California Vehicle Code DIVISION 1 - WORDS AND PHRASES DEFINED

• Section 100.
  Unless the provision or context otherwise requires, these definitions shall govern the construction of this code.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 102.
  “Ability to respond in damages” means financial responsibility.(Added by renumbering Section 95 by Stats. 1992, Ch. 974, Sec. 2. Effective September 28, 1992.)
• Section 105.
  An “agricultural water-well boring rig” is a motor vehicle which is used exclusively in the boring of water-wells on agricultural property.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch.
• Section 108.
  “Airbrakes” means a brake system using compressed air either for actuating the service brakes at the wheels of the vehicle or as a source of...
• Section 109.
  “Alcoholic beverage” includes any liquid or solid material intended to be ingested by a person which contains ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol,...
• Section 110.
  “Alley” is any highway having a roadway not exceeding 25 feet in width which is primarily used for access to the rear or side entrances...
• Section 111.
  (a) “All-terrain vehicle” means a motor vehicle subject to subdivision (a) of Section 38010 that is all of the following:(1) Designed for operation off of the highway...
• Section 111.3.
  An “all-terrain vehicle safety instructor” is a person who is sponsored by an all-terrain vehicle safety training organization, who has completed a course in all-terrain...
• Section 111.5.
  An “all-terrain vehicle safety training organization” is any organization which is approved to offer a program of instruction in all-terrain vehicle safety, including all-terrain vehicle...
• Section 112.
  “Amber” has the same meaning as “yellow,” and is within the chromaticity coordinate boundaries for yellow specified in regulations adopted by the Department of the...
• Section 115.
  An “armored car” is a vehicle that is equipped with materials on either the front, sides, or rear for the protection of persons therein from...
• Section 165.
  An authorized emergency vehicle is:(a) Any publicly owned and operated ambulance, lifeguard, or lifesaving equipment or any privately owned or operated ambulance licensed by the Commissioner...
• Section 165.5.
  No act or omission of any rescue team operating in conjunction with an authorized emergency vehicle as defined in Section 165, while attempting to resuscitate...
• Section 166.
  An “autobroker” or “auto buying service” is a dealer, as defined in Section 285, who engages in the business of brokering, as defined in Section...
• Section 175.
  An “autoette” is a motor vehicle, located on a natural island with an area in excess of 20,000 acres and that is within a county...
• Section 210.
  An “automated enforcement system” is any system operated by a governmental agency, in cooperation with a law enforcement agency, that photographically records a driver’s responses...
• Section 220.
  An “automobile dismantler” is any person not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 221 who:(a) Is engaged in the business of buying, selling, or dealing in vehicles...
• Section 221.
  (a) The term “automobile dismantler” does not include any of the following:(1) The owner or operator of any premises on which two or more unregistered and inoperable...
• Section 223.
  Any reference in this code to “automobile driver training” shall be deemed to refer to the laboratory phase of driver education described by Section 51852...
• Section 225.
  An “auxiliary dolly” is a vehicle, not designed for carrying persons or property on its own structure, which is so constructed and used in conjunction...
• Section 230.
  An “axle” is a structure or portion of a structure consisting of one or more shafts, spindles, or bearings in the same vertical transverse plane...
• Section 230.5.
  A “B-train assembly” is a rigid frame extension attached to the rear frame of a semitrailer which allows for a fifth wheel connection point for...
• Section 231.
  A bicycle is a device upon which any person may ride, propelled exclusively by human power through a belt, chain, or gears, and having one...
• Section 231.5.
  A “bicycle path” or “bike path” is a Class I bikeway, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code.(Added...
• Section 231.6.
  (a) A “bicycle path crossing” is either of the following:(1) That portion of a roadway included within the prolongation or connection of the boundary lines of a...
• Section 232.
  The “board” is the New Motor Vehicle Board.(Added by Stats. 1973, Ch. 996.)
• Section 232.5.
  “Brokering” is an arrangement under which a dealer, for a fee or other consideration, regardless of the form or time of payment, provides or offers...
• Section 233.
  (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), a “bus” is any vehicle, including a trailer bus, designed, used, or maintained for carrying more than 15 persons...
• Section 234.
  A “business” includes a proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and any other form of commercial enterprise.(Added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1563, Sec. 1.)
