Penalties for California overweight citations
In most cases, driving an overweight vehicle is a misdemeanor in California law.11
The potential penalties are:
Misdemeanor (summary) probation;
Up to six (6) months in county jail; and/or
A fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000).12
The exception is if the amount of excess weight is less than four thousand five hundred one pounds (4,501). In this case, VC 35551 is only a California infraction.13
The penalty for overweight vehicles as an infraction is a fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250).