California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2197

Introduced by Assembly Member Mullin

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Levine, Ting, and Wieckowski)

February 20, 2014

An act to amend Sections 4456.5 and 4463 of, to amend, repeal, and add Sections 4456, 5201, 5202, 5901, and 40610 of, and to add Sections 1686 and 4456.6 to, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2197, as introduced, Mullin. Vehicles: temporary license plates.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), upon registering a vehicle, to issue to the owner 2 license plates, as specified. Existing law also requires that the license plates be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued, and makes a violation of this requirement a crime.

Existing law requires vehicle dealers and lessor-retailers to attach numbered report-of-sale forms issued by the DMV to a vehicle at the time of sale, and to submit to the DMV an application for registration of the vehicle, and the applicable fees, within a specified period after the date of sale.

This bill would require the DMV, in collaboration with qualified industry partners, to develop a temporary license plate system to enable vehicle dealers and lessor-retailers to print temporary license plates on weatherproof paper or other media selected by the DMV, and would require that the system be in operation on or before July 1, 2015. The bill would also require, commencing July 1, 2015, a motor vehicle dealer or lessor-retailer to install a temporary license plate at the time of sale, and to electronically record and transmit to the department’s vehicle registration database certain information, including the temporary license plate’s number and vehicle’s make and model, using the temporary license plate system. The bill would make failure to display temporary license plates an infraction, and would make counterfeiting a temporary license plate a felony, as specified. By creating a new crime and expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also make other related and conforming changes.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) California is one of the few states in the nation where a
purchaser may lawfully leave the motor vehicle dealership after
buying a new vehicle with no uniquely identifiable license plate
mounted on the vehicle.

(b) State law permits a vehicle to be driven for up to 90 days
before it must be registered with permanent license plates mounted
on the vehicle.

(c) While state law requires that a vehicle owner install
permanent license plate on a vehicle upon receipt, law enforcement
cannot readily determine from a distance the date by which a
vehicle should have its plates installed.

(d) The lack of license plates on hundreds of thousands of
vehicles across the state is a threat to public safety as it hampers
the ability of law enforcement to solve crimes and recover stolen
vehicles.

(e) The lack of temporary license plates is also the greatest cause
of toll evasion in California. In the 2012-13 fiscal year, California’s
toll roads and bridges lost approximately $12 million in uncollected
tolls from drivers who evaded tolls by driving vehicles without
license plates.

(f) In 2011, the Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 1215, which
requires all new motor vehicle dealerships to participate in the
Business Partner Automation Program and to conduct all vehicle
registrations and related transactions electronically.

(g) Electronic vehicle registration results in faster delivery of
license plates to vehicle owners, but hundreds of thousands of
vehicles continue to be driven each day on the roads and highways
without license plates.

(h) To improve public safety and reduce toll evasion, the
Legislature intends to further expand the Business Partner
Automation Program to establish a statewide temporary license
plate program under which every vehicle sold in California without
a permanent license plate attached will be equipped with a
temporary license plate bearing a unique identification number
that will be placed in the license plate location on the front and
rear of the vehicle.

SEC. 2.  

Section 1686 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

1686.  

(a) The department, in collaboration with qualified
industry partners, shall develop a system for the department and
vehicle dealers and lessor-retailers to print temporary license plates
on weatherproof paper or other media selected by the department
pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 4456.6, on a standard laser
printer at the dealership. The system shall enable a dealer or
lessor-retailer to electronically record and transmit to the
department’s vehicle registration database the temporary license
plate’s unique identification number, vehicle identification number,
vehicle make, model, and year, vehicle owner’s name and address,
and any other information required by Section 4456.6.

(b) Access to the temporary license plate system shall be
restricted to authorized users of the department’s vehicle
registration database, which includes law enforcement officers
who shall be able to access the system from their vehicles using
the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System.

(c) The temporary license plate system shall transmit vehicle,
temporary plate license number, and ownership information to the
department’s vehicle registration database within two working
days.

(d) The temporary license plate system shall be in operation on
or before July 1, 2015.

SEC. 3.  

Section 4456 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

4456.  

(a) When selling a vehicle, dealers and lessor-retailers
shall use numbered report-of-sale forms issued by the department.
The forms shall be used in accordance with the following terms
and conditions:

(1) The dealer or lessor-retailer shall attach for display a copy
of the report of sale on the vehicle before the vehicle is delivered
to the purchaser.