• Section 235.
  A “business district” is that portion of a highway and the property contiguous thereto (a) upon one side of which highway, for a distance of 600...
• Section 236.
  A “business representative” means a proprietor, a limited or general partner, a managerial employee, a stockholder, a director, or an officer who is active in...
• Section 240.
  In determining whether a highway is within a business or residence district, the following limitations shall apply and shall qualify the definitions in Sections 235...
• Section 241.
  A “buy-here-pay-here” dealer is a dealer, as defined in Section 285, who is not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 241.1, and who does all of...
• Section 241.1.
  The term “buy-here-pay-here” dealer does not include any of the following:(a) A lessor who primarily leases vehicles that are two model years old or newer.(b) A dealer...
• Section 242.
  A “camp trailer” is a vehicle designed to be used on a highway, capable of human habitation for camping or recreational purposes, that does not...
• Section 243.
  A “camper” is a structure designed to be mounted upon a motor vehicle and to provide facilities for human habitation or camping purposes. A camper...
• Section 245.
  A “carry-all” is that type of earth-moving equipment which is not self-propelled but which is designed for use behind tractors or other motive power and...
• Section 246.
  A “certificate of compliance” for the purposes of this code is an electronic or printed document issued by a state agency, board, or commission, or...
• Section 250.
  A “chop shop” is any building, lot, or other premises where any person has been engaged in altering, destroying, disassembling, dismantling, reassembling, or storing any...
• Section 255.
  “City” includes every city and city and county within this State.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 257.
  A “clean fuel vehicle” means any passenger or commercial vehicle or pickup truck that is fueled by alternative fuels, as defined in Section 301 of...
• Section 259.
  “Collector motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle owned by a collector, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 5051, and the motor vehicle is used...
• Section 260.
  (a) A “commercial vehicle” is a motor vehicle of a type required to be registered under this code used or maintained for the transportation of persons...
• Section 265.
  The “commissioner” is the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 266.
  A “consignment” is an arrangement under which a dealer agrees to accept possession of a vehicle of a type required to be registered under this...
• Section 267.
  A “converter” is a person, other than a vehicle manufacturer, who, prior to the retail sale of a new vehicle, does any of the following...
• Section 270.
  “County” includes every county and city and county within this State.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 273.
  A “crib sheet” or “cribbing device” is any paper or device designed for cheating by supplying examination answers without questions to an applicant for the...
• Section 275.
  “Crosswalk” is either:(a) That portion of a roadway included within the prolongation or connection of the boundary lines of sidewalks at intersections where the intersecting roadways...
• Section 280.
  “Darkness” is any time from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise and any other time when visibility is not sufficient to render...
• Section 285.
  “Dealer” is a person not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 286 who:(a) For commission, money, or other thing of value, sells, exchanges, buys, or offers for...
• Section 286.
  The term “dealer” does not include any of the following:(a) Insurance companies, banks, finance companies, public officials, or any other person coming into possession of vehicles...
• Section 288.
  “Declared combined gross weight” equals the total unladen weight of the combination of vehicles plus the heaviest load that will be transported by that combination...
• Section 289.
  “Declared gross vehicle weight” means weight that equals the total unladen weight of the vehicle plus the heaviest load that will be transported on the...
• Section 290.
  “Department” means the Department of Motor Vehicles except, when used in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 2100) of Division 2 and in Divisions 11 (commencing...
• Section 291.
  Any reference in this code to the Department of Public Works shall be deemed to refer to the Department of Transportation, which is part of...
• Section 295.
  The “director” is the Director of Motor Vehicles.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 295.5.
  A “disabled person” is any of the following:(a) Any person who has lost, or has lost the use of, one or more lower extremities or both...
• Section 295.7.
  A “disabled veteran” is any person who, as a result of injury or disease suffered while on active service with the armed forces of the...
• Section 296.
  A “distributor” is any person other than a manufacturer who sells or distributes new vehicles subject to registration under this code, new trailers subject to...
• Section 297.
  A “distributor branch” is an office maintained by a distributor for the sale of new vehicles or new trailers subject to identification pursuant to Section...
• Section 300.
  A “drawbar” is a rigid structure forming a connection between a trailer and a towing vehicle, securely attached to both vehicles by nonrigid means and...
