Article 3 - Records of Department

California Vehicle Code — §§ 1800-1825

Sections (54)

Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 594, Sec. 14. Effective January 1, 2004.

(a)The department shall file each application received for the registration of a vehicle and shall keep a record of each as follows:

(1)Under a distinctive registration number assigned to the vehicle.

(2)Alphabetically, under the name of the owner.

(3)Under the motor or a permanent identifying number of the vehicle as may be determined by the department.

(4)In the discretion of the department, in any other manner it may deem desirable.

(b)The department shall file every application for a license to operate a motor vehicle received by it and maintain all of the following:

(1)A suitable index containing, in alphabetical order, all applications denied. On the applications shall be noted the reasons for the denial.

(2)A suitable index containing, in alphabetical order, all applications granted.

(3)A suitable index containing, in alphabetical order, the name of every licensee whose license has been suspended or revoked by the department or by a court and after each name notes the reasons for the action and the period of revocation or suspension.

§ 1801

Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 10, Sec. 9. Effective February 9, 1996.

(a)Whenever any notice, report, statement, court abstract, or record is required to be submitted to the department by this code, the document may be submitted to the department by electronic transmission or other means approved by the department.

(b)All records maintained by the department may be stored in any feasible manner, including, but not limited to, any electronic media or any other form of data compilation.

(c)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the records shall be deemed original documents and shall be admissible in evidence in all administrative, quasi-judicial, and judicial proceedings.

§ 1801.1

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 400, Sec. 2. (AB 3163) Effective September 14, 2018.

(a)Notwithstanding any other law, the department may allow a person to submit a document required to be submitted to the department by using electronic media deemed feasible by the department instead of requiring the actual submittal of the original document.

(b)If a signature on a document is required by law in order to complete a transaction, and the document is submitted electronically, that signature requirement may be met by an

electronically submitted signature.

(c)The department may establish minimum transaction volume levels, audit and security standards, and technological requirements, or terms and conditions, including methods of authentication for electronically submitted signatures, it deems necessary for the approval of this process.

(d)An electronically submitted document, once accepted by the department, is deemed the same as an original document, and is admissible in all administrative, quasi-judicial, and judicial proceedings.

§ 1801.2

Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 838, Sec. 4. (SB 1193) Effective January 1, 2023.

(a)For a provision of this code or of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations that requires the department to mail, notify, deliver via certified or first class mail, provide information in written form, or otherwise references the use of paper, a writing, or the mail to convey information to a person, including to notify a person of any departmental actions related to a permit, license, identification card, endorsement, certificate, or vehicle registration, that requirement may be satisfied by electronic notification, including, but not limited to, email, if the all of the following are established by the department:

(1)The department identified the person prior to accepting their consent to receive the type of document or information

that is electronically delivered.

(2)The person consented to the electronic receipt of the type of document or information delivered.

(3)The department permits a person to withdraw their consent to electronically receive the type of document or information.

(4)The department records do not indicate the person withdrew their consent to electronically receive this type of document or information as of the date the document or information was electronically sent.

(b)For a provision of this code that refers to an address for any kind of notice or mailing, and mailing is effected pursuant to this section, an email or electronic delivery address provided to the department by the recipient may be used.

(c)A person who provides an electronic delivery address to the department shall notify the department of any change to that address.

(d)The consent to accept electronic notification may be made electronically.

(e)The department may adopt regulations to implement this section.

§ 1802

Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.

Every judge of a court not of record shall keep a full record of every case in which a person is charged with any violation of this code.

§ 1803

§ 1803.3

Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 800, Sec. 3. (AB 2746) Effective January 1, 2023.

(a)The clerk of any court that reverses a conviction for an offense described in subdivision (a) of Section 1803, which is not exempted under subdivision (b) of that section, shall prepare and forward to the department at its office in Sacramento an abstract of the record of the court covering the case in which the conviction was reversed. In addition, if a court dismisses a charge of a violation of Section 40508 for which a notice was given to the department pursuant to former Section 40509 or former Section 40509.5,

the court shall notify the department of the dismissal.

(b)The abstract shall be forwarded within 30 days of the date the judgment of reversal becomes final. The notice of dismissal shall be given to the department not later than 30 days after the dismissal. Within 30 days of receiving the abstract or notice, the department shall remove any record of that conviction, or notice received pursuant to former Section 40509 or former Section 40509.5, from the driver’s record.

(c)As used in this section, “reverse” includes any action by which a conviction is nullified or set aside.

§ 1803.4

Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 22, Sec. 6. Effective May 26, 1999.

Any record regarding the providing of information pursuant to Section 13106, or record of persons personally given notice by the department or a court, by a peace officer pursuant to Section 13382 or 13388, or otherwise pursuant to this code regarding the suspension or revocation of a person’s privilege to operate a motor vehicle shall, upon request, be provided as follows:

(a)Immediately to any peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, acting within the scope of his or her duties.

(b)Clearly stated on the record provided to any court of this state.

§ 1803.5

Repealed (in Sec. 1.5) and added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 599, Sec. 1.7. (AB 2499) Effective January 1, 2011. Section operative July 1, 2011, by its own provisions.

(a)In accordance with Section 41501 or 42005, the clerk of a court or hearing officer, when a person who receives a notice to appear at a court or board proceeding for a violation of any statute relating to the safe operation of vehicles is granted a continuance of the proceeding in consideration for completion of a program at a school for traffic violators, that results in a designation of the conviction as confidential in consideration for that completion, shall prepare an abstract of the record of the court or board proceeding that indicates that the person was convicted of the violation and ordered to complete a traffic violator program, certify the abstract to be true and correct, and cause the abstract to be forwarded to the department at its office at

Sacramento within five days after receiving proof that the program was completed or the due date to which the proceeding was continued, whichever comes first.

(b)This section shall become operative on July 1, 2011.

§ 1804

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 72, Sec. 65. (SB 156) Effective July 2, 2024.

(a)The abstract shall be made upon a form furnished or approved by the department and shall contain all necessary information to identify the defendant, including, but not limited to, the person’s driver’s license number, name, and date of birth, the date and nature of the offense, the vessel number, if any, of the vessel involved in the offense, the license plate number of the vehicle involved in the offense, the date of hearing, and the judgment, except that in the case of infractions where the court has not directed the department to suspend or restrict the defendant’s driver’s license, only the conviction and not the judgment need be set forth in the abstract. The abstract shall also indicate whether the vehicle involved in the offense is a commercial motor vehicle, as defined in

subdivision (b) of Section 15210, whether the vehicle was of a type requiring the driver to have a certificate issued pursuant to Section 2512, 12517, 12519, 12523, or 12523.5 or any endorsement issued pursuant to paragraph (2) or (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 15278, and whether the vehicle was transporting hazardous material at the time of the offense, or whether the vessel involved in the offense was a recreational vessel, as defined in Section 651 of the Harbors and Navigation Code.

