California · Vehicle Code

VEH §40508: (a) A person willfully violating their written promise to appear or a lawfully granted continuance of their promise to appear in court or before a person authorized to receive a deposit of bail is gui

MisdemeanorDUI / Traffic

What this law says, in plain English

This statute makes it a misdemeanor to willfully violate a promise to appear in court, fail to pay bail or fines as ordered, or violate other court-ordered conditions.

Subsections

VEH §40508(a) — Failure to appear on written promise

Failing to appear in court after signing a written promise to appear is a criminal misdemeanor offense.

VEH §40508(b) — Failure to pay fine

A person willfully violating a written promise to pay a lawfully imposed fine is guilty of a misdemeanor, regardless of the disposition of the original charge.

VEH §40508(c) — Failure to comply with court order

A person willfully failing to comply with a condition of a court order made pursuant to a traffic violation is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Read the full statutory text

(a) A person willfully violating their written promise to appear or a lawfully granted continuance of their promise to appear in court or before a person authorized to receive a deposit of bail is guilty of a misdemeanor regardless of the disposition of the charge upon which the person was originally arrested. (b) A person willfully failing to pay bail in installments as agreed to under Section 40510.5 or a lawfully imposed fine for a violation of a provision of this code or a local ordinance adopted pursuant to this code within the time authorized by the court and without lawful excuse having been presented to the court on or before the date the bail or fine is due is guilty of a misdemeanor regardless of the full payment of the bail or fine after that time. (c) A person willfully failing to comply with a condition of a court order for a violation of this code, other than for failure to appear or failure to pay a fine, is guilty of a misdemeanor, regardless of their subsequent compliance with the order.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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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.