• Section 303.
  A “driveaway-towaway operation” is any operation in which any motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles coupled together constitutes the commodity being transported, when one...
• Section 305.
  A “driver” is a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. The term “driver” does not include the tillerman or...
• Section 310.
  A “driver’s license” is a valid license to drive the type of motor vehicle or combination of vehicles for which a person is licensed under...
• Section 310.4.
  A “driving instructor” is, except as provided in Section 11105.5, an employee of a driving school licensed by the department to instruct others in the...
• Section 310.6.
  A “driving school” is a business which, for compensation, conducts or offers to conduct instruction in the operation of motor vehicles. As used in this...
• Section 310.8.
  A “driving school operator” is either a driving school owner who operates his own driving school or an employee of a driving school who is...
• Section 311.
  A “driving school owner” is any person licensed by the department to engage in the business of giving instruction for compensation in the driving of...
• Section 312.
  The term “drug” means any substance or combination of substances, other than alcohol, which could so affect the nervous system, brain, or muscles of a...
• Section 312.5.
  (a) An “electric bicycle” is a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.(1) A “class 1 electric bicycle,” or...
• Section 313.
  The term “electric personal assistive mobility device” or “EPAMD” means a self-balancing, nontandem two-wheeled device, that is not greater than 20 inches deep and 25...
• Section 313.5.
  An “electrically motorized board” is any wheeled device that has a floorboard designed to be stood upon when riding that is not greater than 60...
• Section 314.
  An “expressway” is a portion of highway that is part of either of the following:(a) An expressway system established by a county under Section 941.4 of...
• Section 315.
  “Essential parts” are all integral and body parts of a vehicle of a type required to be registered under this code, the removal, alteration, or...
• Section 320.
  “Established place of business” is a place actually occupied either continuously or at regular periods by any of the following:(a) A dealer, remanufacturer, remanufacturer branch, manufacturer,...
• Section 320.5.
  An “extralegal load” is a single unit or an assembled item which, due to its design, cannot be reasonably reduced or dismantled in size or...
• Section 321.
  “Factory-built housing” is a structure as defined in Section 19971 of the Health and Safety Code. As used in this code, factory-built housing is a...
• Section 322.
  (a) A “farm labor vehicle” is any motor vehicle designed, used, or maintained for the transportation of nine or more farmworkers, in addition to the driver,...
• Section 324.
  A “fifth-wheel travel trailer” is a vehicle designed for recreational purposes to carry persons or property on its own structure and so constructed as to...
• Section 324.5.
  A “former prisoner of war” is any person who, while serving as a member of the United States Armed Forces, as a member of the...
• Section 325.
  A “foreign jurisdiction” is any other state, the District of Columbia, territories or possessions of the United States, and foreign states, provinces, or countries.(Enacted by...
• Section 330.
  A “foreign vehicle” is a vehicle of a type required to be registered under this code brought into this State from a foreign jurisdiction other...
• Section 331.
  (a) A “franchise” is a written agreement between two or more persons having all of the following conditions:(1) A commercial relationship of definite duration or continuing indefinite...
• Section 331.1.
  A “franchisee” is any person who, pursuant to a franchise, receives new motor vehicles subject to registration under this code, new off-highway motorcycles, as defined...
• Section 331.2.
  A “franchisor” is any person who manufactures, assembles, or distributes new motor vehicles subject to registration under this code, new off-highway motorcycles, as defined in...
• Section 331.3.
  A “recreational vehicle franchise” is a written agreement between two or more persons having both of the following conditions:(a) A commercial relationship of definite duration or...
• Section 332.
  “Freeway” is a highway in respect to which the owners of abutting lands have no right or easement of access to or from their abutting...
• Section 335.
  A “gantry truck” is a motor vehicle so designed and constructed that it straddles the load to be transported and by means of appropriate mechanism...
• Section 336.
  “General public paratransit vehicle” means any motor vehicle designed for carrying no more than 24 persons and the driver, that provides local transportation to the...
• Section 340.
  A “garage” is a building or other place wherein the business of storing or safekeeping vehicles of a type required to be registered under this...
• Section 345.
  A “golf cart” is a motor vehicle having not less than three wheels in contact with the ground, having an unladen weight less than 1,300...
• Section 350.
