§ 10501 False Vehicle Theft Reports

Vehicle Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

This law says you can't lie to the police about your car being stolen. If you do it more than once, you can go to jail for a long time.

Key Takeaways

•Lying about your car being stolen is illegal.
•If you've done this before, you can go to jail for a long time.
•This law is about being honest with the police.

Example

You want to get money from your insurance company, so you tell the police your car was stolen even though it wasn't.

This is against the law. If you've done this before, you could go to jail for up to three years.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 10501 False Vehicle Theft Reports

(a) It is unlawful for any person to make or file a false or fraudulent report of theft of a vehicle required to be registered under this code with any law enforcement agency with intent to deceive. (b) If a person has been previously convicted of a violation of subdivision (a), he or she is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months, or two or three years, or in a county jail for not to exceed one year. (Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 601. (AB 109) Effective April 4, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, by Sec. 636 of Ch. 15, as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 68.)

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

false or fraudulent report theft of a vehicle intent to deceive previously convicted

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Vehicle Code. Section 10501.

§ 10501 False Vehicle Theft Reports

Vehicle Code·California

AI SummaryVerified

§ 10501 False Vehicle Theft Reports

This law says you can't lie to the police about your car being stolen. If you do it more than once, you can go to jail for a long time.

Key Takeaways

•Lying about your car being stolen is illegal.
•If you've done this before, you can go to jail for a long time.
•This law is about being honest with the police.

Example

You want to get money from your insurance company, so you tell the police your car was stolen even though it wasn't.

This is against the law. If you've done this before, you could go to jail for up to three years.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source

View on CA.gov

§ 10501 False Vehicle Theft Reports

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

false or fraudulent report theft of a vehicle intent to deceive previously convicted

References

Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Legislature. Vehicle Code. Section 10501.

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

Key Terms

Related Statutes

References