(b)As to any abstract for which the original arrest and final conviction was for a violation of subdivision (b), (c), (d), (e), or (f) of Section 655 of the Harbors and Navigation Code or Section 23152 or 23153 of this code, the abstract shall contain a statement indicating the percentage of alcohol, by weight, in the person’s blood whenever that

percentage was determined by a chemical test. The information regarding the chemical test shall be compiled if it is available to the clerk of the court. All information required to be compiled pursuant to this subdivision shall be kept confidential in the records of the department pursuant to Section 1808.5. The department may use the information for research and statistical purposes and for determining the eligibility of any person to operate a motor vehicle on the highways of this state. The information shall not be released to any other public or private agency, except for research and statistical summary purposes and, for those purposes, the name and address of the person and any other identifying information shall not be disclosed.

(c)The Legislature finds and declares that blood-alcohol percentages have valuable research potential in providing statistical summary information on impaired drivers but that a specific blood-alcohol

percentage is only an item of evidence for purposes of criminal and licensing sanctions imposed by law. The Legislature recognizes that the accuracy of the determination of a specific blood-alcohol percentage is not the critical determination in a conviction for driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage if the blood-alcohol percentage exceeds the statutory amount.

§ 1805

Amended by Stats. 1959, Ch. 1622.

The failure, refusal, or neglect of any such judicial officer to comply with any of the requirements of Sections 1802, 1803, 1804 and 1816 is misconduct in office and is ground for removal therefrom.

§ 1806

Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 885, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 2000.

(a)The department shall file all accident reports and abstracts of court records of convictions received under this code, and in connection therewith, shall maintain convenient records or make suitable notations in order that an individual record of each license showing the convictions of the licensee and all traffic accidents in which the individual was involved, except those where, in the opinion of a reporting officer, another individual was at fault, are readily ascertainable. At its discretion the department may file and maintain these accident reports and abstracts by electronic recording and storage media and after transcribing electronically all available data from the accident reports and abstracts of conviction may destroy the original documents. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the recorded facts from any electronic recording and storage device maintained by the department shall constitute evidence of the facts in any administrative actions instituted by the department.

(b)When the department receives notification pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 1872.45 of the Insurance Code, the department shall remove from the license record of each victim any record of his or her involvement in the accident which is the subject of the criminal complaint.

§ 1806.1

Added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1133, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1995.

If a person has entered into a stipulated vehicle release agreement pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 14607.6, the department shall maintain a record of that fact for seven years from the date the person signed the agreement.

§ 1806.5

Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 1117, Sec. 1.

Notwithstanding Section 1808, the department shall not furnish information filed pursuant to Section 1806 to any person if the furnishing of that information would violate the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1681 et seq.).

§ 1807

Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 571, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2006.

(a)The department is not required to maintain records relating to drivers of motor vehicles after the records are, in the opinion of the director, no longer necessary, except as follows:

(1)Records of convictions shall be maintained so long as they may form the basis of license suspensions or revocations as prior convictions or with other records of conviction constitute a person a “negligent driver.”

(2)Records of convictions of violating Section 38301.3 shall be maintained for seven years.

(b)Records that are not required to be maintained may be destroyed with the approval of the Department of General Services.

§ 1807.5

Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 299, Sec. 4. (AB 1418) Effective January 1, 2018.

(a)Notwithstanding Section 1808, any record of the department of a conviction of Section 23103 as specified in Section 23103.5, or of a conviction of Section 23152 or 23153 which occurred before January 1, 1987, is not a public record on and after a date which is five years after the date of conviction of that offense, and the department shall, thereafter, make any information relating to that conviction available only to persons authorized by law to receive the information.

(b)For the purposes of this section, “persons authorized by law to receive the information” means any of the following:

(1)The courts of the state.

(2)Peace officers, as defined in Section 830.1 of the Penal Code; subdivision (a) of Section 830.2 of the Penal Code; subdivisions (a), (b), and (j) of Section 830.3 of the Penal Code; and subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) of Section 830.5 of the Penal Code.

(3)The Attorney General.

(4)District attorneys of any county within the state.

(5)Prosecuting city attorneys or city prosecutors of any city within the state.

(6)Probation officers of any city or county of the state.

(7)Parole officers of any city or

county of the state.

§ 1808

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 505, Sec. 8. (SB 485) Effective January 1, 2020.

(a)Except where a specific provision of law prohibits the disclosure of records or information or provides for confidentiality, all records of the department relating to the registration of vehicles, other information contained on an application for a driver’s license, abstracts of convictions, and abstracts of accident reports required to be sent to the department in Sacramento, except for abstracts of accidents where, in the opinion of a reporting officer, another individual was at fault, shall be open to public inspection during office hours. All abstracts of accident reports shall be available to law enforcement agencies and courts of competent jurisdiction.

(b)The department shall make available or disclose abstracts of convictions and abstracts of accident

reports required to be sent to the department in Sacramento, as described in subdivision (a), if the date of the occurrence is not later than the following:

(1)Ten years for a violation pursuant to Section 23140, 23152, or 23153.

(2)Seven years for a violation designated as two points pursuant to Section 12810, except as provided in paragraph (1) of this subdivision.

(3)Three years for accidents and all other violations.

(c)The department shall make available or disclose suspensions and revocations of the driving privilege while the suspension or revocation is in effect and for three years following termination of the action or reinstatement of the privilege, except that driver’s license suspension actions taken pursuant to former Sections 13202.6

and 13202.7, Section 17520 of the Family Code, or Section 256 or former Section 11350.6 of the Welfare and Institutions Code shall be disclosed only during the actual time period in which the suspension is in effect.

(d)The department shall not make available or disclose a suspension or revocation that has been judicially set aside or stayed.

(e)The department shall not make available or disclose personal information about a person unless the disclosure is in compliance with the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994 (18 U.S.C. Sec. 2721 et seq.). However, a disclosure is subject to the prohibition in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 12800.5.

(f)The department shall make available or disclose to the courts and law enforcement agencies a conviction of Section 23103, as specified in Section 23103.5, or a

conviction of Section 23140, 23152, or 23153, or Section 655 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 192 of the Penal Code for a period of 10 years from the date of the offense for the purpose of imposing penalties mandated by this code, or by other applicable provisions of California law.

(g)The department shall make available or disclose to the courts and law enforcement agencies a conviction of Section 191.5, or subdivision (a) of Section 192.5 of the Penal Code, punished as a felony, for the purpose of imposing penalties mandated by Section 23550.5, or by other applicable provisions of California law.

§ 1808.1

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 92, Sec. 209. (SB 1289) Effective January 1, 2019.

(a)The prospective employer of a driver who drives a vehicle specified in subdivision (k) shall obtain a report showing the driver’s current public record as recorded by the department. For purposes of this subdivision, a report is current if it was issued less than 30 days before the date the employer employs the driver. The report shall be reviewed, signed, and dated by the employer and maintained at the employer’s place of business until receipt of the pull-notice system report pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c). These reports shall be presented upon request to an authorized representative of the Department of the California Highway Patrol during regular business hours.