  (a) “Gross vehicle weight rating” (GVWR) means the weight specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a single vehicle.(b) Gross combination weight rating (GCWR) means...
• Section 353.
  “Hazardous material” is any substance, material, or device posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, or property during transportation, as defined by regulations adopted pursuant...
• Section 360.
  “Highway” is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. Highway...
• Section 362.
  A “house car” is a motor vehicle originally designed, or permanently altered, and equipped for human habitation, or to which a camper has been permanently...
• Section 365.
  An “intersection” is the area embraced within the prolongation of the lateral curb lines, or, if none, then the lateral boundary lines of the roadways,...
• Section 370.
  A “legal owner” is a person holding a security interest in a vehicle which is subject to the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, or...
• Section 371.
  Lessee includes “bailee” and is a person who leases, offers to lease, or is offered the lease of a motor vehicle for a term exceeding...
• Section 372.
  A “lessor” is a person who, for a term exceeding four months, leases or offers for lease, negotiates or attempts to negotiate a lease, or...
• Section 373.
  A “lessor-retailer” is a lessor or renter who, except under the circumstances described in subdivision (a) of Section 286, makes a retail sale or sales...
• Section 375.
  “Lighting equipment” is any of the following lamps or devices:(a) A headlamp, auxiliary driving, passing, or fog lamp, fog taillamp, taillamp, stoplamp, supplemental stoplamp, license plate...
• Section 377.
  A “limit line” is a solid white line not less than 12 nor more than 24 inches wide, extending across a roadway or any portion...
• Section 378.
  (a) “Limousine” means any sedan or sport utility vehicle, of either standard or extended length, with a seating capacity of not more than 10 passengers including...
• Section 380.
  “Liquefied petroleum gas” means normal butane, isobutane, propane, or butylene (including isomers) or mixtures composed predominantly thereof in liquid or gaseous state having a vapor...
• Section 385.
  “Local authorities” means the legislative body of every county or municipality having authority to adopt local police regulations.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 385.2.
  A “logging dolly” is a vehicle designed for carrying logs, having one or more axles that, if there are more than one, are not more...
• Section 385.3.
  A “logging vehicle” is a vehicle used exclusively in the conduct of logging operations and not designed for the transportation of persons or property on...
• Section 385.5.
  (a) A “low-speed vehicle” is a motor vehicle that meets all of the following requirements:(1) Has four wheels.(2) Can attain a speed, in one mile, of more than...
• Section 386.
  A “managerial employee” is a person who exercises control over a business licensed under this code, whether compensated by salary or commission, including, but not...
• Section 387.
  “Manufactured home” is a manufactured home, as defined in Section 18007 of the Health and Safety Code, a commercial coach, as defined in Section 18001....
• Section 389.
  A “manufacturer branch” is an office maintained by a manufacturer for the sale of new vehicles to dealers or for directing or supervising in whole...
• Section 395.
  A “metal tire” is a tire the surface of which in contact with the highway is wholly or partly of metal or other hard nonresilient...
• Section 395.5.
  A “mobile billboard advertising display” means an advertising display that is attached to a mobile, nonmotorized vehicle, device, or bicycle, that carries, pulls, or transports...
• Section 396.
  “Mobilehome” is a structure as defined in Section 18008 of the Health and Safety Code. For the purposes of enforcement of highway safety laws and...
• Section 400.
  (a) A “motorcycle” is a motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider, designed to travel on not more than three...
• Section 405.
  A “motor-driven cycle” is any motorcycle with a motor that displaces less than 150 cubic centimeters. A motor-driven cycle does not include a motorized bicycle,...
• Section 406.
  (a) A “motorized bicycle” or “moped” is a two-wheeled or three-wheeled device having fully operative pedals for propulsion by human power, or having no pedals if...
• Section 407.
  A “motorized quadricycle” is a four-wheeled device, and a “motorized tricycle” is a three-wheeled device, designed to carry not more than two persons, including the...
• Section 407.5.
  (a) A “motorized scooter” is any two-wheeled device that has handlebars, has a floorboard that is designed to be stood upon when riding, and is powered...
• Section 408.
  “Motor carrier” is the registered owner, lessee, licensee, or bailee of any vehicle set forth in Section 34500, who operates or directs the operation of...
• Section 410.
