ARTICLE 9. Identification Fees [38225. - 38265.]

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH 9.

in effect

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38225. Section 38225.

(a) A service fee of seven dollars ($7) shall be paid to the department for the issuance or renewal of identification of off-highway motor vehicles subject to identification, except as expressly exempted under this division. (b) In addition to the service fee required by subdivision (a), a special fee of thirty-three dollars ($33) shall be paid at the time of payment of the service fee for the issuance or renewal of an identification plate or device. (c) All money transferred pursuant to Section 8352.6 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, all fees received by the department pursuant to subdivision (b), and all day use, overnight use, or annual or biennial use fees for state vehicular recreation areas received by the Department of Parks and Recreation shall be deposited in the Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund, which is hereby created. There shall be a separate reporting of special fee revenues by vehicle type, including four-wheeled vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, and snowmobiles. All money shall be deposited in the fund, and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, shall be allocated according to Section 5090.61 of the Public Resources Code. (d) Any money temporarily transferred by the Legislature from the Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund to the General Fund shall be reimbursed, without interest, by the Legislature within two fiscal years of the transfer.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38225.4. Section 38225.4.

In addition to the service fees specified in subdivision (a) of Section 38225, as amended by Section 6 of Chapter 964 of the Statutes of 1992, a fee of three dollars ($3) shall be paid at the time of issuance or renewal of identification of off-highway motor vehicles subject to identification, except as expressly exempted under this division. The department shall deposit the fee received under this section in the Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund. The money deposited in the account pursuant to this section shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditure to offset the costs of maintaining the uniformed field strength of the Department of the California Highway Patrol.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38225.5. Section 38225.5.

In addition to the service fees specified in Section 38225, a fee of three dollars ($3) shall be paid at the time of issuance or renewal of identification of off-highway vehicles subject to identification, except as expressly exempted under this division. The department shall deposit the fee received under this section in the Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund. The money deposited in the account pursuant to this section shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditure to offset the costs of increasing the uniformed field strength of the Department of the California Highway Patrol beyond its 1994 staffing level and those costs associated with maintaining this new level of uniformed field strength and carrying out those duties specified in subdivision (a) of Section 830.2 of the Penal Code.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38230. Section 38230.

In addition to the fees imposed by Section 38225, there shall be paid a four-dollar ($4) fee for the issuance or renewal of identification for every off-highway motor vehicle subject to identification. The fee imposed by this section is in lieu of all taxes according to value levied for state or local purposes.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38231. Section 38231.

The fees for a special permit issued under Section 38087 shall be the prevailing identification fees as set forth in Sections 38225 and 38230 and shall be deposited and distributed as are identification fees under this chapter.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38231.5. Section 38231.5.

(a) The fee for a special permit issued under Section 38087.5 shall be not less than twenty dollars ($20), as established by the Department of Parks and Recreation. The Department of Parks and Recreation may adjust the special permit fee for a permit issued to a nonresident of this state under Section 38087.5, as necessary, to recover the costs of this program. After deducting its administrative and vendor costs, the Department of Parks and Recreation shall deposit the fees received under this section in the Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund. Money in the fund shall be allocated, upon appropriation, as provided in Sections 5090.50 and 5090.64 of the Public Resources Code. (b) The Department of Parks and Recreation shall print the special permits required by Section 38087.5 and shall supervise the sale of those permits throughout the state. (c) The Department of Parks and Recreation shall either distribute and sell the special permits directly or contract with vendors according to rules and regulations established by that department. The vendors shall receive a commission in an amount not to exceed 5 percent of the fee imposed pursuant to subdivision (a) for each special permit sold. The Department of Parks and Recreation may solicit the participation of qualified retail commercial enterprises engaged in the sale or rental of off-highway vehicles, equipment, accessories, or supplies to act as authorized vendors of the special permits and may authorize local and federal agencies that provide off-highway vehicle opportunities to act as authorized vendors of the special permits.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38231.7. Section 38231.7.

The Department of Parks and Recreation shall set, and may adjust, the amount of the fee to recover the operating and administrative costs of a sanctioned event permit issued pursuant to Section 38087.7. The Department of Parks and Recreation shall deposit fees received pursuant to this section in the Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38232. Section 38232.

A special fee of fifteen dollars ($15) shall be paid to the department for the issuance of a special transportation identification device issued pursuant to Section 38088 and shall be deposited in the Motor Vehicle Account in the Transportation Tax Fund. The fee is in lieu of the fees provided in Section 38225.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38235. Section 38235.