(2) The dealer or lessor-retailer shall submit to the department
an application accompanied by all fees and penalties due for
registration or transfer of registration of the vehicle within 30 days
from the date of sale, as provided in subdivision (c) of Section
9553, if the vehicle is a used vehicle, and 20 days if the vehicle is
a new vehicle. Penalties due for noncompliance with this paragraph
shall be paid by the dealer or lessor-retailer. The dealer or
lessor-retailer shall not charge the purchaser for the penalties.

(3) As part of an application to transfer registration of a used
vehicle, the dealer or lessor-retailer shall include all of the
following information on the certificate of title, application for a
duplicate certificate of title, or form prescribed by the department:

(A) Date of sale and report of sale number.

(B) Purchaser’s name and address.

(C) Dealer’s name, address, number, and signature or signature
of authorized agent.

(D) Salesperson number.

(4) If the department returns an application and the application
was first received by the department within 30 days of the date of
sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used vehicle, and 20 days if
the vehicle is a new vehicle, the dealer or lessor-retailer shall
submit a corrected application to the department within 50 days
from the date of sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used vehicle,
and 40 days if the vehicle is a new vehicle, or within 30 days from
the date that the application is first returned by the department if
the vehicle is a used vehicle, and 20 days if the vehicle is a new
vehicle, whichever is later.

(5) If the department returns an application and the application
was first received by the department more than 30 days from the
date of sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used vehicle, and 20
days if the vehicle is a new vehicle, the dealer or lessor-retailer
shall submit a corrected application to the department within 50
days from the date of sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used
vehicle, and 40 days if the vehicle is a new vehicle.

(6) An application first received by the department more than
50 days from the date of sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used
vehicle, and 40 days if the vehicle is a new vehicle, is subject to
the penalties specified in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 4456.1.

(7) The dealer or lessor-retailer shall report the sale pursuant to
Section 5901.

(b) (1) A transfer that takes place through a dealer conducting
a wholesale vehicle auction shall be reported to the department by
that dealer on a single form approved by the department. The
completed form shall contain, at a minimum, all of the following
information:

(A) The name and address of the seller.

(B) The seller’s dealer number, if applicable.

(C) The date of delivery to the dealer conducting the auction.

(D) The actual mileage of the vehicle as indicated by the
vehicle’s odometer at the time of delivery to the dealer conducting
the auction.

(E) The name, address, and occupational license number of the
dealer conducting the auction.

(F) The name, address, and occupational license number of the
buyer.

(G) The signature of the dealer conducting the auction.

(2) Submission of the completed form specified in paragraph
(1) to the department shall fully satisfy the requirements of
subdivision (a) and subdivision (a) of Section 5901 with respect
to the dealer selling at auction and the dealer conducting the
auction.

(3) The single form required by this subdivision does not relieve
a dealer of any obligation or responsibility that is required by any
other provision of law.

(c) A vehicle displaying a copy of the report of sale may be
operated without license plates or registration card until either of
the following, whichever occurs first:

(1) The license plates and registration card are received by the
purchaser.

(2) A 90-day period, commencing with the date of sale of the
vehicle, has expired.

begin delete

(d) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2012.

end delete begin insert

(d) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2015, and,
as of January 1, 2016, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2016, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

end insert

SEC. 4.  

Section 4456 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

4456.  

(a) When selling a vehicle, dealers and lessor-retailers
shall use numbered report-of-sale forms issued by the department.
The forms shall be used in accordance with the following terms
and conditions:

(1) The dealer or lessor-retailer shall attach for display a copy
of the report of sale on the vehicle before the vehicle is delivered
to the purchaser.

(2) The dealer or lessor-retailer shall submit to the department
an application accompanied by all fees and penalties due for
registration or transfer of registration of the vehicle within 30 days
from the date of sale, as provided in subdivision (c) of Section
9553, if the vehicle is a used vehicle, and 20 days if the vehicle is
a new vehicle. Penalties due for noncompliance with this paragraph
shall be paid by the dealer or lessor-retailer. The dealer or
lessor-retailer shall not charge the purchaser for the penalties.

(3) As part of an application to transfer registration of a used
vehicle, the dealer or lessor-retailer shall include all of the
following information on the certificate of title, application for a
duplicate certificate of title, or form prescribed by the department:

(A) Date of sale and report of sale number.

(B) Purchaser’s name and address.

(C) Dealer’s name, address, number, and signature or signature
of authorized agent.

