Cal. VEH § 4000.17
This is the official text of Cal. VEH § 4000.17, 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) For purposes of this section, “heavy-duty vehicle” means a nongasoline heavy-duty onroad motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds, as defined by the State Air Resources Board pursuant to Section 44152 of the Health and Safety Code.
(b) No later than one year after the effective date of a regulation implementing the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program (Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 44150) of Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code), the department shall confirm prior to the initial registration, the transfer of ownership, or the renewal of registration that a heavy-duty vehicle is compliant with, or exempt from, the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program.
(c) Subdivision (b) does not apply to a transfer of ownership and registration under any of the following circumstances:
(1) A motor vehicle registered to a sole proprietorship is transferred to the proprietor as owner.
(2) The transfer is between companies the principal business of which is leasing motor vehicles, if there is no change in the lessee or operator of the motor vehicle or between the lessor and the person who has been, for at least one year, the lessee’s operator of the motor vehicle.
(3) The transfer is between the lessor and lessee of the motor vehicle, if there is no change in the lessee or operator of the motor vehicle.
(4) An additional individual is added as a registered owner of the motor vehicle.
(d) The State Air Resources Board shall notify the department of the motor vehicles allowed to be registered pursuant to this section.
(b) No later than one year after the effective date of a regulation implementing the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program (Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 44150) of Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code), the department shall confirm prior to the initial registration, the transfer of ownership, or the renewal of registration that a heavy-duty vehicle is compliant with, or exempt from, the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program.
(c) Subdivision (b) does not apply to a transfer of ownership and registration under any of the following circumstances:
(1) A motor vehicle registered to a sole proprietorship is transferred to the proprietor as owner.
(2) The transfer is between companies the principal business of which is leasing motor vehicles, if there is no change in the lessee or operator of the motor vehicle or between the lessor and the person who has been, for at least one year, the lessee’s operator of the motor vehicle.
(3) The transfer is between the lessor and lessee of the motor vehicle, if there is no change in the lessee or operator of the motor vehicle.
(4) An additional individual is added as a registered owner of the motor vehicle.
(d) The State Air Resources Board shall notify the department of the motor vehicles allowed to be registered pursuant to this section.
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.