ARTICLE 2. Exemptions [10781. - 10789.]

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC 2.

in effect

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10781. Section 10781.

The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any vehicle owned by the United States, by any foreign government, by a consul or other official representative of any foreign government, by the state, by any political subdivision of the state, or by any city, city and county, county, district, public corporation, or by a public fire department organized as a nonprofit corporation and used exclusively for firefighting purposes or exclusively as an ambulance.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10781.1. Section 10781.1.

The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any vehicle that is owned by a federally recognized Indian tribe, if the vehicle is used exclusively within the boundaries of lands under the jurisdiction of that Indian tribe, including the incidental use of that vehicle on highways within those boundaries.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10782. Section 10782.

(a) The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any vehicle operated by the state, or by any county, city and county, city, district, or political subdivision of the state, or the United States, as a lessee under a lease, lease-sale, or rental-purchase agreement which grants possession of the vehicle to the lessee for a period of 30 consecutive days or more. (b) The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any privately owned schoolbus, as defined in Section 545 of the Vehicle Code, which is either: (1) Owned by a private nonprofit educational organization and operated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Education exclusively in transporting school pupils, or school pupils and employees, of such private nonprofit educational organization, or (2) Operated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Education exclusively in transporting school pupils, or school pupils and employees, of any public school or private nonprofit educational organization pursuant to a contract between a public school district or nonprofit educational organization and the owner or operator of the schoolbus. This subdivision shall not, however, be applicable to any schoolbus which is operated pursuant to any contract which requires the public school district or nonprofit educational organization to pay any amount representing the costs of registration and weight fees unless and until the contract is amended to require only the payment of an amount representing the fee required by this section.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10783. Section 10783.

(a) The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to a passenger vehicle, a motorcycle, or a commercial vehicle of less than 8,001 pounds unladen weight, unless the vehicle is used for transportation for hire, compensation, or profit, if the vehicle is owned by any disabled veteran, as defined in Section 295.7 of the Vehicle Code, any former American prisoner of war, a Purple Heart recipient, or any veteran who is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. (b) The exemption granted by subdivision (a) does not extend to more than one vehicle owned by the veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or former American prisoner of war, and is applicable to the same vehicle as described in subdivision (b) of Section 9105 of the Vehicle Code. (c) (1) The Department of Motor Vehicles may require any disabled veteran applying for an exemption under this section to submit a certificate signed by a physician or surgeon substantiating the disability. (2) The Department of Motor Vehicles may require any person applying for an exemption under this section for either of the following reasons to do any of the following: (A) By reason of the person’s status as a former American prisoner of war, to show, by satisfactory proof, the person’s former prisoner-of-war status. (B) By reason of the person’s status of receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor, to show, by satisfactory proof, that the person is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. (C) By reason of the person’s status of receiving the Purple Heart, to show, by satisfactory proof, that the person is a Purple Heart recipient. (d) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2027.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10783.2. Section 10783.2.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10784. Section 10784.

(a) The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any mobilehome as defined in Sections 18008 and 18211 of the Health and Safety Code which is sold and installed on a foundation system, pursuant to Section 18551 of the Health and Safety Code. (b) Any mobilehome exempted from the provisions of this part shall be subject to local property taxation.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10785. Section 10785.

(a) The license fee imposed by this part shall not apply to any new mobilehome as defined in Sections 18008 and 18211 of the Health and Safety Code, which is sold and installed for occupancy, in accordance with Section 18613 of the Health and Safety Code, on or after July 1, 1980. (b) Any new mobilehome exempted from the provisions of this part shall be subject to local property taxation.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10786. Section 10786.

The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any vehicle owned by an educational institution of collegiate grade, not conducted for profit, having an enrollment of 5,000 students or more and having an acreage of 5,000 acres or more, if such vehicle is used for fire-fighting purposes within the limits of the acreage of such institution, and is operated principally on roads owned by such institution.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10787. Section 10787.

The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to any vehicle operated by the Civil Air Patrol, when the vehicle has been transferred to the Civil Air Patrol by the United States Government, or any agency thereof, if by federal regulation or directive the use of such vehicle is restricted to defined activities of the Civil Air Patrol, and if by federal regulation or directive the vehicle must be returned to the United States Government when no longer required or suited for use by the Civil Air Patrol.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10788. Section 10788.

(a) With respect to mobilehomes or trailer coaches subject to the provisions of this part, which are owned by, and which constitute the principal place of residence of, a disabled veteran who is blind in both eyes, has lost the use of two or more limbs, or is totally disabled as a result of injury or disease incurred in military service or the unmarried surviving spouse of such a veteran: (1) The first twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) of the market value of the mobilehome or trailer coach shall be exempt from the license fee imposed by this part, or (2) In the case of a disabled veteran or the unmarried surviving spouse whose household income, as defined in Section 20504, does not exceed the amounts specified in Section 20585, the first thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) of the market value of the mobilehome or trailer coach, shall be exempt from the license fee imposed by this part. (b) For purposes of this section, “veteran” is defined as specified in subdivision (o) of Section 3 of Article XIII of the Constitution. (c) No veteran shall be eligible for this exemption unless he or she was a resident of California at the time of his or her entry into military or naval service, or unless he or she was a resident of the state on November 7, 1972, if he or she is blind or has lost the use of two or more limbs, or on January 1, 1975, if he or she was totally disabled. (d) As used in this section “mobile home” and “trailer coach” which are owned by the veteran includes: (1) Property owned by the veteran with the veteran’s spouse as a joint tenancy, tenancy in common or as community property; (2) Property owned by the veteran or the veteran’s spouse as separate property; (3) Property owned with one or more other persons to the extent of the interest owned by the veteran, the veteran’s spouse, or both the veteran and the veteran’s spouse; (4) Property owned by the veteran’s unmarried surviving spouse with one or more other persons to the extent of the interest owned by the veteran’s unmarried surviving spouse. (e) For purposes of this section, “blind in both eyes” means having a visual acuity of 5 200 or less; “losing the use of a limb” means that the limb has been amputated or its use has been lost by reason of ankylosis, progressive muscular dystrophies, or paralysis; and “totally disabled” means that the United States Veterans Administration or the military service from which such veteran was discharged has rated the disability at 100 percent or has rated the disability compensation at 100 percent by reason of being unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 10789. Section 10789.

The license fee imposed by this part does not apply to the following: (a) Any vehicle purchased with federal funds under the authority of paragraph (2) of subsection (b) of Section 1612 of Title 49 of the United States Code or Chapter 35 (commencing with Section 3000) of Title 42 of the United States Code for the purpose of providing specialized transportation services to senior citizens and handicapped persons by public and private nonprofit operators of specialized transportation services, including a consolidated transportation service agency designated pursuant to Section 15975 of the Government Code. (b) Any vehicle operated solely for the purpose of providing specialized transportation services to senior citizens and persons with disabilities, by a nonprofit, public benefit consolidated transportation service agency designated under Section 15975 of the Government Code. The exemption provided by this subdivision shall not apply to more than 600 vehicles at any given time.

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