(D) Salesperson number.

(4) If the department returns an application and the application
was first received by the department within 30 days of the date of
sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used vehicle, and 20 days if
the vehicle is a new vehicle, the dealer or lessor-retailer shall
submit a corrected application to the department within 50 days
from the date of sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used vehicle,
and 40 days if the vehicle is a new vehicle, or within 30 days from
the date that the application is first returned by the department if
the vehicle is a used vehicle, and 20 days if the vehicle is a new
vehicle, whichever is later.

(5) If the department returns an application and the application
was first received by the department more than 30 days from the
date of sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used vehicle, and 20
days if the vehicle is a new vehicle, the dealer or lessor-retailer
shall submit a corrected application to the department within 50
days from the date of sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used
vehicle, and 40 days if the vehicle is a new vehicle.

(6) An application first received by the department more than
50 days from the date of sale of the vehicle if the vehicle is a used
vehicle, and 40 days if the vehicle is a new vehicle, is subject to
the penalties specified in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 4456.1.

(7) The dealer or lessor-retailer shall report the sale pursuant to
Section 5901.

(b) (1) A transfer that takes place through a dealer conducting
a wholesale vehicle auction shall be reported to the department by
that dealer on a single form approved by the department. The
completed form shall contain, at a minimum, all of the following
information:

(A) The name and address of the seller.

(B) The seller’s dealer number, if applicable.

(C) The date of delivery to the dealer conducting the auction.

(D) The actual mileage of the vehicle as indicated by the
vehicle’s odometer at the time of delivery to the dealer conducting
the auction.

(E) The name, address, and occupational license number of the
dealer conducting the auction.

(F) The name, address, and occupational license number of the
buyer.

(G) The signature of the dealer conducting the auction.

(2) Submission of the completed form specified in paragraph
(1) to the department shall fully satisfy the requirements of
subdivision (a) of this section and subdivision (a) of Section 5901
with respect to the dealer selling at auction and the dealer
conducting the auction.

(3) The single form required by this subdivision does not relieve
a dealer of any obligation or responsibility that is required by any
other provision of law.

(c) The dealer or lessor-retailer shall affix a temporary license
plate to any vehicle sold without a permanent license plate attached
to the vehicle at the time of sale. A vehicle displaying a temporary
license plate may be operated without permanent license plates or
registration card until either of the following, whichever occurs
first:

(1) The permanent license plates and registration card are
received by the purchaser.

(2) A 90-day period, commencing with the date of sale of the
vehicle, has expired.

(d) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2015.

SEC. 5.  

Section 4456.5 of the Vehicle Code is amended to
read:

4456.5.  

(a) A dealer may charge the purchaser or lessee of a
vehicle the following charges:

(1) A document processing charge for the preparation and
processing of documents, disclosures, and titling, registration, and
information security obligations imposed by state and federal law.
The dealer document processing charge shall not be represented
as a governmental fee.

(A) If a dealer has a contractual agreement with the department
to be a private industry partner pursuant to Section 1685, the
document processing charge shall not exceed eighty dollars ($80).

(B) If a dealer does not have a contractual agreement with the
department to be a private industry partner pursuant to Section
1685, the document processing charge shall not exceed sixty-five
dollars ($65).

(2) An electronic filing charge, not to exceed the actual amount
the dealer is charged by a first-line service provider for providing
license plate processing, begin insert temporary license plate processing, end insert
postage, and the fees and services authorized pursuant to
subdivisions (a) and (d) of Section 1685. The director may
establish, through the adoption of regulations, the maximum
amount that a first-line service provider may charge a dealer. The
electronic filing charge shall not be represented as a governmental
fee.

(b) As used in this section, the term “first-line service provider”
shall have the same meaning as defined in subdivision (b) of
Section 1685.

begin delete

(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2012.

end delete

SEC. 6.  

Section 4456.6 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

4456.6.  

(a) A motor vehicle dealer shall, at the point of sale,
install a temporary license plate in the rear license plate holder of
a vehicle sold without permanent license plates. The dealer shall
electronically record the temporary license plate’s number, vehicle
identification number, vehicle make, model, and year, and vehicle
owner’s name and address using an electronic program provided
by a qualified private industry partner pursuant to Section 1686.

(b) The temporary license plate is valid for up to 45 days. A
temporary license plate may be reissued for the same vehicle by
the motor vehicle dealer or the department for an additional 45-day
period.

