Vehicles and travel
40 upcoming changes, soonest first.
October 2026 7
Air route T-373 in Alaska is extended to the King Salmon beacon
The FAA extends area navigation route T-373, which ran from the Kowok fix to the Werel waypoint, so it now starts at the King Salmon navigation beacon, adding route connections for pilots in southwest Alaska.
Air route T-388 near Kodiak, Alaska is extended to the Kodiak airport beacon
The FAA extends area navigation route T-388, which ran from the Wixer waypoint to the Baily fix, so it now reaches the Kodiak navigation beacon at Kodiak Airport, adding route connections for pilots in Alaska.
Airway V-108 near Concord, California is redrawn as the Concord beacon shuts down
The FAA amends federal airway V-108 in the San Francisco Bay Area because the Concord navigation beacon is being shut down, dropping the stretch between Scaggs Island and Linden that relied on it. The airway's end points stay the same.
FAA drops two Alaska air routes and extends route Q-10 to the Canadian border
The FAA revokes Alaska routes J-804R and J-889R, which relied on ground beacons or saw little use, and extends area navigation route Q-10 past Middleton Island to the EURKA waypoint at the Canadian border to replace J-804R.
FAA fixes the Thedford, Nebraska beacon location on two air routes
The FAA corrects the published coordinates of the Thedford navigation beacon in the descriptions of area navigation routes T-285 and T-286, after a survey found them off by 344 feet. The routes themselves do not change.
FAA sets a permanent no-fly zone around Trump Tower in Manhattan
A new prohibited area bars aircraft from the ground to 1,000 feet within about one nautical mile of Trump Tower, the President's New York home, unless the Secret Service allows entry. It follows a temporary restriction there and keeps the East River helicopter route open.
New air route T-581 links Missoula and Kalispell, Montana
The FAA creates area navigation route T-581 between the Missoula and Kalispell navigation beacons in western Montana, giving pilots another route and air traffic control more options.
November 2026 2
Denali Park Road limit becomes 160 vehicles a day instead of a seasonal permit count
The National Park Service replaces its cap of 10,512 seasonal permits on miles 15 to 90 of the Denali Park Road with a limit of 160 vehicles a day, which the park already uses. The season no longer ends early in some years.
Federal fuel economy targets for cars and light trucks are cut sharply
Fuel economy standards for past and future model years drop to an estimated fleet average of about 34.9 mpg in the final year covered, down from 49.3 mpg under the old rules. Tradable credits end for later model years, and car and truck classes are redrawn.
December 2026 2
Alaska airway V-320 is revoked and a new route, T-550, opens near Anchorage
The Federal Aviation Administration revokes airway V-320 in Alaska, which ran from McGrath to Johnstone Point, because weak navigation signals left parts of it unusable. A new area navigation route, T-550, runs from the FRIDA fix to Anchorage to cover the gaps.
Fourteen eastern airways are cut back or redrawn as Charlotte and two other beacons shut down
The Federal Aviation Administration removes segments from 11 radio-beacon airways and redefines fixes on others, because the Charlotte, Foothills and Holston Mountain beacons are shutting down and the Spartanburg beacon is moving. Redefined fixes keep their locations.
January 2027 21
A properly worn seat belt now means passing the 5-Step test, for children and adults
A seat belt counts as properly worn only if the rider passes the 5-Step test: seated fully back, knees bent at the seat edge, shoulder belt across the chest, lap belt low on the thighs, for the whole trip. It covers drivers and all passengers.
Bike seat and passenger rules now apply on off-street bike paths too
The rule that bicycle riders and passengers must sit on a permanent seat, with a safe child seat for kids 4 or under or 40 pounds or less, now covers Class I bike paths as well as streets. Breaking it is an infraction.
California creates a Lowrider specialty license plate sponsored by the Arts Council
The Arts Council must apply to sponsor a Lowrider specialized license plate with a design reflecting lowrider culture. The DMV issues it only if enough people apply, and the extra plate fees go to lowrider arts and culture projects if the Legislature approves the spending.
Drivers can't sign over windshield insurance benefits to glass shops
Contracts handing a driver's insurance rights for windshield and camera calibration work to a glass shop or anyone else are void, though the insurer can still pay the shop. Shops must give estimates, calibration results and receipts, and can't reward claims.
E-bikes get speed labels and sale disclosures, and sidewalks a 10 mph limit
E-bikes must carry a label with class, top assisted speed and motor wattage, sellers must give buyers written safety disclosures, and sidewalks get a 10 mph limit. Cities may set 10, 15 or 20 mph limits on bike paths and trails.
Electric two-wheelers that top 20 mph are banned from public roads unless road-legal
Riding an electric two- or three-wheeler that tops 20 mph on motor power on public roads is banned unless it fits a road-legal type in the Vehicle Code; police can remove it. Ads for electric mopeds and small motorcycles need a registration and insurance warning.
Established aftermarket car part makers can get conditional approval to sell before sign-off
Part makers holding at least 10 state air board exemption orders, one in the same category, can ask to sell an add-on or modified part during review. Requests not decided within 30 business days are generally deemed approved, for up to two years.
Factory-certified EV chargers can go into service without a field inspection
Factory-certified commercial EV chargers can go into service without a sealer or service agency, and operators must report them to the county sealer within 72 hours. Any competent person may do repairs not affecting the meter, with written notice to the sealer within a week.
Golden Gate Bridge district may take state and federal loans for seismic work
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District may accept contributions and loans from the state and federal governments to pay for seismic safety work on the bridge, and may pledge toll revenue to repay those loans.