(b)The employer of a driver who drives a vehicle specified in subdivision (k) shall

participate in a pull-notice system, which is a process for the purpose of providing the employer with a report showing the driver’s current public record as recorded by the department, and any subsequent convictions, failures to appear, accidents, driver’s license suspensions, driver’s license revocations, or any other actions taken against the driving privilege or certificate, added to the driver’s record while the employer’s notification request remains valid and uncanceled. As used in this section, participation in the pull-notice system means obtaining a requester code and enrolling all employed drivers who drive a vehicle specified in subdivision (k) under that requester code.

(c)The employer of a driver of a vehicle specified in subdivision (k) shall, additionally, obtain a periodic report from the department at least every 12 months. The employer shall verify that each employee’s driver’s license has not been suspended or revoked, the

employee’s traffic violation point count, and whether the employee has been convicted of a violation of Section 23152 or 23153. The report shall be signed and dated by the employer and maintained at the employer’s principal place of business. The report shall be presented upon demand to an authorized representative of the Department of the California Highway Patrol during regular business hours.

(d)Upon the termination of a driver’s employment, the employer shall notify the department to discontinue the driver’s enrollment in the pull-notice system.

(e)For the purposes of the pull-notice system and periodic report process required by subdivisions (b) and (c), an owner, other than an owner-operator as defined in Section 34624, and an employer who drives a vehicle described in subdivision (k) shall be enrolled as if he or she were an employee. A family member and a volunteer

driver who drives a vehicle described in subdivision (k) shall also be enrolled as if he or she were an employee.

(f)An employer who, after receiving a driving record pursuant to this section, employs or continues to employ as a driver a person against whom a disqualifying action has been taken regarding his or her driving privilege or required driver’s certificate, is guilty of a public offense, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by confinement in a county jail for not more than six months, by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that confinement and fine.

(g)As part of its inspection of bus maintenance facilities and terminals required at least once every 13 months pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 34501, the Department of the California Highway Patrol shall determine whether each transit operator, as defined in Section 99210 of

the Public Utilities Code, is then in compliance with this section and Section 12804.6, and shall certify each operator found to be in compliance. Funds shall not be allocated pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 99200) of Part 11 of Division 10 of the Public Utilities Code to a transit operator that the Department of the California Highway Patrol has not certified pursuant to this section.

(h)(1) A request to participate in the pull-notice system established by this section shall be accompanied by a fee determined by the department to be sufficient to defray the entire actual cost to the department for the notification service. For the receipt of subsequent reports, the employer shall also be charged a fee established by the department pursuant to Section 1811. An employer who qualifies pursuant to Section 1812 shall be exempt from any fee required pursuant to this section. Failure to pay the fee shall result

in automatic cancellation of the employer’s participation in the notification services.

(2)A regularly organized fire department, having official recognition of the city, county, city and county, or district in which the department is located, shall participate in the pull-notice program and shall not be subject to the fee established pursuant to this subdivision.

(3)The Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun, and its port agent shall participate in the pull-notice system established by this section, subject to Section 1178.5 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, and shall not be subject to the fees established pursuant to this subdivision.

(i)The department, as soon as feasible, may establish an automatic procedure to provide the periodic reports to an employer by mail or

via an electronic delivery method, as required by subdivision (c), on a regular basis without the need for individual requests.

(j)(1) The employer of a driver who is employed as a casual driver is not required to enter that driver’s name in the pull-notice system, as otherwise required by subdivision (a). However, the employer of a casual driver shall be in possession of a report of the driver’s current public record as recorded by the department, before allowing a casual driver to drive a vehicle specified in subdivision (k). A report is current if it was issued less than six months before the date the employer employs the driver.

(2)For the purposes of this subdivision, a driver is employed as a casual driver when the employer has employed the driver less than 30 days during the preceding six months. “Casual driver” does not include a driver who operates

a vehicle that requires a passenger transportation endorsement.

(k)This section applies to a vehicle for the operation of which the driver is required to have a class A or class B driver’s license, a class C license with any endorsement issued pursuant to Section 15278, a class C license issued pursuant to Section 12814.7, or a certificate issued pursuant to Section 12517, 12519, 12520, 12523, 12523.5, or 12527, a passenger vehicle having a seating capacity of not more than 10 persons, including the driver, operated for compensation by a charter-party carrier of passengers or passenger stage corporation pursuant to a certificate of public convenience and necessity or a permit issued by the Public Utilities Commission, or a permitted taxicab company as described in Section 53075.5 of the Government Code.

(l)This section shall not be construed to change the definition of

“employer,” “employee,” or “independent contractor” for any purpose.

(m)A motor carrier who contracts with a person to drive a vehicle described in subdivision (k) that is owned by, or leased to, that motor carrier, is subject to subdivisions (a), (b), (c), (d), (f), (j), (k), and (l) and the employer obligations in those subdivisions.

(n)Reports issued pursuant to this section, but only those for a driver of a taxicab engaged in transportation service as described in subdivision (a) of Section 53075.5 of the Government Code, shall be presented upon request, during regular business hours, to an authorized representative of the administrative agency responsible for issuing permits to taxicab transportation services pursuant to Section 53075.5 of the Government Code.

§ 1808.2

Added by Stats. 1980, Ch. 616, Sec. 2. Operative July 1, 1981, by Sec. 4 of Ch. 616.

In addition to those specified in Section 1808.4, the home address of any inspector or investigator regularly employed and paid as such in the office of a district attorney or any peace officer employee of the Board of Prison Terms appearing in any record of the department is confidential.

§ 1808.21

Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 720, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.

(a)Any residence address in any record of the department is confidential and shall not be disclosed to any person, except a court, law enforcement agency, or other government agency, or as authorized in Section 1808.22 or 1808.23.

(b)Release of any mailing address or part thereof in any record of the department may be restricted to a release for purposes related to the reasons for which the information was collected, including, but not limited to, the assessment of driver risk, or ownership of vehicles or vessels. This restriction does not apply to a release to a court, a law enforcement agency, or other governmental agency, or a person who has been issued a requester code pursuant to Section 1810.2.

(c)Any person providing the department with a mailing address shall declare, under penalty of perjury, that the mailing address is a valid, existing, and accurate mailing address and shall consent to receive service of process pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 415.20, subdivision (a) of Section 415.30, and Section 416.90 of the Code of Civil Procedure at the mailing address.

(d)(1) Any registration or driver’s license record of a person may be suppressed from any other person, except those persons specified in subdivision (a), if the person requesting the suppression submits either of the following:

(A) A certificate or identification card issued to the person as a program participant by the Secretary of State pursuant to Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section 6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.

(B) Verification acceptable to the department that he or she has reasonable cause to believe either of the following:

(i)That he or she is the subject of stalking, as specified in Section 1708.7 of the Civil Code or Section 646.9 of the Penal Code.

(ii) That there exists a threat of death or great bodily injury to his or her person, as defined in Section 12022.7 of the Penal Code.

(2)Upon suppression of a record, each request for information about that record shall be authorized by the subject of the record or verified as legitimate by other investigative means by the department before the information is released.