(c) A temporary license plate shall contain, at a minimum, all
of the following:

(1) A unique identification number.

(2) The expiration date of the temporary license plate.

(3) The vehicle’s make and model.

(d) The department shall designate specifications for the paper
or other media upon which the temporary license plate is printed
and any other requirements to prevent tampering and
counterfeiting. The paper or other media shall be weatherproof so
that it maintains its structural integrity, including graphic and data
adhesion, in all weather conditions after being placed on the
vehicle.

(e) The unique identification number shall be printed in black
ink on white paper or other media consistent with standards adopted
by the department that provide optimal readability by law
enforcement and automated licence plate recognition systems.

(f) The temporary license plates may include the name of the
dealership, if the name does not interfere with the readability of
the license plate by law enforcement or by automated license plate
recognition systems.

(g) The printing and electronic recording of temporary license
plates does not constitute separate transactions subject to the fees
established by Section 1685.

(h) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2015.

SEC. 7.  

Section 4463 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

4463.  

(a) A person who, with intent to prejudice, damage, or
defraud, commits any of the following acts is guilty of a felony
and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment
pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for
16 months or two or three years, or by imprisonment in a county
jail for not more than one year:

(1) Alters, forges, counterfeits, or falsifies a certificate of
ownership, registration card, certificate, license, license plate,
begin insert temporary license plate, end insert device issued pursuant to Section 4853,
special plate, or permit provided for by this code or a comparable
certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license,
license plate, begin insert temporary license plate, end insert device comparable to that
issued pursuant to Section 4853, special plate, or permit provided
for by a foreign jurisdiction, or alters, forges, counterfeits, or
falsifies the document, device, or plate with intent to represent it
as issued by the department, or alters, forges, counterfeits, or
falsifies with fraudulent intent an endorsement of transfer on a
certificate of ownership or other document evidencing ownership,
or with fraudulent intent displays or causes or permits to be
displayed or have in his or her possession a blank, incomplete,
canceled, suspended, revoked, altered, forged, counterfeit, or false
certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license,
license plate, begin insert temporary license plate, end insert device issued pursuant to
Section 4853, special plate, or permit.

(2) Utters, publishes, passes, or attempts to pass, as true and
genuine, a false, altered, forged, or counterfeited matter listed in
paragraph (1) knowing it to be false, altered, forged, or
counterfeited.

(b) A person who, with intent to prejudice, damage, or defraud,
commits any of the following acts is guilty of a misdemeanor, and
upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in a
county jail for six months, a fine of not less than five hundred
dollars ($500) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000),
or both that fine and imprisonment, which penalty shall not be
suspended:

(1) Forges, counterfeits, or falsifies a disabled person placard
or a comparable placard relating to parking privileges for disabled
persons provided for by a foreign jurisdiction, or forges,
counterfeits, or falsifies a disabled person placard with intent to
represent it as issued by the department.

(2) Passes, or attempts to pass, as true and genuine, a false,
forged, or counterfeit disabled person placard knowing it to be
false, forged, or counterfeited.

(3) Acquires, possesses, sells, or offers for sale a genuine or
counterfeit disabled person placard.

(c) A person who, with fraudulent intent, displays or causes or
permits to be displayed a forged, counterfeit, or false disabled
person placard, is subject to the issuance of a notice of parking
violation imposing a civil penalty of not less than two hundred
fifty dollars ($250) and not more than one thousand dollars
($1,000), for which enforcement shall be governed by the
procedures set forth in Article 3 (commencing with Section 40200)
of Chapter 1 of Division 17 or is guilty of a misdemeanor
punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for six months, a fine
of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and not more than
one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both that fine and imprisonment,
which penalty shall not be suspended.

(d) For purposes of subdivision (b) or (c), “disabled person
placard” means a placard issued pursuant to Section 22511.55 or
22511.59.

(e) A person who, with intent to prejudice, damage, or defraud,
commits any of the following acts is guilty of an infraction, and
upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than
one hundred dollars ($100) and not more than two hundred fifty
dollars ($250) for a first offense, not less than two hundred fifty
dollars ($250) and not more than five hundred dollars ($500) for
a second offense, and not less than five hundred dollars ($500)
and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) for a third or
subsequent offense, which penalty shall not be suspended:

(1) Forges, counterfeits, or falsifies a Clean Air Sticker or a
comparable clean air sticker relating to high occupancy vehicle
lane privileges provided for by a foreign jurisdiction, or forges,
counterfeits, or falsifies a Clean Air Sticker with intent to represent
it as issued by the department.

