California · Penal Code

PEN §481: Every person who counterfeits, forges, or alters any ticket, check, order, coupon, receipt for fare, or pass, issued by any railroad or steamship company, or by any lessee or manager thereof, designed

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

A person who counterfeits, forges, or alters transportation tickets or passes issued by railroads or steamships, or circulates them with intent to defraud, may be punished by up to one year in county jail, state imprisonment, a fine up to $1,000, or both.

Read the full statutory text
Every person who counterfeits, forges, or alters any ticket, check, order, coupon, receipt for fare, or pass, issued by any railroad or steamship company, or by any lessee or manager thereof, designed to entitle the holder to ride in the cars or vessels of such company, or who utters, publishes, or puts into circulation, any such counterfeit or altered ticket, check, or order, coupon, receipt for fare, or pass, with intent to defraud any such railroad or steamship company, or any lessee thereof, or any other person, is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail, not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170, or by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by both that imprisonment and fine.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.