(e)(1) The suppression of a record pursuant to a verification under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) shall occur for one year after approval by the department. Not less than 60 days prior to the date the suppression of the record would otherwise expire, the department shall notify the subject of the record of its impending expiration. The suppression may be continued for two additional periods of one year each if a letter is submitted to the department stating that the person continues to have a reasonable cause to believe that he or she is the subject of stalking or that there exists a threat of death or great bodily injury as described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d). The suppression may be additionally continued at the end of the second one-year period by submitting verification acceptable to the department. The notification described in this subdivision shall instruct the person of the method to reapply for record suppression.

(2)The suppression of a record made in accordance with the submission of a certificate or identification card under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) shall occur for four years following the submission of the certificate or identification card described in this paragraph. The suppression may be continued for an additional four-year period, and for subsequent four-year periods, upon the submission of a current certificate or identification card described in this paragraph.

(f)For the purposes of subdivisions (d) and (e), “verification acceptable to the department” means recent police reports, court documentation, or other documentation from a law enforcement agency.

§ 1808.22

Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 353, Sec. 1. (AB 953) Effective January 1, 2011.

(a)Section 1808.21 does not apply to a financial institution licensed by the state or federal government to do business in the State of California, if the financial institution states under penalty of perjury that it has obtained a written waiver of Section 1808.21 signed by the individual whose address is requested, or to providing the address of a person who has entered into an agreement held by that institution prior to July 1, 1990, so long as that agreement remains in effect.

(b)(1) Section 1808.21 does not apply to an insurance company licensed to do business in California, or to an authorized contractor acting on behalf of that insurance company,

pursuant to a contractual agreement, if the company or contractor, under penalty of perjury, requests the information for the purpose of obtaining the address of another motorist or vehicle owner involved in an accident with the company’s insured.

(2)Section 1808.21 does not apply to an insurance company licensed to do business in California if the company, under penalty of perjury, requests the information on an individual who has signed a written waiver of Section 1808.21 or on the individuals insured under a policy if a named insured of that policy has signed a written waiver.

(c)(1) Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Vehicle Code and regulations adopted by the department, all information obtained from the department pursuant to the

exemptions in subdivision (b) shall be subject to the existing use or disclosure limitations and data security requirements for the principal under applicable state and federal law.

(2)Use or disclosure limitations and data security requirements imposed on an authorized contractor by this subdivision shall be enforced by the department in compliance with its existing regulations governing the use or disclosure of information obtained from the department pursuant to subdivision (b).

(3)The use or disclosure of information obtained from the department by an authorized contractor of the insurance company pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) shall be permitted only for the purpose of obtaining the address of another motorist or vehicle owner involved in an accident with the company’s insured. The information shall not be used or disclosed for any other purpose, other than

the reason for which the information was requested, or to any other person.

(4)An insurance company shall be responsible for any misuse of the information by the authorized contractor.

(5)An authorized contractor is subject to all of the following requirements:

(A)All information obtained by the contractor from the department pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), and any copies made of that information, shall be destroyed by the contractor pursuant to Section 1798.81 of the Civil Code, once the contractor has used the information for the purpose of obtaining the address of a motorist or vehicle owner involved in an accident with individuals insured with the insurer.

(B)The contractor shall not sell the information obtained from the

department or store, combine, or link that information with a database for resale or for any purpose other than obtaining the address of a motorist or vehicle owner involved in an accident with individuals insured with the insurer.

(C)The contractor shall maintain a log to track the receipt, use, and dissemination of the information. The log shall be immediately available to the department upon request and maintained for four years from the date of the request.

(D)The contractor shall maintain a surety bond in the amount of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), consistent with subdivision (c) of Section 1810.2 and Section 350.24 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations.

(E)A contractor that violates this section shall be liable to the department for civil penalties up to the amount of one hundred thousand

dollars ($100,000), and, if the contractor is a commercial requester pursuant to Section 1810.2, the contractor shall also have his or her requester code suspended for a period of five years, or revoked, pursuant to Section 1808.46.

(d)Section 1808.21 does not apply to an attorney if the attorney states, under penalty of perjury, that the motor vehicle or vessel registered owner or driver residential address information is necessary in order to represent his or her client in a criminal or civil action that directly involves the use of the motor vehicle or vessel that is pending, is to be filed, or is being investigated. Information requested pursuant to this subdivision is subject to all of the following:

(1)The attorney shall state that the criminal or civil action that is pending, is to be filed, or is being investigated relates directly to the use of that motor vehicle or

vessel.

(2)The case number, if any, or the names of expected parties to the extent they are known to the attorney requesting the information, shall be listed on the request.

(3)A residence address obtained from the department shall not be used for any purpose other than in furtherance of the case cited or action to be filed or that is being investigated.

(4)If an action is not filed within a reasonable time, the residence address information shall be destroyed.

(5)An attorney shall not request residential address information pursuant to this subdivision in order to sell the information to a person.

(6)Within 10 days of receipt of a request, the department shall notify every individual

whose residence address has been requested pursuant to this subdivision.

(e)A knowing violation of paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of subdivision (d) is a misdemeanor. A knowing violation of paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of subdivision (d) in furtherance of another crime is subject to the same penalties as that other crime.

§ 1808.23

Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 346, Sec. 1. (SB 859) Effective January 1, 2012.

(a)Section 1808.21 does not apply to any of the following:

(1)A vehicle manufacturer licensed to do business in this state if the manufacturer, or its agent, under penalty of perjury, requests and uses the information only for the purpose of safety, warranty, including a warranty issued in compliance with Section 1795.92 of the Civil Code, emission, or product recall if the manufacturer offers to make and makes any changes at no cost to the vehicle owner.

(2)A dealer licensed to do business in this state if the dealer, or its agent, under penalty of perjury, requests and uses the information only for the purpose of

completing registration transactions and documents.

(3)A person who, under penalty of perjury, requests and uses the information as permitted under subdivision (h) of Section 1798.24 of the Civil Code, if the request specifies that no persons will be contacted by mail or otherwise at the address included with the information released. The information released by the department under this subdivision shall not be in a form that identifies any person.

(4)An electrical corporation as defined in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code or a local publicly owned electric utility as defined in Section 224.3 of the Public Utilities Code, if the corporation or utility, or its agent, under penalty of perjury, requests and uses the information only for the purposes of identifying where an electric vehicle is registered. All of the following shall apply to this paragraph:

(A)The department may disclose to the electrical corporation or local publicly owned utility only the type of vehicle and address of the electric vehicle owner. The department shall not disclose the name of the electric vehicle owner.

(B)Within 15 days of receiving residence address information from the department pursuant to this section, an electrical corporation or local publicly owned utility shall provide a clear, express disclosure to the electric vehicle owner that his or her residence address information is permitted by law to be shared with the corporation or utility. The disclosure shall not contain marketing information or a solicitation for the purchase of goods or

services.

(C)Confidential home address and type of vehicle information of electric vehicle owners disclosed pursuant to this paragraph shall only be used for the purpose of identifying where an electric vehicle is registered and shall not be used or disclosed for any other purpose, including for purposes of identifying the individual or individuals residing at the address, or to any other person.