Low carbon transit grants limited to bus, rail and ferry service, fare subsidies and fare tech
Transit agencies receiving Low Carbon Transit Operations Program money may spend it only on keeping or expanding bus, rail or ferry service, fare subsidies and network or fare integration technology. Agencies submit a list of funded services before getting money, replacing the old state guidelines.
Police and first responders may drive off-highway vehicles up to 5 miles on roads
First responders, not only peace officers, may use off-highway vehicles in emergencies. Both may drive them up to 5 miles on highways to reach recreation areas or patrol spots, but only where the local government has adopted a public policy allowing it.
San Mateo County cities may ban kids under 12 from class 1 and 2 e-bikes
Cities in San Mateo County, and the county in unincorporated areas, may ban riders under 12 from class 1 and class 2 e-bikes. Riders get warnings for the first 60 days, then a $25 fine that parents share and that a safety course can clear.
Speed cameras must blur other drivers and pedestrians, and Long Beach gets two more
Speed cameras in the pilot cities must blur images of other drivers, vehicles and pedestrians caught in the frame, though cameras put in before the change only where feasible. Long Beach may add 2 cameras on Pacific Coast Highway.
State transportation department must report on speeding up highway safety projects
The state Department of Transportation must send lawmakers a report on its current efforts and options to cut the steps and time it takes to deliver safety improvement projects on state highways. The report creates no new legal duty for the department.
State transportation department must study how navigation apps reroute traffic
The state transportation department must run a pilot study in one region on how third-party navigation apps affect congestion, local streets, safety and emergency response times, then send lawmakers policy recommendations.
State transportation plan must include electric air taxis and cargo aircraft
The state transportation department must add electric passenger and cargo aircraft of 300 pounds or more, called advanced air mobility, to its next statewide transportation plan, and set up a working group with other agencies, local emergency offices and industry.
Tougher penalties for speed exhibitions at sideshows and street takeovers
Doing an exhibition of speed at a sideshow now brings 24 hours to 90 days in jail or a $355 to $1,000 fine, up from a $500 maximum. Causing serious injuries can be a felony, and the sideshow definition now covers motorcycles and off-road vehicles.
Tow yards must take debit cards for impound fees and can't demand extra ownership papers
Storage facilities holding towed or impounded vehicles must accept a valid bank debit card, not only a credit card or cash, for towing and storage fees. Asking for ownership documents beyond those the law lists counts as an unlawful refusal to release the vehicle.
Transit agencies must offer simple paratransit recertification for lasting disabilities
Transit operators funded under the state Transportation Development Act must offer a simple recertification by phone, mail or online, every 5 years, for paratransit riders whose disabilities are not expected to improve. Later, it becomes the only process allowed for those riders, with some exceptions.
Work on high-speed rail land needs a permit, with fines for encroaching
The High-Speed Rail Authority will run a permit program for crossings, utilities and other encroachments on its operating right-of-way. Doing that work without a permit, or willfully damaging the rail system, is a misdemeanor, and civil penalties can reach $5,000 a day.
Zero-emission transit buses may weigh more per axle, up to 25,000 pounds
Zero-emission transit buses bought through solicitations issued from this date may carry up to 25,000 pounds of curb weight per axle, up from 22,000. The limit steps down to 24,000 and 23,000 pounds for later solicitations, and returns to 22,000 when the temporary window ends.
February 2027 1
Airline rule on reporting the causes of delays and cancellations is pushed back
The Transportation Department delays its rule that moves ten kinds of events out of the "air carrier" cause code into a new category when airlines report delays and cancellations. The new categories will first apply to January flights, reported the following month.
July 2027 1
Local permit fees capped for Level 2 EV chargers at apartment buildings
Cities and counties cannot charge more than reasonable cost for EV charger permits. For Level 2 chargers at multifamily housing the fee is capped at $500 plus per-kilowatt amounts, unless the city adopts findings showing higher costs.
January 2028 2
Cities and counties must set truck routes that keep warehouse traffic away from homes
Cities and counties outside the Riverside and San Bernardino warehouse region must adopt an ordinance setting truck routes that avoid homes, schools and other sensitive sites. Places with no warehouses get two years after one is approved, and smaller places get extra time.
Older insured collector cars no longer need smog checks
Insured collector cars older than a model-year cutoff no longer need smog checks. The cutoff moves up one model year each year for five years, then stops. Collector cars driven under 1,000 miles a year can qualify later.
July 2028 2
Driverless car companies must send local technicians to crashes and police requests
Driverless vehicle makers must immediately dispatch local technicians to crashes and to calls from police or 911, and remote drivers must be in the US with a valid California license. Cities and counties can sue to enforce the rules, and makers report response data quarterly.
New electric vehicle batteries sold in California must carry a permanent information label
Battery suppliers must put a permanent label on each new vehicle traction battery sold in the state, listing the supplier, manufacture date, chemistry, capacity, hazardous substances and safe disposal information. Suppliers also pay a yearly fee to the state air board, set by market share.
January 2031 2
Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated adds three points to a driving record
A conviction for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated counts as three points against a driver's record, compared with two for the version without gross negligence. The DMV must also disclose these convictions for 10 years, as it does for DUI offenses.
Six-year license loss for injury DUIs by drivers with four recent prior DUIs
A person convicted of DUI causing injury who has four or more DUI-related convictions in the past 10 years loses their license for six years. After 12 months they may seek a restricted license if in a DUI program and using an ignition interlock.