  A “motor truck” or “motortruck” is a motor vehicle designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.(Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 272, Sec....
• Section 415.
  (a) A “motor vehicle” is a vehicle that is self-propelled.(b) “Motor vehicle” does not include a self-propelled wheelchair, motorized tricycle, or motorized quadricycle, if operated by a...
• Section 425.
  A “muffler” is a device consisting of a series of chambers or baffle plates, or other mechanical design, for the purpose of receiving exhaust gas...
• Section 426.
  “New motor vehicle dealer” is a dealer, as defined in Section 285, who, in addition to the requirements of that section, either acquires for resale...
• Section 430.
  A “new vehicle” is a vehicle constructed entirely from new parts that has never been the subject of a retail sale, or registered with the...
• Section 431.
  A “nonrepairable vehicle” is a vehicle of a type otherwise subject to registration that meets the criteria specified in subdivision (a), (b), or (c). The...
• Section 432.
  A “nonrepairable vehicle certificate” is a vehicle ownership document issued to the owner of a nonrepairable vehicle. Ownership of the vehicle may only be transferred...
• Section 435.
  “Nonresident” is a person who is not a resident of this State.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 435.5.
  “Nonresident daily commuter” means a person who is not a resident of this state, but who enters and leaves this state on a daily basis...
• Section 436.
  An “off-highway motorcycle” means a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle which is subject to identification under this code.(Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1584, Sec. 5.)
• Section 440.
  An “official traffic control device” is any sign, signal, marking, or device, consistent with Section 21400, placed or erected by authority of a public body...
• Section 445.
  An “official traffic control signal” is any device, whether manually, electrically or mechanically operated, by which traffic is alternately directed to stop and proceed and...
• Section 450.
  An “oil well production service unit” is any vehicle specifically designed for and used exclusively in servicing oil wells which is only incidentally operated or...
• Section 455.
  “Original driver’s license” means the first driver’s license issued a person under this code.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 460.
  An “owner” is a person having all the incidents of ownership, including the legal title of a vehicle whether or not such person lends, rents,...
• Section 461.
  The Senate, Assembly, or any committees thereof, or the Governor’s office in possession and using vehicles under a lease, lease-sale, or rental-purchase agreement for a...
• Section 462.
  A “paratransit vehicle” is a passenger vehicle, other than a bus, schoolbus, school pupil activity bus, youth bus, general public paratransit vehicle, or taxicab that...
• Section 463.
  “Park or parking” shall mean the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged...
• Section 464.
  A “passenger transportation vehicle” is any vehicle, including a trailer bus, designed, used, or maintained for carrying more than 10 persons including the driver, which...
• Section 465.
  A “passenger vehicle” is any motor vehicle, other than a motortruck, truck tractor, or a bus, as defined in Section 233, and used or maintained...
• Section 467.
  (a) A “pedestrian” is a person who is afoot or who is using any of the following:(1) A means of conveyance propelled by human power other than...
• Section 467.5.
  “Pedicab” means any of the following:(a) A bicycle that has three or more wheels, that transports, or is capable of transporting, passengers on seats attached to...
• Section 468.
  The department shall commence the “permanent trailer identification plate program,” on or after December 31, 2001, and may designate the method, consistent with this code,...
• Section 470.
  “Person” includes a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation.(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1010, Sec. 225. Effective January 1, 1995.)
• Section 471.
  A “pickup truck” is a motor truck with a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of less than 11,500 pounds, an unladen weight of less than...
• Section 472.
  A “pilot car” is a motor vehicle, except a motorcycle, motorized bicycle, or motorized quadricycle, which is used to escort one or more other vehicles,...
• Section 473.
  (a) A “pocket bike” is a two-wheeled motorized device that has a seat or saddle for the use of the rider, and that is not designed...
• Section 475.
  A “pole or pipe dolly” is a vehicle, other than a motor vehicle, having one or more axles which axles, if there be more than...
• Section 480.
  A “power brake” is any breaking gear or mechanism that aids in applying the brakes of a vehicle and which utilizes vacuum, compressed air, electricity,...
• Section 485.
  A “pneumatic tire” is a tire inflated or capable of inflation with compressed air.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 490.
  “Private road or driveway” is a way or place in private ownership and used for vehicular travel by the owner and those having express or...
