Terms Used In California Codes > Vehicle Code > Division 2 > Chapter 1 - The Department of Motor Vehicles

• Alcoholic beverage: includes any liquid or solid material intended to be ingested by a person which contains ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol, or alcohol, including, but not limited to, alcoholic beverages as defined in §. See California Vehicle Code 109
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Authority: means the California School Finance Authority, or any board, body, commission, department, or officer succeeding to the principal functions of the authority, or to which the powers conferred upon the authority by this chapter shall be given by law. See California Education Code 17173
• automobile dismantler: includes a person not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 221 who keeps or maintains on real property owned by the person, or under their possession or control, either of the following vehicles or catalytic converters, whether for the purpose of resale of used parts, for the purpose of reclaiming for use some or all of the materials, whether metal, glass, fabric, or otherwise, or to dispose of them, or for any other purpose:

  California Vehicle Code 220

• automobile driver training: shall be deemed to refer to the laboratory phase of driver education described by §. See California Vehicle Code 223
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• board: means the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 20
• bus: is a ny vehicle, including a trailer bus, designed, used, or maintained for carrying more than 15 persons including the driver. See California Vehicle Code 233
• business: includes a proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and any other form of commercial enterprise. See California Vehicle Code 234
• Charter school: means a school established pursuant to Part 26. See California Education Code 17173
• City: includes every city and city and county within this State. See California Vehicle Code 255
• City: includes incorporated city, city and county, municipal corporation, municipality, town, and incorporated town. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 14
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Controller: means the State Controller. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 21
• County: includes every county and city and county within this State. See California Vehicle Code 270
• County: includes city and county. See California Water Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 15
• Dealer: is a person not otherwise expressly excluded by Section 286 who:

  California Vehicle Code 285

• Department: means the Department of Motor Vehicles except, when used in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 2100) of Division 2 and in Divisions 11 (commencing with Section 21000), 12 (commencing with Section 24000), 13 (commencing with Section 29000), 14 (commencing with Section 31600), 14. See California Vehicle Code 290
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• distributor: is a ny person other than a manufacturer who sells or distributes new vehicles subject to registration under this code, new trailers subject to identification pursuant to Section 5014. See California Vehicle Code 296
• distributor branch: is a n office maintained by a distributor for the sale of new vehicles or new trailers subject to identification pursuant to Section 5014. See California Vehicle Code 297
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• driver: is a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. See California Vehicle Code 305
• driving school: is a business which, for compensation, conducts or offers to conduct instruction in the operation of motor vehicles. See California Vehicle Code 310.6
• drug: means any substance or combination of substances, other than alcohol, which could so affect the nervous system, brain, or muscles of a person as to impair, to an appreciable degree, his ability to drive a vehicle in the manner that an ordinarily prudent and cautious man, in full possession of his faculties, using reasonable care, would drive a similar vehicle under like conditions. See California Vehicle Code 312
• Established place of business: is a place actually occupied either continuously or at regular periods by any of the following:

  California Vehicle Code 320

• Fair Credit Reporting Act: A federal law, established in 1971 and revised in 1997, that gives consumers the right to see their credit records and correct any mistakes. ^{Source: OCC}
• Federal prosecutor: A lawyer appointed by the President in each judicial district to prosecute and defend cases for the federal government.
• franchise: is a written agreement between two or more persons having all of the following conditions:

  California Vehicle Code 331

• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• garage: is a building or other place wherein the business of storing or safekeeping vehicles of a type required to be registered under this code and which belong to members of the general public is conducted for compensation. See California Vehicle Code 340
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Hazardous material: includes explosives and hazardous wastes or substances as defined by regulations adopted pursuant to §. See California Vehicle Code 353
• Highway: is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See California Vehicle Code 360
• instruction: includes classroom driver education, in-vehicle driver training, and correspondence study. See California Vehicle Code 310.6
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• manufacturer branch: is a n office maintained by a manufacturer for the sale of new vehicles to dealers or for directing or supervising in whole or in part the manufacturer's representatives. See California Vehicle Code 389
• motor vehicle: includes a recreational vehicle as that term is defined in subdivision (a) of §. See California Vehicle Code 415
• motorcycle: is a motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider, designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground. See California Vehicle Code 400
• motorized scooter: is a ny two-wheeled device that has handlebars, has either a floorboard that is designed to be stood upon when riding or a seat and footrests in place of the floorboard, and is powered by an electric motor. See California Vehicle Code 407.5
• owner: is a person having all the incidents of ownership, including the legal title of a vehicle whether or not such person lends, rents, or creates a security interest in the vehicle. See California Vehicle Code 460
• passenger vehicle: is a ny motor vehicle, other than a motortruck, truck tractor, or a bus, as defined in Section 233, and used or maintained for the transportation of persons. See California Vehicle Code 465
• Pedestrian: includes a person who is operating a self-propelled wheelchair, motorized tricycle, or motorized quadricycle and, by reason of physical disability, is otherwise unable to move about as a pedestrian, as specified in subdivision (a). See California Vehicle Code 467
• Person: includes any person, firm, partnership, general partner of a partnership, limited liability company, registered limited liability partnership, foreign limited liability partnership, association, corporation, company, syndicate, estate, trust, business trust, or organization of any kind. See California Revenue and Taxation Code 19
• Person: includes a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Vehicle Code 470
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• pickup truck: is a motor truck with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 11,500 pounds, an unladen weight of less than 8,001 pounds, and which is equipped with an open box-type bed not exceeding 9 feet in length. See California Vehicle Code 471
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• registered owner: is a person registered by the department as the owner of a vehicle. See California Vehicle Code 505
• Registration service: includes , but is not limited to, a person who, for compensation, processes registration documents, conducts lien sales, or processes vehicle dismantling documents. See California Vehicle Code 505.2
• remanufacturer: is a ny person who for commission, money, or other thing of value, produces a vehicle that consists of any used or reconditioned integral parts, including, but not limited to, frame, engine, transmission, axles, brakes, or suspension which is subject to registration under this code. See California Vehicle Code 507.8
• repair shop: is a place where vehicles subject to registration under this code are repaired, rebuilt, reconditioned, repainted, or in any way maintained for the public at a charge. See California Vehicle Code 510
• representative: is a ny person regularly employed by a manufacturer or distributor for the purpose of negotiating or promoting the sale of the manufacturer's or distributer's vehicles to their franchisees or for regularly supervising or contacting franchisees or prospective franchisees in this state for any purpose. See California Vehicle Code 512
• Road: means any existing vehicle route established before January 1, 1979, with significant evidence of prior regular travel by vehicles subject to registration pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 4000) of Chapter 1 of Division 3. See California Vehicle Code 527
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Vehicle Code 12.2
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Water Code 18
• traffic: includes pedestrians, ridden animals, vehicles, street cars, and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using any highway for purposes of travel. See California Vehicle Code 620
• traffic violator school: is a business that, for compensation, provides, or offers to provide, instruction in traffic safety, including, but not limited to, classroom traffic violator curricula, for persons referred by a court pursuant to Section 42005 or to other persons who elect to attend. See California Vehicle Code 626
• United States: means the United States of America, and in relation to any particular matter includes the officers, agents, employees, agencies, or instrumentalities authorized to act in relation thereto. See California Water Code 20
• vehicle: is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See California Vehicle Code 670
• Year-round registration: is a system whereby the director designates a date for the expiration of registration of a vehicle and renewal thereof in order to equalize the volume of such renewals throughout the year. See California Vehicle Code 676