(D)The electrical corporation or local publicly owned utility and its agents shall not sell, share, or further disclose, including to any subsidiaries, the residence address or type of vehicle information of electric vehicle owners obtained pursuant to this paragraph, or name information determined by matching residence information against the corporation or utility’s customer

records.

(b)Residential addresses released shall not be used for direct marketing or solicitation for the purchase of any consumer product or service.

§ 1808.24

Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 880, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2000.

Information regarding any motor vehicle liability insurance policy or surety bond provided to the department pursuant to Section 4000.37 or provided electronically is confidential and shall not be disclosed to any person, except to the following:

(a)A court of competent jurisdiction.

(b)A law enforcement or other governmental agency.

(c)An insurance company or its assigns to verify a record the company or its assigns previously submitted to the department.

(d)A person whose vehicle or property has been involved in an accident reported to the department, or who suffered bodily injury or death in an accident reported to the department, pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 16000) of Division 7, or the person’s authorized representative, employer, parent, or legal guardian.

§ 1808.25

Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 410, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.

(a)The department shall implement a program to provide residence address information to an accredited degree-granting nonprofit independent institution of higher education incorporated in the state, that has concluded a memorandum of understanding pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 830.7 of the Penal Code if, under penalty of perjury, the institution requests and uses the information solely for the purpose of enforcing parking restrictions.

(b)The memorandum of understanding executed by the sheriff or chief of police within whose jurisdiction the independent institution is located shall expressly permit the institution to enforce parking restrictions pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 830.7 of the Penal Code. For the purposes of this subdivision, a participating institution shall enter into a contractual agreement with the department that, at a minimum, requires the institution to do all of the following:

(1)Establish and maintain procedures, to the satisfaction of the department, for persons to contest parking violation notices issued by the institution.

(2)Remit a fee, as determined by the department, to cover the department’s costs of providing each address to the institution.

(3)Agree that access to confidential residence address information from the department’s vehicle registration database will be provided only through an approved commercial requester account.

(4)Establish and maintain a system that ensures that confidential address information obtained from the department is used solely for the purpose specified in subdivision (a).

(c)The director may terminate a contract authorized by subdivision (b) at any time the department determines that the independent institution of higher education fails to maintain adequate safeguards to ensure that the operation of the program does not adversely affect those individuals whose records are maintained in the department’s files, or that the information is used for any purpose other than that specified in subdivision (a).

(d)Sections 1808.45, 1808.46, and 1808.47 are applicable to persons who obtain department records pursuant to this section and the department may pursue any appropriate civil or criminal action against any individual at an independent institution who violates the provisions of this section.

(e)For purposes of this article only, any confidential information obtained from the department for administration or enforcement of this article shall be held confidential, except to the extent necessary for the enforcement of parking restrictions, and may not be used for any purpose other than the administration or enforcement of parking restrictions.

§ 1808.4

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 241, Sec. 71. (SB 857) Effective January 1, 2026.

(a)For all of the following persons, the person’s home address that appears in a record of the department is confidential if the person requests the confidentiality of that information:

(1)Attorney General.

(2)State Public Defender.

(3)A Member of the Legislature.

(4)An active or retired judge or court commissioner.

(5)A district attorney.

(6)A public defender.

(7)An attorney employed by the Department of Justice, the office of the State Public Defender, or a county office of the district attorney or public defender.

(8)A city attorney, city prosecutor, or an attorney who submits verification from their public employer that the attorney represents the city in matters that routinely place the attorney in personal contact with persons under investigation for, charged with, or convicted of, committing criminal acts, if that attorney is employed by a city attorney or city prosecutor.

(9)A nonsworn police dispatcher.

(10)A child abuse investigator or social worker, working in child protective services within a social

services department.

(11)An active or retired peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code.

(12)An employee of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Facilities, or the California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation

Authority specified in Sections 20403 and 20405 of the Government Code.

(13)A nonsworn employee of a city police department, a county sheriff’s office, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, a federal, state, or local detention facility, or a local juvenile hall, camp, ranch, or home, who submits agency verification that, in the normal course of the employee’s employment, the employee controls or supervises inmates or is required to have a prisoner in the employee’s care or custody.

(14)A county counsel assigned to child abuse cases.

(15)An investigator employed by the Department of Justice, a county district attorney, or a county public defender.

(16)A member of a city council.

(17)A member of a board of supervisors.

(18)A federal prosecutor, criminal investigator, or National Park Service Ranger working in this state.

(19)An active or retired city enforcement officer engaged in the enforcement of the Vehicle Code or municipal parking ordinances.

(20)An employee of a trial court.

(21)A psychiatric social worker employed by a county.

(22)A police or sheriff department employee designated by the chief of police of the department or the sheriff of the county as being

in a sensitive position. A designation pursuant to this paragraph shall, for purposes of this section, remain in effect for three years subject to additional designations that, for purposes of this section, shall remain in effect for additional three-year periods.

(23)A state employee in one of the following classifications:

(A)Licensing-Registration Examiner, Department of Motor Vehicles.

(B)Motor Carrier Specialist I, Department of the California Highway Patrol.

(C)Museum Security Officer and Supervising Museum Security Officer.

(D)Licensing Program Analyst, State Department of Social Services.

(24)(A) The spouse or child of a person listed in paragraphs (1) to (23), inclusive, regardless of the spouse’s or child’s place of residence.

(B)The surviving spouse or child of a peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, if the peace officer died in the line of duty.

(C)The surviving spouse or child of a judge or court commissioner, if the judge or court commissioner died in the performance of their duties.

(D)(i) Subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) do not apply if the person listed in those subparagraphs was convicted of a crime and is on active

parole or probation.

(ii) For requests made on or after January 1, 2011, the person requesting confidentiality for their spouse or child listed in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) shall declare, at the time of the request for confidentiality, whether the spouse or child has been convicted of a crime and is on active parole or probation.

(iii) Neither the listed person’s employer nor the department shall be required to verify, or be responsible for verifying, that a person listed in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) was convicted of a crime and is on active parole or probation.

(E)(i) The department shall discontinue holding a home address confidential pursuant to this subdivision for a person specified in subparagraph

(A), (B), or (C) who is the child or spouse of a person described in paragraph (4), (9), (11), (13), or (22) if the child or spouse is convicted of a felony in this state or is convicted of an offense in another jurisdiction that, if committed in California, would be a felony.

(ii) The department shall comply with this subparagraph upon receiving notice of a disqualifying conviction from the agency that employs or formerly employed the parent or spouse of the convicted person, or as soon as the department otherwise becomes aware of the disqualifying conviction.

(b)The confidential home address of a person listed in subdivision (a) shall not be disclosed, except to any of the following:

(1)A court.

(2)A law enforcement agency.

(3)The State Board of Equalization.

(4)An attorney in a civil or criminal action that demonstrates to a court the need for the home address, if the disclosure is made pursuant to a subpoena.

