This bill requires the Division of Off‑Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (in the Department of Parks and Recreation) to convene a stakeholder group and develop a California Off‑Highway Motor Vehicle Safety and Stewardship Course, implement it by January 1, 2029, and issue five‑year electronic operator cards to people who complete the course. After that date, operators on lands under the division’s jurisdiction must carry an operator card or proof of completion of an approved reciprocal program; children 15 and under must be supervised by an adult with a card.
The measure creates a fee‑funded program (fees deposited into the Off‑Highway Vehicle Trust Fund), establishes fines and court‑ordered course completion for violations, limits law enforcement stops for card checks, and requires the division to evaluate course efficacy and publish results. For anyone managing OHV operations, rentals, or public lands, the bill converts voluntary safety education into a statutory requirement with operational, compliance, and funding implications.
At a Glance
What It Does
Directs the division to form a stakeholder group, design and implement a state OHV safety and stewardship course by 1/1/2029, issue five‑year electronic operator cards to completers, and require operators to carry proof of completion on covered lands. Establishes fines and court referrals for noncompliance and sets up an evaluation requirement.
Who It Affects
Recreational OHV operators (including visitors and renters), rental businesses and manufacturers, the Department of Parks and Recreation and its Division of Off‑Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation, and law enforcement that polices state vehicular recreation areas and other division lands.
Why It Matters
It converts a patchwork of voluntary education into a mandatory, credentialed system tied to access on state OHV lands, introduces a new fee stream into the Off‑Highway Vehicle Trust Fund, and creates reciprocity and vendor‑approval mechanics that will shape who provides training and how compliance is verified.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill builds a credentialing system for off‑highway vehicle (OHV) operators within the Division of Off‑Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation. First, the division must convene a broadly representative stakeholder group to design the course; that group must complete a consensus report by March 1, 2028.
Using the report, the division must develop a course by January 1, 2029, set reasonable fees, and may contract with outside vendors to deliver it online (limited to two approved vendors) or otherwise. The division posts approved providers on its website and may update the curriculum over time.
Course content is prescribed in detail: safe operation principles, compliance with existing laws (including DUI and registration), appropriate safety gear, trail etiquette, environmental stewardship, cultural‑resource protection, respect for private property, designated use of roads and trails, and promotion of hands‑on skills. The division can evaluate out‑of‑state programs for reciprocity and must consider language accessibility as part of the stakeholder report.
Fees collected go into the Off‑Highway Vehicle Trust Fund and require legislative appropriation for program administration.Successful course completers receive an electronic California Off‑Highway Motor Vehicle Safety and Stewardship operator card valid for five years; a physical card can be provided for an additional fee. Beginning January 1, 2029, operators on division lands must have either the operator card or proof of completion of an approved reciprocal program and must present it to law enforcement upon request, though officers may not stop a vehicle solely to check compliance.
Children 15 and under may operate only under the supervision of an adult who possesses an operator card or approved proof of completion; supervision is defined as visual contact and physical presence within 300 feet.Enforcement is civil: violations are infractions with escalating fines ($100 first, $250 second, $500 third or subsequent) and the court must order course completion; fines may be waived and conviction does not add driver license points. The division must compile baseline accident and injury rates at state vehicular recreation areas, evaluate course efficacy against that baseline, and publish results in the commission’s report and on its website.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The division must convene a stakeholder group and deliver a consensus report by March 1, 2028, to guide course design.
The division must implement the course by January 1, 2029, and may contract with vendors and offer the course online through no more than two approved outside vendors.
The division issues an electronic operator card valid for five years to course completers; physical cards are optional for an added fee, and renewal procedures may require updated training.
Starting January 1, 2029, operators on division lands must carry an operator card or approved reciprocal proof, and children 15 and younger may only operate if supervised by an adult within 300 feet who holds a card.
Violations are infractions with mandatory court‑ordered course completion and escalating fines: up to $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second, and $500 for a third or subsequent offense; no driver license points are assessed.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Definitions and scope
This section defines key terms the rest of the chapter relies on, including 'division,' 'operator,' 'course,' 'operator card,' and a specific definition of 'supervision' (visual contact and physical presence within 300 feet). Those definitions determine who must comply (operators 16 and older, renters, and visitors) and shape enforcement thresholds and juvenile supervision rules.
Stakeholder group formation and report (deadline March 1, 2028)
The division must convene a multi‑stakeholder group for approximately nine months with at least three meetings (remote option required) and capped representation from enumerated interest categories (law enforcement, DMV, industry, conservation, tribes, federal agencies, counties, and user groups). The director and deputy director select invitees and the group must provide a consensus report recommending course content and language accessibility options. Practically, this makes the program design a negotiated product among users, agencies, industry, and conservation interests — and it creates a formal record (the report) the division will use to defend curriculum choices and reciprocity decisions.
