ARTICLE 1. Common Carriers in General [[2168.] - 2178.]

Cal. Civil Code - CIV 1.

in effect

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § [2168.] Section [2168.]

Section Twenty-one Hundred and Sixty-eight. Every one who offers to the public to carry persons, property, or messages, excepting only telegraphic messages, is a common carrier of whatever he thus offers to carry.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § 2169. Section 2169.

A common carrier must, if able to do so, accept and carry whatever is offered to him, at a reasonable time and place, of a kind that he undertakes or is accustomed to carry.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § 2170. Section 2170.

A common carrier must not give preference in time, price, or otherwise, to one person over another. Every common carrier of passengers by railroad, or by vessel plying upon waters lying wholly within this State, shall establish a schedule time for the starting of trains or vessel from their respective stations or wharves, of which public notice shall be given, and shall, weather permitting, except in case of accident or detention caused by connecting lines, start their said trains or vessel at or within ten minutes after the scheduled time so established and notice given, under a penalty of two hundred and fifty dollars for each neglect so to do, to be recovered by action before any Court of competent jurisdiction, upon complaint filed by the District Attorney of the county in the name of the people, and paid into the Common School Fund of the said county.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § 2171. Section 2171.

A common carrier must always give a preference in time, and may give a preference in price, to the United States and to this State.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § [2172.] Section [2172.]

Section Twenty-one Hundred and Seventy-two. A common carrier must start at such time and place as he announces to the public, unless detained by accident or the elements, or in order to connect with carriers on other lines of travel.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § 2173. Section 2173.

A common carrier is entitled to a reasonable compensation and no more, which he may require to be paid in advance. If payment thereof is refused, he may refuse to carry.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § [2174.] Section [2174.]

Section Twenty-one Hundred and Seventy-four. The obligations of a common carrier cannot be limited by general notice on his part, but may be limited by special contract.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § 2175. Section 2175.

A common carrier cannot be exonerated, by any agreement made in anticipation thereof, from liability for the gross negligence, fraud, or willful wrong of himself or his servants.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § [2176.] Section [2176.]

Section Twenty-one Hundred and Seventy-six. A passenger, consignor, or consignee, by accepting a ticket, bill of lading, or written contract for carriage, with a knowledge of its terms, assents to the rate of hire, the time, place, and manner of delivery therein stated; and also to the limitation stated therein upon the amount of the carrier’s liability in case property carried in packages, trunks, or boxes, is lost or injured, when the value of such property is not named; and also to the limitation stated therein to the carrier’s liability for loss or injury to live animals carried. But his assent to any other modification of the carrier’s obligations contained in such instrument can be manifested only by his signature to the same.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § [2177.] Section [2177.]

Section Twenty-one Hundred and Seventy-seven. A common carrier is not responsible for loss or miscarriage of a letter, or package having the form of a letter, containing money or notes, bills of exchange, or other papers of value, unless he be informed at the time of its receipt of the value of its contents.

Cal. Civil Code - CIV § 2178. Section 2178.

A common carrier of property by steam or electric railroad which accepts for transportation, storage, handling or safe-keeping, as a part of or in connection with passenger transportation, property carried in trunks, valises, suit cases, traveling bags, boxes, bundles or packages, shall not be liable, in the event of loss of or injury to the same, for more than one hundred dollars for each trunk and contents, nor more than fifty dollars for each valise and contents, or suit case and contents, or traveling bag and contents, nor more than ten dollars for each box, bundle or package and contents, unless the carrier shall have consented in writing to assume a greater liability. The term “common carrier” as used in this section shall include sleeping car companies.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026