(5)A governmental agency to which, under any law, information is required to be furnished from records maintained by the department.

(c)(1) A record of the department containing a confidential home address shall be open to public inspection, as provided in Section 1808, if the address is completely obliterated or otherwise removed from the record.

(2)Following termination of office or employment, a confidential home address shall be withheld from public inspection for three years, unless the termination is the result of conviction of a criminal offense or a request to remove confidentiality protections has been made by an employing agency pursuant to paragraph (6). If the termination or separation is the result of the filing of a criminal complaint, a confidential home address shall be withheld from public inspection during the time in which the terminated individual may file an appeal from termination, while an appeal from termination is ongoing, and until the appeal process is exhausted, after which confidentiality shall be at the discretion of the employing agency if the termination or separation is upheld. Upon reinstatement to an office or employment, the protections of

this section are available.

(3)With respect to a retired peace officer, the peace officer’s home address shall be withheld from public inspection permanently upon request of confidentiality at the time the information would otherwise be opened. The home address of the surviving spouse or child listed in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (24) of subdivision (a) shall be withheld from public inspection for three years following the death of the peace officer.

(4)The department shall inform a person who requests a confidential home address what agency the individual whose address was requested is employed by or the court at which the judge or court commissioner presides.

(5)With respect to a retired judge or court commissioner,

the retired judge or court commissioner’s home address shall be withheld from public inspection permanently upon request of confidentiality at the time the information would otherwise be opened. The home address of the surviving spouse or child listed in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (24) of subdivision (a) shall be withheld from public inspection for three years following the death of the judge or court commissioner.

(6)Following a termination of employment, the terminated individual’s employing agency may request that the department remove the confidentiality protections of this section for the terminated individual if no appeal to the termination is filed or if the termination or separation is upheld. The employing agency shall certify in its request to the department that no appeal to the termination has been filed or that the

termination or separation has been upheld. If the terminated individual files an appeal from termination, the individual’s confidential home address shall be withheld from public inspection while the appeal from termination is ongoing and until the appeal process is exhausted. The department shall comply with a request made pursuant to this paragraph within 45 days of receipt. This paragraph shall not apply to terminations of employment resulting from the filing of a criminal complaint.

(d)A violation of subdivision (a) by the disclosure of the confidential home address of a peace officer, as specified in paragraph (11) of subdivision (a), a nonsworn employee of the city police department or county sheriff’s office, a judge or court commissioner, as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a), or the spouses or children of these

persons, including, but not limited to, the surviving spouse or child listed in subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (24) of subdivision (a), that results in bodily injury to the peace officer, employee of the city police department or county sheriff’s office, judge or court commissioner, or the spouses or children of these persons is a felony.

§ 1808.45

Added by Stats. 1989, Ch. 1213, Sec. 7.

The willful, unauthorized disclosure of information from any department record to any person, or the use of any false representation to obtain information from a department record or any use of information obtained from any department record for a purpose other than the one stated in the request or the sale or other distribution of the information to a person or organization for purposes not disclosed in the request is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000) or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or both fine and imprisonment.

§ 1808.46

Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1635, Sec. 2. Effective September 30, 1990.

No person or agent shall directly or indirectly obtain information from the department files using false representations or distribute restricted or confidential information to any person or use the information for a reason not authorized or specified in a requester code application. Any person who violates this section, in addition to any other penalty provided in this code, is liable to the department for civil penalties up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) and shall have its requester code privileges suspended for a period of up to five years, or revoked. The regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over any licensed person receiving information pursuant to this chapter shall implement procedures to review the procedures of any licensee which receives information to ensure compliance with the limitations on the use of information as part of the agency’s regular oversight of the licensees. The agency shall report noncompliance to the department.

§ 1808.47

Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 880, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2000.

Any person who has access to confidential or restricted information from the department shall establish procedures to protect the confidentiality of those records. If any confidential or restricted information is released to any agent of a person authorized to obtain information, the person shall require the agent to take all steps necessary to ensure confidentiality and prevent the release of any information to a third party. No agent shall obtain or use any confidential or restricted records for any purpose other than the reason the information was requested.

§ 1808.48

Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 482, Sec. 6. (AB 1766) Effective January 1, 2023.

Notwithstanding any other law, no government agency or department, law enforcement agency, commercial entity, or other person shall obtain, access, use, or otherwise disclose, noncriminal history information maintained by the department, for the purpose of immigration enforcement, as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 7284.4. of the Government Code.

§ 1808.5

Amended by Stats. 1998, Ch. 828, Sec. 11. Effective January 1, 1999.

Except as provided in Section 22511.58, all records of the department relating to the physical or mental condition of any person, and convictions of any offense involving the use or possession of controlled substances under Division 10 (commencing with Section 11000) of the Health and Safety Code not arising from circumstances involving a motor vehicle, are confidential and not open to public inspection.

§ 1808.51

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 503, Sec. 4. (AB 3141) Effective January 1, 2019.

Notwithstanding Sections 1808.5 and 12800.5, any of the following may obtain copies of fullface engraved pictures or photographs of individuals directly from the department:

(a)The Bureau of Real Estate, as a department, individually, or through its staff, for purposes of enforcing the Real Estate Law (Part 1 (commencing with Section 10000) of Division 4 of the Business and Professions Code) or the Subdivided Lands Law (Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 11000) of Part 2 of Division 4 of the Business and Professions Code).

(b)The city attorney of a city and county and his or her investigators for purposes of performing functions related to city and county operations.

(c)The Bureau of Automotive Repair, as a department, individually, or through its staff, for purposes of enforcing the Automotive Repair Act (Chapter 20.3 (commencing with Section 9880) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code) or the Motor Vehicle Inspection Program (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 44000) of Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code).

§ 1808.6

Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 880, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1997.

(a)In addition to those specified in Section 1808.4, the home address of any of the following persons, that appears in any record of the department, is confidential, if the person requests the confidentiality of that information:

(1)The chairperson, executive officer, commissioners, and deputy commissioners of the Board of Prison Terms.

(2)The chairperson, members, executive director, and hearing representatives of the Youthful Offender Parole Board.

(3)The spouse or children of persons listed in this section, regardless of the spouse’s or child’s place of residence.

(b)The confidential home address of any of the persons listed in subdivision (a) shall not be disclosed to any person, except a court, a law enforcement agency, the State Board of Equalization, or any governmental agency to which, under any provision of law, information is required to be furnished from records maintained by the department.

(c)Any record of the department containing a confidential home address shall be open to public inspection, as provided in Section 1808, if the address is completely obliterated or otherwise removed from the record. The home address shall be withheld from public inspection for three years following termination of office or employment, except with respect to retired peace officers, whose home addresses shall be withheld from public inspection permanently upon request of confidentiality at the time the information would otherwise be opened. The department shall inform any person who requests a confidential home address of the name of the agency that employs the individual whose address was requested.

§ 1808.7

Repealed (in Sec. 2) and added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 599, Sec. 2.5. (AB 2499) Effective January 1, 2011. Section operative July 1, 2011, by its own provisions.

