California Codes

Cal. Vehicle Code § 27000 (2026)

✓ current as of May 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section CA-LEGleginfo.legislature.ca.gov JustiaCode on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

(a)A motor vehicle, when operated upon a highway, shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet, but no horn shall emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with, and use in conjunction with the siren on that vehicle, an air horn that emits sounds that do not comply with the requirements of this section.

(b)A refuse or garbage truck shall be equipped with an automatic backup audible alarm that sounds on backing and is capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 100 feet or shall be equipped with an automatic backup device that is in good working order, located at the rear of the vehicle and that immediately applies the service brake of the vehicle on contact by the vehicle with any obstruction to the rear. The backup device or alarm shall also be capable of operating automatically when the vehicle is in neutral or a forward gear but rolls backward.

(c)A refuse or garbage truck, except a vehicle, known as a rolloff vehicle, that is used for the express purpose of transporting waste containers such as open boxes or compactors, purchased after January 1, 2010, shall also be equipped with a functioning camera providing a video display for the driver that enhances or supplements the driver’s view behind the truck for the purpose of safely maneuvering the truck.

(d)(1)A construction vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) in excess of 14,000 pounds that operates at, or transports construction or industrial materials to and from, a mine or construction site, or both, shall be equipped with an automatic backup audible alarm that sounds on backing and is capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet.

(2)As used in this subdivision, “construction vehicle” includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(A)A vehicle designed to transport concrete, cement, clay, limestone, aggregate material as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 23114, or other similar construction or industrial material, including a transfer truck or a tractor trailer combination used exclusively to pull bottom dump, end dump, or side dump trailers.

(B)A vehicle that is a concrete mixer truck, a truck with a concrete placing boom, a water tank truck, a single engine crane with a load rating of 35 tons or more, or a tractor that exclusively pulls a low-boy trailer.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 2018–2023 · leading case: Porter v. Gore, 354 F. Supp. 3d 1162 (S.D. Cal. 2018).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Porter v. Gore, 354 F. Supp. 3d 1162 (S.D. Cal. 2018). · cites it 3× “The modern incarnate of these early statutes inheres in California Vehicle Code sections 27000 and 27001, the former of which provides: A motor vehicle, when operated upon a highway 3 , shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible…”

Susan Porter v. Kelly Martinez, 68 F.4th 429 (9th Cir. 2023). “” Cal. Veh. Code § 27000 (a). And it is also why a warning honk does not carry a “great” likelihood of conveying a “particularized message,” Johnson, 491 U.”

Porter v. Gore (S.D. Cal. 2021). · cites it 3× “California Vehicle Code Section 27001 17 For purposes of this lawsuit, the relevant parts of the state’s regulation on honking 18 are found in California Vehicle Code Sections 27000 and 27001.”

Susan Porter v. Kelly Martinez (9th Cir. 2023). “” Cal. Veh. Code § 27000 (a). And it is also why a warning honk does not carry a “great” likelihood of conveying a “particularized message,” Johnson, 491 U.”

Bols v. Newsom (S.D. Cal. 2021). “In Porter, the plaintiff sued the county 11 sheriff for directly enforcing a state law, California Vehicle Code §§ 27000 and 27001.”

— Cal. Vehicle Code § 27000(a) — 1 case

Porter v. Gore, 354 F. Supp. 3d 1162 (S.D. Cal. 2018). “The modern incarnate of these early statutes inheres in California Vehicle Code sections 27000 and 27001, the former of which provides: A motor vehicle, when operated upon a highway 3 , shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible…”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.