Waymo autonomous Jaguar I-Pace with roof-mounted lidar and sensors on an urban street near an overpass and construction fencing, San Francisco, California, September 18, 2025. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

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Beg­inning July 1, 2026, California law enforcement will be able to issue what the state calls a “notice of autonomous vehicle noncompliance” when a driverless vehicle violates the Vehicle Code or a local traffic ordinance while its autonomous system is engaged.

Translation: “Cops can finally write up robotaxis.”

It’s not the same as as handing a ticket to a human driver, though. The notice goes into a regulatory process requiring identifying the alleged violation and recording the date, time, location and license plate number. The manufacturer then has to provide that notice to the DMV within 72 hours, unless the DMV sets another timeline. From there, the state can review the incident and decide what correction, restriction or enforcement response is appropriate.

As of now, law enforcement can only issue citations to whoever is driving – a problem when there literally is no driver. But the law recognizes the machines as road users with obligations and the companies behind them as responsible parties when the machines goof.

Traffic violations are just one aspect of the new code. Autonomous vehicle companies must maintain a dedicated emergency-response phone line whenever their vehicles are on public roads. The line must be staffed so emergency officials can reach a remote human operator within 30 seconds. The vehicles also need two-way voice communication so responders near the car can communicate with a remote operator.

And during true emergencies, officials can send geofencing messages requiring AV fleets to leave or avoid an area within two minutes.

That last part matters a lot. A driverless car that is merely annoying in ordinary traffic can become a real hazard around fire trucks, ambulances, police activity or blocked intersections.

California is not alone in trying to make the robot answer for itself. Arizona law already says the person who submits the required autonomous-vehicle statement may receive a traffic citation or penalty if the vehicle fails to obey traffic laws. Texas, meanwhile, is launching a commercial AV authorization system that becomes enforceable May 28, 2026, with state and local law enforcement given authority over on-road traffic-law compliance.

But California’s move lands differently because this is the country’s biggest proving ground for robotaxis, and because Angelenos and San Franciscans have already been subject to misbehaving autonomous vehicles.

But trouble’s occurred in other areas where the technology’s being tested, too.

On October 2, 2023, a human-driven car in San Francisco first struck a pedestrian and threw her into the path of a Cruise robotaxi. The Cruise vehicle then hit her and, during its post-crash maneuver, dragged her about 20 feet before stopping. NHTSA later said Cruise failed to fully report key details of the crash, and California suspended Cruise’s driverless permits.

In August 2023, San Francisco officials said two Cruise vehicles blocked an ambulance at a crash scene and “delayed patient care.” Cruise disputed that its vehicles caused the delay.

In June 2024, Phoenix police pulled over a Waymo vehicle after it entered an oncoming lane near a construction area. Body-cam footage showed the officer realizing there was no human driver to ticket. Waymo later blamed confusing construction signage.