law
This is the broadest speed statute in the code. It prohibits driving faster than what is reasonable given weather, visibility, road conditions, and traffic, regardless of the posted limit.2California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 22350 An officer can cite you under 22350 even if you are traveling below the speed limit, as long as conditions made your speed unsafe. Going exactly the posted limit in dense fog or heavy rain can still violate this section.
CVC 22349 and 22356: Maximum Speed Limits
The default maximum on California highways is 65 mph, and on undivided two-lane highways it drops to 55 mph unless a higher limit is posted based on an engineering survey.3California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 22349 Caltrans can raise certain highway segments to 70 mph after consulting with the California Highway Patrol and completing a traffic study.4California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 22356 Speeding is among the most common citations in the state, and the base fine climbs with each mph bracket over the limit.
Intersection and Right-of-Way Rules
CVC 21453: Red Lights
A driver facing a solid red signal must stop at the limit line, or before the crosswalk if there is no line, and wait for a green signal.5California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 21453 You can still make a right turn on red after a complete stop unless a sign says otherwise, but you must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and any vehicles close enough to create a hazard. Red-light camera tickets carry the same penalties as officer-issued citations.
CVC 22450: Stop Signs
Every driver approaching a stop sign must come to a full stop at the limit line, or before the crosswalk if no line is marked, or at the entrance to the intersecting road if neither exists.6California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 22450 “California rolls,” where you slow down but never fully stop, are one of the most frequently cited infractions. The base fine is modest; with assessments, the total typically lands well above $200.
CVC 21800: Right-of-Way at Intersections
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 driver yields regardless of direction. The same left-yields-to-right rule applies at all-way stop intersections and at intersections where the traffic signals have gone dark. A right-of-way violation adds one point to your driving record.
Distracted Driving
CVC 23123: Handheld Phone Use
Talking on a cell phone while driving is illegal unless the phone is set up for hands-free operation and you use it that way. A first offense carries a $20 base fine, and each additional offense is $50.8California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23123 Those base fines sound small, but with penalty assessments the actual out-of-pocket cost is meaningfully higher.
CVC 23123.5: Texting and Holding a Device
This section takes the prohibition further: you cannot hold and operate a wireless phone or electronic device while driving at all.9California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23123.5 The base fines match CVC 23123: $20 for a first offense and $50 for subsequent ones. If you are touching your phone while the car is moving, you can be cited.
DUI: CVC 23152
It is unlawful to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher, and it is separately unlawful to drive while impaired by alcohol, any drug, or a combination of both, even if your BAC is below 0.08%.10California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 23152 Commercial drivers face a lower 0.04% threshold, and drivers carrying passengers for hire, including rideshare drivers, are held to the same 0.04% standard.
A DUI conviction is a misdemeanor at minimum and counts as two points on your driving record. Penalties escalate sharply with prior offenses and can include mandatory jail time, license suspension, ignition interlock devices, and DUI school. Because DUI charges involve both criminal court and a separate DMV administrative hearing, the consequences reach well beyond the fine.
Licensing Violations
CVC 12500: Driving Without a License
You cannot drive on any highway or public parking facility without holding a valid California license for the type of vehicle you are operating.11California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 12500 This section covers people who never obtained a license, let it expire, or are driving a vehicle class they are not licensed for. The offense can be charged as either a misdemeanor or an infraction, and officers have wide discretion.
CVC 14601: Driving on a Suspended License
Driving after your license has been suspended or revoked is treated far more seriously than never having one. A first offense carries a mandatory minimum of five days in jail and a fine between $300 and $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 aged 16 or older must wear a properly fastened seatbelt whenever the vehicle is moving on a highway. “Properly restrained” means the lap portion crosses your hips and the shoulder portion crosses your chest.13California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 27315 The base fine is $20 for a first offense and $50 for each additional violation. Seatbelt violations do not add points, but enforcement is primary: an officer can pull you over solely for an observed seatbelt violation.
Vehicle Equipment and Registration
CVC 5200: License Plates
When the DMV issues two plates, one goes on the front and one on the rear. When only one plate 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 traffic stops and can lead to a fix-it ticket.
CVC 24250: Headlamps
Your vehicle must have working headlamps lit during darkness.15California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Section 24250 The CVC defines darkness as the period from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, plus any time visibility is less than 1,000 feet. Many officers will issue a correctable citation for a burned-out headlight rather than a standard fine if you get it repaired promptly.
CVC 26708: Windshield and Window Obstructions
This section prohibits placing any material on your windshield or side and rear windows that obstructs the driver’s view.16California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 26708 For window tinting, the practical effect is that 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 typically result in a fix-it ticket, but ignoring one converts the citation into a standard fine with assessments.
CVC 16029: Driving Without Insurance
Failing to show proof of financial responsibility when asked carries a base fine of $100 to $200 for a first offense, or $200 to $500 if you have a prior conviction within three years.17California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 16029 Those are base fines before penalty assessments. The court is required to impose more than the minimum base fine unless you show up with valid proof of coverage. Driving without insurance is one of the few Vehicle Code violations that can also trigger a license suspension independent of any point count.
The Point System
Every moving violation and at-fault accident adds points to your DMV driving record. Most standard infractions, like running a stop sign or an unsafe lane change, add one point. More serious offenses, including DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run, and driving on a suspended license, add two points each.18California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 12810 At-fault accidents also add one point, even without a citation.
Accumulating too many points triggers the DMV’s negligent operator process. The thresholds are four points in 12 months, six points in 24 months, or eight points in 36 months.19California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 12810.5 If you hit any of those levels, the DMV presumes you are a negligent operator and can suspend your license after a hearing. Commercial drivers face steeper exposure because each point from a commercial vehicle violation is counted at one and a half times its normal value. Points generally stay on your record for three years from the violation date, though DUI points remain for ten.
Ignoring the Ticket Makes It Worse: CVC 40508
One of the costliest mistakes people make after receiving 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 ticket can spiral into a criminal charge with a warrant attached if you blow past the court date. The misdemeanor classification applies regardless of whether you eventually pay the fine. If you cannot make a court date, request a continuance in advance.
How to Look Up a Specific Section
The most reliable way to read the current text of any CVC section is through the California Legislative Information website at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. You can search by section number or browse by division, and the site reflects amendments as they take effect. The section number printed on your citation is the starting point for finding the exact statute that applies to your case.