California Vehicle Code Fines and Points, 2026
The number on your citation is a Vehicle Code section. This table gives the statewide total for a first offense under each common section, taken from the Judicial Council's 2026 Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules, along with the DMV point a conviction adds. It is the same schedule the court uses to set the bail you deposit when you contest the ticket by mail.
Amounts are the statewide totals in the 2026 Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules. Penal Code section 1463.28 allows 30 named counties to charge more, so check the schedule for the court on your citation. The amount printed on the courtesy notice from the court is what that court will accept.
Speeding
| CVC section | What you were cited for | Total bail (2026) | DMV points | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVC 22350 | Unsafe speed for conditions (basic speed law) | Total bail (2026):
| DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22349(a) | Over the 65 mph maximum speed limit | Total bail (2026):
| DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22349(b) | Over 55 mph on a two-lane undivided highway | Total bail (2026):
| DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22348(b) | Driving over 100 mph | Total bail (2026):$896 | DMV points:2 | Guide |
| CVC 22352 | Over a prima facie limit (25 mph business, residence or school zone; 15 mph alley, railroad crossing or blind intersection) | Total bail (2026):
| DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22400(a) | Driving too slowly and impeding traffic | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | |
| CVC 23109(c) | Exhibition of speed, cited as an infraction | Total bail (2026):$398 | DMV points:2 | Guide |
Signals, signs and stops
| CVC section | What you were cited for | Total bail (2026) | DMV points | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVC 21453(a) | Running a red light (straight through or left turn) | Total bail (2026):$486 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21453(b) | Right turn on red without stopping first | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21453(c) | Running a red arrow | Total bail (2026):$486 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21457(a) | Not stopping at a flashing red signal | Total bail (2026):$486 | DMV points:1 | |
| CVC 22450(a) | Not stopping at a stop sign (rolling stop) | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22450(b) | Not stopping at a railroad crossing stop sign | Total bail (2026):$486 | DMV points:1 | |
| CVC 21461(a) | Disobeying an official traffic sign or signal | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | |
| CVC 38300 | Disobeying a sign, signal or traffic control device (off-highway and local roads) | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:0 |
Lanes, turns and passing
| CVC section | What you were cited for | Total bail (2026) | DMV points | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVC 21655.5(b) | Solo driver in the carpool (HOV) lane | Total bail (2026):$486 | DMV points:0 | Guide |
| CVC 21658(a) | Unsafe lane change or lane straddling | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22107 | Unsafe turn or lane change, or turning without signaling | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21460(a) | Crossing double solid yellow lines | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | |
| CVC 21460.5(c) | Misusing a two-way center left-turn lane | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | |
| CVC 22100 | Turning from the wrong lane or position | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | |
| CVC 22102 | U-turn in a business district | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22103 | U-turn in a residential district with a vehicle approaching | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22105 | U-turn without 200 feet of clear view | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21750 | Unsafe passing on the left | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21755(a) | Passing on the right shoulder | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21650 | Driving on the wrong side of the road | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21209(a) | Driving in a bicycle lane | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 |
Right of way and following distance
| CVC section | What you were cited for | Total bail (2026) | DMV points | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVC 21801(a) | Left turn or U-turn without yielding to oncoming traffic | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21802(a) | Not yielding after a stop sign at an intersection | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21950(a) | Not yielding to a pedestrian in a crosswalk | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 21703 | Following too closely (tailgating) | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | Guide |
