Self-driving and FSD
What are the rules for robotaxis in California?
Two regulators, and since July 2026 a first-responder duty.
California splits robotaxi oversight in two: the DMV permits the vehicle under title 13 of the state code, and the CPUC separately authorizes charging passengers, so a fare-carrying robotaxi needs both. Since July 1, 2026, AB 1777 has also required a 24-hour first-responder line and a two-minute emergency geofence response.
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California is unusual in splitting robotaxi oversight between two agencies, and the split is the thing most people get wrong. The DMV regulates the vehicle itself through title 13 of the California Code of Regulations, in three permit tiers: testing with a safety driver, driverless testing, and full deployment. The CPUC separately regulates carrying passengers for money. A robotaxi that charges a fare needs authority from both.
Since July 1, 2026 there is a third layer. AB 1777, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting and chaptered in September 2024, requires any company running a vehicle with no human driver aboard to staff a first-responder phone line at all hours, to fit each vehicle with two-way voice so responders standing next to it can reach a remote operator, to train police and firefighters on the override system, and to clear or avoid an area within two minutes of an emergency geofencing message.
One more change is recent and easy to miss: for about a decade the DMV rules excluded vehicles at or above 10,001 pounds, which kept heavy autonomous trucks out. The DMV adopted new regulations on April 28, 2026 that remove the exclusion. Every rule below is a record on the registry, dated and linked to its source. A bill that is not law is marked as such.
The shape of it
California is counted twice here on purpose: one regulator for the vehicle, another for the fare.
- Rules in effect
- 14
- Proposed, not law
- 1
- Sources
- 31
The two-regulator framework
The framework record every rule below implements, read from the registry.
California autonomous vehicle regulations (DMV 13 CCR; CPUC passenger service)
California's two-regulator AV framework. The DMV regulates the vehicle under 13 CCR sections 227.00-228.20 (statutory base Vehicle Code 38750-38755), with three permit tiers: testing-with-driver, driverless testing (227.38), and deployment. The CPUC separately regulates paid passenger (robotaxi) service via its Drivered and Driverless Deployment programs, so a fare-charging robotaxi needs BOTH a DMV permit and CPUC authority; the CPUC approved driverless passenger fares (Waymo, Cruise) in San Francisco on Aug 10, 2023. HEAVY-TRUCK NUANCE: for about a decade the DMV regulations EXCLUDED vehicles with GVWR at or above 10,001 lbs (heavy trucks); a statutory ban (AB 316, 2023) requiring a human operator was vetoed by Governor Newsom; the DMV then adopted new regulations on Apr 28, 2026 that REMOVE the heavy-truck exclusion and authorize autonomous trucks and transit (with phased requirements, e.g. heavy-duty test-mile thresholds and weigh-station stops). So California applies to passenger AVs throughout, and to autonomous trucks as of the April 2026 rules. The framework's statutory base and implementing detail are tracked as separate registry entities: Cal. Veh. Code 38750 (statutory base) and the 13 CCR sections 227.02 (definitions), 227.04 (manufacturer's testing permit), 227.26 (vehicles excluded), 227.42 (driverless testing permit), 227.54 (collision reporting), 227.56 (disengagement reporting), 228.02 (deployment definitions), and 228.08 (deployment permit application).
Every California robotaxi rule on the record
One row per regulation, each dated and sourced, newest first. Each links to its own registry page, where its full status history lives.
- California SB 1246 sets remote-operations and first-responder standards for autonomous vehicles
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1246 (Sen. Dave Cortese) on Sep 30 2026. By July 1 2028 it requires autonomous vehicle remote drivers to be based in the United States with a U.S. driver's license, requires AV companies to notify local jurisdictions of vehicle location and status during system-wide failures, guarantees first responders on-site "local incident technicians," establishes local penalties when an AV blocks first-responder operations during an emergency for more than 30 minutes, and adds reporting on company response times. The DMV is to adopt guidelines on technician response times. Sponsored by SEIU California; supported by the California Professional Firefighters, California Association of Highway Patrolmen, California Police Chiefs Association and League of California Cities, among others (senator-stated). Builds on [AB 1777](/regulations/california-ab-1777-av-first-responder-2024).
ProposedSep 30, 2026Operating duty - California AB 1777 requires driverless vehicles to support first responder communication and emergency geofencing
California enacted Assembly Bill 1777, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, which the state chaptered on September 27, 2024 and which became operative on July 1, 2026. The law requires companies that operate autonomous vehicles without a human driver present to maintain a dedicated emergency response telephone line for first responders during all hours, to equip each vehicle with a two way voice communication device so first responders near the vehicle can reach a remote operator, to provide training for law enforcement and firefighters on the vehicle override system, and to direct their fleet to leave or avoid an area within two minutes of receiving an emergency geofencing message from emergency response officials. This record is attributed to the enacted text of AB 1777 as published by the California Legislature.
- California Authorizes Police to Issue Traffic Citations to Autonomous Vehicle Companies
Starting July 1, 2026, California police can issue moving-violation citations to autonomous vehicle companies, closing a major regulatory loophole. AV manufacturers are subject to traffic citations for violations by their driverless vehicles.
Proposed, but not law
A bill that has cleared a committee is not a rule. This is tracked so the answer above stays honest about what is actually in force.
- SB 1246 (Cortese) would set remote-operator rules, but it is not law
Senate Bill 1246 would require remote operators and technicians responding to autonomous vehicles to hold valid California driver's licenses and to be based within the United States, would require passenger-service fleets to keep a ratio of remote assistants to vehicles of 1 to 5 or higher at all times, and would require a disabled vehicle blocking a traffic lane to be relocated or removed as soon as possible and no later than 5 minutes if it is driveable, or 30 minutes if field personnel are needed. The bill passed committee on a 7 to 1 vote on July 1, 2026 and was re-referred to Appropriations. It is not enacted, and no regulation record exists for it.
How we know this
Every rule on this page is a regulation record on the DEPLOY registry, read live at page load, with its own dated status history and sources. The proposed bill below them is not a regulation record, and is marked that way. Here are the sources behind them.
The DMV and CPUC rules are enacted public law and are shown as in effect; the bill that has only passed a committee is shown as proposed and not enacted, attributed to the Legislature's own bill tracker. DEPLOY scopes the answer to its record and links every source.
Common questions
Can police ticket a robotaxi in California?
Who regulates robotaxis in California?
What is AB 1777?
What is SB 1246?
Are autonomous trucks allowed in California?
Where can you actually ride a robotaxi in California?
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