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Cal. VEH § 9860

This is the official text of Cal. VEH § 9860, 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) Certificates of number shall be renewed before midnight of the expiration date by presentation of the certificate of number last issued for the vessel or by presentation of a potential registration card issued by the department.

(b) The fee for renewal shall be twenty dollars ($20) for each two-year period, and shall accompany the request for renewal.

(c) If the certificate of number and potential registration card are unavailable, the fee specified in Section 9867 shall not be paid.

(d) (1) The department shall collect, from resident and nonresident vessel owners, separate from the fee for renewal, an invasive mussel infestation prevention fee in an amount established by the Department of Boating and Waterways pursuant to Section 675 of the Harbors and Navigation Code.

(2) Failure to pay the fee described in this subdivision does not prohibit the department from issuing renewal registration of the vessel.

(3) (A) A vessel operator may be issued a citation for operating the vessel in nonmarine waters without a valid state-issued invasive mussel infestation prevention sticker.

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), a vessel that is exempt pursuant to Section 5211 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations shall not be cited pursuant to subparagraph (A).

(e) The department shall provide documentation of its administrative costs pursuant to this section to the Department of Boating and Waterways.

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.