Course development, delivery, and funding mechanics
The division must develop and implement the course by 1/1/2029, determine reasonable length, and include a detailed curriculum checklist (safety, laws, gear, etiquette, stewardship, cultural protection, property respect, designated travel areas, and hands‑on skills). The division may competitively contract with outside vendors, limit online delivery to two approved vendors, list approved providers online, and set fees that flow into the Off‑Highway Vehicle Trust Fund to cover program costs. The provision on reciprocity lets the division evaluate and potentially exempt qualifying out‑of‑state programs from California’s course requirement, a key lever for managing visitor compliance.
Operator card issuance and renewals
Completers receive an electronic operator card valid five years; the division must provide download/print options and may offer a physical card for an additional fee. Renewal procedures may require an updated course, and issuance/renewal fees are to be set to cover reasonable program costs and deposited into the trust fund. This section establishes the credential as primarily digital, which reduces physical production costs but raises questions about access for people without reliable devices or internet.
Access rules, juvenile supervision, enforcement, and penalties
Operators must carry an operator card or approved reciprocal proof on division lands after 1/1/2029 and present it on request; law enforcement cannot stop an OHV solely to check compliance. The bill excepts permitted events, implements of husbandry, over‑snow vehicles, construction vehicles, and private property use. Children 15 and under may operate only when supervised by an adult possessing a card. Violations are infractions with escalating fines and mandatory course completion ordered by the court; courts can waive fines and cannot assign driver license points. The enforcement design ties compliance to citations and court orders rather than administrative suspension or civil licensing.
Evaluation, baselines, and reporting
The division must establish baseline accident and injury rates at state vehicular recreation areas and evaluate whether the course reduces accidents, injuries, and improves stewardship. Results must be included in the Off‑Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission’s report and posted online. This creates both an evidence requirement for program continuation and a public accountability mechanism for measuring effectiveness over time.
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Explore Transportation in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- New or inexperienced OHV operators — the course standardizes safety information and provides a credential that may reduce risk and clarify legal obligations for riding on state lands.
- Land managers and trail stewards — better educated operators should reduce resource damage, trespass incidents, and the management burden of irresponsible use on public lands.
- Public safety and emergency responders — standardized training and a database of credentialed riders can aid in prevention, incident response, and targeted outreach after the division’s evaluation identifies risk areas.
Who Bears the Cost
- Division of Off‑Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation and Department of Parks and Recreation — the agency must manage stakeholder convenings, vendor contracts, reciprocity reviews, card systems, and evaluations; although fees are authorized, initial administrative setup and ongoing oversight will consume staff time.
- Rental operators and small OHV businesses — they will need to verify renters’ credentials and may face higher customer friction; rentals may need to budget for assisting customers to obtain cards or absorb fees.
- Law enforcement — although stops solely for card checks are prohibited, officers will still need protocols to inspect cards during other contacts and training to handle digital card verification, which creates operational and training costs.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The bill pits improved public‑land safety and resource stewardship against access and administrative burden: it mandates training and a credential to make riding safer and reduce land impacts, but doing so erects cost, digital‑access, and compliance barriers that could limit participation or shift costs to small businesses and agencies. The central choice is whether the public safety and stewardship gains justify a system that formalizes access through a fee‑funded credentialing regime.
Implementation raises several practical and equity issues. The bill makes the operator card primarily electronic and limits online delivery to two approved vendors; that combination centralizes delivery and verification but risks excluding riders without reliable internet, smartphones, or digital literacy.
The statute authorizes fees to cover costs, but it ties access to course completion — if fees are set too high, low‑income riders and visitors could be disproportionately affected. The stakeholder selection process is narrowly specified with a final appointment power resting with division leadership, which may limit representation from undercounted user groups or tribal interests if appointments are not made.
Enforcement design is deliberately narrow: officers may not stop a vehicle solely to check for a card, which reduces pretextual stops but also means compliance will largely be enforced after other contacts or through event permitting. That raises the risk of uneven enforcement across sites and reliance on citations after-the-fact rather than proactive prevention.
Reciprocity and vendor approval are delegated to the division; without transparent criteria, out‑of‑state programs and third‑party providers may face unpredictable barriers or sudden denials. Finally, the evaluation requirement depends on reliable baseline data collection at recreation areas — inconsistencies in historic reporting or small sample sizes could make it difficult to demonstrate program impact, complicating future funding and policy decisions.
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