(2) Passes, or attempts to pass, as true and genuine, a false,
forged, or counterfeit Clean Air Sticker knowing it to be false,
forged, or counterfeited.

(3) Acquires, possesses, sells, or offers for sale a counterfeit
Clean Air Sticker.

(4) Acquires, possesses, sells, or offers for sale a genuine Clean
Air Sticker separate from the vehicle for which the department
issued that sticker.

(f) As used in this section, “Clean Air Sticker” means a label
or decal issued pursuant to Sections 5205.5 and 21655.9.

SEC. 8.  

Section 5201 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

5201.  

(a) License plates shall at all times be securely fastened
to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates
from swinging, shall be mounted in a position so as to be clearly
visible, and so that the characters are upright and display from left
to right, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly
legible. The rear license plate shall be mounted not less than 12
inches nor more than 60 inches from the ground, and the front
license plate shall be mounted not more than 60 inches from the
ground, except as follows:

(1) The rear license plate on a tow truck or repossessor’s tow
vehicle may be mounted on the left-hand side of the mast assembly
at the rear of the cab of the vehicle, not less than 12 inches nor
more than 90 inches from the ground.

(2) The rear license plate on a tank vehicle hauling hazardous
waste, as defined in Section 25117 of the Health and Safety Code,
or asphalt material may be mounted not less than 12 inches nor
more than 90 inches from the ground.

(3) The rear license plate on a truck tractor may be mounted at
the rear of the cab of the vehicle, but not less than 12 inches nor
more than 90 inches from the ground.

(4) The rear license plate of a vehicle designed by the
manufacturer for the collection and transportation of garbage,
rubbish, or refuse that is used regularly for the collection and
transportation of that material by a person or governmental entity
employed to collect, transport, and dispose of garbage, rubbish,
or refuse may be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than
90 inches from the ground.

(5) The rear license plate on a two-axle livestock trailer may be
mounted 12 inches or more, but not more than 90 inches, from the
ground.

(6) (A) The rear license plate on a dump bed motortruck
equipped with a trailing, load bearing swing axle shall be mounted
more than 12 inches, but not more than 107 inches, from the
ground.

(B) As used in this section, a trailing, load bearing swing axle
is an axle which can be moved from a raised position to a position
behind the vehicle that allows for the transfer of a portion of the
weight of the vehicle and load to the trailing axle.

(b) A covering shall not be used on license plates except as
follows:

(1) The installation of a cover over a lawfully parked vehicle
to protect it from the weather and the elements does not constitute
a violation of this subdivision. A peace officer or other regularly
salaried employee of a public agency designated to enforce laws,
including local ordinances, relating to the parking of vehicles may
temporarily remove so much of the cover as is necessary to inspect
any license plate, tab, or indicia of registration on a vehicle.

(2) The installation of a license plate security cover is not a
violation of this subdivision if the device does not obstruct or
impair the recognition of the license plate information, including,
but not limited to, the issuing state, license plate number, and
registration tabs, and the cover is limited to the area directly over
the top of the registration tabs. No portion of a license plate security
cover shall rest over the license plate number.

(c) A casing, shield, frame, border, product, or other device that
obstructs or impairs the reading or recognition of a license plate
by an electronic device operated by state or local law enforcement,
an electronic device operated in connection with a toll road,
high-occupancy toll lane, toll bridge, or other toll facility, or a
remote emission sensing device, as specified in Sections 44081
and 44081.6 of the Health and Safety Code, shall not be installed
on, or affixed to, a vehicle.

(d) (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that an accommodation
be made to persons with disabilities and to those persons who
regularly transport persons with disabilities, to allow the removal
and relocation of wheelchair lifts and wheelchair carriers without
the necessity of removing and reattaching the vehicle’s rear license
plate. Therefore, it is not a violation of this section if the reading
or recognition of a rear license plate is obstructed or impaired by
a wheelchair lift or wheelchair carrier and all of the following
requirements are met:

(A) The owner of the vehicle has been issued a special
identification license plate pursuant to Section 5007, or the person
using the wheelchair that is carried on the vehicle has been issued
a distinguishing placard under Section 22511.55.

(B) (i) The operator of the vehicle displays a decal, designed
and issued by the department, that contains the license plate number
assigned to the vehicle transporting the wheelchair.

