California robotaxi rules
California splits the job between two agencies. The DMV governs testing and deployment of the vehicles, while the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decides who may carry passengers and whether they may charge. The permit details below come from secondary sources, not from the CPUC or DMV websites.
Updated . By the Robotaxi Atlas desk.
The permit ladder at the CPUC
The CPUC issues a series of autonomous vehicle permits, starting with rides that have a driver on board and ending at fully driverless, fare-paying service. Reporting by The AutoWire and Electrek describes where each company sits.
Waymo holds all four AV permits. One of them, Driverless Deployment, is the level that allows fares, which is how Waymo runs paid service open to everyone in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and, since Oct 14, 2026, San Diego.
Zoox holds only the Drivered and Driverless Pilot permits. The AutoWire quotes the rule attached to them: "monetary compensation may not be charged for any rides in test autonomous vehicles." People admitted from Zoox's Explorers waitlist ride free in San Francisco.
Tesla has a charter-party carrier permit rather than an AV permit. On Mar 25, 2026, Electrek reported the regulator's statement that Tesla "is not operating an autonomous vehicle service." A human driver is at the wheel on Tesla's Bay Area rides, so they appear here as a safety-driver service.
New DMV rules and police notices
A Sidley Austin client brief says the DMV released a finalized set of autonomous vehicle rules on Apr 28, 2026. Starting Jul 1, 2026, police can hand autonomous vehicles "notices of noncompliance." That detail comes from the law firm's summary, not from the DMV's own text.
Other companies waiting on permits
MOIA has tested ID. Buzz vans with safety operators in Los Angeles since Apr 2026 and says commercial rides depend on DMV and CPUC permits. In the Bay Area, Nuro and Lucid carry Uber employees with safety drivers. Waymo is driving manually in Sacramento and has given no launch date.
Cities affected
- Los Angeles Driverless
- San Diego Driverless
- San Francisco Bay Area Driverless
- Sacramento Testing
Sources
- The AutoWire: Zoox robotaxi CPUC permits
- Electrek: California regulator confirms Tesla not operating autonomous vehicle service
- Sidley Austin: California Finalizes a New Regulatory Regime for Testing and Deploying Autonomous Vehicles
Some points on this page are reported by news outlets and not yet confirmed by an official source.
Questions people ask
Why are Zoox rides in San Francisco free?
Zoox holds only CPUC pilot permits, and those do not allow fares, according to The AutoWire. Paid rides need the Driverless Deployment permit, which Waymo holds.
Is Tesla running a driverless robotaxi service in California?
Tesla's Bay Area rides have a human driver, and its California permit is a charter-party carrier permit, not an AV permit. Electrek reported the CPUC's statement on Mar 25, 2026.
Can California police ticket a robotaxi?
Police can issue notices of noncompliance to autonomous vehicles from Jul 1, 2026 under new California DMV rules, according to the law firm Sidley Austin.