| CVC 22526(a) | Blocking an intersection (anti-gridlock) | Total bail (2026):$281 | DMV points:0 |
Phones, seat belts and child seats
| CVC section | What you were cited for | Total bail (2026) | DMV points | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVC 23123(a) | Talking on a handheld phone while driving | Total bail (2026):$158 | DMV points:0, or 1 for a second conviction within 36 months | Guide |
| CVC 23123.5(a) | Holding and using a phone or electronic device while driving | Total bail (2026):$158 | DMV points:0, or 1 for a second conviction within 36 months | Guide |
| CVC 23124(b) | Driver under 18 using a phone, even hands-free | Total bail (2026):$158 | DMV points:0, or 1 for a second conviction within 36 months | Guide |
| CVC 27315(d) | Driver or passenger 16 or older not wearing a seat belt | Total bail (2026):$158 | DMV points:0 | Guide |
| CVC 27360(a) | Child under 8 not in a car seat or booster in the back seat | Total bail (2026):$486 | DMV points:1 |
License, registration and insurance
| CVC section | What you were cited for | Total bail (2026) | DMV points | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVC 4000(a)(1) | Expired registration | Total bail (2026):$281$25 with proof of correction | DMV points:0 | Guide |
| CVC 16028(a) | No proof of insurance when stopped | Total bail (2026):$896 | DMV points:0 | Guide |
| CVC 12500(a) | Driving without ever being licensed, cited as an infraction | Total bail (2026):$486$25 with proof of correction | DMV points:0 | Guide |
| CVC 12951(a) | Licensed, but no license in your possession | Total bail (2026):$234$25 with proof of correction | DMV points:0 | Guide |
| CVC 5200(a) | Missing front or rear license plate | Total bail (2026):$193$25 with proof of correction | DMV points:0 | Guide |
Equipment (fix-it tickets)
| CVC section | What you were cited for | Total bail (2026) | DMV points | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVC 24252(a) | Broken headlight, tail light or other required lamp | Total bail (2026):$193$25 with proof of correction | DMV points:0 | Guide |
| CVC 24400(b) | Headlights off in darkness or bad weather | Total bail (2026):$234 | DMV points:1 | |
| CVC 26708(a)(1) | Window tint or object on the windshield or front windows | Total bail (2026):$193$25 with proof of correction | DMV points:0 | Guide |
| CVC 27150(a) | Loud or missing muffler | Total bail (2026):$193$25 with proof of correction | DMV points:0 | Guide |
How to read the table
- Total bail is the full amount for a first offense: the base fine plus every state and county penalty assessment, the court operations assessment and the conviction assessment. It is what you deposit to request a Trial by Written Declaration, and what you pay if you do not contest.
- With proof of correction is the schedule's amount when the officer marked the citation correctable and you show the court the problem is fixed. Vehicle Code section 40610 sets which violations can be treated that way, and the court decides.
- DMV points follow a conviction, not the citation. Vehicle Code section 12810 assigns them, and section 12810.5 treats a driver with four points in 12 months, six in 24 or eight in 36 as a presumed negligent operator, which can lead to a suspension.
- Speeding sections use the Speed Chart: the total depends on how far over the limit the officer recorded, not on which speed section was charged.
Contest the ticket by mail
Upload the citation and TicketFight drafts a Trial by Written Declaration on the court's TR-205 form for a flat $49, with a full refund if the court does not dismiss it.
Start your defenseSources for this page
- Judicial Council of California, Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules, 2026 edition — Traffic Infraction Fixed Penalty Schedule (Vehicle Code), pages 5 to 40, for every total bail, proof-of-correction amount and point count in the table; Speed Chart, page 42, for the three speeding tiers; footnotes 56 to 58 for the three phone sections; the statewide schedule, hosted by the Alameda County Superior Court
- Penal Code section 1463.28 — the 30 counties allowed to exceed the statewide amounts
- Vehicle Code section 40610 — which violations can be treated as correctable, and the four conditions that take that option away
- Vehicle Code section 12810 — point counts for convictions; section 12810.3 for the repeat-conviction rule on phone violations
- Vehicle Code section 12810.5 — the four-in-12, six-in-24 and eight-in-36-month negligent-operator thresholds
- Vehicle Code section 40902 — Trial by Written Declaration, and the bail deposit that accompanies it
Checked against the sources above on September 16, 2026 by the TicketFight editorial team. No attorney has reviewed this page. Tell us about an error at support@ticketfight.ai and we will correct it or say why we disagree.