(ii) The decal is displayed on the rear window of the vehicle,
in a location determined by the department, in consultation with
the Department of the California Highway Patrol, so as to be clearly
visible to law enforcement.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law, if a decal is displayed
pursuant to this subdivision, the requirements of this code that
require the illumination of the license plate and the license plate
number do not apply.

(3) The department shall adopt regulations governing the
procedures for accepting and approving applications for decals,
and issuing decals, authorized by this subdivision.

(4) This subdivision does not apply to a front license plate.

begin insert

(e) This section shall become inoperative on July 1 2015, and,
as of January 1, 2016, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2016, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

end insert

SEC. 9.  

Section 5201 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

5201.  

(a) License plates, including temporary license plates,
shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they
are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging, shall be
mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible, and so that the
characters are upright and display from left to right, and shall be
maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible. The rear
license plate shall be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more
than 60 inches from the ground, and the front license plate shall
be mounted not more than 60 inches from the ground, except as
follows:

(1) The rear license plate on a tow truck or repossessor’s tow
vehicle may be mounted on the left-hand side of the mast assembly
at the rear of the cab of the vehicle, not less than 12 inches nor
more than 90 inches from the ground.

(2) The rear license plate on a tank vehicle hauling hazardous
waste, as defined in Section 25117 of the Health and Safety Code,
or asphalt material may be mounted not less than 12 inches nor
more than 90 inches from the ground.

(3) The rear license plate on a truck tractor may be mounted at
the rear of the cab of the vehicle, but not less than 12 inches nor
more than 90 inches from the ground.

(4) The rear license plate of a vehicle designed by the
manufacturer for the collection and transportation of garbage,
rubbish, or refuse that is used regularly for the collection and
transportation of that material by a person or governmental entity
employed to collect, transport, and dispose of garbage, rubbish,
or refuse may be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than
90 inches from the ground.

(5) The rear license plate on a two-axle livestock trailer may be
mounted 12 inches or more, but not more than 90 inches, from the
ground.

(6) (A) The rear license plate on a dump bed motortruck
equipped with a trailing, load bearing swing axle shall be mounted
more than 12 inches, but not more than 107 inches, from the
ground.

(B) As used in this section, a trailing, load bearing swing axle
is an axle which can be moved from a raised position to a position
behind the vehicle that allows for the transfer of a portion of the
weight of the vehicle and load to the trailing axle.

(b) A person shall replace temporary license plates with
permanent license plates upon receipt of the permanent license
plates, and shall destroy the temporary license plates at that time.

(c) A covering shall not be used on license plates except as
follows:

(1) The installation of a cover over a lawfully parked vehicle
to protect it from the weather and the elements does not constitute
a violation of this subdivision. A peace officer or other regularly
salaried employee of a public agency designated to enforce laws,
including local ordinances, relating to the parking of vehicles may
temporarily remove so much of the cover as is necessary to inspect
any license plate, tab, or indicia of registration on a vehicle.

(2) The installation of a license plate security cover is not a
violation of this subdivision if the device does not obstruct or
impair the recognition of the license plate information, including,
but not limited to, the issuing state, license plate number, and
registration tabs, and the cover is limited to the area directly over
the top of the registration tabs. No portion of a license plate security
cover shall rest over the license plate number.

(d) A casing, shield, frame, border, product, or other device that
obstructs or impairs the reading or recognition of a license plate
by an electronic device operated by state or local law enforcement,
an electronic device operated in connection with a toll road,
high-occupancy toll lane, toll bridge, or other toll facility, or a
remote emission sensing device, as specified in Sections 44081
and 44081.6 of the Health and Safety Code, shall not be installed
on, or affixed to, a vehicle.

(e) (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that an accommodation
be made to persons with disabilities and to those persons who
regularly transport persons with disabilities, to allow the removal
and relocation of wheelchair lifts and wheelchair carriers without
the necessity of removing and reattaching the vehicle’s rear license
plate. Therefore, it is not a violation of this section if the reading
or recognition of a rear license plate is obstructed or impaired by
a wheelchair lift or wheelchair carrier and all of the following
requirements are met:

(A) The owner of the vehicle has been issued a special
identification license plate pursuant to Section 5007, or the person
using the wheelchair that is carried on the vehicle has been issued
a distinguishing placard under Section 22511.55.

(B) (i) The operator of the vehicle displays a decal, designed
and issued by the department, that contains the license plate number
assigned to the vehicle transporting the wheelchair.