• Section 492.
  A “private school” is any school, whether conducted for profit or not, giving a course of training similar to that given in a public school...
• Section 500.
  “Recreational off-highway vehicle” means a motor vehicle meeting all of the following criteria:(a) Designed by the manufacturer for operation primarily off of the highway.(b) Has a steering...
• Section 505.
  A “registered owner” is a person registered by the department as the owner of a vehicle.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 505.2.
  (a) A “registration service” is a person engaged in the business of soliciting or receiving an application for the registration, renewal of registration, or transfer of...
• Section 506.
  “Registration year” is the period of time beginning with the date the vehicle is first required to be registered in this state and ending on...
• Section 507.
  The “relevant market area” is any area within a radius of 10 miles from the site of a potential new dealership.(Added by Stats. 1973, Ch.
• Section 507.5.
  A “remanufactured vehicle” is a vehicle that has been constructed by a licensed remanufacturer and consists of any used or reconditioned integral parts, including, but...
• Section 507.8.
  A “remanufacturer” is any person who for commission, money, or other thing of value, produces a vehicle that consists of any used or reconditioned integral...
• Section 508.
  A “renter” is a person who is engaged in the business of renting, leasing or bailing vehicles for a term not exceeding four months and...
• Section 510.
  A “repair shop” is a place where vehicles subject to registration under this code are repaired, rebuilt, reconditioned, repainted, or in any way maintained for...
• Section 512.
  A “representative” is any person regularly employed by a manufacturer or distributor for the purpose of negotiating or promoting the sale of the manufacturer’s or...
• Section 515.
  A “residence district” is that portion of a highway and the property contiguous thereto, other than a business district, (a) upon one side of which highway,...
• Section 516.
  “Resident” means any person who manifests an intent to live or be located in this state on more than a temporary or transient basis. Presence...
• Section 520.
  A “retail sale” is a sale of goods to a person for the purpose of consumption and use, and not for resale to others, including,...
• Section 521.
  A “retarder” is a device, other than a brake, which, when activated by the driver, applies a retarding force to the wheels of a vehicle...
• Section 521.5.
  “Revived salvage vehicle” means a total loss salvage vehicle as defined in Section 544, or a vehicle reported for dismantling pursuant to Section 5500 or...
• Section 522.
  “Ridesharing” means two or more persons traveling by any mode, including, but not limited to, carpooling, vanpooling, buspooling, taxipooling, jitney, and public transit.(Added by Stats....
• Section 525.
  “Right-of-way” is the privilege of the immediate use of the highway.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 527.
  (a) “Road” means any existing vehicle route established before January 1, 1979, with significant evidence of prior regular travel by vehicles subject to registration pursuant to...
• Section 530.
  A “roadway” is that portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel.(Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.)
• Section 531.
  “Utility-terrain vehicle” means a motor vehicle subject to subdivision (a) of Section 38010 that is all of the following:(a) Designed for operation off of the highway.(b) Suspended...
• Section 535.
  Safety glazing material is any glazing material so constructed, treated, or combined with other materials as to reduce, in comparison with ordinary sheet, plate, or...
• Section 540.
  A “safety zone” is the area or space lawfully set apart within a roadway for the exclusive use of pedestrians and which is protected, or...
• Section 543.
  “Salvage pool” means a person engaged exclusively in the business of disposing of total loss salvage vehicles, nonrepairable vehicles, or recovered stolen vehicles sent to...
• Section 543.5.
  “Salvage vehicle rebuilder” means any person who rebuilds a total loss salvage vehicle, as defined in Section 544, or a vehicle reported for dismantling pursuant...
• Section 544.
  “Total loss salvage vehicle” means either of the following:(a) A vehicle, other than a nonrepairable vehicle, of a type subject to registration that has been wrecked,...
• Section 545.
  (a) A “schoolbus” is a motor vehicle designed, used, or maintained for the transportation of any school pupil at or below the 12th-grade level to or...
• Section 545.1.
  (a) Notwithstanding Section 545, a motor vehicle is not a schoolbus if it is operated for the purpose of transporting any pupil to or from a...
• Section 545.5.
  (a) Notwithstanding Section 545, a bus of the type commonly known as a coach bus is not a schoolbus when it is operated by the Trona...
• Section 546.
