Cal. PUC § 21416

This is the official text of Cal. PUC § 21416, part of California’s Public Utilities Code — regulates utilities such as electricity, gas, water, and transportation carriers.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Official statutory text

On all commercial aircraft which transport passengers for compensation or hire the door which separates the pilot compartment from the passenger compartment shall be kept locked at all times the aircraft is in a flight over this state during which passengers are being transported except:

(a) During takeoff and landing of the airplane when such door is the means of access to a required passenger emergency exit.

(b) At such times as it may be necessary to provide access to the flight crew or passenger compartments for the crew members in the performance of their duties, or to provide access for other persons authorized admission to the flight crew compartment.

The pilot of the aircraft shall be guilty of a misdemeanor if the door is not so locked.

It shall be unlawful for any person, except a member of the crew, to have in his possession in the passenger compartment at any time the aircraft is in a flight over this state during which passengers are being transported a key or other device for opening such door from the passenger side of the door.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in California?

Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.