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False Evidences and Uses of Documents, Licenses, Devices, Placards, or Plates

4463.  (a) ( )1 A person who, with intent to prejudice, damage, or defraud, commits any of the following acts is guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months ( )2 or two or three years, or by imprisonment in ( )3 a county jail for not more than one year:

(1) Alters, forges, counterfeits, or falsifies ( )4 a certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license, license plate, device issued pursuant to Section 4853, special plate, or permit provided for by this code or ( )4 a comparable certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license, license plate, device comparable to that issued pursuant to Section 4853, special plate, or permit provided for by any foreign jurisdiction, or alters, forges, counterfeits, or falsifies the document, device, or plate with intent to represent it as issued by the department, or alters, forges, counterfeits, or falsifies with fraudulent intent ( )4 an endorsement of transfer on a certificate of ownership or other document evidencing ownership, or with fraudulent intent displays or causes or permits to be displayed or have in his or her possession ( )4 a blank, incomplete, canceled, suspended, revoked, altered, forged, counterfeit, or false certificate of ownership, registration card, certificate, license, license plate, device issued pursuant to Section 4853, special plate, or permit.

(2) Utters, publishes, passes, or attempts to pass, as true and genuine, ( )4 a false, altered, forged, or counterfeited matter listed in ( )5 paragraph (1) knowing it to be false, altered, forged, or counterfeited.

(b) ( )1 A person who, with intent to prejudice, damage, or defraud, commits any of the following acts is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in ( )3 a county jail for six months or by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment, which penalty shall not be suspended:

(1) Forges, counterfeits, or falsifies ( )4 a disabled person placard or ( )4 a comparable placard relating to parking privileges for disabled persons provided for by ( )4 a foreign jurisdiction, or forges, counterfeits, or falsifies ( )4 a disabled person placard with intent to represent it as issued by the department.

(2) Passes, or attempts to pass, as true and genuine, ( )4 a false, forged, or counterfeit disabled person placard knowing it to be false, forged, or counterfeited.

(3) Acquires, possesses, sells, or offers for sale a genuine or counterfeit disabled person placard.

(c) ( )1 A person who, with fraudulent intent, displays or causes or permits to be displayed any forged, counterfeit, or false disabled person placard, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in ( )3 a county jail for six months or by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment, which penalty shall not be suspended.

(d) For purposes of subdivision (b) or (c), "disabled person placard" means a placard issued pursuant to Section 22511.55 or 22511.59.

(e) A person who, with intent to prejudice, damage, or defraud, commits any of the following acts is guilty of an infraction, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) or more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for a first offense, not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) or more than five hundred dollars ($500) for a second offense, and not less than five hundred dollars ($500) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) for a third or subsequent offense, which penalty shall not be suspended:

(1) Forges, counterfeits, or falsifies a Clean Air Sticker or a comparable clean air sticker relating to high occupancy vehicle lane privileges provided for by any foreign jurisdiction, or forges, counterfeits, or falsifies a Clean Air Sticker with intent to represent it as issued by the department.

(2) Passes, or attempts to pass, as true and genuine, a false, forged, or counterfeit Clean Air Sticker knowing it to be false, forged, or counterfeited.

(3) Acquires, possesses, sells, or offers for sale a counterfeit Clean Air Sticker.

(4) Acquires, possesses, sells, or offers for sale a genuine Clean Air Sticker separate from the vehicle for which the department issued that sticker.

(f) As used in this section, “Clean Air Sticker” means a label or decal issued pursuant to Sections 5205.5 and 21655.9.

Amended Sec. 3, Ch. 524, Stats. 2000. Effective January 1, 2001.
Amended Sec. 1, Ch. 417, Stats. 2008. Effective January 1, 2009.
The 2008 amendment added the italicized material, and at the point(s) indicated, updated the following:

  1. “Every”
  2. “,”
  3. “the”
  4. “any”
  5. “subdivision (a)”