(ii) The decal is displayed on the rear window of the vehicle,
in a location determined by the department, in consultation with
the Department of the California Highway Patrol, so as to be clearly
visible to law enforcement.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law, if a decal is displayed
pursuant to this subdivision, the requirements of this code that
require the illumination of the license plate and the license plate
number do not apply.

(3) The department shall adopt regulations governing the
procedures for accepting and approving applications for decals,
and issuing decals, authorized by this subdivision.

(4) This subdivision does not apply to a front license plate.

(f) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2015.

SEC. 10.  

Section 5202 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

5202.  

(a) A license plate issued by this state or any other
jurisdiction within or without the United States shall be attached
upon receipt and remain attached during the period of its validity
to the vehicle for which it is issued while being operated within
this state or during the time the vehicle is being held for sale in
this state, or until the time that a vehicle with special or
identification plates is no longer entitled to those plates; and a
person shall not operate, and an owner shall not knowingly permit
to be operated, upon any highway, a vehicle unless the license
plate is so attached. A special permit issued in lieu of plates shall
be attached and displayed on the vehicle for which the permit was
issued during the period of the permit’s validity.

begin delete

(b) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2012.

end delete begin insert

(b) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2015, and,
as of January 1, 2016, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2016, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

end insert

SEC. 11.  

Section 5202 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

5202.  

(a) A license plate issued by this state or any other
jurisdiction within or without the United States shall be attached
upon receipt and remain attached during the period of its validity
to the vehicle for which it is issued while being operated within
this state or during the time the vehicle is being held for sale in
this state, or until the time that a vehicle with special or
identification plates is no longer entitled to those plates; and a
person shall not operate, and an owner shall not knowingly permit
to be operated, upon any highway, a vehicle unless the license
plate is so attached. A special permit or temporary license plate
issued in lieu of permanent license plates shall be attached and
displayed on the vehicle until the temporary license plate or the
permit expires, or the permanent license plates are received,
whichever occurs first.

(b) A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a
base fine of twenty-five dollars ($25) for a first offense and forty
dollars ($40) for each subsequent offense in the same year.

(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2015.

SEC. 12.  

Section 5901 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

5901.  

(a) Every dealer or lessor-retailer, upon transferring by
sale, lease, or otherwise any vehicle, whether new or used, of a
type subject to registration under this code, shall, not later than
the end of the fifth calendar day thereafter not counting the day of
sale, give written notice of the transfer to the department at its
headquarters upon an appropriate form provided by it.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision or in
subdivision (c), the dealer or lessor-retailer shall enter on the form
and pursuant to Section 32705(a) of Title 49 of the United States
Code, on the ownership certificate, the actual mileage of the vehicle
as indicated by the vehicle’s odometer at the time of the transfer.
However, if the vehicle dealer or lessor-retailer has knowledge
that the mileage displayed on the odometer is incorrect, the licensee
shall indicate on the form on which the mileage is entered that the
mileage registered by the odometer is incorrect. A vehicle dealer
or lessor-retailer need not give the notice when selling or
transferring a new unregistered vehicle to a dealer or lessor-retailer.

(c) When the dealer or lessor-retailer is not in possession of the
vehicle that is sold or transferred, the person in physical possession
of the vehicle shall give the information required by subdivision
(b).

(d) A sale is deemed completed and consummated when the
purchaser of the vehicle has paid the purchase price, or, in lieu
thereof, has signed a purchase contract or security agreement, and
has taken physical possession or delivery of the vehicle.

begin insert

(e) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2015, and,
as of January 1, 2016, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2016, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

end insert

SEC. 13.  

Section 5901 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

5901.  

(a) Every dealer or lessor-retailer, upon transferring by
sale, lease, or otherwise any vehicle, whether new or used, of a
type subject to registration under this code, shall, on the day of
sale, give electronic notice of the transfer to the department in a
manner approved by it.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision or in
subdivision (c), the dealer or lessor-retailer shall enter on an
appropriate form and, pursuant to Section 32705(a) of Title 49 of
the United States Code, on the ownership certificate, the actual
mileage of the vehicle as indicated by the vehicle’s odometer at
the time of the transfer. However, if the vehicle dealer or
lessor-retailer has knowledge that the mileage displayed on the
odometer is incorrect, the licensee shall indicate on the form on
which the mileage is entered that the mileage registered by the
odometer is incorrect. A vehicle dealer or lessor-retailer need not
give the notice when selling or transferring a new unregistered
vehicle to a dealer or lessor-retailer.

