Cal. VEH § 27153.5
This is the official text of Cal. VEH § 27153.5, 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) No motor vehicle first sold or registered as a new motor vehicle on or after January 1, 1971, shall discharge into the atmosphere at elevation of less than 4,000 feet any air contaminant for a period of more than 10 seconds which is:
(1) As dark or darker in shade as that designated as No. 1 on the Ringelmann Chart, as published by the United States Bureau of Mines, or
(2) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer’s view to a degree equal to or greater than does smoke described in paragraph (1) of this subdivision.
(b) No motor vehicle first sold or registered prior to January 1, 1971, shall discharge into the atmosphere at elevation of less than 4,000 feet any air contaminant for a period of more than 10 seconds which is:
(1) As dark or darker in shade than that designated as No. 2 on the Ringelmann Chart, as published by the United States Bureau of Mines, or
(2) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer’s view to a degree equal to or greater than does smoke described in paragraph (1) of this subdivision.
(c) The provisions of this section apply to motor vehicles of the United States or its agencies, to the extent authorized by federal law.
(1) As dark or darker in shade as that designated as No. 1 on the Ringelmann Chart, as published by the United States Bureau of Mines, or
(2) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer’s view to a degree equal to or greater than does smoke described in paragraph (1) of this subdivision.
(b) No motor vehicle first sold or registered prior to January 1, 1971, shall discharge into the atmosphere at elevation of less than 4,000 feet any air contaminant for a period of more than 10 seconds which is:
(1) As dark or darker in shade than that designated as No. 2 on the Ringelmann Chart, as published by the United States Bureau of Mines, or
(2) Of such opacity as to obscure an observer’s view to a degree equal to or greater than does smoke described in paragraph (1) of this subdivision.
(c) The provisions of this section apply to motor vehicles of the United States or its agencies, to the extent authorized by federal law.
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.