Special California Laws and Rules on the DMV Test

Last updated: October 27, 2025Laws0

Additional California Laws and Rules

In addition to traffic rules and safe driving techniques, you are likely to find questions about specific California Laws and Rules on the practice tests and on your DMV written test. The purpose of these questions is to make sure you have studied the California Driver Handbook in detail. Paying particular attention to the chapter “Additional Driving Laws/Rules” is a good idea. You will find the chapter at the end of the Driver Handbook.

There are several bullets on Things You Must Not Do and Things You Must Do. Make sure you understand all of them.

Below are five of the most important laws and rules specific to California.

Smoking in Your Vehicle

Since 2008, California has a law that makes it unlawful to smoke in a motor vehicle when a person up to 17 years old is present. The offense carries a fine of up to $100. The law aims to prevent the adverse health effects of secondhand smoke. Levels of secondhand smoke caused by one person smoking in a car can make the air inside the vehicle hazardous for breathing, especially for small children. Hera re some other states that prohibit smoking in your car when a minor is present /

Unattended Children

In California, leaving a child up to 6 years old unattended in a motor vehicle is also illegal. If left in a car, a person 12 years or older must supervise the child. In addition to this law, California prohibits leaving children and animals in a hot vehicle. Learn more about leaving children unattended in a vehicle and heatstroke.

Take Care of Animals

Leaving an animal in a vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of the animal due to heat is not only cruel, it is also illegal. Dumping and abandoning animals on a highway is specifically against the law. Such a crime is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, six months in jail, or both. It is one of the few questions on the California DMV test where the DMV asks you about the consequences of a violation.

Leaving an animal without proper care and attention anywhere else on a highway is a misdemeanor in California.

Do Not Block the View

Remember, you should not hang objects on the rear-view mirror or put signs or stickers on the front windshield. Stickers are permitted in specified areas only. These areas include a small square on either the passenger’s side windshield lower corner or the lower corner of the rear window. You may also use a small space in the center uppermost portion of your windshield for an electronic toll payment device. Other stickers or objects on the front windshield are prohibited.

Don’t Use a Monitor Displaying Videos

If someone uses a monitor to watch videos, ensure the monitor isn’t visible to the driver.

In California, you cannot drive a vehicle equipped with a video monitor if the monitor is visible to the driver and displays videos or TV. A monitor visible to the driver can show only vehicle information, global mapping displays, an external music player, or satellite radio information.

Photo Credits: Jesse Kraft, Vladimir Nenov, and Burmakin Andrey