  A “school pupil activity bus” is any motor vehicle, other than a schoolbus, operated by a common carrier, or by and under the exclusive jurisdiction...
• Section 550.
  A “semitrailer” is a vehicle designed for carrying persons or property, used in conjunction with a motor vehicle, and so constructed that some part of...
• Section 553.
  “Shade trailer” means a device designed and utilized to provide shade pursuant to Section 3395 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations.(Added by...
• Section 555.
  “Sidewalk” is that portion of a highway, other than the roadway, set apart by curbs, barriers, markings or other delineation for pedestrian travel.(Amended by Stats....
• Section 557.
  A “snowmobile” is a motor vehicle designed to travel over ice or snow in whole or in part on skis, belts, or cleats, which is...
• Section 558.
  A “snow-tread tire” is a tire which has a relatively deep and aggressive tread pattern compared with conventional passenger tread pattern.(Added by Stats. 1961, Ch.
• Section 560.
  A “solid tire” is a tire of rubber or other resilient material which does not depend upon compressed air for the support of the load.(Enacted...
• Section 565.
  “Special construction equipment” is:(a) Any vehicle used primarily off the highways for construction purposes and which moves only occasionally over the highways and which because of...
• Section 570.
  “Special construction equipment” does not include any of the following:(a) A vehicle originally designed for the transportation of persons or property to which machinery has been...
• Section 575.
  “Special mobile equipment” is a vehicle, not self-propelled, not designed or used primarily for the transportation of persons or property, and only incidentally operated or...
• Section 580.
  A “specially constructed vehicle” is a vehicle which is built for private use, not for resale, and is not constructed by a licensed manufacturer or...
• Section 585.
  A “station wagon” is a dual purpose vehicle designed for the transportation of persons and also designed in such a manner that the seats may...
• Section 587.
  “Stop or stopping” when prohibited shall mean any cessation of movement of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except when necessary to avoid conflict with...
• Section 590.
  “Street” is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. Street...
• Section 591.
  A “street” or “highway” shall not include those portions of a way or place in or upon which construction, alteration, or repair work is being...
• Section 592.
  “Highway”, for the purposes of Division 3 (commencing with Section 4000), Division 12 (commencing with Section 24000), Division 13 (commencing with Section 29000), Division 14.8...
• Section 593.
  “Supplemental restraint system” means an automatic passive restraint system consisting of a bag that is designed to inflate upon collision, commonly referred to as an...
• Section 595.
  “Terminal” is a place where a vehicle of a type listed in Section 34500 is regularly garaged or maintained, or from which the vehicle is...
• Section 600.
  A “through highway” is a highway or portion thereof at the entrance to which vehicular traffic from intersecting highways is regulated by stop signs or...
• Section 605.
  “Tire traction devices” are devices or mechanisms having a composition and design capable of improving vehicle traction, braking, and cornering ability upon snow or ice-covered...
• Section 610.
  “Tire tread” is that portion of the tire, consisting of the ribs and grooves, which comes in contact with the roadway.(Added by Stats. 1970, Ch.
• Section 611.
  A “toll highway” or “toll road” is a publicly owned way or place open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel...
• Section 612.
  (a) “Tour bus” means a bus, which is operated by or for a charter-party carrier of passengers, as defined in Section 5360 of the Public Utilities...
• Section 615.
  (a) A “tow truck” is a motor vehicle which has been altered or designed and equipped for, and primarily used in the business of, transporting vehicles...
• Section 617.
  A “tow dolly” is a vehicle towed by a motor vehicle and designed and used exclusively to transport another motor vehicle and upon which the...
• Section 620.
  The term “traffic” includes pedestrians, ridden animals, vehicles, street cars, and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using any highway for purposes of travel.(Enacted...
• Section 625.
  A “traffic officer” is any member of the California Highway Patrol, or any peace officer who is on duty for the exclusive or main purpose...
• Section 626.
  A “traffic violator school” is a business that, for compensation, provides, or offers to provide, instruction in traffic safety, including, but not limited to, classroom...
• Section 626.2.
  A “traffic violator school branch or classroom location” is any place where a traffic violator school conducts instruction or maintains records.(Added by Stats. 1985, Ch....
• Section 626.4.