(c) When the dealer or lessor-retailer is not in possession of the
vehicle that is sold or transferred, the person in physical possession
of the vehicle shall give the information required by subdivision
(b).

(d) A sale is deemed completed and consummated when the
purchaser of the vehicle has paid the purchase price, or, in lieu
thereof, has signed a purchase contract or security agreement, and
has taken physical possession or delivery of the vehicle.

(e) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2015.

SEC. 14.  

Section 40610 of the Vehicle Code is amended to
read:

40610.  

(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), if, after
an arrest, accident investigation, or other law enforcement action,
it appears that a violation has occurred involving a registration,
license, all-terrain vehicle safety certificate, or mechanical
requirement of this code, and none of the disqualifying conditions
set forth in subdivision (b) exist and the investigating officer
decides to take enforcement action, the officer shall prepare, in
triplicate, and the violator shall sign, a written notice containing
the violator’s promise to correct the alleged violation and to deliver
proof of correction of the violation to the issuing agency.

(2) If any person is arrested for a violation of Section 4454, and
none of the disqualifying conditions set forth in subdivision (b)
exist, the arresting officer shall prepare, in triplicate, and the
violator shall sign, a written notice containing the violator’s
promise to correct the alleged violation and to deliver proof of
correction of the violation to the issuing agency. In lieu of issuing
a notice to correct violation pursuant to this section, the officer
may issue a notice to appear, as specified in Section 40522.

(b) Pursuant to subdivision (a), a notice to correct violation shall
be issued as provided in this section or a notice to appear shall be
issued as provided in Section 40522, unless the officer finds any
of the following:

(1) Evidence of fraud or persistent neglect.

(2) The violation presents an immediate safety hazard.

(3) The violator does not agree to, or cannot, promptly correct
the violation.

(c) If any of the conditions set forth in subdivision (b) exist, the
procedures specified in this section or Section 40522 are
inapplicable, and the officer may take other appropriate
enforcement action.

(d) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (a), the notice
to correct violation shall be on a form approved by the Judicial
Council and, in addition to the owner’s or operator’s address and
identifying information, shall contain an estimate of the reasonable
time required for correction and proof of correction of the particular
defect, not to exceed 30 days, or 90 days for the all-terrain vehicle
safety certificate.

begin insert

(e) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2015, and,
as of January 1, 2016, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2016, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

end insert

SEC. 15.  

Section 40610 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

40610.  

(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), if, after
an arrest, accident investigation, or other law enforcement action,
it appears that a violation has occurred involving a registration,
license, all-terrain vehicle safety certificate, or mechanical
requirement of this code, and none of the disqualifying conditions
set forth in subdivision (b) exist and the investigating officer
decides to take enforcement action, the officer shall prepare, in
triplicate, and the violator shall sign, a written notice containing
the violator’s promise to correct the alleged violation and to deliver
proof of correction of the violation to the issuing agency.

(2) If any person is arrested for a violation of Section 4454, and
none of the disqualifying conditions set forth in subdivision (b)
exist, the arresting officer shall prepare, in triplicate, and the
violator shall sign, a written notice containing the violator’s
promise to correct the alleged violation and to deliver proof of
correction of the violation to the issuing agency. In lieu of issuing
a notice to correct violation pursuant to this section, the officer
may issue a notice to appear, as specified in Section 40522.

(b) Pursuant to subdivision (a), a notice to correct violation shall
be issued as provided in this section or a notice to appear shall be
issued as provided in Section 40522, unless the officer finds any
of the following:

(1) Evidence of fraud or persistent neglect.

(2) The violation presents an immediate safety hazard.

(3) The violator does not agree to, or cannot, promptly correct
the violation.

(4) The vehicle is being operated in violation of Section 5202.

(c) If any of the conditions set forth in subdivision (b) exist, the
procedures specified in this section or Section 40522 are
inapplicable, and the officer may take other appropriate
enforcement action.

(d) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (a), the notice
to correct violation shall be on a form approved by the Judicial
Council and, in addition to the owner’s or operator’s address and
identifying information, shall contain an estimate of the reasonable
time required for correction and proof of correction of the particular
defect, not to exceed 30 days, or 90 days for the all-terrain vehicle
safety certificate.

(e) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2015.

SEC. 16.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.