All money collected by the department under Section 38230 shall be reported monthly to the Controller and at the same time be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the Off-Highway License Fee Fund, which is hereby created.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38240. Section 38240.

(a) The Controller shall allocate the fees collected under Section 38230 in July and January of each fiscal year to cities and counties based upon the proportional estimated off-highway motor vehicle use and related activity within the respective jurisdictions pursuant to the report described in subdivision (d) of Section 5090.15 of the Public Resources Code. (b) The funds collected under Section 38230 shall be used for the purposes set forth in Sections 5090.50 and 5090.64 of the Public Resources Code. (c) In addition to the purposes set forth in subdivision (b), funds received by a city or county pursuant to this section may be expended for facilities located outside the limits of the city or county if both of the following conditions are met: (1) The funds are expended for the purposes of acquiring, developing, and constructing trails, areas, or other facilities for the use of off-highway motor vehicles. (2) The funds are expended pursuant to an agreement with the city in which the facility is located or with the county in which the facility is located if the facility is located in an unincorporated territory. (d) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2006.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38245. Section 38245.

Whenever an off-highway motor vehicle subject to identification is operated or transported in this state without the fees required by this division having first been paid, the fee is delinquent.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38246. Section 38246.

(a) A penalty shall be added upon any application for renewal of identification made on or after the day following the expiration date, except as provided in Section 4605, 38121, or 38247. (b) If the fee specified in subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 38255 is not paid within 10 days after the fee becomes delinquent, a penalty shall be assessed. (c) If renewal fee penalties have not accrued and the ownership of the vehicle is transferred, the transferee has 20 days from the date of transfer to pay the identification fees that become due without payment of any penalties that would otherwise be required under subdivision (a) or to file a certificate of nonoperation pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 38121, if the vehicle will not be operated, used, or transported on public property or private property in a manner so as to subject the vehicle to identification during the subsequent identification period without first making application for identification of the vehicle, including full payment of all fees. (d) Except as otherwise provided in this section, if any fee is not paid within 20 days after the fee becomes delinquent, a penalty shall be assessed.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38247. Section 38247.

(a) When a transferee or purchaser of a vehicle applies for transfer of identification, as provided in Section 38205, and it is determined by the department that penalties accrued prior to the purchase of the vehicle, and that the transferee or purchaser was not cognizant of the nonpayment of the fees for identification for the current or prior identification years, the department may waive the identification penalties upon payment of the fees for identification due. (b) Other provisions of this code notwithstanding, the director may at his discretion investigate into the circumstances of any application for identification to ascertain if penalties had accrued through no fault or intent of the owner. Provided such circumstances prevail, the director may waive any penalties upon payment of the fees for identification then due. (c) When a transferee or purchaser of a vehicle applies for transfer of identification of a vehicle, and it is determined by the department that fees for identification of the vehicle for any year are unpaid and due, that such fees became due prior to the purchase of the vehicle by the transferee or purchaser and that the transferee or purchaser was not cognizant of the fact that such fees were unpaid and due, the department may waive such fees and any penalty thereon when the identification fees due for the vehicle for the current year are paid. (d) Upon the transfer of a vehicle for which fees for identification and any penalties thereon are unpaid and due, such fees and penalties are, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 6 (commencing with Section 9800) of this chapter, the personal debt of the transferor of the vehicle who did not pay such fees and penalties when they became due or accrued. Such fees and penalties may be collected by the department in an appropriate civil action if the department has waived such fees and penalties pursuant to subdivision (c).

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38250. Section 38250.

Whenever any person has received as transferee a properly endorsed certificate of ownership and the transfer fee has not been paid as required by this division within 10 days, the fee is delinquent.

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38255. Section 38255.

Upon application for transfer of ownership or any interest of an owner, or legal owner in or to any off-highway motor vehicle identified under this division, there shall be paid the following fees: (a) For a transfer by the owner $15 (b) For a transfer by the legal owner $15 (c) When application is presented showing a transfer by both the owner and legal owner $15

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38260. Section 38260.

Upon application for a duplicate ownership certificate or identification certificate, or a duplicate or substitute identification plate or device, or any other tabs, stickers, or devices, there shall be paid a fee in the amount of fifteen dollars ($15).

Cal. Vehicle Code - VEH § 38265. Section 38265.

(a) The penalty for delinquency in respect to any transfer shall be fifteen dollars ($15), and shall apply only to the last transfer. (b) The penalty for delinquency in respect to the fees imposed by Sections 38225 and 38230 shall be equal to one-half the fee after it has been computed.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026