Article 2. Vehicle Salespersons of California Vehicle Code >> Division 5. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 2.

It shall be unlawful for any person to act as a vehicle salesperson without having first procured a license or temporary permit issued by the department or when that license or temporary permit issued by the department has been canceled, suspended, revoked, or invalidated or has expired.

(a) The department shall prescribe and provide forms to be used for application for licenses to be issued under this article and require of applicants, as a condition of the issuance of a license, that information concerning the applicant's character, honesty, integrity, and reputation as it considers necessary. Every application for a vehicle salesperson's license shall contain, in addition to that information which the department requires, a statement of all of the following facts:
  (1) The name and address of the applicant.
  (2) Whether the applicant has ever had a court judgment rendered for which he or she has been liable as a result of his or her activities in conjunction with an occupational license issued under this division, and whether that judgment remains unpaid or unsatisfied.
  (3) Whether the applicant ever had a license, issued under this division, revoked, suspended, or subjected to other disciplinary action and whether the applicant was ever a partner in a partnership or an officer, director, or stockholder in a corporation licensed under this division, the license of which was revoked, suspended, or subjected to other disciplinary action.
  (b) The department shall issue a license bearing a fullface photograph of the licensee and the following information:
  (1) Name and address.
  (2) Physical description.
  (3) The licensee's usual signature.
  (4) Distinguishing vehicle salesperson's license number.

Pending the satisfaction of the department that the applicant has met the requirements of this chapter, it may issue a temporary permit to any person applying for a vehicle salesperson's license. The temporary permit shall permit the operation by the salesperson for a period of not more than 120 days while the department is completing its investigation of the applicant for the license. If the department determines to its satisfaction that the temporary permit was issued upon a fraudulent application or determines or has reasonable cause to believe that the application is incorrect or incomplete or the temporary permit was issued in error, the department may cancel the temporary permit, effective immediately. The temporary permit shall become invalid when canceled or when the applicant's license has been issued or refused.

The department may issue or, for reasonable cause shown, refuse to issue, a license to any applicant applying for a vehicle salesperson's license.

The department, after notice and hearing, may refuse to issue, or may suspend or revoke, a vehicle salesperson's license when it makes any of the following findings and determinations:
  (a) The applicant or licensee has outstanding an unsatisfied final court judgment rendered in connection with an activity licensed under this division.
  (b) The applicant or licensee has failed to pay funds or property received in the course of employment to a dealer entitled thereto.
  (c) The applicant or licensee has failed to surrender possession of, or failed to return, a vehicle to a dealer lawfully entitled thereto upon termination of employment.
  (d) A cause for refusal, suspension, or revocation exists under any provision of Sections 11302 to 11909, inclusive.
  (e) The applicant was previously the holder of an occupational license issued by another state authorizing the same or similar activities of a license issued under this division and that license was revoked or suspended for cause and was never reissued, or was suspended for cause, and the terms of suspension have not been fulfilled.
  (f) The applicant or licensee has acted as a dealer by purchasing or selling vehicles while employed by a licensed dealer without reporting that fact to the dealer or without utilizing the report of sale documents issued to the dealer.
  (g) The applicant or licensee has concurrently acted as a vehicle salesperson and engaged in that activity for, or on behalf of, more than one licensed dealer unless all of the licensed dealers for whom that salesperson works have common controlling ownership. Nothing in this section restricts the number of dealerships of which a person may be an owner, officer, or director, or precludes a vehicle salesperson from working for more than one dealer, provided that all of the licensed dealers for whom that salesperson works have common controlling ownership. For purposes of this subdivision, dealers have common controlling ownership when more than 50 percent of the ownership interests in each dealer are held by the same person or persons, either directly or through one or more wholly owned subsidiary entities.
  (h) The applicant or licensee has acted as a vehicle salesperson without having first complied with Section 11812.
  (i) The applicant or licensee was a managerial employee of a dealer during the time a person under the direction or control of the managerial employee committed wrongful acts which resulted in the suspension or revocation of the dealer's license.
  (j) The applicant or licensee has acted as a dealer by purchasing or selling any vehicle and using the license, report of sale books, purchase drafts, financial institution accounts, or other supplies of a dealer to facilitate that purchase or sale, when the applicant or licensee is not acting on behalf of that dealer.

