Article 5. Emission Control Equipment of California Vehicle Code >> Division 16.5. >> Chapter 6. >> Article 5.

No person shall operate or maintain in a condition of readiness for operation any off-highway motor vehicle which is required to be equipped with a motor vehicle pollution control device under Part 5 (commencing with Section 43000) of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code or with any other certified motor vehicle pollution control device required by any other state law or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to such law, or required to be equipped with a motor vehicle pollution control device pursuant to the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 1857 et seq.) and the standards and regulations promulgated thereunder, unless it is equipped with the required motor vehicle pollution control device which is correctly installed and in operating condition. No person shall disconnect, modify, or alter any such required device. Notwithstanding Section 43107 of the Health and Safety Code, this section shall apply only to off-highway motor vehicles of the 1978 or later model year.

No person shall install, sell, offer for sale, or advertise any device, apparatus, or mechanism intended for use with, or as a part of, any required off-highway motor vehicle pollution control device or system which alters or modifies the original design or performance of any such motor vehicle pollution control device or system.

When the court finds that a person has willfully violated any provision of this article, such person shall be fined the maximum amount that may be imposed for such an offense, and no part of the fine may be suspended. "Willfully", as used in this section, has the same meaning as the meaning of that word prescribed in Section 7 of the Penal Code.

No person shall operate an off-highway motor vehicle after notice by a traffic officer or other authorized public officer that such vehicle is not equipped with the required certified motor vehicle pollution control device correctly installed in operating condition, except as may be necessary to return the vehicle to the residence or place of business of the owner or driver or to a garage, until the vehicle has been properly equipped with such a device.

The notice to appear issued or complaint filed for a violation of any provision of this article shall require that the person to whom the notice to appear is issued or against whom the complaint is filed produce proof of correction pursuant to Section 40150.

This article shall not apply to an alteration, modification, or modifying device, apparatus, or mechanism found by resolution of the State Air Resources Board either:
  (a) To not reduce the effectiveness of any required off-highway motor vehicle pollution control device; or
  (b) To result in emissions from any such modified or altered off-highway vehicle which are at levels which comply with existing state or federal standards for that model year of the vehicle being modified or converted.

The provisions of this article apply to off-highway motor vehicles of the United States or its agencies, to the extent authorized by federal law.

Except as provided in Section 38390, this article shall be applicable to all off-highway motor vehicles, whether or not subject to identification pursuant to this division and without limitation by the exceptions contained in Section 38001, and to all off-highway motor vehicles operated or maintained in a condition of readiness for operation on private or public property.