(a)The record of the department relating to the first proceeding and conviction under Section 1803.5 in any 18-month period for completion of a traffic violator school program is confidential, shall not be disclosed to any person, except a court and as provided for in subdivision (b), and shall be used only for statistical purposes by the department. No violation point count shall be assessed pursuant to Section 12810 if the conviction is confidential.

(b)The record of a conviction described in subdivision (a) shall not be confidential if any of the following circumstances applies:

(1)The person convicted holds a commercial driver’s

license as defined by Section 15210.

(2)The person convicted holds a commercial driver’s license in another state, in accordance with Part 383 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(3)The violation occurred in a commercial motor vehicle, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 15210.

(4)The conviction would result in a violation point count of more than one point pursuant to Section 12810.

(c)This section shall become operative on July 1, 2011.

§ 1808.8

Added by Stats. 1989, Ch. 359, Sec. 2.

(a)Dismissal of any driver certified pursuant to Section 12517, 12523, or 12523.5, for a cause relating to pupil transportation safety, shall be reported by the carrier to the department within five days of the dismissal date.

(b)Reinstatement of any driver whose dismissal has been reported under subdivision (a) shall be reported by the carrier to the department within five days of the reinstatement date.

§ 1808.9

Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 880, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1997.

(a)Except for retired peace officers whose home address is permanently withheld from public inspection under subdivision (c) of Section 1808.4 or subdivision (c) of Section 1808.6, a person whose home address is confidential in any record of the department under Section 1808.2, 1808.4, or 1808.6 may be required by the department to demonstrate his or her continued eligibility for that confidentiality upon renewal of a driver’s license or identification card issued by the department. Not later than 90 days prior to the expiration of a driver’s license or identification card, the department shall notify the person whose record is confidential of any requirement to demonstrate the continued eligibility.

(b)A person whose driver’s license or identification card is renewed within one year of the first request for address confidentiality under this section shall not be required to demonstrate his or her eligibility for that confidentially again until the subsequent renewal.

§ 1808.10

Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 302, Sec. 1. (AB 1888) Effective January 1, 2013.

The record of the department relating to the first proceeding and conviction for a driver licensed with a class A license, class B license, or commercial class C driver’s license in any 18-month period who is allowed, for a traffic offense while operating a vehicle requiring only a class C or a class M license, to complete a course of instruction at a traffic violator school, is not confidential and shall be disclosed for purposes of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations and to insurers by the department for insurance underwriting and rating purposes.

§ 1809

Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.

The department may prepare and disseminate information relating to prevention of traffic accidents.

§ 1810

Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 90, Sec. 1. (AB 398) Effective January 1, 2022.

(a)Except as provided in Sections 1806.5, 1808.2, 1808.4, 1808.5, 1808.6, 1808.7, 1808.8, and paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 12800.5, the department may permit inspection of information from its records concerning the registration of a vehicle or information from the files of drivers’ licenses at a charge that shall not exceed the actual cost to the department for providing the inspection of the information, including, but not limited to, costs incurred by the department in carrying out subdivision (b), with the charge for the information to be determined by the director. This section does not apply to statistical information of the type previously compiled and distributed by the department.

(b)(1) With respect to the inspection of information concerning the registration of a vehicle or of information from the files of drivers’ licenses, the department shall establish, by regulation, administrative procedures under which a person making a request for that information shall be required to identify themselves and state the reason for making the request. The procedures shall provide for the verification of the name and address of the person making a request for the information, and the department may require the person to produce that information as it determines is necessary to ensure that the name and address of the person is the true name and address. The procedures may provide for a 10-day delay in the release of the requested information. The procedures shall also provide for notification to the

person to whom the information primarily relates, as to what information was provided and to whom it was provided. The department shall establish, by regulation, a reasonable period of time for which a record of all the foregoing shall be maintained.

(2)The procedures required by paragraph (1) do not apply to a governmental entity, a person or an organization who has applied for and has been issued a requester code by the department, or a court of competent jurisdiction.

(c)With respect to the inspection of information from the files of drivers’ licenses, the department may require both the full name of the driver and either the driver’s license number or date of birth as identifying

points of the record, except that the department may disclose a record without two identifying points if the department determines that the public interest in disclosure outweighs the public interest in personal privacy.

(d)With respect to the inspection of information from the files of drivers’ licenses, certificates of ownership, and registration cards, the department shall not allow, for a fee or

otherwise, copying by the public.

§ 1810.2

Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 579, Sec. 3.

(a)The department may establish commercial requester accounts for individuals or organizations and issue requester codes for the purpose of obtaining information from the department’s files, except as prohibited by Section 1808.21.

(b)Commercial requester account applications shall include the requester’s name, address, type of business, a specific reason for requesting information, and the name of the person responsible for the business or firm.

(c)The department shall establish a commercial requester account when it determines that the applicant has a legitimate business need for the information requested and when the applicant files a bond in the amount of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) and pays a two hundred fifty dollar ($250) filing fee. If the applicant does not request and is not issued a requester code permitting the applicant access to residence address information, only a filing fee of fifty dollars ($50) shall be required with the original application and each biennial renewal application.

(d)An individual requester code shall be issued for a period not to exceed five years and may be renewed upon application for additional periods not to exceed five years each.

(e)A requester code may be denied to any person unless the proposed use of the information from department records is related to legitimate business or commercial purposes of that person. A requester code may be canceled immediately if the requested information is used for a purpose other than the purpose for which the requester code was issued.

§ 1810.3

Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 336, Sec. 1. Effective August 30, 2004.

(a)Using the information made available in the accident reports provided to the department by law enforcement agencies under Section 20012, the department may provide information consisting of the following, for each vehicle that is included in those reports:

(1)The license plate number.

(2)The accident report number.

(b)Notwithstanding Section 16005, 20012, or 20014, or any other provision of law, the department may make the information available to a person who has done both of the following:

(1)Established a commercial requester account under Section 1810.2.

(2)Entered into an agreement described under subdivision (c).

(c)The department shall not provide information under this section unless the person requesting the information has entered into an agreement with the department that includes the following stipulations:

(1)The information provided may not be used for the purpose of identifying or contacting any person or for any other purpose, except as specified in paragraph (2).

(2)The information may be used only to identify a vehicle that has been reported to be in a traffic accident.

(3)The law enforcement agency accident report number and license plate number provided under this section shall be used only for the internal verification purposes of the business that receives the information and may not be disclosed to any party other than the department or the Department of the California Highway Patrol.

(4)The requester agrees to investigate and promptly correct any error that is brought to its attention.

(d)Use of the information provided under this section in violation of paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subdivision (c) is a violation of Sections 1808.45 and 1808.46.

§ 1810.5

Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 299, Sec. 6. (AB 1418) Effective January 1, 2018.

The Attorney General, district attorneys, law enforcement agencies, city attorneys and city prosecutors prosecuting misdemeanor actions under Section 41803.5 or 72193 of the Government Code, public defenders, and public defender investigators shall have access, including, but not limited to, telephone access, to the records of the department. For purposes of obtaining a governmental entity requester code from the department, the office of a city attorney or city prosecutor engaged in the prosecution of criminal actions shall be deemed a law enforcement entity.