Every hearing provided for in this article shall be conducted pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(a) After the filing of an accusation under this article, the director may enter into a stipulated compromise settlement agreement with the consent of the licensee on terms and conditions mutually agreeable to the director, the respondent licensee, and the accuser without further hearing or appeal. The agreement may include, but is not limited to, a period of probation or monetary penalties, or both. Except as provided in Section 11728, the monetary penalty shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500) for each violation, and it shall be based on the nature of the violation and the effect of the violation on the purposes of this article.
  (b) A compromise settlement agreement may be entered before, during, or after the hearing, but is valid only if executed and filed pursuant to subdivision (d) before the proposed decision of the hearing officer, if any, is adopted or the case is decided.
  (c) The department shall adopt, by regulation, a schedule of maximum and minimum amounts of monetary penalties, the payment of which may be included as a term or condition of a compromise settlement agreement entered under subdivision (a). Any monetary penalty included in a compromise settlement agreement shall be within the range of monetary penalties in that schedule.
  (d) Any compromise settlement agreement entered under this section shall be signed by the director, the respondent licensee, and the accuser, or by their authorized representatives. The director shall file, or cause to be filed, the agreement with the Office of Administrative Hearings, together with the department's notice of withdrawal of the accusation or statement of issues upon which the action was initiated.
  (e) If the respondent licensee fails to perform all of the terms and conditions of the compromise settlement agreement, the agreement is void and the department may take any action authorized by law, notwithstanding the agreement, including, but not limited to, refiling the accusation or imposing license sanctions.

(a) The department may, pending a hearing, temporarily suspend the license issued to a vehicle salesperson for a period of not more than 30 days if the director finds that action to be required in the public interest. In that case, a hearing shall be held and a decision thereon issued within 30 days after notice of the temporary suspension.
  (b) Except where the provisions of this code require the refusal to issue a license, the department may issue a probationary license subject to conditions to be observed by the licensee in the exercise of the privilege granted. The conditions to be attached to the exercise of the privilege shall be those which may, in the judgment of the department, be in the public interest and suitable to the qualifications of the applicant, as disclosed by the application and investigation by the department of the information contained in the application.
  (c) If the department issues or renews a vehicle salesperson's license requiring conditions of probation or if the department refuses to issue a vehicle salesperson's license, the applicant may demand in writing a hearing before the director or the director's representative within 60 days after notice of refusal to issue or issuance of the probationary license.
  (d) A person whose license has been revoked or whose application for a license has been denied may reapply for a license after not less than one year has elapsed from the effective date of the decision revoking the license or denying the application, except that if the decision was based upon subdivision (a) of Section 11806, an earlier reapplication may be made accompanied by evidence satisfactory to the department that those grounds for revocation or denial of the license no longer exist.

(a) A vehicle salesperson licensed under this article shall, at the time of employment, deliver his or her salesperson's license to his or her employing dealer for the posting of the salesperson's license or a true and exact copy of the salesperson's license in a place conspicuous to the public at each location where he or she is actually engaged in the selling of vehicles for the employing dealer.
  (b) The license, or a true and exact copy of the license, shall be displayed continuously at each location where he or she is actually engaged in the selling of vehicles during the employment. If a vehicle salesperson's employment is terminated, the license shall be returned to the salesperson and all copies of the license used by the dealer for posting or display shall be destroyed by the dealer.
  (c) A vehicle salesperson licensed pursuant to this article shall report in writing to the department every change of residence address within five days of the change.
  (d) A person currently or previously licensed under this article who no longer resides at the address last filed with the department may be served with process issued pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code by registered mail at that residence, unless the person has notified the department in writing of another address where service may be made.

(a) Every original vehicle salesperson's license issued, and every vehicle salesperson's license renewed pursuant to subdivision (b), shall be valid for a period of three years from the date of issuance unless canceled, suspended, or revoked by the department.
  (b) Renewal of a vehicle salesperson's license may be made prior to the expiration date. In no event may a vehicle salesperson renew his or her license after the date of expiration.
  (c) A salesperson's license may be renewed by mail if that license was not renewed by mail for the immediately preceding period.
  (d) A salesperson shall obtain a duplicate license when the original is either lost or mutilated.

It is unlawful for a person:
  (a) To lend a salesperson's license to any other person or knowingly permit its use by another.
  (b) To display or represent a salesperson's license not issued to the person as being his or her license.
  (c) To fail or refuse to surrender to the department, upon its lawful demand, a salesperson's license that has been suspended, revoked, or canceled.
  (d) To permit any unlawful use of a salesperson's license issued to him or her.
  (e) To photograph, photostat, duplicate, or in any way reproduce a salesperson's license or facsimile thereof in a manner that it could be mistaken for a valid license, or to display or have in possession a photograph, photostat, duplicate, reproduction, or facsimile unless for display by a dealer, or as authorized by this code.

The following fees shall be paid to the department:
  (a) Except as provided by Section 42231, a nonrefundable fee for the original issuance of a license, fifty dollars ($50).
  (b) Fee for license renewal, fifty dollars ($50).
  (c) Fee for a duplicate license, fifteen dollars ($15).

The vehicle salesperson's license or any permit provided in this article shall be automatically canceled upon the failure of a licensee to pay the required fees or to file an application for renewal of the license or permit before the date of expiration of the current license or permit.

The suspension, expiration, or cancellation of a vehicle salesperson's license issued under this article does not prevent the filing of an accusation for the revocation or suspension of the suspended, expired, or canceled license as provided in Section 11806, and the department's decision that the license should be suspended or revoked. That determination may be considered in granting or refusing to grant any subsequent license authorized by this division to that licensee.