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Cal. VEH § 21761

This is the official text of Cal. VEH § 21761, part of California’s Vehicle Code — governs traffic laws, driver's licenses, and vehicle registration.

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

(a) The driver of a vehicle on a public street or highway approaching and overtaking a stopped waste service vehicle shall make a lane change into an available lane adjacent to the waste service vehicle and shall pass at a safe distance without interfering with the safe operation of the waste service vehicle, with due regard for safety and traffic conditions, if practicable and not prohibited by law.

(b) If the maneuver described in subdivision (a) would be unsafe or impractical, a driver approaching and overtaking a stopped waste service vehicle shall slow to a reasonable and prudent speed that is safe for existing weather, road, and vehicular or pedestrian traffic conditions.

(c) For purposes of this section, “waste service vehicle” means a refuse collection vehicle, including a vehicle collecting recyclables or yard waste that is used for curbside collection, and sewer and catch basin maintenance vehicles.

(d) The requirements in subdivisions (a) and (b) apply when both of the following circumstances exist:

(1) The waste service vehicle is readily identifiable as a waste service vehicle based on the vehicle configuration or markings on the vehicle.

(2) The waste service vehicle displays flashing amber lights.

(e) Subdivisions (a) and (b) do not apply to a waste service vehicle that is located on a private driveway or highway, when the waste service vehicle is not adjacent to the street or highway, or is separated from the street or highway by a protective physical barrier.

(f) This section shall be operative on and after January 1, 2020.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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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.