Cal. VEH § 38603
This is the official text of Cal. VEH § 38603, 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) A person operating a recreational off-highway vehicle with a model year of 2014 or later on lands, as described in Section 38001, shall not allow a passenger to occupy a separate seat location not designed and provided by the manufacturer for a passenger.
(b) Seats that are installed in a separate seat location not designed and provided by the manufacturer for a passenger in a vehicle with a model year of 2013 or earlier on lands, as described in Section 38001, may be occupied by a passenger if the occupant of the seat is fully contained inside of the vehicle’s rollover protection structure at all times while the vehicle is being operated.
(b) Seats that are installed in a separate seat location not designed and provided by the manufacturer for a passenger in a vehicle with a model year of 2013 or earlier on lands, as described in Section 38001, may be occupied by a passenger if the occupant of the seat is fully contained inside of the vehicle’s rollover protection structure at all times while the vehicle is being operated.
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.