§ 1810.7

Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 594, Sec. 16. Effective January 1, 2004.

(a)Except as provided in Sections 1806.5, 1808.2, 1808.4, 1808.5, 1808.6, 1808.7, and 1808.21, the department may authorize, by special permit, any person to access the department’s electronic database, as provided for in this section, for the purpose of obtaining information for commercial use.

(b)The department may limit the number of permits issued under this section, and may restrict, or establish priority for, access to its files as the department deems necessary to avoid disruption of its normal operations, or as the department deems is in the best interest of the public.

(c)The department may establish minimum volume levels, audit and security standards, and technological requirements, or any terms and conditions it deems necessary for the permits.

(d)As a condition of issuing a permit under this section, the department shall require each direct-access permittee to file a performance bond or other financial security acceptable to the department, in an amount the department deems appropriate.

(e)The department shall charge fees for direct-access service permits, and shall charge fees pursuant to Section 1810 for any information copied from the files.

(f)The department shall ensure that information provided under this section includes only the public portions of records.

(g)On and after January 1, 1992, the director shall report every three years to the Legislature on the implementation of this section. The report shall include the number and location of direct-access permittees, the volume and nature of direct-access inquiries, procedures the department has taken to ensure the security of its files, and the costs and revenues associated with the project.

(h)The department shall establish procedures to ensure confidentiality of any records of residence addresses and mailing addresses as required by Sections 1808.21, 1808.22, 1808.45, 1808.46, and 1810.2.

§ 1811

Amended by Stats. 1961, Ch. 216.

The department may sell copies of all or any part of its records at a charge sufficient to pay at least the entire actual cost to the department of the copies, the charge for the records and the conditions under which they may be sold to be determined by the director.

§ 1812

Amended by Stats. 1987, Ch. 726, Sec. 4. Operative July 1, 1988, by Sec. 11 of Ch. 726.

The department shall not charge for copies of records or for information from its records given to any county, city, any transit operator as defined in Section 99210 of the Public Utilities Code, state department, or the United States government.

§ 1813

Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.

The director and such officers of the department as he may designate may, upon request, prepare under the seal of the department and deliver without charge a certified copy of any record of the department received or maintained under this code.

§ 1814

Enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3.

Any person engaged in the business of examining the records of the department and supplying information relative thereto to the public for compensation shall first obtain a permit from the director. The director shall grant such a permit when he determines that the applicant is qualified and intends in good faith to carry on such business, and when the applicant files with the director a bond in the amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000).

§ 1815

Amended by Stats. 1982, Ch. 517, Sec. 386.

The bond shall be to the satisfaction of the director and shall obligate the principal and sureties to compensate the officers of the department and any other person who may suffer loss or damage by reason of any failure or neglect of the principal, the principal’s agents, or employees to preserve carefully and surrender any records examined in the department and by reason of any act of the principal, the principal’s agents, or employees in respect to the loss, alteration, substitution, or mutilation of any records of the department.

§ 1816

Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 149, Sec. 80. Effective January 1, 2004.

Every judge of the juvenile court, juvenile hearing officer, duly constituted referee of a juvenile court, or other person responsible for the disposition of cases involving traffic offenses required to be reported under Section 1803 committed by persons under 18 years of age shall keep a full record of every case in which a person is charged with such a violation, and shall report the offense to the department at its office in Sacramento not more than 30 days after the date on which it was committed, and in no case less than 10 days after adjudication. The report required by this section shall be required for any determination that a minor committed the violation, including any determination that because of the act the minor is a person described in Section 601 or 602 of the Welfare and Institutions Code or that a program of supervision should be instituted for the minor. No report shall be made if it is found that the alleged offense was not committed.

The report required by this section shall be made upon a form furnished by the department and shall contain all necessary information as to the identity of the offender, the arresting agency, the date and nature of the offense, and the date the finding was made.

§ 1817

Amended by Stats. 1992, Ch. 427, Sec. 165. Effective January 1, 1993.

Written allegations received by the department from members of the public identifying motor vehicles or other vehicles by license number from which any flaming or glowing substance has been thrown, or discharged, shall be forwarded to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection together with any information as to the identity of the registered owner of the vehicle as shown by the records of the department.

§ 1818

Added by Stats. 1967, Ch. 683.

Any record of, or information from any record concerning, an abstract of conviction kept by the department shall contain an appropriate notation indicating the commercial or noncommercial nature or the license plate number of the vehicle involved in the offense.

§ 1819

Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 180, Sec. 4. Effective July 11, 1994.

All records of the department containing information as to the actual mileage of motor vehicles submitted as required by subdivision (b) of Section 4456 and Sections 5900 and 5901 shall be open to inspection by the public during the office hours of the department.

§ 1821

Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 81, Sec. 2. (AB 2198) Effective January 1, 2023.

(a)The department shall establish and maintain a data and monitoring system to evaluate the efficacy of intervention programs for persons convicted of violations of Section 23152 or 23153.

(b)The system may include a recidivism tracking system. The recidivism tracking system may include, but not be limited to, jail sentencing, license restriction, license suspension, level I (first offender) and II (multiple offender) alcohol and drug education and treatment program assignment, alcohol and drug education treatment program readmission and dropout rates, adjudicating court, length of jail term, actual jail or alternative sentence served, type of

treatment program assigned, actual program compliance status, subsequent crashes related to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and subsequent convictions of violations of Section 23152 or 23153.

(c)The systems described in subdivisions (a) and (b) shall include an evaluation of the efficacy of the increased level of intervention resulting from the act that added this subdivision.

(d)The department shall submit an annual report of its evaluations to the Legislature. The evaluations shall include a ranking of the relative efficacy of criminal penalties, other sanctions, and intervention programs and the various combinations thereof, including, but not limited to, those described in subdivision (c).

§ 1822

Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 224, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1997.

The Legislature finds that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs continues to be a primary safety issue on the state’s highways, and the major cause of traffic deaths. It is imperative that violators who drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs be fully prosecuted under the law. The Legislature also finds that too often violators have not had their driving records at the Department of Motor Vehicles appropriately updated. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that the department, working with the courts, establish and maintain a data and monitoring system to track violations of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including, but not limited to, violations of Article 1.3 (commencing with Section 23136), Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 23140), and Article 2 (commencing with Section 23152), of Chapter 12 of Division 11. The system shall match arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drug violations with convictions reported to the department.

§ 1825

Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 485, Sec. 1. (SB 611) Effective January 1, 2018.

(a)The department shall conduct a quarterly random audit of applications submitted and processed pursuant to Section 5007 or 22511.55 or subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 22511.59 to verify the authenticity of the certificates and information submitted in support of those applications. The department shall seek the cooperation of the Medical Board of California or the appropriate regulatory boards in conducting the audits.

(b)The audit provisions of subdivision (a) only apply to those applications that were initially submitted to the department after January 1, 2001.