California2026Enacted
AB-1014
Traffic Safety: Speed Limits
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 7:05 AM
In one sentence
This law gives the Department of Transportation new powers to lower or keep current speed limits on non-freeway roads, similar to powers local governments already have.
What it does
- Allows the Department of Transportation to lower or retain a speed limit in specified circumstances where safety concerns exist.
- Permits the department to reduce a calculated speed limit by an extra 5 miles per hour for specific reasons like safety corridors, if the current limit is higher than reasonable or safe.
- Authorizes the department to set 20- or 25-mile-per-hour prima facie speed limits on highways that are not freeways.
- Requires all peace officers, instead of just local authorities, to issue only warning citations during the first 30 days after a lower limit takes effect.
Who it affects
- The Department of Transportation
- Local government agencies that set speed limits
- Peace officers who enforce traffic laws
Limits and unknowns
- The law only applies to highways that are not freeways.
- The text does not list every specific reason a department can lower a limit, stating it includes but is not limited to safety corridors.
- The official effective date for this law was not provided in the source material.
Plain language
Terms to know
- 85th percentile
- A number used to find the typical driving speed, where 85% of cars drive at or below that speed.
- Safety corridor
- A section of highway designated by the department as needing extra safety measures due to high crash risks.
- Prima facie speed limit
- A set maximum speed that is considered safe unless proven otherwise in court.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Traffic safety: speed limits.
Official activity
Bill history
- Chaptered