  A “traffic violator school instructor” is any person who provides instruction to traffic violators on behalf of a traffic violator school.(Added by Stats. 1985, Ch....
• Section 626.6.
  A “traffic violator school operator” is the person who directs and manages the operations of a traffic violator school.A “traffic violator school operator” may be...
• Section 626.8.
  A “traffic violator school owner” is any natural person, association, or corporation that owns a traffic violator school.(Added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 396, Sec. 5....
• Section 627.
  (a) “Engineering and traffic survey,” as used in this code, means a survey of highway and traffic conditions in accordance with methods determined by the Department...
• Section 630.
  A “trailer” is a vehicle designed for carrying persons or property on its own structure and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and so...
• Section 635.
  A “trailer coach” is a vehicle, other than a motor vehicle, designed for human habitation or human occupancy for industrial, professional, or commercial purposes, for...
• Section 636.
  A “trailer bus” is a trailer or semitrailer designed, used, or maintained for the transportation of more than 15 persons, including the driver, and includes...
• Section 640.
  A “transferee” is a person who has acquired the sole ownership of or an equity in a vehicle of a type required to be registered...
• Section 642.
  A “transit bus” is any bus owned or operated by a publicly owned or operated transit system, or operated under contract with a publicly owned...
• Section 645.
  (a) A “transporter” is a person engaged in the business of moving any owned or lawfully possessed vehicle by lawful methods over the highways for the...
• Section 650.
  A “trolley coach” is a vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires, but not operated upon rails.(Enacted by Stats. 1959,...
• Section 655.
  (a) A “truck tractor” is a motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles and not so constructed as to carry a load, other...
• Section 657.
  A “truss” is an assemblage of beams, bars, or rods typically arranged in a triangle or combination of triangles to form a rigid framework and...
• Section 660.
  The “unladen weight” of a vehicle is the weight equipped and ready for operation on the road including the body, fenders, oil in motor, radiator...
• Section 661.
  Unladen weight shall not include the following machinery, equipment or attachment which is attendant to the efficient operation of the body or vehicle:(a) Equipment used for...
• Section 665.
  A “used vehicle” is a vehicle that has been sold, or has been registered with the department, or has been sold and operated upon the...
• Section 665.5.
  A “U-turn” is the turning of a vehicle upon a highway so as to proceed in the opposite direction whether accomplished by one continuous movement...
• Section 667.
  (a) A “utility trailer” is a trailer or semitrailer used solely for the transportation of the user’s personal property, not in commerce, which does not exceed...
• Section 668.
  A “vanpool vehicle” is any motor vehicle, other than a motortruck or truck tractor, designed for carrying more than 10 but not more than 15...
• Section 670.
  A “vehicle” is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively...
• Section 670.5.
  A “vehicle frame” is defined as the main longitudinal structural members of the chassis of the vehicle, or for vehicles with unitized body construction, the...
• Section 671.
  (a) A “vehicle identification number” is the motor number, serial number, or other distinguishing number, letter, mark, character, or datum, or any combination thereof, required or...
• Section 672.
  (a) “Vehicle manufacturer” is any person who produces from raw materials or new basic components a vehicle of a type subject to registration under this code,...
• Section 675.
  (a) “Vehicle salesperson” is a person not otherwise expressly excluded by this section, who does one or a combination of the following:(1) Is employed as a salesperson...
• Section 675.5.
  A “vehicle verifier” is a person not expressly excluded by Section 675.6 who inspects, records, documents, and submits to the department, or its authorized representative,...
• Section 675.6.
  (a) “Vehicle verifier” does not include any of the following:(1) A peace officer.(2) An authorized employee of the department.(3) A special agent of the National Auto Theft Bureau.(4) An employee...
• Section 676.
  “Year-round registration” is a system whereby the director designates a date for the expiration of registration of a vehicle and renewal thereof in order to...
• Section 676.5.
  A “water tender vehicle” is a vehicle designed to carry not less than 1,500 gallons of water and used primarily for transporting and delivering water...
• Section 680.
  (a) A “youth bus” is any bus, other than a schoolbus, designed for and when actually carrying not more than 16 persons and the driver, used...
• Section 681.
  (a) “Real ID driver’s license or identification card” means a driver’s license or identification card that has been issued by a state that has been certified...

Last modified: October 22, 2018