California has created a Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule (UBPS) that includes fines and penalties for various traffic offenses, but these are merely the recommended amounts for traffic infractions and county judges are permitted to apply the penalties that they feel are appropriate for their jurisdiction. In general judges normally assess penalties similar to those listed in the UBPS though additional fees and administrative fees may be added on.

Thus there is no way for us to quote a set amount for traffic citations statewide for California. You can get a ticket for the same offense in two different CA counties and the fines will be for a different amount.

However, the counties seem to stay close to the state schedule when determining fees. From our research we found that the minimum "suggested" fine for car-pool violations rose in 2007 to $380.So no matter the CA county in which a carpool ticket was obtained the fine will likely be for around this amount, though other fees may be added on. We have read that repeat offenders ticket amount can cost up to $1000. The rumor is out there that carpool citations are costing up to $1600 but this is not true.

It was reported in mid 2007 that California has not been meeting federal guidelines for lanes set aside for High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV or carpool lanes as they are referred to) so the California Highway Patrol has been patrolling these lanes more often. Federal guidelines require a carpool / HOV lane to maintain at least a speed of 45 mph ninety percent of the time during rush hours to help the flow of traffic.

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