question on CVC 24601

[ReverendSC]

Greetings folks,

I saw a question posted earlier on CVC 24601 and his question was answered fully, but mine is a little different, was wondering if I may engage you all here to entertain my situation.

24601 reads: "Either the taillamp or a separate lamp shall be so constructed and placed as to illuminate with a white light the rear license plate during darkness and render it clearly legible from a distance of 50 feet to the rear. When the rear license plate is illuminated by a lamp other than a required taillamp, the two lamps shall be turned on or off only by the same control switch at all times."

My vehicle has two license plate illumination lights, one of them is, indeed, out. however the code cited doesn't meantion the number of lights or their operation, it simply reads that the plate must be illuminated at 50 feet at night. there is no requirement that I can see that says you must have a specific number of license plate illumination lights.

Further, the officer wrote "License plate light out" next to 24601. I don't see anything in 24601 pertaining to one of my two bulbs being out, just that it must be visible to 50 feet (which it is, even with the one lamp out).

Do I have a case to fight it?

(Note I'm not destitute, and I have the new bulb in-hand, but I don't like paying court costs for a citation that doesn't appear to be in violation of any California V.C.)

Thanks in advance for any input!

[Ron-Solo]

It's usually just a fix it ticket. The judge can always amend it to 24252(a) which is "failure to maintain lighting equipment" which requires all lighting equipment to be in working order. Judges hate when people contest fix it tickets. I knew a couple of judges that would add to the fine for wasting the courts time.

Your call.

[ReverendSC]

Excellent, and thanks for the response. A followup, if I may.

24252(a) reads "All lighting equipment of a required type installed on a vehicle shall at all times be maintained in good working order", but the phrase "required type" is not really clear. I can't find anything about what the requirements are for license plate illumination other than the 50 foot rule.

If my working light was bright as the sun and could light up the plate from 200 feet, then does it matter if the other one is burned out? Note that taillights, headlights, brake lights, all those codes specify a number of lights, whereas license plate illumination only refers to visible distance, not a required amount of lamps.

Thank you!

[IrishJoe3]

.....It's a fix it ticket.

I'm really curious as to why you've picked this battle to fight.

Replace your 50 cent light bulb, live your life, be happy

[Spyder]

Ha. Many many years ago I got a ticket for license plate light. Sold the car before the court date, went to contest it in court. I remember the vehicle stop and the court date quite clearly. Raining, after dark, in Olivehurst on Feather River Blvd after going south across the Hwy 65 bridge.

I remember having an unhappy judge, and I had to track down the guy I sold it to, fix it for him, and bring proof of it being fixed back to the clerk.

Lesson learned.

[ReverendSC]

.....It's a fix it ticket.

I'm really curious as to why you've picked this battle to fight.

Replace your 50 cent light bulb, live your life, be happy

Lol thats a fair question.

First, the issuing jurisdiction charges $30 to "sign off" on the fix, and this is over and above the court fees which I'm charged even after fixing it. "Fix it" tickets used to be free if you fixed it, now it's upwards of $60, so I want to make sure I actually broke a law before forking it over.

(Note I can go to CHP and get it signed off for free, eliminating that part of the cost, but the nearest office is a 30 mile drive, which sucks too)

I haven't had so much as a parking ticket in 20 years, and this was a 24 minute traffic stop while I was out with my family. I literally could have driven to the auto parts store, bought the bulb and installed it by the time this guy got done sitting in his car for a fix-it infraction. If there's a chance that law comes down on my side, I want to try.

[eta34]

I have no issues with the OP. He is right to give it a shot. Traffic fines are ridiculous.

[Cokebottle]

First, the issuing jurisdiction charges $30 to "sign off" on the fix, and this is over and above the court fees which I'm charged even after fixing it. "Fix it" tickets used to be free if you fixed it, now it's upwards of $60, so I want to make sure I actually broke a law before forking it over.

I haven't had so much as a parking ticket in 20 years, and this was a 24 minute traffic stop while I was out with my family. I literally could have driven to the auto parts store, bought the bulb and installed it by the time this guy got done sitting in his car for a fix-it infraction. If there's a chance that law comes down on my side, I want to try.

And if you fight the ticket and win (you likely won't), you'll still pay.

Friend got popped for pipes on his bike (it wasn't his bike that the cop heard). Fought it, bailiff walked out with him and listened to the bike, asked him where he could get a set like that, and went back to the judge "not guilty"... Still cost him something like $50.


Your fixit-ticket will not even appear on your record unless it was written for the charge that Ron mentioned. It's not a moving violation, so your perfect record will remain perfect.
Just replace the light and pay the court fees.

[ReverendSC]

And if you fight the ticket and win (you likely won't), you'll still pay.

Seriously? Even if I'm found to have not been in violation of any law, I pay the same amount as if I had? What a scam lol!

Thanks for the info all, I truly do appreciate it.

[autopro]

You should be able to get the ticket signed off by any Official Licensed Lamp Adjusting Station. I used to sign them off all the time for free as long as a Certificate of Compliance was not required.

[Ron-Solo]

Many counties, such as Los Angeles, charge an "administrative fee" for processing and require a "certificate of correction" and some agencies, like LASD, charge a fee for the certificate of correction. When I retired in 2011, the fee was $15 for the certificate, and $15 for the court. Probably has gone up by now.

If found guilty in a court trial, the judge can issue a fine, which comes with a penalty assessment that is almost double the fine. It could easily end up costing you $250 before you know what it's you.

24252(a) requires ALL lights to be in working order, even if there are two license plate lights and one is working. They both have to work.

Good questions, but pick your battles wisely.

[SVT-40]

You admit one of your lights was out....Obviously the officer noticed that, and stopped you...

He issued you a cite, and now you are trying to say there was no violation even though you admit one of the lights was out?

Get over it. Get the cite signed off, pay the fee and move on.

[eta34]

He was asking questions about the specific statute and how it applies to his situation. Not sure why we tell the guy to "pay it and move on." Most of us have not had a traffic ticket in years because of our profession. When one receives an outrageous fine in the mail for a minor offense, it makes sense why the OP would look for a reason to best the ticket.

[Ron-Solo]

The base fine for 24601(a) is $197. Add the penalty assessment, which
Last time I checked was 170%, which would be another $334, for a grand total
Of $531.

That's a huge difference from a certificate of correction and a $25 court fee. The fine for 24252(a) is the same.

It all depends on how lucky you feel. Also, how valuable is your time? You can count on spending a day in court fighting it. Depending where you land on the calendar, you could be the last case called.

Choose wisely, Grasshopper.

[eta34]

$197 for a broken light. What a joke. Imagine what a moving violation looks like? Plus the insurance increases.